“Turning Red” is the newest Pixar film and was co-written & directed by Domee Shi. It stars Rosalie Chiang as Meilin “Mei-Mei” Lee, a 13-year-old who starts turning into a giant red panda whenever she gets too emotional. The film co-stars Sandra Oh as Mei-Mei’s overbearing mother Ming.
Obviously, this movie is one giant allegory for puberty. That’s a perfectly acceptable subject matter to put in an animated family film, but only if it’s done intelligently and discreetly. If it’s the entire, overbearing basis of the film, then you have a problem — hence “Turning Red.”
I’m not a parent, but I can see how parents would be horrified to show this film to 5-year-olds, who are the actual target demographic of Pixar, no matter how widely their films appeal. There’s pads, abortion references, and a whole lot of red. Young children shouldn’t be watching this. Not only is it too direct, but it’s also likely to bore them since they won’t understand the references and terminology being thrown in their faces. However, as someone who’s outside Pixar’s target age demographic, I’m not that bothered by the themes in theory; I’m just paranoid that’s its poor execution will have negative impacts on young children.
But the main reason why I didn’t enjoy this film is that not a single character is likeable. In fact, I thought every character was painfully annoying.
Firstly, Mei-Mei’s friend group were some of the most obnoxious, migraine-inducing characters I’ve ever seen in an animated film. The three of them are loud, overly quirky, stereotypical, and nasty influences on our lead. They keep pouncing down Mei-Mei’s throat, endlessly raving about this stupid boy band that I’m too lazy to look up the name of. They’re like a group of Jar-Jar Binks’.
Now, let’s talk about the movie’s absolute worst character: Mei-Mei. The Hero’s Journey is timeless; it’s always satisfying to see an initially unlikeable person struggle and transform into the lovable hero (e.g. Luke Skywalker and Tony Stark). The key to the Hero’s Journey, however, is to make sure that the protagonist actually becomes a better person by the end. On the surface, Mei-Mei’s arc in “Turning Red” seems to follow the Hero’s Journey, but the narrative fails to execute it properly. Technically, she does change, but the arc just makes her unlikeable in a new way rather than redeemable. Mei-Mei starts the film as a cocky, competitive, and smug middle schooler. She ends the film as an obnoxious, self-absorbed, rebellious, and smug middle schooler.
The movie tries to have this heartfelt message about being your true self and not blindly following what your parents demand of you, but it fails because it instead promotes a gross ideology. At the start of the film, Mei-Mei’s mom forces her be the perfect scholar, and by the end she’s a reckless teen who cares more about partying with her toxic friends than supporting her family. Mei-Mei even defies her mother at the end by twerking in her face! Wow, what a great message to send to children, Pixar.
I also want to do a mini rant on the stupid boy band (I’ll call it SBB for the rest of this review). First of all, the entire plot revolves around these 14-year-old Justin Biebers-in-training, so nobody in their right mind would look at these people favorably. But of course, our awful protagonist does, so we have to spend the entire movie hearing her and the Jar-Jar’s talk about how pretty these SBB members are. Another gripe I have with the SBB is that the film only has them play ONE song, called Nobody Like U, which contains about 25 words in total. I guess the filmmakers went over budget and couldn’t pay for Billie Eilish and the other artists to write more songs, so they just hedged their bets and hoped nobody would notice. But my cynical brain did.
The film also has a massive plot hole: Mei-Mei’s identity as the Red Panda is never hidden. By the end of the first act, every single character knows what should be Mei-Mei’s secret. Therefore, when she runs around as the Red Panda and destroys millions of dollars worth of private property, it makes no sense that the police wouldn’t go after her. She’s left alone and never really challenged by anyone in a significant way. This makes the Hero’s Journey less satisfying and diminishes any credibility that the film had.
“Turning Red” is a deeply flawed movie that fails to live up to what could be an interesting premise due to its on-the-nose themes, unbearable characters, and lazy writing. Of course, it has the breathtaking, gorgeous animation that you’d expect of Pixar, but besides that, there’s very few redeeming qualities here. I genuinely don’t understand how this has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a parent; just don’t watch this movie.
D
Click here to read my review of “Soul,” one of Pixar’s most recent films and my favorite movie of 2020.
Very, very few characters in fiction have been as important to me as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Whether in the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, or the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” series, he was always given, in my opinion, some of the best character beats in the entire Star Wars Saga.
I grew up with Obi-Wan, and I was always compelled by his struggle to maintain the core principles of the Jedi despite his own losses. If you think about it, he’s the most tragic character in all of Star Wars. His master was murdered in front of his eyes because he wasn’t quick enough to intervene, and the love of his life Duchess Satine was killed by the same man who took his master away from him. Obi-Wan failed to keep his promise to his dying master that he would “protect the boy” — Anakin became the second-most evil man in the galaxy, partially because Obi-Wan wasn’t fit to be a father figure, no matter how hard he tried. Kenobi then cut his apprentice in half and let him burn alive, too weak to actually kill Anakin himself, which would likely have saved the galaxy. But after all of these failures and tribulations, he finally succeeded in executing his final promise: protecting and teaching Luke Skywalker.
Now that’s a brilliant character. What makes him even better are the actors who play the Jedi Knight. Ewan McGregor’s performance as Obi-Wan in “Revenge of the Sith” remains my favorite performance in Star Wars history, particularly in the climax on Mustafar. We see weakness and, most importantly, fear in Obi-Wan more than ever before when he battles Anakin; his eyes alone reflect how frightened he is of what Anakin’s become, how disappointed he is in himself, and his acknowledgment that he’s nowhere near as powerful. Then, McGregor masterfully delivered that emotional, heartbreaking monologue at the end of the best lightsaber battle to date.
For all these reasons and many more, Obi-Wan Kenobi is the best Star Wars character. His humor and hopefulness were constantly tested in many impactful ways throughout every single piece of Star Wars content he was in, and he ultimately was given some of the best storylines of the entire franchise.
So naturally, it’s time for Disney to destroy him!
The most idiotic aspect of the upcoming Disney+ show is its selling point, which is that we’ll get to see the epic battle between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan… for the third time. Not only does this damage the timeline and logic of the saga, but it shows how poorly Disney understands the character. Obi-Wan isn’t about action and spectacle; he symbolizes the pros and cons of the Jedi. Their principles and how they affect others. The sacrifices they must make to fully dedicate themselves to this religion. That’s also what makes Kenobi’s relationship with Darth Maul so interesting. Both of them are essentially failures, but Obi-Wan is able to redeem himself using compassion and empathy, while Maul is doomed to continue failing due to his ego and rage.
If the concept of the series was a dour character study of Obi-Wan, exploring his struggle to forgive himself and move on after the events of “Revenge of the Sith,” I would be ecstatic for the show. I’ve always wanted a “Logan” for Obi-Wan. I want to see him challenged in new, dramatic, and grounded ways.
After seeing the new teaser trailer, it’s clear we’re getting a show that’s using Kenobi as a vehicle for spectacle and the introduction of new, likely inferior characters, as Obi-Wan is barely even in the teaser! I don’t want to see some blockbuster-level science fiction epic with Darth Vader and the Inquisitors; I just want to see Obi-Wan Kenobi again.
The hard work George Lucas, Ewan McGregor, Alec Guinness, Dave Filoni (back when he actually made quality content under Lucas), and others put into crafting this compelling character needs to be remembered. As of writing this, Obi-Wan is the only major Star Wars character left who Disney hasn’t demolished up to this point, so in the two months prior to the show’s release, I’m going to watch and enjoy all the old Obi-Wan content again. I’m excited to return to the great stories of this complex character, and I’m going to savor the good times while I still can.
“The Batman” was co-written & directed by Matt Reeves and stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman in his second year of fighting crime in Gotham City. This film sees him facing off against the Riddler, a serial killer leaving behind cryptic clues at the scenes of his murders. The film co-stars Zoรซ Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, and Colin Farrell.
What made this film so immensely satisfying and enjoyable for me was the interpretation of the Batman character. All other past versions were largely fine (although some were terrible), and this is the first movie where it really feels like the filmmakers knew the character inside and out. It’s almost like Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson had a checklist of all the aspects of the character from the comics that needed to be put on screen. In “The Batman,” he’s an incredibly flawed and tormented hero. He’s extremely intelligent, a brilliant detective, ruthless, a vicious fighter, and sufficiently sadistic. This is a Batman who loves being Batman. The film smartly knows that Bruce Wayne is the mask, NOT Batman. Batman is a broken, psychologically damaged antihero, and this film explores that. Over the course of the film, Bruce learns that being Batman is more than just signaling fear and beating people up; he also has to be the watchful protector who has genuine care and compassion for the people of Gotham.
Robert Pattinson was terrific in the role. He did a ton of comic reading in preparation for the role, and it shows. He nails the character from his very first appearance. He knows how to move and stand in intimidating ways, how to talk, how to use his eyes. So much is expressed with just his body language, which is extremely important for this film in particular since Batman has 10 times more screentime than Bruce Wayne. I’ve only seen the film once as of writing this review, but I think Pattinson is the best Batman we’ve had thus far.
The rest of the cast is also brilliant. Zoรซ Kravitz perfectly captured the sensuality and danger of Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright balanced the optimism and despair of Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis was tragic yet loving as Alfred, and Colin Farrell (who was unrecognizable under the phenomenal makeup by the way) was great as the traditional mobster version of the Penguin. But the true standout is easily Paul Dano’s skin-crawling performance as the Riddler, who is probably the second best Batman movie villain of all time now (after Heath Ledger’s Joker). He clearly had a ton of fun in the role, savoring every syllable he was given. His heavy breathing, sudden outbursts, and even the nearly inhuman way he moves his head all made for a memorable, terrifying villain.
After experiencing “The Batman,” it’s abundantly clear that director Matt Reeves was given complete freedom to execute his neo-noir detective story, and I couldn’t be happier about that. Reeves took a lot of inspiration from David Fincher (e.g. “Se7en” and “Zodiac”) and movies from the 1970s, especially “Chinatown,” to model his detective story. The mysteries and riddles Batman and Gordon solve are actually horrifying and compelling, and the pace never slows down despite the movie being nearly 3 hours.
Speaking of how unrestricted Reeves was, I genuinely think this film would have been rated R if it wasn’t made by a studio with as much power and resources as Warner Brothers. In just the first 15 minutes, there’s extreme violence, super heavy themes, and an f-bomb. The whole movie is incredibly dark and deeply disturbing, and the never-ending cycle of violence in Gotham is prevalent throughout. Personally, I’ve always wanted an R-rated Batman film, and this is probably the closest we’ll ever get, so I’m perfectly satisfied with how much Reeves targeted the film toward adults.
On a technical level, this is easily the best Batman film yet. The cinematography by Greig Fraser is absolutely gorgeous; the filthiness of Gotham never leaves the screen, enhancing the tone and feelings the movie gives its audience. The score by Michael Giacchino is another brilliant aspect of the film; it’s exciting, terrifying, and melancholy all at the same time, perfectly capturing Batman’s psyche.
My most significant gripe with the film is spoiler-related, so here are my brief thoughts on that (skip past this paragraph to return to the spoiler-free section).
SPOILER WARNING:
Barry Keoghan plays the Joker in a cameo at the end of the film, and he’s utterly atrocious. For most of this film I kept thinking “wow, this is perfectly cast,” but then Keoghan came along and gave his prepubescent Joker laugh that sucked all the excitement out of the room. I don’t know how anyone would think the guy who played Druig in “Eternals,” one of the most overacted, terrible blockbusters in recent memory, would do a good job at portraying arguably the most iconic villain in the history of fiction. He’s far too young and simply isn’t fit for the part.
“The Batman” is the perfect superhero movie experience. It explores its deeply flawed yet compassionate protagonist in ways that are extremely respectful to the source material. The film balances the ultra-realism with the fantasy elements of the character. There’s great worldbuilding, phenomenal performances, a terrific score, stunning visuals, genius direction, and a ton of satisfying “now that’s Batman” moments. There are a few plot issues and the casting of one particular actor was disappointing, but these aspects didn’t deter my enjoyment of this terrific neo-noir thriller.
“Uncharted” was directed by Ruben Fleischer and is based on the immensely popular video game franchise by the same name. It stars Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg as young versions of Nathan Drake and Sully, respectively.
This film is exactly what I expected it to be. It’s a generic, forgettable studio movie intended to kickstart a franchise from a known property. When judged on its own merits as a movie and not as an adaptation, “Uncharted” is fine. It’s disposable entertainment that’s just another blu-ray to be added to the $5 bin at Walmart.
Normally I could accept that in other movies. For example, 2019’s “Hobbs and Shaw” was incredibly unoriginal but it was exceedingly exciting due to a terrific cast and fun setpieces. However, I can’t give that pass to “Uncharted.” I’m a huge fan of the games and Nathan Drake is one of my favorite video game characters of all time. Therefore, when Sony cast Tom Holland in the role, I instantly knew that this film wasn’t made for the fans. There is no love for the franchise from the filmmakers or actors, and the only aspects of the film successfully adapted from the game were setpieces, vistas, and certain clothing items.
What made the games so special even more than the cinematic value was its protagonist. Drake is such an inherently likeable character. He’s funny, witty, passionate about what he does, unpretentious, dedicated, scruffy, inelegant, and just an overall nice guy. He’s also in his thirties. Contrast this with Tom Holland, a 25-year-old who looks 19 that doesn’t at all sell what makes Drake such a likeable presence. To be fair, it’s a nearly impossible job, as Nolan North is so strictly tied to the character that it’s like having someone other than Harrison Ford play Han Solo. In both cases, it doesn’t work. Plus, a young Nathan Drake is far less interesting. He’s a lot more compelling as an experienced adventurer who’s been on a ton of exciting adventures, some of which we probably don’t even know about. Basically, casting Spider-Man to play Nathan Drake is like casting the Terminator as Mr. Freeze.
Speaking of poor casting, there’s Mark Wahlberg as Sully. Admittedly, Wahlberg is better in his role than Tom Holland, but he’s still almost nothing like the Sully from the games. The most obvious difference is the age; Sully should be an old man. This film’s version of Sully is using “kid” to refer to Drake in every other sentence as if he’s Clint Eastwood from “Gran Torino,” when Wahlberg wasn’t even 50 when they were filming. The wise old mentor has to be noticeably older than the apprentice. Then there’s Sophia Ali as Chloe Frazer, who was nothing like her character as well. She didn’t have the catwoman-esque sensuality, charisma, cunning, or suaveness of Chloe from the games. She was just playing “adventure person.”
NATHAN DRAKE AND SULLY IN THE VIDEO GAME “UNCHARTED 4: A THIEF’S END”
There’s also a sort of Spielbergian optimist charm in the Uncharted games which was missing from the film. The movie is so corporate and soulless that it never allows for fans to get the same feeling on the big screen. Overall, as an adaptation to the games, it couldn’t get any more passionless than this.
To give the film an objective review outside of my gripes as a fan of the games, it does have some qualities — both good and bad — which stand out. One of the good aspects was the phenomenal, epic action sequence at the end which was surprisingly memorable. The movie also has good pacing due to it being about 2 hours long rather than 2-and-a-half hours like most other blockbusters today. The actors also seem to be having fun for the most part and there’s clear chemistry between Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg.
The worst part of this film on an objective level was easily the villain. The movie markets Antonio Banderas as being the intimidating antagonist, but the villain is actually Sully’s ex-girlfriend Braddock. Ugh.
Not only did the actress for Braddock have as much charisma and acting chops as a light switch, but the writing for her was horrific as well. [Spoiler Warning]: Basically, she murders her wealthy boss (played by Antonio Banderas) just because he gave her a demotion for failing at her mission, and then somehow is accepted as the new leader of the villain group. It’s never explained why no one is mad at her or how she’s somehow able to take over all the operations seamlessly. It just happens.
Overall, “Uncharted” needs to be judged in two separate ways: as a film and as an adaptation. As a film, it’s forgettable, inoffensive entertainment that some people might enjoy. But as an adaptation, “Uncharted” doesn’t even try to be faithful. It’s such a lazy, bland film. If you’re looking for a way to entertain yourself for 2 hours and you don’t care about the games, then by all means see the film. But if you’re not like that, “Uncharted” isn’t worth your time or money.
Grade as a Film: C+| Grade as a Video Game Adaptation: D-
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” was directed by Joel Coen and adapted from the famous William Shakespeare play. It stars Denzel Washington as Macbeth and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth.
“Adaptation” isn’t the right word to describe this film — it’s just the play but in a motion picture format. Coen went for an extremely strict translation of the Shakespeare material, and that’s both a good thing and a bad thing. The “good thing” is the visual style of the film, as “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is absolutely gorgeous. Coen interestingly chose to film all of the movie on soundstages and interiors, making the film feel a lot more like a play. The sets are a bit fake-looking, but it was clearly intentional and it worked beautifully. There really isn’t any other film with the same aesthetic, and that’s a real achievement.
Unfortunately, the “bad thing” is the dialogue, which holds the entire movie back. Coen lifted all of the lines directly from the Shakespeare play itself, and while that suits the style he was going for, it makes the film utterly incomprehensible to 99% of the audience. The play was written in 1606 — it’s 2022 now. Making sure that the audience can understand and be engaged in the narrative is far more important than honoring a writer whose dialect sounds like its own language today. And the dialogue isn’t even something you get used to. Instead, you eventually give up on trying to understand the characters and lose interest in the story.
Honestly, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is too pretentious, even for a critic like me. One of my favorite movies of 2021 was “The Green Knight” — which took place in the same time period as this film — and that was the ultimate film snob movie. The reason why that film worked while this one didn’t is because “The Green Knight” still had the goal of immersing its audience. It was willing to have dialogue which wasn’t true to the time period so that the audience could actually understand the characters. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is just style over substance. Even the poster is pretentious; why does the text have to be so large that the word “Tragedy” is hyphenated?
“The Tragedy of Macbeth” is visually stunning and most of the actors give great performances, but the film’s pretentious ambitions hold it back. Shakespeare isn’t completely timeless.
“The Breakfast Club” was released in 1985 and was written & directed by John Hughes. It starred Anthony Michael Hall as Brian (the “Brain”), Emilio Estevez as Andrew (the “Athlete”), Ally Sheedy as Allison (the “Basketcase”), Molly Ringwald as Claire (the “Princess”), and Judd Nelson as John Bender (“the Criminal”). It follows one Saturday in the lives of 5 seemingly different high schoolers in detention who bond and discover that they share more similarities than they first thought.
Despite some of the 80’s clothing, music, and dialogue, this is a largely timeless film. Everyone can relate to at least one of these characters. It’s clear that this genre was always where John Hughes was most comfortable, and thanks to the R-rating, he was able to let loose a little more. He went to darker, more realistic places than he could with “Sixteen Candles” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and the film’s all the better for it. Also, it’s a testament to John Hughes’ writing and directing abilities that the film is so moving and entertaining even though almost all of the scenes take place in one room, and the reason why it works so well is because of the characters.
A story is nothing without compelling characters, and when you have such phenomenal ones, you give yourself the opportunity to make a film with little plot, and instead focus on development and themes. High School is a brutal, confusing, stressful, and terrifying time in everyone’s life, and this film captures that perfectly. It covered the toxic competitiveness for academics, the bullying from jocks, and parental neglect.
The film addresses these challenges through the characters’ struggles with their home life and their parents, which is really the connecting tissue between them that creates the Breakfast Club. One of the film’s most important messages is the significance of proper parenting. Parenting is an incredibly difficult task, but children, especially teenagers, need to be given adequate attention and empathy. Without those, teenagers like the 5 main characters of this film are the result.
There’s not much else I can say about “The Breakfast Club.” It’s simply a wonderful film that uses its complex characters to portray timeless themes which are some of the most meaningful in cinematic history. This film understood adolescence pitch perfectly, and it’s one of my favorite movies ever made.
MCU Phase 4 movies and shows were largely abysmal in 2021. Marvel brought us a ton of lazy and uninspired stories, but it did have a few gems as well. Here’s my ranking (and ratings) of all 9 MCU Movies & Shows of 2021!
9. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Too Atrocious to Grade
I’m blown away by how awful this series was. This was an utterly disgusting piece of filth. For some reason, the showrunners of this Captain America series decided to make a show about why the United States is the worst country in the history of the world and why terrorism is sometimes justified. Marvel is about bringing people — especially children — together with their colorful characters and exciting stories. This series shows me that Kevin Feige not only has no respect for the characters which made the MCU successful in the first place, but also that he has no respect for Stan Lee’s legacy. “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” is likely the worst piece of superhero content I’ve ever seen. This series is poisonous, and the fact that a show glorifying terrorism and mass murder is on a streaming service for children frightens me.
8. Eternals | F
Before I saw this film, I intended on making an in-depth spoiler review/rant because of all the terrible buzz it was getting at its release, but once I saw it, I realized there were far too many plot holes, awful performances, poor direction, and baffling story choices to discuss in just one review. I’ll give a quick summary of the most significant issues I had with this film:
Most of the runtime is spent introducing new, increasingly uninteresting/unlikeable characters, causing the story to drag.
The CGI was laughably awful and the visuals were disappointing — Chloรฉ Zhao is certainly talented, but some of her direction choices, such as the overuse of natural lighting, made it clear that she wasn’t the right choice to direct a superhero film. Other critics have already said this, but “Eternals” looks like “The Long Night” episode of “Game Of Thrones” Season 8.
Every single character was unlikable. They were always crying or complaining. There’s only so much ranting about how terrible the human race is that I, a human, can take.
The most glaring issue is that absolutely nothing in this film makes sense: Why does an overload of memories make Thena want to kill people? Why did the Eternals forget to search for Makkari, only to find her living on a ship underground for 500 years reading and eating 21st century chips? Why would the Celestials send a group of angsty beings to protect an entire planet against space monsters? Why didn’t any of the Eternals change their hairstyle for 7,000 years? Why was Dane Whitman/the Black Knight even in this movie?
Not only is “Eternals” the worst MCU movie (“Captain Marvel” has officially been dethroned). Not only is it one of the worst comic book movies ever made. Not only is it one of the worst movies of 2021. “Eternals” is, without exaggeration, one of the worst blockbusters in recent memory. One positive I will say, however, is that the film sometimes reaches “so bad, it’s good” territory.
7. What If…? | D
There’s not much to say about this unremarkable waste of potential. Of course, the Doctor Strange episode is amazing, but besides that, all the other episodes range from mediocre to some of the worst and most disrespectful MCU fluff yet.
6. Black Widow | D+
“Black Widow” is one of those movies you dislike more and more every time you think about it. It does have some redeeming qualities, such as the introduction of Florence Pugh’s Yelena and the awesome opening credits sequence, but overall it was massively disappointing. Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow was one of the best MCU heroes, and it’s a shame that after waiting so many years for her to finally get her own solo film we’re given a formulaic, boring Marvel movie that’s needlessly large-scale. The fact that the script was written in only 11 days makes you wonder if the filmmakers ever even cared about the character in the first place.
5. WandaVision | C-
What’s frustrating about this show is that it has an exciting first half and an extremely boring second half. The show is at its best when you’re trying to figure out what exactly is happening in the sitcom world, as well as the scenes in which the tension between Vision and Wanda grows. But once the show shifts into action/CGI/soap opera territory, it plummeted. There were some outstanding performances and clever ideas, but it unfortunately ended up being a lackluster series due to MCU-isms and massive plot holes. It wasn’t a great start to MCU Phase 4.
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings | C-
Possibly the most overrated MCU movie of all time, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” was a waste of potential. The first 45 minutes of this film were actually terrific, especially because of the thrilling action sequences. But once the characters go to the villain’s base and then to the magical forest, the film lost me completely. It went from exciting action-thriller to boring, MCU fluff that used all of the MCU’s worst tropes. What makes this film watchable all the way through, however, is the villain Wenwu, played mastefully by Tony Leung. He was a relatable, intimidating, unstable, and imposing antagonist up there with some of the best MCU villains. If it weren’t for him, this film would be one spot lower on this list.
3. Hawkeye | C+
“Hawkeye” is fine. It’s just an average, forgettable series to me, but that’s high praise for something in MCU Phase 4. It has some memorable action sequences, charismatic leads (although Jeremy Renner clearly didn’t want to be there), and an incredible third episode, but it also has a messy tone, a boring story, and mostly uninteresting side characters (I can’t believe Echo of all people is getting her own series). Overall, it doesn’t do anything particularly amazing or terrible. On a side note, I wanted to address the upset among fans over the treatment of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. While I love the Netflix “Daredevil” series, I don’t feel the same way as many other people since this version of Kingpin is clearly a drastically different interpretation of the character — the Netflix Kingpin could never live through an explosion! Just because the same actor played him doesn’t mean the two interpretations are the same; the Netflix version is (unfortunately) too mature of a character for Disney.
2. Spider-Man: No Way Home | B+
We’ve reached it: the first piece of quality entertainment on this list! In all seriousness, I really enjoyed this film. It has its fair share of plot holes and script issues, but overall it’s a satisfying and highly entertaining blockbuster which thankfully feels a lot more like a Sony film than an MCU Phase 4 film. If you want to read more of my thoughts on the film, here’s my review.
1. Loki | A
When Marvel first announced this series, I was disappointed. I thought Loki was given a satisfying ending with his death in “Avengers: Infinity War,” and I was tired of the MCU’s tendency of bringing back dead characters. But as soon as the first episode started, I was hooked. I absolutely loved “Loki,” and it’s easily the best of MCU Phase 4. It was a true diamond in the rough, as it felt completely different from everything else in the MCU. It was unique, original, and character-driven rather than spectacle-driven. The writers did a phenomenal job of deconstructing Loki; they explored the tragedy and psyche behind this deeply flawed character in a satisfying and fascinating way. Although he does go through a hero’s journey arc, he never becomes a true superhero like I was afraid he might become. The other characters were fantastic as well, especially Owen Wilson’s extremely charismatic Mobius M. Mobius, who had some terrific back-and-forth banter with Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. But the 2 best aspects of the show were its dialogue and its shifting narrative. This show is at its best when characters are sitting in a room talking. For example, Episode 1 had that great interrogation scene between Mobious and Loki, and Episode 6 was almost entirely made up of (somehow) riveting expositional dialogue. I’m not saying this show’s dialogue was on the level of “Succession,” but it was exceptional nonetheless. As for the storytelling, what made it so interesting was that the plot changed every episode as new mysteries emerged, leading up to a mindblowing finale. Ultimately, while “Loki” did have a few plot conveniences here and there, it was still a dramatic, hilarious, entertaining, and well-written series that was some of the best MCU content yet.
Christopher Nolan has become one of the most acclaimed filmmakers over the past two decades, with many people calling him one of, if not the best director of all time. Personally, I think he’s had a mixed career despite his immense talent and unique style.
I’ll start with what I like about Nolan. His films are unique and feel like they were made by a visionary rather than some studioheads. “Inception,” “The Prestige,” and “Memento” prove Nolan has the ability to work with complicated concepts and turn them into original, psychological dramas & thrillers. For example, there has never been a film like Memento which tells its story in reverse, most likely because directors are too afraid to copy Nolan’s style. He’s also made other great films, with Batman Begins being my favorite live-action Batman movie to date. With all that said, I have a lot of problems with Nolan — as well as his fan-base.
Firstly, I think Christopher Nolan’s career has been pretty disappointing for the last decade. “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Interstellar” were both filled with plot holes which many people ignore. “Dunkirk” was a decent movie, and while it succeeded in immersing the viewer, it never accomplished anything memorable. “Tenet” is by far Nolan’s most confusing and pretentious film, with a plot that moves far too quickly with little to no explanation. There’s enough plot points in that film for a full trilogy, but people still loved it because there were some unique visuals.
As I previously stated, I have problems with certain members of the Nolan fanbase. Specifically, the pseudo-intellectuals who saythat Nolan is a genius who has every right to make an overly-complicated film, and if you don’t understand his movies, then you’re just not intelligent enough for them. The only fanbase surrounding a director that’s (much) worse is Zack Snyder’s. To be clear, I’m not saying that all Nolan fans are bad; I’m only saying that a few of them are bad.
I’ve met several people who tell me Nolan is their favorite director, and when I ask why, I always almost get this answer: “Because he made ‘The Dark Knight.'” This leads me to my next point: “The Dark Knight” is one of the most overrated movies ever made. While it’s definitely a very good film, the fact that people still consider it to be the gold standard for comic book movies baffles me, especially considering the release of movies such as “Logan,” “Joker,” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” “The Dark Knight,” despite its merits, has a terrible interpretation of Batman. Nolan fans completely ignore this fact and I’m frustrated that some people actually view the Christopher Nolan version of Batman to be the best.
This version of Batman is possibly the worst, since he’s not actually a hero. His motivation is to retire so that he can date someone else’s fiancรฉe even though Gotham needs him to continue fighting crime, as proven with the Joker. The Batman character should always be ruthless and heroic; he should care more about saving lives than his retirement plans. Nolan’s Batman — maybe not in “Batman Begins” — isn’t a superhero, and he’s definitely not the real Dark Knight.
I don’t want people to read this and think I hate Christopher Nolan and believe he’s a bad director. That’s not the case. In fact, I think he’s an incredibly talented filmmaker who has made some of the best films of all time. The problem is that he has gotten too caught up with his complex concepts to the detriment of an enjoyable, well-crafted narrative, and he has a fanbase which ignores all flaws and will love all of his films no matter what. We need to put every director with great talent up to a higher standard and give fair criticism to their films; that’s how we get the best movies out of them. I’m still excited to see Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” film, and I hope he will put his talent to great use.
With the end of 2021, it’s time to rank my Top 10 Favorite Films of the year from worst to best/best to bestest!
Note: I have not seen every film of 2021, so there may be some terrific movies which aren’t on this list simply because I haven’t seen them. Also, some great films such as “The Father” & “Judas and the Black Messiah” which were widely released in 2021 aren’t on this list because they were released in film festivals or given limited releases in 2020, and therefore can’t be considered 2021 movies.
First, some Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):
Spider-Man: No Way Home
King Richard
Free Guy
House of Gucci
10. The French Dispatch
“The French Dispatch” is Wes Anderson’s most Wes Anderson movie, and that’s either a good thing or a bad thing depending on whether you like his style. As someone who does like his style, I found this to be a very enjoyable film. All the actors clearly had a ton of fun in their roles, giving passionate & charming performances. The central concept of the film is intriguing and unique as well: a magazine made into a live-action movie through a bunch of short films starring a massive cast of characters. Overall, “The French Dispatch” is a fun, creative, and original film movie that makes great use of Wes Anderson’s style.
9. Licorice Pizza
Like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” is a love letter to a time period that’s very personal to the filmmaker. This is a truly immersive film, focusing on one specific year through the eyes of its two leads. The performances, cinematography, soundtrack, direction, and production design are all some of 2021’s best, but what makes this film so great is Anderson’s dialogue. The Aaron Sorkin-esque snappy banter between characters is just as exciting as some of this year’s best action scenes. Despite its abrupt & jarring ending, “Licorice Pizza” is a highly enjoyable film.
8. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Despite being a whopping 4 hours long, “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is one of the most entertaining films of the year. Its runtime allows each character to have depth and growth, providing the film with a forward-moving momentum. The finale is truly epic, the action sequences are fun, and the story is executed far better than it was the 2017 theatrical cut. Knowing the history behind this film and having suffered through the abysmal theatrical cut, I’m very happy with what Snyder finally got to release. I just wish he didn’t bring back Jared Leto’s Joker — that abomination remained nightmarish.
7. CODA
“CODA” is an emotional story about Ruby Rossi, the only hearing child of deaf adults (hence C.O.D.A.). It follows Ruby’s struggle to balance her love of singing and her responsibilities to a family which can never hear her. The film’s masterful script allows it to quickly transition between being heartwarming, endearing, funny, and tragic. The direction, script, performances, cinematography, and themes all aid in making “CODA” a coming-of-age story packed full of compassion and heart.
6. The Suicide Squad
This is the most fun, exciting, and rewatchable film of the year for me. The action is enthralling, the characters are charismatic & fleshed out, the jokes are hilarious, and the film has a relentless, forward-moving momentum. Writer/director James Gunn poured his heart and soul into this film, and I love his unapologetically R-rated product.
5. The Green Knight
“The Green Knight” is definitely not for everyone. It’s artsy, metaphorical, ambiguous, and slightly pretentious — but I adore it. This is one of the most stunning films of 2021, helmed by a great director in David Lowery. Lowery expertly told a story about a man realizing his flaws and learning how to better himself using poetic, almost psychedelic, imagery and Arthurian mythology. It’s riveting to watch this film and try to piece together what’s actually taking place and what’s in our protagonist’s mind, making the movie more & more enjoyable in each rewatch.
4. No Time to Die
As a fan of Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond, I found this to be an extremely satisfying sendoff. The action is exciting, the direction is passionate, the performances are great across the board, and the cinematography is gorgeous. What makes this film stand out among all the Bond movies is its emotional impact; it closes out Bond’s arc, as well as his relationships with other characters that was built up over the 4 previous movies, almost perfectly. Best of all, it had a gutsy but necessary ending which respected the character’s legacy. I’m willing to overlook the weak villains and out-of-place one-liners to enjoy those powerful emotions — I’m not afraid to say it: I teared up at the ending. “No Time to Die” was everything I wanted in the ending to my favorite James Bond, and it proved that Hollywood can still make emotionally powerful, character-based blockbusters.
3. Pig
I never would have thought a movie called “Pig” would be my third favorite film of 2021, but here we are. “Pig” is phenomenal. It breezes past its quick 90-minute runtime thanks to brilliant performances from co-stars Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff, as well as its tone and themes. This film seems dour and melancholy on the surface, but as you watch it, you realize that it’s really about the importance of self-confidence, compassion, and being true to yourself. This is an incredibly rewatchable, meaningful, and relevant film that deserves more recognition. Plus, the restaurant scene is arguably the best scene of the year.
2. A Quiet Place Part II
John Krasinski didn’t disappoint with his sequel to the groundbreaking 2018 thriller. While not as good as the original, “A Quiet Place Part II” came incredibly close. This movie was everything I wanted in a sequel. It maintained the small-scale of the first film while still expanding on the worldbuilding, and it focused on the characters rather than spectacle. There’s not much more to say. This was an entertaining, intelligent, and adrenaline-filled movie with plenty of heart that actually lived up to the hype.
1. Dune
Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi/fantasy epic is possibly the most gorgeous film ever made. Every frame of “Dune” looks like a painting, and there are scenes in this film that are so beautiful that they actually took my breath away. It takes a brilliant filmmaker to pull this off, and “Dune” further proves that Villeneuve is one of the most gifted directors working today. The story and grand scale of the film also make it one of the most memorable cinematic experiences of the past couple decades. The worldbuilding is masterfully executed, with all the exposition done either through natural dialogue between the characters or through the stunning visuals. “Dune” is one of those movies that stays with you days, weeks, months after you watch it, and it will certainly go down in history as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time. I’m not saying it’s a perfect film, but it is a terrific showcase of what movies can accomplish when in the hands of brilliant filmmakers.
With the release of the highly anticipated “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” it’s time to rank all 9 Spider-Man movies from worst to best! Warning: this post contains spoilers for “Spider-Man No Way Home.”
9. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Calling this “film” a mess is beyond an understatement. The film was doomed from the beginning once Alex Kurtzman — the worst writer in the history of fiction — was hired to write the screenplay. “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” feels more like a collection of boring and melodramatic short films than a real movie. The film is convoluted, incoherent, and filled with boring subplots, as the studio cared more about setting up a Sinister Six movie than making an actually enjoyable film. Plus, the villains of this film are the worst in all of the Spider-Man movies. Electro was an atrocious character who looked as laughably bad as Mr. Freeze from “Batman & Robin” — possibly even worse. Dane DeHaan’s version of Harry Osborn/Green Goblin was cringe-inducing and looked like a teenager somehow proud of his bad acne. Add to that Andrew Garfield’s terrible Brooklyn accent, the obnoxious CGI, aggressively long runtime, & corporate feel, and you get one of the worst blockbuster films in recent memory.
8. The Amazing Spider-Man
The best word to describe this movie is miserable. At its core, “The Amazing Spider-Man” is a dark, melancholy revenge film starring a man dressed as a red & blue basketball. The film’s main problem is its tone; this Spider-Man movie is one of the most depressing comic book films ever made. The film is incredibly boring as well. The plot is generic, the action scenes — which there are very few of — are forgettable, and the subplot about Peter’s parents makes this film uninteresting from the start. Also, this is the worst version of Peter Parker out of all the Spider-Man movies. His skateboarding and brooding make him seem more like a goth, edgy teenager than the lovable nerd he was created as. Peter is supposed to be an underdog who we can relate to; this film’s version is literally the opposite of everything Peter should be. People always praise the chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and while it’s definitely present in the film, it’s far too cutesy and annoying to make me care about their relationship. Overall, this is a terrible movie which is only slightly better than its sequel.
7. Spider-Man 3
While “Spider-Man 3” isn’t nearly as bad as people say, it still has a lot of problems. Starting with the positives, the action sequences are great and Sam Raimi’s direction is just as strong here as it was in the first two films. Sandman was a really compelling character who, despite the overwhelming amount of plot points, was given plenty of dramatic moments. I also love how Harry Osborn’s arc was handled; his death was satisfying and deeply emotional. Tobey Maguire was still great in the role and the chemistry between the 3 main cast members remained strong. Unfortunately, the film’s flaws overpowered its merits. Venom is one of the worst comic book movie villains of all time; Topher Grace was horribly miscast in the role and the design of Venom was unbelievably bad. It’s blatantly obvious that the symbiote plotline was forced on Raimi by the studio. Like “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” this film is convoluted and incoherent. The film has far too many subplots going on, causing the ones that are actually good to be forgotten. Upon rewatch, though, I found that this film’s most significant issue was the relationship troubles between Peter and Mary Jane. It was so forced, as both of them had to act out of character in order to push that plotline forward. The film’s main focus is really about them, and all of their scenes were insufferable and completely unsatisfying, as they undid the actually satisfying ending of “Spider-Man 2.” Again, this is not a terrible film by any means, but it’s a deeply flawed & disappointing end to Raimi’s trilogy.
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home
This is an extremely overrated movie; I’ve never understood why so many people adore it. Firstly, the film’s plot is moronic. It’s basically about some super sunglasses which Tony Stark gave to Peter, a reckless teenager who has been dead for 5 years. First of all, it’s completely out of character for Tony to have made the glasses after the events of “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” Plus, it made for an incredibly boring & disappointing plot. Another issue was Mysterio, who was a completely wasted villain. He’s such an interesting and unique character in the comics, and when it was announced that world-class actor Jake Gyllenhaal was playing him, I was hyped. But in the film, he was so goofy and out-of-place, and the fact that the main villain of a movie about the most iconic Marvel character was essentially a VFX artist was ridiculous. With all that said, this film does do a lot of good. Tom Holland was once again great as Spider-Man/Peter Parker, the action sequences were riveting, most of the jokes landed, and after seeing how the MCU shows & movies after this film have handled the Blip so poorly, I appreciate that this film actually put effort into explaining things. To be honest, I find this movie to be on the same level as “Spider-Man 3,” but the critic in me knows this is technically the better film.
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home
To be clear, there’s an enormous gap in quality between this film and “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” The dilemma with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the contrast of how I feel about it as a critic versus how I feel about it as a fan. The critic in me recognizes the lapses in logic that infest the setup of the film which make the rest of the movie less believable. However, the fan in me doesn’t care about the flaws in its setup because the payoff is so satisfying. Peter’s arc in which he finally transitions out of Iron Boy into becoming Spider-Man is phenomenal. The performances, villains, and return of Tobey Maguire & Andrew Garfield all make this film so satisfying & fun. Unfortunately, because of all the issues with the setup, I enjoyed the film less the second time I watched it, and I fear that I’ll start to like it less and less upon each rewatch in the future. That said, this is still a solid film that delivered quality fan service.
4. Spider-Man: Homecoming
The simplicity of this film is what makes it so rewatchable and enjoyable for me. I love seeing a beginner Spider-Man figuring out how to balance his two identities and struggling to battle even weak, low-threat villains. Tom Holland instantly knew what he was doing from the get-go with this film, and he gave a great performance as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. In my opinion, Michael Keaton’s Vulture is the second-best Spider-Man movie villain (after Norman Osborn/Green Goblin). He’s easily one of the MCU’s most compelling antagonists, as he’s relatable in his motivation to simply provide for his family, yet intimidating & unpredictable at the same time. Keaton gave a fantastic performance, especially in the masterfully executed car scene in which he figures out Peter Parker’s Spider-Man. This film’s main issue is that it has the MCU’s overbearing presence weighing it down. The film’s focus on Tony Stark as a father figure to Peter is simply less interesting than Uncle Ben, and the fact that the Spider-Man costume is essentially an Iron Man suit is distracting.
3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
This is the most unique and visually stunning Spider-Man film. The animation is gorgeous and unlike any other film, as it was designed to look just like the comic books. The low frame rate, text boxes, and use of onomatopoeia make this film feel like a comic book come to life. It was also clear that the filmmakers went into this project with a ton of passion for the Spider-Man mythology, as the film is really an exploration of what it means to be Spider-Man, not just an origin story for Miles Morales. Miles and Peter B. Parker’s relationship and character arcs are what drive the story forward and make the film so enjoyable & rewatchable. Plus, the film has Nic Cage and a cartoon pig. My only problem with the film is that it slows down in the middle and the runtime could have been trimmed down a bit.
2. Spider-Man
Sam Raimi went for a classic interpretation of the character that was straight out of the iconic 1960’s comics, and it worked brilliantly. From the very beginning of the film you relate to and feel bad for Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, who I still feel is the best Spider-Man actor. His origin isn’t brushed over like the origins in other comic book movies; his arc is given time to breathe and develop. Despite the Power Rangers costume, Green Goblin is an amazing villain; Willem Dafoe is brilliant at quickly transitioning from the feeble scientist to the proudly evil Goblin just by using his eyes, smile, and voice. This film is possibly the most iconic of all the Spider-Man movies for good reason. It’s incredibly entertaining, rewatchable, and faithful to the character. The film’s main issue is that the effects don’t hold up as well as those of the other Spider-Man films, and the Green Goblin costume is laughable at times.
1. Spider-Man 2
This comes as no surprise to anyone, but “Spider-Man 2” easily earns the number one spot. Doctor Octopus is a terrific, complex villain who you feel bad for as you watch his descent into madness. The action sequences are the best out of all the Spider-Man films, especially the train fight, which is one of the best fight scenes in comic book movie history. What makes “Spider-Man 2” stand out amongst all the other Spider-Man films, however, is what it does with the Peter Parker character. The filmmakers understood that Peter’s struggles are the foundation of what makes Spider-Man relatable and compelling, so this film continuously pounds him into the ground. He loses his job, his best friend Harry hates his alter-ego, he & his aunt are having financial troubles, his powers start to wear off, and he sees MJ get whisked away by the son of his tyrannical boss. Therefore, when he finally gets together with MJ at the end and reveals his identity to her, the film hits you with this immense feeling of satisfaction. The stakes are high, the special effects hold up, and everything about the first film is improved upon here. This is one of the greatest comic book films of all time.
