Marvel reveals Phase 3 titles and Black Panther has been cast!!

A week ago DC announced their slate of films from now until 2020, and now Marvel has hit back. The El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood was the venue where Kevin Feige finally filled those promised release dates with actual titles... and of course I'm having an intense fangasm!!

The live blog I followed for all of this information can be found by following this link: http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/we-live-blog-all-the-details-of-marvels-special-hollywood-event#disqus_thread

After first showing the unbelievably awesome Avengers: Age of Ultron trailer and talking a little bit about Ant-Man, both movies scheduled to come out in 2015, Feige said that they didn't call this entire press meeting just to tell us things we already know! Then, the entire Phase 3 line up of movies was revealed:


May 6th 2016 - Captain America: Civil War

November 4th 2016 - Doctor Strange

May 5th 2017 - Guardians of the Galaxy 2

June 28th 2017 - Thor: Ragnarok

November 3rd 2017 - Black Panther

May 4th 2018 - Avengers: Infinity War... PART 1

July 6th 2018 - Ms Marvel

November 2nd 2018 - The Inhumans

May 3rd 2019 - Avengers: Infinity War... PART 2


Marvel pulled a bit of a fast one when announcing the third Captain America movie and initially gave it the title of "Serpent Society". Very cheeky Marvel. We've been bombarded with rumours of Civil War ever since Robert Downey Jr signed on to start in the film, and Marvel nearly made fools out of all of us. Then they confirmed it. Captain America 3 will see the start of the Civil War storyline, pitting Tony Stark and Steve Rogers against each other. ITS ACTUALLY HAPPENING! There's no word on whether Spiderman will be part of the film as of yet but for now I'm overly content with the announcement which just happened so I'm happy to find at a future date.

While I am aware that Benedict Cumberbatch is in final negotiations to play Doctor Strange, he hasn't been officially confirmed. When he is, I'll give my take on it. But until then, just know I would be a huge fan of the decision should he be confirmed. The film, as expected, will be coming in 2016.

It did surprise me that Guardians 2 was moved forward as Marvel usually sticks to their dates. Nevertheless, we will see James Gunn and the Guardians return to theatres in May 2017 followed in late July by the third movie in the Thor trilogy, titled Ragnarok. While I don't know just who/what Ragnarok is, the name has been thrown around by people who were predicting what Phase 3's titles would be well in advance of today, so the storyline/character is obviously a fan favourite. So for that reason I'm excited. Plus I'm interested to see how they conclude the Loki storyline considering his predicament at the end of Thor: The Dark World. More Loki is always nice.

 

And the third MCU film of 2017 has been confirmed as Black Panther, a movie I always thought that they would do. Plus, Chadwick Boseman (42) was announced to play him. And if Andy Serkis is playing Claw, there is just one more reason to look forward to what this film has in store.

Ms Marvel and The Inhumans will come in 2018. Those were 2 movies I thought they would do as well considering that Feige has talked about them for sometime know. When Feige consistently talks about a specific character, a movie is pending. Feige keeps his promises.

Finally it was announced that in May 2018 and 2019 the Avengers 3 will be split into 2 parts and it will be titled "Infinity War". Expect Thanos. Expect the Infinity Gauntlet. Expect a new roster of heroes. Expect a lot of epic moments that'll make fan boys like me cry. Also I think its clear that Marvel went to the DC school of splitting up your superhero team-up movie, which is weird considering its usually Marvel who make a decision like that first. Either way I get 2 Avengers and 2 Justice League movies in just over a two year period so I am not complaining!

I'm thrilled with today's announcement. If you have any opinions on any of the titles or the casting of Black Panther, leave a comment and start a discussion because there is a lot to talk about!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Marvel Cinematic Universe Release Dates Revealed - My Predictions

DC/Warner Brother's weren't the only studio to recently set release dates for their shared movie universe. Marvel, who's cinematic universe has already been well established, has set 6 more release dates to add to a few movies which have already been confirmed for Phase 3. Like I did with DC's, I will now try (and most likely fail) to predict what movies will come out on the confirmed dates.

These are just my predictions for what they will be. Some of the dates already have confirmed movies occupying them, and they will be clearly indicated. So from now until early 2019, this is how I see the MCU playing out:


May 1st 2015 - Avengers: Age of Ultron  (CONFIRMED)

----------------------------------------------- END OF PHASE 2 --------------------------------------------------

July 17th 2015 - Ant-Man  (CONFIRMED)

May 6th 2016 - Captain America 3  (CONFIRMED)

July 8th 2016 - Doctor Strange  (CONFIRMED)

May 5th 2017 - Thor 3

July 28th 2017 - Guardians of the Galaxy 2  (CONFIRMED)

November 3rd 2017 - Ms Marvel

May 5th 2018 - Avengers 3

----------------------------------------------- END OF PHASE 3 -------------------------------------------------

July 6th 2018 - Black Panther

November 2nd 2018 - The Inhumans

May 3rd 2019 - The Incredible Hulk 2


So we know that The Avengers: Age of Ultron will finalise phase 2 and, barring any more production issues, Ant-Man will kick of Phase 3 just 2 and a half months after phase 2 wraps up. Other confirmed movies for Phase 3 are Captain America 3 (where the Russo brothers will return to direct), Doctor Strange (to be directed by Scott Derickson) and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (where James Gunn will also return to direct).

The rest is all guess work, but I think that Thor 3 will come out between Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy 2. As far as I'm aware a script has been written and it would only make sense considering Avenger's comrades Iron Man and Captain America will both have their trilogies by then.

As for the November 2017 date, I think that'll be Ms Marvel. Marvel have hinted at a female led superhero movie and I think its about time we got one. Many speculate that Black Widow could get her own movie in 2017, but I don't think that would be necessary considering she gets enough screen time in the Captain America movies.

I believe that Phase 3 will end in 2018 and not 2019 as I think Marvel will keep to their 3 year gap. I think The Avengers 3 will happen then and will conclude Phase 3, and hopefully we'll see Thanos being a badass in it!

The 3 movies which I believe will be in Phase 4 are Black Panther, The Inhumans and a solo Hulk movie. Black Panther has been talked about a lot by Kevin Feige much like Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy were, and they've both got their movies! Speaking of Guardians, I believe that movie has proven that an Inhumans movie can work and that they can introduce one more relatively unknown superhero team and make it work.

I want a solo Hulk movie a lot and I think it'll come out in May 2019. I believe the Hulk has a huge hand to play in The Avengers 2 and 3 and we'll see his story arc (hopefully) continue into Phase 4.

So those are my predictions. Agree or disagree? Comment below.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

SPOILER Review - Guardians of the Galaxy

This is an official spoiler warning for Guardians of the Galaxy, so if you haven't seen it yet then please don't read this.

So if you're still reading you have probably already seen the intergalactic awesomeness and fun which is Guardians of the Galaxy. I really enjoyed the film and gave it a B+ in my original review, but I wanted to explain some more things I liked in the film which could come across as spoilers.

The film opens with young Star Lord on Earth and the first scene is pretty emotional. The poor boy is sat there listening to his "awesome mix volume 1" music in a hospital with his mother lying on her death bed. The mother dies, little Star Lord pretty much breaks down, runs outside and is captured by Yondu on a spaceship. I said that Star Lord had the most depth as a character already and the movie illustrates that through it's soundtrack, which is basically just 1980's classics. This is the music his mother gave to him, and Star Lord listens to it as it is the last attachment he has to his mother and Earth for that matter. I loved the soundtrack by the way. The score was sufficient but the 1980s hits were all fantastic.

We then cut to Star Lord as an older man and he is set to retrieve something. While he's doing this, he's listening to his music, dancing and booting small rat-like alien creatures. It was about at this point I realised the tone they were going for, and boy did it pay off throughout the rest of the film. Star Lord is then captured by Korath (one of Ronan's servants) and I thought that they would arrest him for taking the orb. It didn't pan out like that; it turns out Star Lord is a badass, and he escapes!

He tries selling this orb to someone but as soon as he mentions Ronan's name the buyer basically says "f*ck that sh*t" and kicks him out. Then he meets Gamora and shortly after that Rocket Racoon and Groot. What I loved was how the group didn't actually get along together at first. They only form the team when they all find kindred spirit in eachother as they're all basically outcasts. The group then ends up getting arrested and more awesome 80s music plays and more comedy ensues.

In the prison we see at the start that the four, and now Drax, all have different motivations concerning the orb that Star Lord found. Gamora wants it to be rid of Ronan and Thanos, Drax wants it to exert revenge on Ronan for killing his wife and daughter and Rocket/Groot want it for... money! They escape the prison in a really funny and entertaining action sequence which has one of my favourite parts of the film in it. It was that part where Drax chucks Rocket the gun and he's spinning around shooting things on Groot's shoulders.

Meanwhile we go to Ronan and we find out that he has been tasked to retrieve this orb for Thanos (it's an infinity gem, so obviously Thanos would want it) so he can blow up Xandar. I think Ronan want's the planet blown up because he has kind of dated beliefs and he just doesn't like this peace treaty which they signed. He's a pretty weak villain in my opinion, but we get to see Thanos at last and it did not disappoint.

The Guardians then go to a place called Knowhere which is like a hideout for Outlaws and it also happens to be a huge head of a Celestial being. There we meet The Collector again and he basically explains that the orb is in fact an infinity gem, 1 of 6 objects of immense power. We then get a neat demonstration of that when one of his servants blows up his entire collection.

We skip ahead now and Ronan requires the orb and says screw you Thanos, I'm going to blow up Xandar and then I'm coming for you. The Guardians basically decide that they're not going to let billions of people die at the hands of Ronan and they board the ship. They come across Ronan's servant Nebula (Gamora's sister) before Drax blows her up with bazooka. One of the funniest moments in a comic book movie I swear. Although that is soon topped when Groot in that one scene basically pummels those guys to death before turning around and letting out a cheeky smile! I said it before and I will say it again, this movie was so freaking funny!

The movie was also touching at times. It got me the most when Groot shielded the Guardians and basically sacrificed himself for them. "We are Groot". Man I nearly cried over a CGI tree. What is my life coming too!

Ronan's ship crashes and we come to that bit in all superhero films where we have the final showdown. However, this time the main villain is distracted by the hero challenging him to a dance off. Would anyone else other than Star Lord risk the fate of the galaxy over a dance off? No they wouldn't, and that is why Star Lord is as cool as anything!

Ronan is basically defeated and the orb is then locked away by the Nova corps. Groot doesn't die in the end as Rocket recovers a twig and places it in plant pot so he can grow again. The Guardians have their record cleaned and go off on another intergalactic space adventure.

The post credits scene also made me laugh. It was literally just Howard the Duck talking to The Collector amongst the ruins of his destroyed collection. Could it happen? Nah probably not...

Guardians of the Galaxy is a fantastic entrant into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and really excelled with it's surprising bursts of emotion, it's witty humour and it's characters. I'm so glad we're getting a sequel and I can't wait for the day The Guardians and The Avengers team up to battle Thanos. And I hope Drax is the one that kills him!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Review

Before this movie was announced did you honestly know who the Guardians of the Galaxy were? I didn't, but now I do and they're awesome!

Guardians of the Galaxy is directed by James Gunn and yet again sees the Marvel Cinematic Universe expand even more, this time in the far reaches of space. It is definitely Marvel's most ambitious film to date as it takes a group of relatively unknown comic book characters and gives them their moments to shine. Chris Pratt plays Star Lord, a human being captured by an alien ship at a very young age, who steals a mysterious power source in the shape of an orb. This then leads him to form a team with a group of 4 other misfits; Gamora, Drax, Groot and Rocket with the goal of stopping Ronan the Accuser from destroying the Galaxy.

Yet again Marvel have produced a fantastically fun movie only this time they're giving us a space adventure movie which doesn't take itself too seriously. I enjoyed the movie a hell of a lot and I'm glad that they've announced a sequel.

The movie has in my opinion one of the best moulds of drama and humour I have ever seen. I found myself laughing quite consistently throughout the movie, particularly one scene which involves all 5 of them sitting in a circle. 80% of the jokes either hit sufficiently or left me gut busting and it is by far Marvel's funniest film to date. And Chris Pratt as Star Lord is honestly at the centre of most of the humour in this movie and he is awesome as this character. He's a badass in combat but at the same time is the character with the most depth and development.

The band of misfits all work well off each other and they really are an interesting bunch of characters. Zoe Saldana is perfect for the role of Gamora and has a really intriguing backstory which involves Thanos, the big purple guy in the post credits scene of The Avengers. Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, is also awesome yet so cute at the same time. He was involved in my favourite few moments of the movie; one of which was comedy gold and the other a dramatic scene which actually really got to me.

Rocket Racoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, steals the show. Rocket is so funny. Plus he looks awesome as well. You'd expect a Marvel movie to look good and this movie lives up to that. It has these grand epic shots of space and of different planets and also has some cool and colourful special effects which look amazing, particularly Rocket's fur.

Dave Bautista in my opinion does take time to slip into the role of Drax and he isn't exactly the greatest actor on the planet. But when he does get all warmed up he does have some great moments which are pretty goddam hilarious. I keep saying it but this is honestly one of the funniest movies I've seen all year. Whenever it may begin to seem it is becoming too serious the movie does a 180 and starts to spoof itself. It's very self aware and I really liked that.

I do have small issues with it including how some of the jokes in the first half did fall flat and the dialogue became woolly, fluffy exposition at times. The movie did do that a few times where it felt as if a character was giving unnecessary backstory for the sake of telling the audience these things.

My biggest issue with the film is the villainous characters. Korath, Nebula and The Collector appear in the movie and I didn't really care much about them. The main villain is Ronan the Accuser and while it was cool to see how he linked with Thanos, he wasn't a good villain for me as he had no backstory and his motivations were never clear, he was only there to be the bad guy.

As far as criticisms go that's it. Guardians of the Galaxy proves that Marvel can make relatively unknown characters awesome by putting them in fun, hilarious adventure films which Guardians is. It's a hell of a fun time which I recommend you see. Also, if you think the post credits scene will tease The Avengers: Age of Ultron, you may be disappointed. But I wasn't, I just found it funny:


Rating - B+


1 sentence summary - A self aware comic book movie with great humour, action and interesting characters.


I will be doing a spoiler review for this movie which should be up by tomorrow.


Thanks for reading,
Matt

5 Reasons why Ant-Man could suck

Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is set to begin 2 months after Phase 2 draws to it's conclusion with next summer's Avengers: Age of Ultron. The film tasked with this is Ant Man, a project that has been in development since 2006. However, an extremely rare troubled pre production for Marvel is happening right now and it has lead many to believe that this movie could really suck. I really want a good Ant Man movie, but the odds are completely stacked against it..

1) He's an unknown

Obviously fans of Marvel comics will know who he is but do mainstream audiences? When I talk to my friends about the movies Marvel will be releasing, I tell them that Ant Man is coming out they all say the same thing: "Ant Man? "Who the f*** is that?!". However, one could say that before all these Marvel movies came out Iron Man, Thor and Captain America were relative unknowns, now they are pop culture icons. So there is that.


2) Changing the director

Edgar Wright, who helmed the Cornetto trilogy, has been linked to Ant Man since 2006 and had drawn up 3 versions of the script. He is quoted as saying that "The thing I like about Ant-Man is that it's not like a secret power, there's no supernatural element or it's not a genetic thing. There's no gamma rays. It's just like the suit and the gas, so in that sense, it really appealed to me in terms that we could do something high-concept, really visual, cross-genre, sort of an action and special effects bonanza, but funny as well." He is a talented director and the project was close to his heart. Hiring Peyton Reed in his place may turn out to be a huge mistake because let's face it... we all want to see Wright make a superhero movie after what he did with Scott Pilgrim.


3) Changing the writers

Screenwriters often tackle a film's script differently to others.This means that the Ant Man script has never really been settled on, which worries me. A solid script is the key to a kick-ass superhero movie (like the Dark Knight trilogy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and X-Men: Days of Future Past) and numerous re-writes won't help it. I mean they've jumped from Joe Cornish, Adam McKay and now 2 new writers have come in to write it. And that news is only a day old or so. They're re-writing a month before shooting supposedly starts in August!


4) The Release Date

Do you seriously believe that Ant Man will be filmed, edited, polished and ready for 17th July 2015, which is literally just over a year away? I don't. There is honestly no harm in them pushing the film back a while considering Age of Ultron comes out in the same year.


5) Avengers: Age of Ultron

Ok so maybe this isn't as big an issue as changing the writers or the director, but having a (relatively) unknown comic book movie come out 2 months after Avengers: Age of Ultron may also hurt the film financially. Although this may not be the case after all as Marvel do a great job at promoting their films before they're released. Hell look at what they've done with Guardians of the Galaxy! Mind you this is the first time an MCU film has undergone such a troublesome pre production, so maybe people won't go and see it if it turns out as bad as it could.



I really hope Ant Man proves me wrong but at the moment it is looking like a complete train wreck of a film. The odds are stacked against it, but I will go and see it regardless and I will pray Marvel can pull the rabbit out of the hat with this one, because if they can make this movie good they can do anything!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Star Wars and Marvel Movie Talk

I thought that today I would talk about 2 of my favourite topics: Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and all of the (fairly) recent news stories from them...



Star Wars


Ever since the initial cast for Episode 7 was released in April, I have been progressively more and more pumped for JJ Abrams' take on the Star Wars franchise. JJ is a great director and has made 2 incredible Star Trek movies and this movie also has the writer who did the Empire Strikes Back, my favourite Star Wars movie. But it isn't just Episode 7 which is grabbing the headlines recently..

A few days ago it was confirmed that Rian Johnson would be directing Episode 8 and would "write a treatment for Episode 9", which I guess means he'll write the screenplay but won't be directing it. I guess this already poses a question: who do you think will direct Episode 9? As for this directing choice, I think its a good one. His last science fiction effort was Looper, which I enjoyed very much and others said it was one of the best movies of 2012. He also directed 3 episodes of Breaking Bad including my personal favourite episode "Ozymandias". So really I have absolutely no complaints and I'm glad we have a good sci fi director at the helm. The only real loser in this situation is JJ Abrams who won't be returning...

Other news concerns the creation of a wider Star Wars universe with 2 directors confirmed to direct 2 Star Wars spinoff movies. Godzilla director Gareth Edwards is to helm the first one which people are speculating is Boba Fett. I really enjoyed Godzilla and I think the directing from Edwards was the best part of the movie. Boba Fett is a cool popular character with a tonne of mythology surrounding him so that'd be a good choice for a spinoff. Josh Trank who did Chronicle will direct the other one which people are speculating may be a young Han Solo movie. Of course nothing has been confirmed and the studio may decide not to use Boba Fett or Han Solo for their spinoffs but those 2 are the ones I would like to see. As for Trank, I'll see how he does with the Fantastic Four reboot before I judge whether he can make a good Star Wars movie.

The final snippets of news include the addition of Gwendoline Christie and Oscar winner Lupita N'yongo to the cast, causing people who claimed racism and sexism to eat their words. Also Han Solo himself Harrison Ford injured his ankle on set causing him to have surgery on it a few days ago. I hope this doesn't disrupt things on set too much and I wish him a speedy recovery!




Marvel


Ah the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not a week goes by without some sort of formal announcement or speculation involving their shared superhero universe. There has been a tonne of announcement in the past month or so, so here we go:

After Edgar Wright left Ant Man due to "creative differences" many claimed this was the first sign of cracks beginning to form for the studio. However any wild speculation of cracks forming was soon removed when Peyton Reed was hired to direct it, with Adam McKay still on board as the writer. Kevin Feige also confirmed that filming would begin in August and the movie would still hit theatres in July 17th 2015. It looks like the studio is attempting a film with a considerable comedic tone to it, which is again something new for the MCU. Whether Ant Man flies or flops, we'll have Age of Ultron coming out in the same year so it honestly doesn't matter too much...

The studio have also found their Thanos with Josh Brolin. It's a good choice because his voice can potentially be commanding and menacing which is what the biggest villain in the MCU deserves.

Phase 3 has also kicked up a fuss recently with Mark Ruffalo talking about how the studio may be considering a solo Hulk movie. Well there really is no reason why we shouldn't get one considering Ruffalo completely kills it as the Hulk and they have a huge amount of inspiration to work with, which could be the Planet Hulk and World War Hulk storyline... But this is all speculation at the moment; expect Marvel's Phase 3 plans to be formally announced at Comic con.

One movie we know will be in Phase 3 is Doctor Strange which will be directed by Scott Derickson, the man behind Sinister. Again Marvel are trying new things by hiring a horror director for one of their future projects, meaning another movie with a different tone. Stephen Strange will help Marvel introduce the more magic and mystical side to the MCU which so far has been untouched. Whether he'll appear in the Avengers 3 or who the villain will be is unknown, but the most important thing for me is who'll will play him. Huge actors have been linked with the role, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy and Jared Leto. Who do you think will play him?




If you have any thoughts on anything Star Wars or Marvel related, please do!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Movie Review

Summer has come early.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and sees Chris Evans reprise his role as "cap" for the third time, in a movie which is a sequel to the Avengers and the first movie Captain America: The First Avenger. The film follows Captain America who's trying to settle into his new life in the 21st Century, who is working various top secret missions for SHIELD. However, when an unlikely enemy threatens the security of the world, it's up to the cap and Black Widow to save the world.

The film may surprise you in that it isn't actually a comic book action flick but is rather at its strongest when it is a spy/espionage movie. The Winter Soldier is the best movie to come out this year by far and is probably the best movie within this cinematic universe which isn't the Avengers.

The fact that the writers and directors decided to make this film a little bit differently by making an espionage movie is just genius in my opinion. Not only is it new territory in a universe which continues to expand, but the plot is so dynamic and so interesting. I was so caught up in this story and when certain reveals happened which evolved the plot, I was genuinely surprised by them.

It is also probably the smartest written Avengers "set-up" movie again down to a plot which plays on the idea that Captain America should really think about what characters to trust. The film brilliantly brings in elements from the first Captain America movie, has a few small nods to the Avengers and also has a lot of plot elements which drastically change the Marvel universe.

I wanted this movie to invigorate my passion for Captain America because while I liked him, I thought that Iron Man and Hulk were the ones that really shone in the Avengers. Within 5 minutes of the film that passion was invigorated, during an incredible action sequence which sees him board a vessel full of pirates. As soon as he does, he literally kicks someone metres into the air and stealthily takes out the rest of them aboard this ship. Chris Evans, of course, kills it as Captain America.

And that ship-boarding sequence is one of many fantastic action sequences which I thought were just amazing. There's a car chase sequence, an elevator scene and of course the final action piece of the film which I thought were filmed expertly by the directors, as they really did a good job at putting you within the action as it is happening. Its a good looking movie.

I also loved what they did with the characters of Nick Fury and Black Widow, both played convincingly well by Samuel L Jackson and Scarlett Johansson. Both characters change sufficiently from the opening scene to end credits, meaning there is sufficient character development.

I won't finish the review by not talking about him; The Winter Soldier. The film sees Captain America try and adjust to modern life, development with Nick Fury and Black Widow, a plot that sees big reveals within the Marvel universe and sees numerous clever twists and turns, and on top of all that you have the Winter Soldier, the biggest badass in Marvel history. There I said it.

I loved how they used him as an important plot device because you actually do care about him. He really is one of my favourite aspects of the film.

If I have complaints then they're only minor ones. Once or twice the plot slows down from it's wicked pace and also I think that some characters were a little under used, particularly the Falcon. Anthony Mackie did a great job with him and I would love to see him in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

If I haven't already expressed how much I enjoyed and loved this movie already, I will now. The Winter Solider is fantastic, it's incredibly enjoyable and an impressively well made film. Go and see it, please:


Rating - A


1 sentence summary - Impressively filmed and cleverly written, The Winter Soldier is a great and enjoyable entry into Marvel's cinematic universe, and is probably one of the best.


Thanks for reading,
Matt

Thor: The Dark World Movie Review

Nothing like a Summer movie in November for a bit of relief from all the "Oscar" films that have come out recently? Here is my review for Thor: The Dark World...

Thor: The Dark World is the sequel to the 2011 film Thor and the Avengers, directed by Alan Taylor and starring Chris Hemsworth in the lead role.

In Thor: The Dark World, the mythology and story is explained to us by a narration from Anthony Hopkin's Odin. Before light, he explains, there was darkness, and in that darkness lived a race called the dark elves, led by Malekith. Malekith, after a defeat by the Asgardians thousands of years ago, has awoken again and wishes to cover the 9 realms in darkness during an event called the convergence; this is where all 9 realms (including Earth and Asgard) align in a "once every 5000 years event" which sees the laws of physics go ballistic. He wishes to harness the energy of the Aether in order to perform this evil feat. Thor, must stop him.

Now before watching Thor: The Dark World I watched the first Thor to prepare myself. I really enjoyed the film but it did have numerous issues. Thankfully, I walked out of the movie feeling like a lot of them had been addressed. Yes, like all of the superhero movies that have come out this year, this is a very good movie.

Thor and Asgard have a lot of mythology behind them which these movies can play off to create a larger scale movie within Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this movie they do go bigger, and of course better!

In this movie we got to see more of Asgard, plus more of the 9 other realms, which is always cool and interesting to see.

Kenneth Brannagh did not direct this movie, that task went to "Game of Thrones" director Alan Taylor and boy does that show. The titled camera style is now gone to the relief of neck muscles all around the world and in comes a man who films this movie beautifully.

Some of the scenic shots in this movie were, I thought, very well handled which is a refreshing thing to see, as it also uses this as well as the special effects to create a clear looking comic book film. I thought the CGI elements had improved as well which was awesome to see.

The first Thor was a good movie in the sense that Thor was stuck powerless on earth and has to become himself again by learning humility. However, this one saw our hero kicking-ass in true Thor-like fashion, His entrance to the movie is exactly how it should be. Chris Hemsworth proves in this film that he can lead a superhero movie.

However, it is hard to strut your stuff when you have to share a scene with Tom Hiddleston's Loki. I think Marvel have realised that Loki is the best part of this branch of the story and yes they are right for thinking that. He is awesome, plus has so many lines which are delivered with such humour and sarcasm. Tom Hiddleston plays up this man so much and he steals every scene he is in.

I was also thankful that we saw more of practically every other character. Natalie Portman, Renne Russo, Jaimie Alexander, Anthony Hopkins and Idris Elba all have more to do and that's really good because they are all interesting characters that needed more screen time. It really is an impressive cast..

The villain Malekith is played by Christopher Eccleston and I really like the guy, he was a great ninth Doctor! But he let's me down in Thor: The Dark World as I never found him to be that imposing or intimidating, he seemed to be a 1 dimensional villain with 1 dimensional goals. That is unfortunate but that is the way it is..

Also, I came to realise the sheer scale of the humour in this movie, as well as other Marvel properties, recently. Admittedly, a fair amount of it does work but some really does fall flat and creates kind of an awkward theatre atmosphere.

As for Kat Dennings, I have nothing against her as a person, but her character really annoys me. There is this whole story-arc with her character and her intern which hurts the movie due it being completely unnecessary! I just think her and Malekith could have been better written and as a result, more interesting to see on screen.

The film's finale is pretty cool and the laws of physics seem to fly out of the window! Some of the science-fiction elements could be seen as over-complicated for some but the movie does stay on point in that it's absurdly entertaining and Loki steals the show.

It also has one of the coolest cameos I have ever seen. The theatre erupted with laughter!

Thor: The Dark World, like Iron Man 3, does have a fair amount of issues but it's fair to say that both are ludicrously entertaining and are both welcome additions to this growing cinematic universe, plus improve a lot from their predecessors

I enjoyed Thor: The Dark World, and like most superhero movies this year, I'm going to rate it like this:


Rating - B+


1 sentence summary - An improved sequel, a thoroughly entertaining experience!


Next up, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. We have a while to wait though but I do recommend seeing Thor: The Dark World in theatres.

Thanks for Reading,
Matt

Marvel Cimatic Universe Ideas - Phases 2 & 3

In a random Marvel mood today so I decided to give to anyone that reads this a few of my ideas about the Marvel Cinematic Universe and what future films should come out between now and 2018. Please bare in mind that these are just my personal ideas. Nothing here is fixed or confirmed; they are literally just random ideas I came up with and I would do if I were in Kevin Feige's position. Obviously I'm not so you got nothing to worry about.


Phase 2 of Marvel includes the movies Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Age of Ultron. I'm going to assume that what happens in all of these movies before the second Avengers is that all the characters safely make their way through their movies and have to team up with their Avengers colleagues again.

So Avengers: Age of Ultron. We know for sure that the villain will of course be Ultron. However his origin story is yet to be confirmed and Ant Man is not in the movie, which is crucial to Ultron's creation in the comic books. My theory is that Ultron will be the responsibility of the Avengers. I have a theory that Tony Stark (Iron Man) will create Ultron by pouring in his own artificial intelligence (Jarvis).

As for the heroes involved, I would like to see the original 6 plus Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver. As for the plot, I would like to see a final battle with the Avengers all fighting Ultron across the globe. Also, Joss Whedon is known for killing off characters we love. So I would expect a few deaths in this movie. If I were to pick and chose, I would predict that Ultron will kill Black Widow and  Hawkeye. I also predict that the Avengers will stop Ultron but at a huge cost. After all the death and destruction caused, the people and the Government would surely want the Avengers to disband.

I have a theory this will happen. However I also believe that future films will involve Nick Fury secretly recruiting other Marvel heroes into his team for the next Avengers movie, which should come out in 2018.

And what of the Hulk? I would like Marvel to use inspiration from one of the best Hulk storyline's ever written (Planet Hulk) to tie this character in to future instalments. Whedon confirmed that the Avengers: Age of Ultron will take the character to "dark places". Does that hint towards the Planet Hulk storyline?

Spoiler alert! The Planet Hulk storyline begins where the Marvel version of the Illuminati (perhaps the people Nick Fury was talking to over the 4 televisions in Avengers Assemble?) believe that the Hulk is too dangerous to live on the earth. Why could that be? Could it be because in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Hulk is permanently transformed? Anyway, he is shipped off into space and then assembles an army on a far off planet to come back to Earth and take revenge on those who betrayed him (The Illuminati, SHIELD, The Avengers etc.). That storyline is called World War Hulk.

I would love that to happen but perhaps not in that exact way! I will talk more of the Hulk later..

Ant Man is scheduled for a November 6th 2015 release date. It will tell his origin story. I would like not only an origin story but also Ultron to be involved. Perhaps he has been locked away in a maximum security prison threatening to escape? If he were to, that would further devastate a planet affected heavily by the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Therefore, Ant Man can not let that happen. He could stop Ultron and then be secretly recruited by Nick Fury at the end. As for who could play Hank Pym and Ant Man, Adrien Brody, Simon Pegg and Benedict Cumberbatch have all been mentioned. Personally, I've no clue who they will cast!

Also, will Wasp be involved? I hope she is in the movie but in a War Machine/Falcon kind of way (they're a hero, but not in the Avengers as there would be too many people!).

So that's Ant Man. Then I think 3 movies will come out before the Avengers 3.

The first, hopefully in a Summer 2016 slot, Black Panther. One of the most over-looked characters in Marvel comic books, Black Panther would be perfect for his own solo movie plus involvement in an Avengers movie. The movie has been rumoured before and I hope that it does happen. This will be another origin story. As for the role of the Black Panther I would have loved Idris Elba in the role. But because he plays a character in Thor: The Dark World, he is unable to. The favourite for the part is Chadwick Boseman: I could see that working! As for the villain, no idea. I would chose one that would sufficiently test Black Panther's resolve and allow him to impress Nick Fury before being recruited into the Avengers.

The next movie I would put in either late Summer 2016 or November 2016, is a Doctor Strange movie. Who wouldn't mind seeing that? Yet again, I would have this as another stand alone movie before the character is recruited into the Avengers. Johnny Depp for the role, absolutely! I wouldn't know what villain to cast in the movie though. The 3 movies I've discussed mainly produce more characters to the cinematic universe and add freshness to the story. They may seem slightly irrelevant to the whole cinematic universe, but it would do what Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America did, it will give us a good introduction to the characters.

Also notice how I have not mentioned a third Thor or Captain America film. I think 3 Avengers movie plus 2 stand alone movies are enough for those characters as I would rather see new characters come in. The addition of the 3 characters above means the Avengers increase to a total of 8: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Quicksilver, Scarlett Witch, Ant Man, Black Panther and Doctor Strange. War Machine and Falcon not involved, Hawkeye and Black Widow dead. Also, there has been some talk of Vin Diesel playing Vision. Don't really want that, no offence!

Now for the 4th and final movie that would be put in before the Avengers 3. I would schedule it for a Summer 2017 release, as it's a big movie. I would call it Guardians of the Galaxy: Planet Hulk. This may seem far-fetched and not loyal to the source material I know, but hey? Iron Man 3 butchered The Mandarin and the Avengers: Age of Ultron will not involve Ant Man, who is crucial to Ultron's origin!

The Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) is set to introduce us to a much larger cinematic universe. It is also introducing us to a very important character in Thanos, the Avenger's adversary. Can they amalgamate Hulk into this? Yes they could! Hulk could land on a planet where the Guardians of the Galaxy are in that present moment. Hulk, angered and confused, could stumble across Thanos, who offers him the chance of turning back to Bruce Banner for good.

The plot could involve Thanos using the Hulk in a Marvel civil war movie way! He could take on the guardians in the pursuit of the six infinity gems. The gems are crucial as they are needed to power the infinity gauntlet, which is essentially a device which grants omnipotence to it's wielder. It gives him/her control over time, space, power, soul, mind and reality. Thanos would require this in an effort to destroy the Avengers as well as use it to control the mind of the Incredible Hulk.

Then we have the Avengers 3(2018) , or as I would call it, The Avengers: The Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos comes to earth and uses the Infinity Gauntlet to terrorise the earth as well as to control the Hulk and make him kill his former Avengers teammates.

This would be sooooo cool to watch! This would be my ultimate fantasy!

As for the movie's ending, Thanos and the Hulk would be stopped at great cost! The Hulk could be reluctantly killed by the Avengers. But what of Thanos?

As cheesy as this sounds, I would like the people of Earth to stop him. You know just regular people. This would make the Avengers believe that the Earth is in safe hands with it's people and they would agree to formally disband for good as Earth no longer needs Superheroes to defend itself. Plus, stopping Thanos would send out a huge message to the rest of the galaxy, would it not? Come to Earth, you get defeated!

Then, who knows? Marvel would have to use their universe for other purposes if they followed my route! Obviously they won't, but this is the way I would like it to go and also involves/ doesn't involve characters I would like/not like to see on the big screen.

Those are my thoughts on the Marvel Universe for phases 2 and 3. They don't involve X Men or the Fantastic Four as Fox own the rights to those and they would not meet on screen. The same can be said for Spiderman and Sony.

What do you think will happen from now until 2018in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Comment below and let me know.

As always, thanks for reading,
Matt