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

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

2013 Fall Movie Season Preview

The Summer has ended, September has drawn to a close. However, do not be sad. The best few months of the year in terms of movie are dawning at the moment and the films coming out have got me very excited indeed. So, I figured I would write a post about all of the movies that I'm looking forward to before New Year's Day 2014.  That being said, let's start..




The Fifth Estate

I really don't know much about the plot or the story of the film but I think that's a good thing, because hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised by what this movie has to offer. Hopefully, the movie is well shot and also I really hope it isn't one of those movies that drags on for half an hour more than it needs to. However, this movie's cast is really something. Benedict Cumberbatch, who delivered a stellar performance as villain Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, is playing the lead and we all know how much of a phenomenal actor he is. Also, Daniel Bruhl looks like he is going to have a major role in this movie. After his stunningly perfect portrayal of Niki Lauda in Rush, I hope this is a movie where he delivers another good performance!










Captain Phillips


This movie is being directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Tom Hanks in the lead role. Now for me, it has a good director (Greengrass directed one of my favourite action movies The Bourne Ultimatum) and a phenomenal actor. He knows how to shoot a movie well and use shaky cam in a way that isn't ridiculous. My main concern is with the story element; my fear being that it could drag on and be a bore fest. However, it could well be the other way around but we shall see..





Enders Game


This movie has an awesome cast in Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley and it looks like there could be some stunning use of visuals and special effects. But, will the cast be able to save this movie? I'm not sure because at the moment I am under the impression that this is going to be nothing more than a mediocre science fiction film. But, I've been wrong before..







Thor: The Dark World


There is only one reason I am looking forward to Thor the Dark World and that is because it is a Thor movie. The Marvel movies nowadays have that added layer of depth because you know all the movies are inter-connected, which allows these movies to continue to build upon the story and the universe all the Marvel characters are in. The first Thor movie I found had a lot of potential yet just fell short of my expectations, hopefully the different director can build upon that and create a really good Thor movie that's a fun time in the cinema!












Gravity


From what I have heard, this movie is awesome! Many critics are heralding all aspects of this movie and I'm a little surprised as I saw the movie trailer first in May/June time and didn't really think much of it. George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are in this movie and hopefully they portray their characters well and are relatable. Plus, this movie better blow me away! The visuals and the cinematography in Alfonso Cuaron's movies are always spectacular and I hope it is the same with Gravity. I just want a good space movie that makes me feel like I am actually there with the characters, feeling all of the tension. It's one of my most anticipated movies of the year, can you not tell?..






Don Jon

A movie that is starring, written and directed by Joseph Gordon - Levitt, a movie that tackles the issue of porn. I'm interested, plus Scarlett Johansson is in this movie. Yeah, that is all I need to know. All jokes aside, I'm interested to see the directing style of Gordon Levitt and also how well he integrates the social commentary into this movie. I have high expectations for this one..













The Counsellor

On the same weekend as Don Jon comes Ridley Scott's new movie The Counseller. I must admit that I really know nothing about the premise or plot of this movie. All I know is that the cast looks incredible and that when Ridley Scott makes a good movie, he absolutely nails it on the head! Gladiator, being my example. Anyway, The Counseller should be an interesting movie..









Escape Plan


Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger together in a movie where they both have to work together in order to escape from prison. That should be enough to explain why I am looking forward to this one..

In all seriousness though, hopefully this movie recognises that it is corny as hell and that its a fun time in the movie theatre. Mindless entertainment is all I'm after, completely lower my expectations is the plan!








The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


I really enjoyed the Hobbit when I first saw it last year and when I saw it a second time a few months later. There is a lot that goes right in this movie but there are many things wrong. The story was too drawn out which brought about awful pacing plus  a few scenes could have been taken out which weren't actually necessary. I hope that this time they stay the same in terms of all that is good with the movie but also do a few little tweaks to make it a little bit better. The scene between Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) will be one to remember..






Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues


I have never seen Anchorman. There I said it. I will do though before December 20th. I'm looking forward to this movie as people I know always say that Anchorman is one of the funniest movies they have ever seen, they endlessly quote things from the movie as well. People tell me its hilarious. However, this movie will let me down if its like the Hangover Part 2 and is just a re-hashed cash-grab piece of crap..












The Secret Life of Walter Mitty


This movie looks fantastic. Ben Stiller looks like he is playing a more shy character, which is very refreshing indeed as characters like that are the ones you can easily relate to. Plus, this movie can make for some absolutely stunning imagery and I really hope they get this movie right. Hopefully the imagery will be backed up by good charcaters and a solid script because I am really looking forward to this one..












And that is all. What is your most anticipated movie of Fall 2013? Leave a comment, I want to hear your thoughts..

Thanks for reading,
Matt