Chris Carlsen

(Reviewed by Jaden Carlsen from mom's account). Captain America: The First Avenger may be far from perfect, don't get me wrong. It's not Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, nor is it even as good as the sequels ironically, but it IS a very good origin story. The story revolves around Steve Rogers, a scrony, but brave, determined young man with a big heart, who is accepted into a Super Soldier program to finally allow him to help America in the European Theatre in WWII. Soon after, he is faced with another Super Soldier, the Red Skull, the leader of the Nazi-backed HYDRA Organization, who also possesses a powerful weapon that may allow him to take over the world, during its weakest state. Like I said, this isn't Raimi's Spider-Man or Black Panther, due largely in part to an underwhelming, somewhat one-dimensional portrayal of the Red Skull. He generally feels like a mediocre portrayal of your average villain whom wants to take over the world, there's not much to separate him from most other villains whom are similar. Also, also, since he's Captain America's nemesis, you'd expect that he'd be similar to something like the MCU's equivalent to Adolf Hitler, thus, you'd also expect him to be better written and have a better portrayal than we see in this movie. However, the actor and writing on his character could have been much worse, the villain isn't bad just, mediocre. (I wanted to edit from here since I decided to be more helpful than biased as someone whom saw Wonder Woman first. I feel like the first time I did this I just told myself to criticize more than praise so Wonder Woman would get more hype :) What this movie nails awesomely as an origin story, is getting us to love and root for Steve Rodgers right away. They just captured his heart, determination, bravery, selflessness, and generally even his love for America almost perfectly. Also, Steve's relationship with his mentor whom chooses him for the Super Soldier experiment is compelling as well, even more so than Diana's relationship with her mentor. As well as this, the visual style they use to portray an "old-school" 1940s America was really clever of the creators. Also, the story is told mostly from Steve's point of view as he wanders from Steve Rodgers, to (Captain America) Steve Rodgers whom crashes in the ice. The acting is also good, with Chris Evans stealing the show as Cap, and Hayley Atwell and Sebatian Stan delivering well-rounded versions of Peggy Carter and Bucky Barnes. Overall, I hope this will get more attention after Avengers Endgame, though it doesn't have frequent fighting scenes, and I still think Wonder Woman is better as a whole.

Reviewed by Jaden C. Carlsen from his mom's account. From what I remember, I love this movie. I'm Evangelical Christian, so keep that in mind. That being said, this movie did a good job at portraying Mary, as well as Joseph, they're relationship, which is touching in this movie, as well as important biblical themes which stress the challenges Mary and Joseph went through in keeping a secret that baby Jesus was not the biological son of Joseph, but of God, which no one would believe and Mary could be stoned for, as well as the challenge of going to Jerusalem in time to meet the demands of the Roman leaders. I personally feel like the nativity episode of 2013's "The Bible" Drama series did a better job at portraying Herod as a tyrannical King in some ways, but this version of Herod is still good though. It also has my favorite screenshot of Jesus laying in a manger at birth with the light shining on him and Mary, Joseph, and the three wisemen, which is basically a screenshot of the actual nativity. I don't have many real complaints, since the setting, outfits, and acting are all very realistic for the context of the film's story. The visuals are nice too, and the camera work part of the visuals can hold their own against 2010s live action movies well in my opinion. I also liked the look and feel of the Angels, and I think the portrayal as the shepards whom see Jesus after the Angels tell them too is decent as well. Overall I think this is a great Christian movie, and a great family movie. I'd recommend it for teenagers as opposed to younger kids due to graphic scenes of birth, but other than that it's generally fine with the exception of violence from Romans.

Written by Jaden Carlsen from mom's account. As the third installment of perhaps the highest rated superhero game trilogy to date, Batman: Arkham Knight delivers! To begin with the gameplay, the combat mechanics will be familiar to anyone who's played the other two Arkham games, as one button attacks, another counters, and another jumps. In addition to this, you are equipped with a basic gadget and combat system you can upgrade as you level up, complete side missions, and and get certain scores on challenges. This game introduces some new attacks and gadgets to the Arkham table, some of which may seem overpowered at first to some, including the surprise multi-takedown. However, the addition to more powerful enemies, including brutes and medics balance things out. My personal favorite part of the game would have to be the inclusion of the Batmobile, which can turn into a tank you can use to take out unmanned drones, and solve a variety of puzzles. This is really fun, though I can understand the complaint some have given about it being needed to often, which I may kind of agree with. Also, as IGN pointed out, the tank-based riddle solving in my opinion, is the one time the Batmobile seems like a bad idea, as most of them are only about as fun as they sound, while some are less so. But that has to be my only complaint with the Batmobile. Another issue this game suffers from is the Riddler, who has probably been overdone by the Arkham trilogy by now. From what I've heard, this is the first Arkham game where you can't finish the game's story until you get 100 percent completion, and Riddler may be the one thing that'll keep you from doing that any time soon. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of the Riddles you have to solve to free Catwoman, and all the ones done outside Riddler's hideout have to include the Batmobile for something, making the Riddler play a large part in one of the Batmobile's only game related flaws. Still, this is very nitpicky when compared to all the other enjoyable side quests that pit you against the likes of Two-Face, Penguin, and many others I won't spoil for you (keep in mind this game has more than one or two jumpscare moments and should not be played by kids under 16 for mature content). In addition to this, the story is awesome with the setup having Scarecrow return for revenge, and sending out a threat that causes the whole city to be evacuated. As a result, Batman must do all he can to stop Scarecrow, while the progressing night sees events which strain relationships, and reveal vivid insights into Bruce Wayne's inner conflicts. On top of all of this, Batman must face off Scarecrow's hired mercenary, the Arkham Knight, who hold a serious grudge against Bruce, to save Gotham city and bring Scarecrow to justice. The story my friend is even better than it sounds in my opinion, though the mystery of the Arkham Knight may be underdeveloped for some, but there are plenty of other great parts of the story to fall back on. On top of all of this, the graphics look sensational, and can hold their own against the visuals of Insomniac's Spider-Man. All of that being said, Batman Arkham Knight may just be my favorite superhero game so far, and easily one of the best superhero games out there.

Reviewed by Jaden Carlsen from his mom's account. Now, from what I've heard, this was considered to be the best superhero game of all time when it first came out back in '09. I have to say, I'm thankful for this game's existence because without it, I would not have Batman Arkham Knight, my favorite superhero game, to enjoy. That's not to say that I don't like this game though, it actually holds up alright for a ten-year-old superhero game. You start by actually returning Joker to the slammer, only for him to soon escape and take over Arkham Asylum. Soon, commissioner Gordon is kidnapped, criminals are set free, and you as Batman have to save Gotham city from Joker's latest plot. The game has a combat system where one button hits, one counters, and another jumps. While you can't use your enemies' weapons against them for the most part in this game like in the later Arkham games, you still have a varied and upgradable combat system that's fun to use against goons. In addition to the plain fighting, the game also requires you to stealthily take out your enemies from time to time with the help of a detective mode, which acts as an X-Ray vision system to help you locate enemies. You can also use certain gadgets in either predator mode, or combat, as well as to help you collect trophies, interviews, and locate places to solve puzzles. In addition to the story mode, the game also includes a challenge mode in either combat, or stealth takedowns. I didn't even like these that much, as they point out how bad I am with their specific requirements in challenges. I may not have been very good at those challenges myself, but I'm sure you will be better if you choose to get this game. Along with the basic enemies to nab, you'll also you'll also be faced with a good collection of Batman's enemies, including Poison Ivy, Bane, and most memorably, Scarecrow (just to name a few). While some of these boss battles have been criticized for being gimmicky, I would argue that most of them are actually decent enough, though some can be irritating on occasion. Most of them require you to think outside the box and bring in some fun battles in most cases. The story is also pretty good, since it includes Batman both figuring out and putting a stop to Joker's plan, as well as some collectible interview tapes that'll tell you more about the villains you're faced against. All of that being said, while this game has been praised as the best superhero game for its time, these days it's easy to see some of the cracks. The graphics are pretty stiff by today's standards, and the trophy mapping system, or the symbols telling you where collectibles are, are not always perfect in telling you where you need to go, and some of the riddles can be too difficult to solve that it becomes a bit frustrating. Overall, I wouldn't say that I like this game as much as Spider-Man: Sattered Dimensions, however, Batman: Arkham Asylum is still a fun and enjoyable experience, that any Batman, or indeed any DC comics fan, will enjoy.

Reviewed by 16-year-old Jaden Carlsen from his mom's account. 2006 was, in my opinion, a very interesting year for films. This is when we got movies such as Open Season and The Wild, both of which could be looked at as Madagascar ripoffs, but also some really good movies such as Flicka, and this movie. It's not only a family favorite from Pixar, but has also gained some more attention in 2017 following the release of Cars 3. It may be a mixed bag with critics, but this is honestly one of my favorite Pixar movies, as well as being an under appreciated one as well. The movie's main character is Lightning McQueen, an arrogant rookie racecar focused on winning the Piston Cup, and gets lost during is trip to the race he needs to earn it. He inadvertently destroys the road of a small town called Radiator Springs, and is forced to fix the road. Now, I know that it's kinda predictable that this is a movie about a jerk becoming a better person, but it makes up for the predictability with some really good jokes, and some hidden adult themes about older towns and American places being forgotten as America progresses into the future. Now some of the characters are a bit stereotypical in personality, but I'd argue that the movie makes up for this by showing how these characters, at heart, are just a community in a town that has essentially been wiped off the map, forgotten by the public, and the characters sticking by each other, and believing they can restore the town. They also play really well into Lightning's development as a character, he starts to better understand more important things in life in a way that's really authentic in my opinion. The comedy is also spot-on in my opinion, with a lot of great jokes that I still find funny today. The plotting for Lightning's character arc is also really well-handled, and this movie is essentially a great one to just relax and watch, and be satisfied as Lightning changes for the better. I have to say, in my opinion, this movie deserved the Oscar for Best Animated film, I think it's better than Happy Feet, and is the best animated movie made in 2006 in my opinion.

Jaden Carlsen is reviewing this movie from his mom's account. Now, I don't hate this movie, I just find it EXTREMELY boring, like, it makes me shocked that this movie has as high ratings from critics as it does. The story starts off by confirming that Bruce Wayne has given up being Batman after taking the blame for the death of Two-Face at the end of the last film. But, when Bane, a powerful new villain arrives and takes Gotham hostage, Bruce must become Batman once again in order to save his city. Now if you're listening to that and thinking, "huh, that sounds kinda similar to the plot of Spider-Man 2", you'd be right. That's one of the huge problems this movie suffers from, it seems to feel like a Spider-Man 2 ripoff, which copies the basic plot of our protagonist giving up being a hero, and then having to be convinced to be one again. This soon brings me to my main personal problem with this movie...It is EXTREMELY boring, just like Thor: The Dark World and Justice League. The problem starts with the writers seeming to miss what made Spider-Man 2 so praised by having Peter Parker, not Spider-Man but Peter to get some recognition for how hard he works. This mark is hugely missed in Dark knight rises, since it hardly, if at all, shows Bruce Wayne getting recognition for his hard work as Batman. In addition to this, Bruce giving up being Batman in part because the police are after Batman, makes him seem selfish at best. The reason I say this is that if you remember how Peter Parker was in The Amazing Spider-Man (which came out the same year as this movie), Peter knew that the police were after Spider-Man and there was a good chance of his identity being revealed to the public if he was caught, but he chose to be Spider-Man anyway, because he knew the city needed to be protected from the Lizard, and that the police couldn't do it themselves, since he Lizard was too powerful. This shows how selfless Peter Parker was in that film, compared to Bruce Wayne in this one, since it feels like his selfishness prevents him from protecting a city he knows is vulnerable to attacks from beings whom are too powerful for the police, just because he doesn't want to risk having his identity revealed to the public and losing all his millions, which I don't think the REAL Batman would EVER do. Even when he does turn into Batman, he doesn't even feel like Batman, because the combat in this movie is AWFUL! I could rant about this movie all day, but I think you get the point. By all means, I recommend Spider-Man 2, or The Amazing Spider-Man, but NOT this trash bag of a movie.

Written by 16-year-old Jaden Carlsen from his mom's account. I will just put out right now, that this is my second favorite Spider-Man game, second only to Insomniac's Spider-Man as my favorite. The game's story takes inspiration from the Spider-Verse storyline of the comics, and makes the most of the fact that players are now able to play as Spider-Man in four different versions in the same game! These versions include the Amazing (classic) Spider-Man, Noir Spider-Man, Ultimate (black suit) Spider-Man, and Spider-Man 2099. To begin with, the story is not necessarily the best written, as the game focuses more on the gameplay, rather than the development of any of the four Spider-Men you play as. There are no videos in the game showing us what Spider-Man does outside of his routine of beating up bad guys, and the story mostly centralizes on players working to collect fragments of a mystical artifact, which has been accidentally shattered by Amazing Spider-Man in a fight with Mysterio. This soon faces each Spider-Man up with some of their most fearsome foes and their goons, whom you have to defeat in order to fix the artifact with the help of Madame Web. Admittedly the story is about just as interesting as it sounds, but only just for the most part, since the game does nothing, or very little to explore characters outside of the Spider-Men or their enemies, and the goons you have to fight as one of the four of them. In the Noir and 2099 dimensions, there is some consistency relations between the bosses you fight, but that's about it, and those relations between bosses is gone in the other two dimensions, making the individual stories of each Spider-Man inconsistent. This all being said however, the game still has some nice concept art and figurines in the extras menu, as well as character bios where you can learn about the Spider-Men, your allies, and the goons and bosses you will have to beat respectively. With All of that out of the way, the actual gameplay in the game is very fun. You start with a basic combat system, which can be upgraded as you progress through the story, while collecting Spider-Essence. Each version of Spider-Man you play as also has their own unique style to combat moves that can be performed by all versions, as well as some special moves you can only perform as certain versions respectively. Some nice twists to the combat include two things. One is that playing as Spider-Man in the 2099, or Ultimate dimensions, will eventually allow you to deal extra damage to enemies, or slow down time with the press of a button. These powerful, yet temporary enhancers to your combat skills in those dimensions work since they make sense for the versions you play as. The second twist in your combat system comes from the Noir dimension. This Spider-Man uses a stealth system to take out his enemies for the most part, which has been criticized for ripping off Batman Arkham Asylum's, admittedly superior stealth system. The stealth system here may not be perfect, however this dimension still offers some nice art styles, as well as some of the most unique takes on familiar Spider-Man foes. My favorite part of this game is actually the boss battles, as they are much better handled, further helping to remove much of the repetitive nature of most other superhero games. These bosses are excellently introduced to begin with. Secondly, most of the boss battles implore you to think outside the box, as your enemies cannot be beaten directly. The third includes another twist, which allows you to be put into a first-person boxing against the boss, which is understandably controversial. On one hand, this is about as un-Spider-Man of a thing I can think of to put in a Spidey game. On the other hand, the boxing is fun, adds some more variety in the game, and often ends with either some funny faces made by the bosses as you finish them, or some satisfying finishers performed by Spider-Man. Overall, this game is not perfect, but it is a great Spider-Verse game for any Spidey fan to enjoy.

Written by Jaden C. Carlsen from his mom's account. As a fan of this show I must say, I think it is easily one of the best shows Marvel has put out. The writing is well done, with plenty of consistency between episodes. The show as a whole has a well-written story that is easy to follow, and the consistency helps viewers to fallback on earlier episodes in case they don't fully understand what is going on in a more current one. In my opinion, Josh Keaton's Peter Parker and Spider-Man are both better than Andrew Garfield's or Tobey Maguire's period. He just has such a great voice as both sides of the same character, and is given very sharp writing to work with, as mentioned earlier. The same goes for Steve Blum's Green Goblin. His perfect, Joker-like voice, laugh, and personality, have made his version in this show the definitive version of the Green Goblin in my opinion, like, this is how the Green Goblin is supposed to sound and look like. He also has a slick, well-drawn, comic-accurate design, as do all of spider-man's enemies do in this show (though there are not too many due to the show's early cancellation). Even though the designs aren't exactly the best, which are better bared out by the animation style in the normal human characters, they are still very distinctive, easily recognizable designs for the hero and his villains. The show also has, in my opinion, a better J. Jona Jameson, than J.K. Simmons' version. I also really liked this version of Liz Allan; I loved the accent the actress put on in the first few episodes, and wish she kept the accent throughout the show ( minor spoiler: I also wished Peter stayed with her and told her he was Spider-Man, because I liked this version of Liz that much. I'm fine with this version of Gwen completely, I just kinda like Peter with Liz in this show better than with Gwen, but that's just me). This show also builds some suspense with a bit of mystery, since, it is unclear whether or not the Green Goblin is Norman or Harry Osborn for example, and the show is really good at keeping us guessing. There are not many, if any, mysteries like that besides the one just mentioned in the show due to its untimely cancellation, however, the Green Goblin mystery alone, is a great part of e story to fall back on. This is also before the show introduces Venom and at the same time it introduces starkly similar versions of the Sinister Six, which are great versions of these classic comic characters and teams. I don't mean to rush this review, but I could talk plenty more about it, and I think you've got the message. It may not have lasted long, due to complications when Disney bought most of Marvel from Soney in 2009, but for what we have, it's a great show that any Spidey fan will enjoy.

Jaden Carlsen reviewing from mother's account. Ok, so I know it's a cliche to say that this movie is bad since, it didn't do well with critics and some audiences. However, I'm glad to see that some people like this movie along with Man Of Steel, because the DCEU is going to need all the fan support it can get right now. Now, I haven't seen The Avengers yet, so I can't use that film as an example for why this movie failed for me, but to give you a bit of reference....I find it doesn't have nearly as much emotional depth or weight to it as Wonder Woman or Captain America: Civil War. It's mostly unfunny, with a boring villain, and the movie itself being overwhelmingly uninteresting. The biggest fail this movie has for me is misusing Wonder Woman in the movie, as she's treated more as a supporting character for Batman and is given almost nothing to actually do, except for her introduction in the movie.

Reviewed by Jaden Carlsen from his mother's account. I remember watching this movie not too long ago, and I remember telling my dad that I liked the movie, it just didn't impress me to the point where I'd watch it again. I have to say however, thinking about it now, I was wrong. This movie suffers from a lot of the same flaws Thor: The Dark World suffers from, including an underwhelming execution, overly dark colors, and somewhat bland acting. I have to say, it does get good by the third act, but it doesn't really make up for the boredom you have to sit through.