James Marker

This is an outstanding movie; it’s the best movie I’ve seen in a while. Jokes were well worked, the plot was interesting and cohesive, and the action lived up to expectations. Cheesy but charming. 4.5/5

Ronald Dahl was an integral part of my childhood; Charlie and the Chocolate factory and the Glass Elevator are excellent books. The Gene Wilder version does a decent job at adapting the first book and is a great movie; Depp’s was a tragedy. This is a solid way to end the stream of Wonka adaptations. The plot is great, the characters are solid, and there is actual emotion unlike the Depp adaptation. Pretty good music, 4.5/5

Excellent start and action packed ending. However, the middle meanders quite a bit and overall I feel like this was a slight step down from the first avatar. Would recommend watching.

Yeah, the movie was pretty good. I think that you’ll only really appreciate it if you’ve played some of the games though. Mario did the rainbow road cut and there was no Waluigi.

For a cinematic universe as stale as the Transformers, Rise of the Beasts was actually pretty good. Character development was lacking for most side characters, the plot was somewhat weak with many key points just popping out of the aether, and many dramatic scenes just didn’t hit. But beyond that, the action was decent, Noah was likable, and there was some decent comedy in the first half. I was thinking of giving this a 4/5, but I thought the GI Joe cross over was just so ridiculous that I’ll round up.

I’d agree this movie was somewhat cheesy and that the villains didn’t really land, but listen, I am so tired of boring and inauthentic superhero movies that aspire to be something that they aren’t (Eternals, Thor, Black Adam, etc.). Although not necessarily as great as the first, this was a decent, funny, and entertaining superhero flick. I’d probably give this closer to a 4/5, but because Black Adam is somehow rated higher, I’ll round up to a 5.

Outstanding. I felt like the pacing was a bit wacky in that last third and Spot kind of just disappeared. However the animation was great and the first two thirds were so good it doesn’t really matter. I would recommend watching and perhaps taking a friend, lover, or fish.

I went into this movie expecting mediocrity; needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were constantly enjoyable and I felt like they did many clichés in a way that was not stale. The animation was simply outstanding. That being said, I thought the “meteor looks like a butt” joke was dry and that it simply detracted from the overall humor. However, that is my only real issue; it was a fast paced, visually striking, and witty movie that I would highly recommend people watch.

This was a significant return to form for Marvel. Many of the flaws people have pointed out I believe are more so just due to heightened criticism because of superhero fatigue. If you are looking between going to Black Adam or Wakanda Forever, chose the latter. The fact that people have rated these the same is absurd. The level of care and detail that went into this movie was astounding considering the tragic circumstances it was faced with. I especially appreciated the silence during the beginning with the wind blowing as the Marvel logo showed up and then the return of the wind at the end scene as the garments were burned.

Honestly, it’s great to see a Marvel movie that breaks the standard MCU formula. Eternals was not flawless- in some parts the dialogue was a bit dry- but the story was compelling and the characters were entertaining. I personally was especially worried about the “family” relationship, so this was a pleasant surprise.