Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Season 1 (2022) Review

I feel like Star Wars animation has been pretty consistent over the last few years but Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi kind of snuck under the radar and I managed to watch the season yesterday and here is my review for the first season. The premise of the show documents two stories, it shows how Count Dooku became estranged from the Jedi Order and how Ahsoka Tano rose up and survived the events of Order 66. 

Main Character

The great Corey Burton once again voices Count Dooku and he does a tremendous job in this role. This is easily my favourite depiction of the character and seeing him in his role as a Jedi is really interesting. It further enhances his character in the films and does a wonderful job in showing his motivations and makes him a way more interesting character. Ashley Eckstein reprises her role as Ahsoka and she is great of course, her character doesn't get the intrigue and depth that Dooku does but Eckstein could play this role in her sleep and do well and that provides a fun performance here. 

Supporting Characters

The show focuses on the two main characters mostly but littered throughout are iconic Star Wars characters such as Mace Windu, Qui Gon Jinn & Yaddle who get plenty to do. Bryce Dallas Howard voices Yaddle and it was interesting to see this character get more to do and I liked how she was depicted. Seeing Anakin & Rex back for Ahsoka's story is good too and it is done well enough. 

Story 

The story of Dooku's story is fantastic, genuinely one of the best Star Wars stories I have seen in recent memory. Seeing this respected Jedi become more discontent with the ways of the Jedi & Senate and it actually making sense was really great to see. But the Ahsoka stuff just wasn't that great and felt a bit tacked on, I kind of wish the show had just focused on Dooku as I felt the Ahsoka stuff didn't deliver much extra depth to her character. 

Script 

The script is really good, this is a pretty serious and sombre show but it really works. I appreciate that even though it is an animated show it doesn't treat us as children and delves into really serious themes and situations. 

Style 

The animation looks great and there are some fun action sequences. The fact that there is only 6 episodes which are really short makes it a really easy watch too. But again the layout was slightly weird and the Ahsoka episodes felt shorter and a bit less grandiose. 

Overall

Overall, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi season 1 is a great show that follows on from the solid work of the Clone Wars. The Dooku stuff is amazing and the Ahsoka stuff is okay, it is an easy watch for any Star Wars fan and I would easily give it your time. 

Rating - 8/10

Black Adam (2022) Review

After what feels like forever Black Adam has finally made its way to cinemas and I managed to find the time to watch it today and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees an individual with the power of a god released in order to provide justice to his land. 

Main Character

Dwayne Johnson has been set to play Black Adam for years and finally he has been given the chance and I thought he was really good in this film. He provides more then his generic performance that he has become known for, he is intimidating as Adam and adds plenty of depth to this character. He still has those elements of charm there but it doesn't overshadow the nuance of the character. 

Supporting Characters

Pierce Brosnan plays Dr Fate and I thought he was really good. He actually seems to care about the character and the role, Fate is a really interesting character in the comics and though he doesn't get enough screen time to truly flesh him out it does enough here. Aldis Hodge plays Hawkman and he was decent in the role, he plays the hero well and though the character is barely fleshed out but he uses his natural charisma to get him by. But the rest of the cast don't fare as well. Noah Centineo plays Atom Smasher & Quintessa Swindell plays Cyclone, these two feel like they are in a different movie and it doesn't work. They come across as annoying and like they are in a Marvel film while the rest of the film is pretty serious. The villain is one of the weaker ones that are seen in a DC film, he is clearly an afterthought and is really bland. There are a few generic human characters and they didn't offer anything particularly interesting either. 

Story 

When Teth Adam's backstory is explored in this film it was interesting to see and see this protagonist who is really brutal and does some things that wouldn't be seen by a traditional superhero. The issue with the story is that the rest of the film is really generic, with how many super hero films that have come out I feel like I have seen this final act done better in other films for sure. 

Script 

This film is at its best when it focuses on the dark side of the story. But it has some awkward use of comedy and not all the drama hits, the humans aren't interesting and their annoying exposition doesn't help rise it up. 

Style 

The film has some pretty impressive action sequences and it is paced pretty well throughout. A big issue is that my favourite action scene was probably the first one which is never good for a super hero film. Also again the final act CGI fights don't really stand out, there is one in particular that rips off specific action scenes from another comic book film. Also there is one instance of truly terrible CGI which you will notice straight away. 

Overall

Overall, Black Adam is an above average super hero film. It is entertaining but falls way short of living up to the hype, if you want to entertain yourself for a few hours then maybe give it a go but I wouldn't rush to see it. 

Rating - 6/10

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) Trailer Review

Pretty much out of nowhere yesterday we got the first trailer for Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, I have watched it a few times and here are the big things I noticed from the trailer. 

Ant-Man has mixed feelings about being an Avenger

It seems that after the events of Avengers: Endgame that Scott Lang has finally been given the chance to have his time in the spotlight which he seems to be enjoying. But he seems to not be okay with the fact that some people don't realise which Avenger he is and just how important he was to the success of the time heist. 

Cassie Lang creates a device which causes the characters to be sucked into the Quantum Realm

After the events of Endgame, Cassie Lang has been aged up and seemingly recast which is a bit strange. The film's plot seems to start when she creates a device that links to the Quantum realm and obviously because this is a superhero film, it goes wrong. 

The Quantum Realm is massive and a bit trippy

In both previous Ant-Man films we have ventured into The Quantum realm and to be honest it has been a little lacklustre. But this film is clearly expanding the realm and making it look super cool and interesting, even civilisations are down there. 

Jonathan Majors is here as Kang and it looks amazing 

After his appearance as He Who Remains in Loki season 1, we knew that Jonathan Majors would be back as Kang and we get are first look at him here and it looks incredible. He has seemingly built a huge army to do his bidding and the design is amazing, he literally looks like the character ripped from a comic book. 

Seems to be more of an Ant-Man film 

Even though this film has Ant-Man & The Wasp in the title, the trailer makes it seem like this is very much an Ant-Man film, with Wasp being a supporting character. After the events of Endgame, I am fine with that and this and the emphasis should be on Scott Lang at the moment. 

Looks like a very different type of Ant-Man film 

A criticism of the two previous Ant-Man films is that compared to other films in The MCU it is pretty low stakes. This film is clearly going to change that and make this a huge film for the future of the who MCU. Really developing Kang and progressing to the next Avengers film is a big think to do in The Ant-Man franchise. 

Where is MODOK?

It has been reported for a while now that Corey Stoll will be reprising his role as Darren Cross from the first film but developed into the famous comic book character MODOK. I wonder if Kang is a bit of a misdirect and he is the main villain, but there wasn't a shot of him at all in this trailer. 

Overall

Overall, this trailer did a fantastic job of getting me excited for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania. They surely can't screw Kang up and hopefully this is a huge step for The MCU. 

House of the Dragon Season 1 (2022) Review

After the somewhat disappointing ending to Game Of Thrones, we have waited a long time for the spinoff show House of the Dragon. The first season of the show has just finished and here is my review for it. The premise of the show is set almost 200 years before Game Of Thrones and sees the House of Targaryen in charge of the 7 kingdoms and having to deal with all the conflict that comes with that. 

Main Character 

Milly Alcock & Emma D'Arcy play the young and older version of Rhaenyra Targaryen and they are both fantastic. Alcok creates this really interesting young character and she is just enigmatic on screen and I don't know why but she was one of the best parts of the show. When D'Arcy took over the role she did a great job on building on the hard work that Alcok did and feel like an older version of this character. She is just really charismatic on screen and even though I wasn't a huge fan of the time jump she did a great job. 

Supporting Characters 

This is one of the biggest supporting characters that you will ever see, so I definitely won't mention everybody but everybody is fantastic in this show and delivers really strong performances. Matt Smith plays Daemon Targaryen and he is probably the best part of the show, he is so charismatic and he owns the screen in every scene that he is in. The character has so much development and intrigue of the show that seems to have earnt him much praise and love from the fandom. Rhys Ifans plays Otto Hightower and he is certainly one of the more manipulative and conniving members of the cast. This character reminds me the most of the best characters from GOT and seeing him try and manipulate the situation is interesting to watch. Paddy Considine plays King Viserys Targaryen and he is fantastic, you see this man try and control this whole situation that he is put in and Considine nails it, especially throughout the time jump where he has to give very different performances. 

Story 

The story of the show is interesting. It documents some of the events that we were told about in GOT and seeing this rich lore come to life, the plotting and scheming is there and when it really gets into it, it really hits the high notes. The issue is mainly about the amount of content that is attempted here, the infamous time jumps have been an issue for me and made it sometimes hard to care about these characters. Also the finale didn't feel as high stakes as I think it should have done, which is a bit disappointing. 

Script

The script is really good. The writing is strong and the characters are much better written here. It is a very serious show with only a few sprinkles of humour but it feels appropriate and I am just happy to see these people fleshed out. 

Style 

The show looks amazing, the CGI is out of this world and the budget is definitely a big plus. When the action takes place, it is handled really well and in pretty brutal fashion. But the pacing of the show is a bit off, first the time jumps really don't help with getting us established with these characters and their actors. Also some of the episodes do feel a little slow at times with not much actually happening which is a shame. 

Overall

Overall, House of The Dragon Season 1 is a Great start for this new spinoff series. It continues good work from Game Of Thrones and with a few refinements it can live up to the epic heights. 

Rating - 8/10

She-Hulk: Attorney At Law Season 1 (2022) Review 

After a long break, I will hopefully be back reviewing on a consistent basis. I have finally forced myself to finish the first season of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law and here is my review for it. The premise of the show, sees after an accident turns her into a Hulk, Jennifer Walters must balance her new parts of her life and her life as a Lawyer. 

Main Character

Tatiana Maslany plays Jennifer Walters and she is easily the best part of this show. You can tell she really cares about making this character fun and interesting, her comedic timing and delivery is really good. She carries this show on her back and especially when she is Jen I really liked her. 

Supporting Characters

The best part of the supporting cast are the ones who aren't really in the show that much but are the most recognisable. Mark Ruffalo is back as Bruce Banner/Hulk and the dynamic between Bruce and Jennifer is one of the better elements of the show and his character is developed a bit here, but he isn't here enough which is a shame. Tim Roth is back as Emil Blomsky/Abomination and though I wasn't a huge fan of the direction they took his character, I can't deny that Roth is fun to watch and that drags through some of the episodes. Finally Charlie Cox is back as Matt Murdoch/Daredevil and I am so happy that he is back and he is handled really well. He is a bit more humorous but the character from the Netflix show still remains intact and that is fantastic to see. But it was the new cast that failed to me, Ginger Gonzaga as Nikki, Jameela Jamil as Titania and Josh Segarra as Pug are examples of pretty annoying new characters that get nothing real to do, Segarra is disappointing in particular because he is a really talented actor.  

Story 

The story is a complete mess and the show even addresses that multiple times. It really tries to do way too much and it ends up making the audience not really care about any of it. Just because you have a character that breaks the fourth wall, that isn't an excuse for poor storytelling which is highlighted by the season finale which just doesn't work. 

Script 

The script doesn't take itself too seriously, the humour for the most part made me laugh so that is a step in the right direction. But the show never hits the note on its drama and sometimes comes across as annoying and like it has its own agenda. Plus as I have mentioned above the story is written so poorly. 

Style 

The style of the show also is a big failure. The CGI is probably the worst in the MCU history, when your main character spends a good portion of their time in CGI and it sucks that isn't good. The pacing is also atrocious, there are so many filler episodes that they have to rush the ending and by then I just did not care. 

Overall

Overall, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is a below average show that is a bit of a black eye on the MCU. It has its funny moments, good cameos and likeable lead but that is it and is definitely not worth the time that is required to watch it. 

Rating - 4/10