Madame Web (2024) Review

With Marvel Studios taking on more responsibility involving Spider-Man, Sony have decided to try and build a universe involving smaller characters from the same lore as him. We have had Venom and Morbius and will get Kraven The Hunter later this year but here we have Madame Web. I saw this film last night and here is my review for Madame Web. The p[remise of the film sees a women bestowed with powers where she has to save 3 girls from being killed by a villainous foe. 

Main Character

I must be honest that I have never been a huge fan of Dakota Johnson and she plays Cassandra Web here and I have to be honest she isn't particularly good here. She is overacting everything here and her character is super unlikeable and hard to care about. She is clearly hampered by the awful writing in this film and she can't rise above it and give us a lead role to support or care about and Cassie Web will go down as one of the worst leads in a comic book film ever. 

Supporting Characters

Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced & Celeste O'Connor play the three girls that are in the view of the villain and they are all pretty awful. Their characters are really awkward and not particularly likeable, the film tries to force you to like and care about these characters but it comes across poorly and these actresses aren't good enough to make me care. 

Tahar Rahim plays Ezekiel Sims and he is one of the more frustrating parts of this film because I have seen him be a good actor and this character had some potential but the film really flops here and makes him this over the top villain that is so stupid that it really takes you out of the film. 

Adam Scott as Ben Parker is probably the best person here but he isn't really given much to do and it still upsets me that he plays Ben Parker and it is really clear that this was just done to provide some stupid fan service that actually annoys me even more. 

Story

The story is nonsensical and completely stupid. The plot makes no sense and characters do things that make no sense, Cassie Web in particular is one of the dumbest characters that I have seen in recent movies. This film also tries its best to ruin the character of Spider-Man even though he isn't in the film and it is just the backdrop to this pretty dull and horrendous adventure. 

Script

This is a really awfully written film. Things make no sense, characters are unlikeable and there is no humour here at all. There are so many plot holes it is crazy and the film has nothing interesting about it at all. 

Style 

I mean I guess the action scenes are okay and the bad guys suit was okay but that is it. The film is filmed really poorly, the editing looks unfinished and at times it is actually quite jarring to watch it. There are way too many jump scares especially for a film that is not a horror film. The trailer shows things that barely happen in the film and it feels like we were sold a different film that never got made. 

Overall

Overall, Madame Web is a truly disastrous film. This is up there with one of the worst films I have ever seen and is up there with the worst comic book films of all time. Though I am glad I saw this film to have this experience but at all cost avoid this garbage and do something better for 2 hours. 

Rating - 1/10

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) Trailer Review

With The Super Bowl being last night, it gave us many trailers and TV spots with the most anticipated being the upcoming Deadpool sequel which has now been titled Deadpool and Wolverine. With The MCU sort of struggling at the moment, this could be the fresh kick that the franchise needs and I am about to review the trailer and the biggest things to take from it. 

Characters are resurrected from the previous film

We saw at the end of Deadpool 2 that Wade Wilson used Cables device to go back in time to save certain characters from their fate. The main ones being Vanessa and Peter who died in Deadpool 2, they are both seen at Wades birthday and this is actually going to be one of the major elements of the film. 

Returning characters will probably have smaller roles

In that opening sequence we see characters such as Colossus, Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Yukio but the way that the trailer goes it seems like they won't be in the film that much. They already saw their roles reduced in the previous film and it will be a slight shame to see less of them here. 

The TVA Arrive for Deadpool

Our first major MCU crossover is that Deadpool is confronted by members of the Time Variance Authority. This organisation introduced in Loki is in charge of dealing with those that mess with the timeline which is clear that Wade did by bringing characters back to life through time travel. 

Deadpool is recruited by The TVA 

Matthew Mcfayden plays the TVA agent here, though it was originally reported that Owen Wilson was going to reprise his role as Mobius but that obviously fell through. It was also reported that Deadpool was being recruited as part of a team to take down the variants of Kang but given the recent real world issues I doubt that will happen. The question will be, why he is being recruited and who is the real villain of the film? 

Is Deadpool sent to the Void? 

In Loki, we see characters get sent to the void when they are pruned using the TVA technology and there is a possibility that Wade Wilson is sent there in this film. There are some action sequences that sees Wade fighting TVA agents in a place with such symbols such as a broken 20th Century Fox logo. It could be logical that it would appear in Wade's version of the void which could be a slightly different version to what we have seen in Loki.

Pyro is back 

It is only a small part of the trailer but we do get a glimpse of the older version of Pyro once again played by Aaron Stanford. We haven't seen him since he was defeated by Iceman at the end of X-Men: The Last Stand so it is a bit of a surprise to see him here. Again, with his look it seems like he could have been someone that got pruned and is living in the void. 

Deadpool travels to the end of Logan 

One part that is really clear is that Deadpool is facing off against the same TVA Agents from the beginning of the trailer but in the location of the final parts of Logan. It seems like the rumours of Deadpool going against the TVA to try and find Wolverine are accurate and that will see The TVA going after both of them. 

Hugh Jackman is back as Wolverine 

Right at the end of the trailer we get a quick glimpse of Wolverine and he is once again played by Hugh Jackman. He has a more comic book accurate hair and the bright yellow suit that we have never seen in live action. The location of this fight seems to signal this being in the void meaning this might be a different version of Logan to the one we saw in the X-Men continuity allowing for some new stories. 

The film will be R-Rated, break the fourth wall and have plenty of MCU references

People were a bit nervous when Deadpool made its way to The MCU that he would be nerfed and forced into becoming more PG but this trailer alleviates those fears as there is plenty of violence and bad language in this trailer. Also Deadpool clearly knows he has joined The MCU and The Avengers are shown in clips from other films in this universe. 

Overall

Overall, this trailer was fantastic and it has really got me hyped for the release of Deadpool & Wolverine. With The MCU in a bit of a lull, I think that this will be the film that gets it back to its high heights and I am buzzing to watch it when it comes out in July. 

Batman: Arkham Knight (2015) Review

After playing Asylum & City, I have now competed Rocksteady's Arkham trilogy with Arkham Knight and here is my review for the game. The premise of the game sees Gotham City evacuated after a terrorist threat from Scarecrow, along with a new villain called The Arkham Knight he aims to take down The Batman. On one night, Batman has to use all of his skills and gadgets in order to take down all of the villains currently lurking in Gotham. 

Characters

The late Kevin Conroy is back as Batman/Bruce Wayne and he is tremendous here and is probably his best performance in the trilogy. They really make it clear that this is the biggest challenge that Batman has ever been through and Conroy really conveys that. He is still intimidating as Batman but also has some emotional moments and scenes with other members of the Bat Family. 

John Noble takes over the role of Scarecrow and I really like the depiction of the character here. He is really calculating and cruel and Noble really delivers a chilling performance as this character that is worthy of taking over the responsibility of being the main villain. 

Jonathan Banks plays Commissioner Gordan here and this is the game where he has the most impact and Banks fills the role well with his gruff and intensity adding plenty to the character. The chemistry between himself and Conroy is really good and feels very believable. 

Ashley Greene and Matthew Mercer take over the roles as Oracle & Robin and I thought they felt pretty natural for this game and fit it in really well with Batman and the game. They are good in their roles and I thought they were great additions to this game. 

Story

The story here is all over the place, there is so much the game has to do that it loses its way. I really like the personal story Batman goes through in this game as he deals with all of the stress that comes with the night and other factors that come into play and it has a very interesting ending. But the game fumbles plenty of things, particularly the portrayal of The Arkham Knight, there was so much hype for him but it falls flat and he is a really disappointing part of the story here. Other characters from the previous games such as Two Face & Hush are totally underutilized and could have been a major part of the main plot instead of smaller side missions. 

Side Content

This game is huge, it is one of the biggest maps I have ever played and there is loads for Batman to do, along with lots of DLC where you play as not just Batman but other members of The Bat Family. Unfortunately, its a mixed bag in terms of the side content. There is some really good side content, for example the Professor Pyg investigation and Azrael's story are some of my favourite butt there is just too many misfires. Basically everything to do with The Arkham Knight's Militia is really repetitive and mind numbing and certain characters are in side missions that aren't given the time to matter or truly care. 

Gameplay

This is easily the most fluid combat system for any of the Arkham games and flows incredibly well. The extra use of gadgets in combat and the way that Batman moves more aggressively makes it a much more enjoyable experience. Onto the elephant in the room and that is The Batmobile, a huge part of the marketing was the use of The Batmobile and I can't deny that it is fun to use. Facing Tanks in the car and traversing through Gotham with it is really enjoyable but there is no denying that it is overused and does become a bit repetitive at times. 

Style

Maybe the best part of this game is the style. It is a beautiful game and this game came out 9 years ago looking way better then most modern day games. Gotham itself feels huge and looks great with the horrors of the night being emphasized well. 

Overall

Overall, Batman: Arkham Knight is a great game. Replaying the game has given me a different perspective and realise that there is lots to really enjoy here and that it deserves to be played by Batman fans and alike. 

Rating - 8/10