TV Review: Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger Season 1 (2018)

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

Summary: Two teenagers from very different backgrounds find themselves burdened and awakened to newly acquired superpowers while falling in love (I mean that’s up in the air lol).

I saw a promo for this show on Facebook or something. I’ve heard of Cloak and Dagger before, but I knew nothing about them because they’re kind of secondary or even tertiary characters in the Marvel universe. So, with all the popular ones, I just never really knew about them. But the promo was cool, and I was like “hey it’s that girl from that Disney show”, that my younger brother loved to watch and would get excited when I would sit and watch it with him Kickin’ It or something like that. Some time went by because the promo was like a year in advance. Soooo then my friend and I watched Marvel’s Runaways on Hulu which I also loved, and then I decided to read the Runaways comics and they had a run in with Cloak and Dagger and I was like “Oh wow!” So, then I remembered the show. Then I started seeing way more promos, especially on Instagram and I was getting hype, the promos all looked so good! Then the show premiered, and I was hooked from the first five minutes.

I’ve been trying to do this review for so long but for some reason, I kept putting it off. Season two has started and now I really needed to get this out! Plus, I just rewatched season 1 so I am reinvigorated!

There will be spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

Pros:

Cast and Character.

Olivia Holt as Tandy Bowen / Dagger. She is a teenager and street thief. Tandy is connected to Ty through a shared childhood tragedy and she can emit light daggers. She also can see people’s hopes and later learns to steal them to give her some kind of high. Tandy is interesting because her character is very cynical and almost world-weary due to the way the death of her father tore her family apart. She lives in an abandoned church and makes her way by stealing from rich kids. She worked alongside Liam who clearly was in love with her and they did their thing for a while. I think it’s funny that Tandy is so pessimistic, but her powers allow her to see people’s hopes and the best in them (outside of Scarborough). I love that kind of juxtaposition of her character and personality. I don’t think she’s hard to like, I just think she’s a bit hard to get a grasp on because she’s so guarded. I like Olivia Holt in the role, I think she manages to make Tandy likable, perhaps if it wasn’t her, I wouldn’t like her. At least not this version of her. I like how smart she is and that she thinks quick on her feet and while she and Ty work best together, she does know how to get things done on her own. She has a hard time trusting people and tends to run away from her problems, but she grows through the show by learning how to face her problems head on. Tandy seems to have an addictive personality shown by how quickly she reverts to feeling numb through drugs. She’s like a viper. She curls in on herself but has no problem lunging out to attack you if need be. Olivia Holt is good here. She does do this thing where she’s like breathless in between each line of dialogue, she inhales really hard. Just me who noticed? Otherwise, I do think she’s the better actor out of the two but she’s also more experienced. I like her facial expressions and I can’t wait to see her not be so hopeless in season two.
Aubrey Joseph as Tyrone Johnson / Cloak. He is my favorite character in the show. He is connected to Tandy through their shared childhood tragedy. He can teleport, later he develops the ability to engulf others in darkness and transport them to the Dark force dimension. That happens in the last episode and it’s AWESOME! I totally freaked out because I’d been waiting for him to use that power. I guess he really had to get over his personal fears of the man who killed his brother and ruined his life before he could tap into that. He is also able to witness people’s fears as he’s lived in a world of fear since his brother’s death. I love that he’s able to see that he’s not the only one who is afraid. When we first meet him, he’s kind of coasting through his life. He’s very quiet, almost like he’s shy but he has a sense of justice. When he realizes that he was right as a child about the man who killed his brother, he makes it his mission to bring that guy down. He really starts to come out of his shell as his mission continues, but also as he hangs around Tandy and spends time with Evita. I like Ty’s growth because his journey is very similar to a lot of black people. Fear because of what they witnessed or of what happened to them. He deals with a lot of anger, anger he probably would never have let out before this moment and I love watching his idea of justice and how he feels even worse once he gets what he wants. I do believe Aubrey Joseph is a newcomer, but I think he does very well in the show. He’s a natural and I think he’s very likable in the role, though I think Ty would be likable regardless. I think his eyes are very expressive, which is good because a lot of Ty’s emotional moments are through his eyes. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for his character!

Supporting Characters. Obviously, we have our supporting “main characters” like their parents who I’ll kind of mention but not going into super detail about. I just need to mention them, as well as Evita who isn’t a regular but reoccurring.

Gloria Reuben as Adina Johnson. Tyrone’s mother and Roxxon employee who invests heavily in making sure her son has a good life. Ty’s mother spends a lot of the time emotional as she is constantly thinking of the men in her life, especially Tyrone. She’s already lost one son and her biggest fear is losing Tyrone as well. I’ve only seen her in Mr. Robot, but she is so good with her emotional scenes. Every time she talks to Tyrone, I just feel all her emotions.
Miles Mussenden as Otis Johnson. Tyrone’s working-class father who tries to provide for his family and is also an associate of the Wild Red Hawks. He’s like any good father, worried for his black son and wanting him to own up to his problems. He takes Tyrone to his old stomping grounds, so he can see where he came from, while also showing him where Billy might have been going if he wasn’t killed. He’s also the reason why Ty found his cloak. I like his dad, he’s trying to be a good man and he admires his wife for pulling them out of where they were and her strength. He talks about it a lot. It’s nice to see that.
Andrea Roth as Melissa Bowen. Tandy’s drug and alcohol-addicted yet optimistic mother. She’s going through a lot, I mean a lot, she still wants to get justice for her husband, but she is still unable to really push past her issues with drugs and alcohol. She meets this man who seems to be a good man, he’s helpful. She does work on getting better later and it’s clear that she wants Tandy to come home but on her own terms. She has some great emotional moments and you really kind of pity her in the first few episodes.
D. Evermore as Connors. An intimidating scar-faced detective of the New Orleans Police Department’s vice squad with a secret. Legit, Billy’s death was an accident and I don’t condone him being so jumpy that an explosion caused him to shoot Billy, but the real problem comes when he uses his Uncle’s position and his own in the police force to cover it up. Not to mention, he gets away with this murder, involuntary or not, and then goes on to do things that make him a dirty cop. I mean really? Besides, the way he treats Tyrone later… oooo boy. I wonder if we’ll see more of him later.

Carl Lundstedt as Liam Walsh. Tandy’s partner in crime and ex-boyfriend. I like Liam and I don’t think he’ll return, at least not as a regular. This boy looooooves Tandy. No matter what she may think, he loves her. He does anything he can for her. He gets into some trouble and Tandy for a long time doesn’t come through for him. It’s argued that she didn’t care, at least not enough for it outweigh her own issues. But later, she does come through and he basically repays the favor by stealing all the money she acquired. It was kind of funny. You feel bad for him because you know he’s in love with her and it’s hard to say if she feels the same. He was a very likable character though.
Emma Lahana as Brigid O’Reilly. A detective from Harlem with hardened New York sensibilities who believes no one is above the law, including other cops. She works hard to figure out what happened with Tandy in her encounter with the rich kid, but when that’s pushed under the rug, she meets Tyrone and makes it her mission to help him receive justice for his brother. She’s cool and I like how she manages to understand both Tyrone and Tandy and doesn’t judge them for what they want to do. Besides, she’s from New York, she knows Misty Knight and I’m sure she knows all about The Avengers and is hardly phased by anything she sees. I like her. I’m interested to see how things go with her in season 2.
Noëlle Renée Bercy as Evita Fusilier. A friend and love interest of Tyrone’s. Bercy, who is from New Orleans, was familiar with the voodoo culture of the city, and was able to speak to people regarding it for her part. I quite like Evita. It was a little weird at first because she did seem to pop out of nowhere at certain times and she came off a little pushy at first. However, when she and Tyrone started to really get close, I was like “Aww, I like this” and I do. I just hope that they don’t do something to her and their relationship to make Tyrone and Tandy get together. I just hope that Evita doesn’t die or become a crazy person… or something stupid. I like how she cares about Ty and she understands him and introduces him to things that help him understand himself on a deeper level. I also like that she’s smart and has her own thing going on. I like her! Don’t do anything crazy to her now!

Character Chemistry. Tandy and Ty have their first meeting in the first episode, but they don’t really come together again until episode four. The end of a powerful episode three ended with Tyrone going to Tandy’s church and then we get to finally see them talk and interact with each other. I don’t think I have ever seen such great on-screen chemistry in a long time. You have shows that want to force people together that don’t have any chemistry (looking at you Game of Thrones, Pretty Little Liars. Sorry not sorry.) and then you have shows where the characters have no romantic link (at least not yet) and have chemistry that pops off the charts. In the comics, Tandy and Tyrone have many relationships depending on the writer. Mostly it’s one where they depend on each other regardless if it’s a brother/sister or romantic one. Personally, I prefer the romantic relationship because it makes it less weird lol, but I love the idea of making them become really trusting friends. Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph just light up together on-screen. It’s amazing. It really shows in later episodes when they’re really spending time together. I also think Aubrey Joseph and Noelle Renee Bercy (Evita) also have great chemistry, which makes sense as they are dating, and I like them together actually. It was a little cringe at first lol, but it grew on me and they’re sweet. Olivia Holt and Carl Lundstedt also have good chemistry in their scenes.

Slow Burn. I love things that are slow burn because it takes its time to get to such big moments, which makes the payoff more satisfying. Yeah, it can be slow sometimes, but I think it worked in this show’s favor because we learned a lot about both Tyrone and Tandy that I feel like I know them intimately. Almost. I love how it took so long for the two of them really have the chance to have a real conversation because life doesn’t work that way. People don’t meet, have a magical reaction to each other and then put their lives on hold to find and talk to each other. Life moves on. I liked that the show wanted to make sure we as the audience knew and understood Tandy and Ty on their own before pushing them together. Evita and her auntie are integral to the voodoo and spiritual part of the show as Ty and Tandy are part of something bigger.

Storytelling Aspect. I loved the way the show told their story. In all the promos, they always had them doing things in their life at the same time through a split screen. They do things like that a lot in the show without the split screen. We see them in their separate lives and sometimes the lighting is different, sometimes the music is different depending on who we were spending time with. I loved those little details.

Strong story. Of course, with it being an origin story, we must have a lot of set up for things and while the “villains/Roxxon/Connors” operate in the shadows most of the time, the main villain, I thought was Tandy and Tyrone themselves and being slaves to their feelings of revenge for what happened to his brother and her father. It was a season about facing your own demons more than a physical villain. I like it when shows or even books/films do that. It makes the journey more personal. This goes hand in hand with episode 9 “Back Breaker” where Father Delgado gives a nice monologue about heroes and their journey. It was to be a backdrop for what was going on with Tyrone, Tandy and O’Reilly as they all fall from “hero” status to a darker place. Such a great episode. It’s moments like that that really stand out. Also, in episode 3 “Stained Glass” which is my favorite episode of the season, we see Tandy in a spiritual vision watch Ty, get his revenge but he never is victorious, something always happened. We see Ty watch Tandy run away from her fears and get stuck each time. They help each other in these visions and it was so powerful. I watched that episode three times in a row because Freeform played in three times in a row that night lol. But while they had their bigger reasons, the smaller ones, I thought, were much more powerful.

Steeped in New Orleans History. Being honest, I don’t know a lot about New Orleans history and the show wasn’t a crash course in it either, but I think it was cool how they used the history and connection of voodoo. It’s not the way it’s normally shows like this evil kind of thing, but something that’s important to the spirituality of black people. Evita and her auntie are integral to the voodoo and spiritual part of the show as Ty and Tandy are part of something bigger. Not to mention, how Ty found out about the cloak, and the group his father used to be part of which is how he found the cloak in the first place. I hope we continue to see more about New Orleans and that they continue to make it be its own character, the same way some of the Marvel movies make New York its own character. That’s important.

The Cloak and The Daggers.

So, in this promo picture, we get to see Tandy’s daggers and something Ty is using as a cloak. It looks like a sheet which is what he has when we first see him use his powers, but it could also be the hoodie. Now in the comics, his cloak has a very specific look to it. I’ve seen it in a few different ways but the most common way I’ve seen it is this picture below.

Very kind of textured looking, with the black lines on a long purple cloak and a very distinct hood. It is exciting is when he gets the cloak. I wondered how they were going to incorporate that very particular look without it looking cheesy and too comic booky, but I thought they managed to do a really good job. Ty’s cloak in the show looked awesome and I loved how they managed to bring it into the show by having it be tied to a New Orleans’ tradition and belong to his older brother the same way the hoodie he wore as a kid also belonged to his older brother.

Also, the way it moved whenever he used it was amazing. Good job show! round of applause However, before he gets the cloak, he would accidentally teleport using other things that were black and flowy. The first time he teleported it was with the sheet from his bed, there was also a black curtain, some black tarp… and it was cool each time. I loved that they had smoke be the way of which he would appear and disappear. I’m glad it wasn’t just the cloak that made him teleport but a way for him to control it or to use to make it easier to concentrate. He does end up losing the cloak in the finale, so I hope he makes another one because that thing is iconic and awesome.

As for Tandy, she doesn’t have a costume, at least not yet, I’m curious to see what they’ll use for her white jumpsuit down the line. It might be interesting if she takes ballet up again (according to the promo for season two she does! Look at me predicting stuff before it happens lol) and makes her suit from a leotard or something. I don’t want them to make it like the classic Dagger suit with the major cutouts because she’s 16 lol, make it more like the animated version.

It would just make more sense and be more realistic. I’m sure they’ll find some way to make her first suit be something that makes sense. Anyways, about her daggers, they seemed to appear whenever she needed help, like when that rich boy tried to attack her, and she stabbed him unknowingly of course. Later, she can control it better after she saves herself after she tried to drown herself. After that she was able to summon them more often. It wasn’t until they got stuck in the mind of Ivan Hess and she stayed behind that she got good at throwing them (Ty was also pretty good at teleporting at this point). I loved how they looked like pure light and energy and that they fit perfectly in her hand and of course were super sharp. It’s interesting that her power is active while Ty’s is passive (until we see the one he develops later which I spazzed out when he got to use it). Her daggers looked real and not just fake things she was supposed to use.

Powerful Dialogue. I really noticed this the second time watching it. I noticed it before and thought it was great but rewatching, I often would go “That’s so good”. In Tyrone and Tandy’s first conversation, they talk about their powers, their lives and it turns into a conversation about privilege. After she mentions she’s thought about killing herself, he says “it can’t be that bad”. Now, I know that conversations about suicide should not be taken lightly in any situation, but I don’t think this conversation, with Tyrone said, was meant seriously. At least not in the way I saw people on Tumblr talking about it. But anyway, she asks him where he lives, what his family is like because she’s alluding to the fact that he has it good because he lives in a nice house, goes to a prep school and has both of his parents in his life. He needs to “check his privilege” before he starts judging her. He then retorts what it’s like to be a black boy in America. Even though he lives in a nice place now, he spent most of his childhood in the hood. He can’t walk down the street and not worry that someone thinks he’s a threat, or he can’t just walk around with his hood over his head (even in the promos, he walked with his hood up, and when he came past police, he lowered it). Tandy then retorts that she’s had to steal everything she has, and he says, “because you can!” It was such a great moment. I totally get Tandy. I’m not saying that she hasn’t had it hard, she has. However, she can get away with the things she’s gotten away with because of her skin color. I mean, that girl is smart and she’s able to get around some obstacles that if she was a person of color, she probably wouldn’t have been able to. She can do things that Ty couldn’t get away with doing. Just by walking into a store, Ty would be considered a threat and probably watched throughout the store. It shows a lot of their pain and their roles in society no matter where they are in the social classes. I thought it was a great piece of dialogue. Also, the scene with Tyrone and Duane in episode 6 “Funhouse Mirrors” where they talk about justice. Then a great scene between Tyrone and his mom in “Ghost Stories”, episode 8 about her fear when it comes to her son. Ugh, I teared up. Also, in “Lotus Eaters”, Tyrone has some great lines when he’s trying to get through to Tandy… listen, the dialogue is good. Sometimes it can be cheesy, but I think most times it’s good when they’re talking about real life stuff.

Future Possibilities. There are a lot of directions this show could go in and I’m excited to see what they’re going to do. Cloak and Dagger have a lot of stories to pull from, and one of them I hope is a crossover with The Runaways. I feel like Ty and Alex would be friends in this moment in their lives (they both need some friends honestly). I know they can’t really crossover with Spider-Man/Peter Parker since he’s in the big leagues in the movies, but it’d be cool to maybe spin it and throw in Miles Morales. That would diversify the show even more and put into place that he exists but make him younger since he started out with his powers at like 12 (maybe not 12) but you get the idea. There’s also the whole thing with the X-men (which since the Disney/Fox merger, not sure what that means for that show The Gifted) where they (and by they, I mean Tandy) wondered if they were mutants, there are ways around that lol and then the whole thing with Mr. Negative…. I just hope we don’t get watered down plots since the first season was so strong in the storytelling aspect. So many options! OH, before I forget, Tandy and Ty technically meet because they ran away from home and got involved with Roxxon who experimented on them with drugs… they become very against drugs because of that… curious to see what happens in the future with them and Roxxon. I don’t think that fight is over.

Cons:

Shaky Camera. A big pet peeve I have while watching movies and TV shows is the shaky camera. It’s annoying when something emotional is happening on-screen and the camera isn’t still, or if there’s action and the camera is shaking like someone is running behind the actor with a camera attached to their chest. It should be steady. In some instances, it can work to show the intensity of a moment but when it’s ALL THE TIME that’s a problem. It was literally all the time in the show to the point where I would always notice it and while the show itself is basically a masterpiece, the technicality of it was annoying. The only time there should have been shaky cam (preferably never) could have been in the finale and in episode three. That’s it. NO SHAKY CAM NEXT SEASON PLEASE! It’s not cute.

Teenagers So Dramatic. Overall, I like both Tandy and Tyrone but they’re teenagers so there are moments where I’m like “y’all need to sit down somewhere”. Sometimes Tyrone gets smart with his parents and I’m just surprised at their reactions because if it was me, I’d be ready to hit him upside his head like ‘who are you talking too?’ While I rewatched, being that he lives with his parents, Tyrone answers to them, (whereas Tandy only answers to herself), he reacts in the way a teenager would. He keeps secrets, he lies (like with the bolt cutters), he has his outbursts. He told his mom “enough!” he got smart with his dad, I was like boooyyy. I kind of give him a pass because he’s a teenager but I wish the parents stood firm more. They did later as things got more intense, but I hope moving forward, if he shows back up, they’re more involved and they don’t allow him to just do his own thing. I mean, he just be out and about and I’m like “I know he can teleport, but do they know he’s not home??” lol. I hope we get to see more of them because Gloria Reuben is so good as his mom.

Slow Pacing. So, I mentioned the slow burn aspect which I liked, but I do think the show has an issue with pacing. Sometimes, it lingers on things for too long when it needs to keep it moving. It’s like transitions have a hard time transitioning. I think all of Marvel’s shows has this problem (especially Daredevil, my goodness lol). I think this is most prevalent in the first few episodes, while I loved episode 3, it was almost jarring whenever we switched back and forth between the two. As Tyrone and Tandy only met that one time at the party and jump started their powers, they didn’t really meet again so the show would bounce back and forth between their stories. I liked it because we could see their lives apart, but it also made progress feel slow.

Overall, I adore this show. This is my favorite Marvel show. It just feels so raw and genuine and it’s not trying to get you to the superhero stuff so quickly but for you to feel these characters and understand them. I think that’s what’s important when you’re making an origin story. I love Tyrone and Tandy as people, they’re so layered and interesting and Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph do such a great job at maintaining who their characters are throughout the show, while showing us their fall from grace at some points in the show. They also have fantastic chemistry with each other. The show rides on them working. The supporting characters and cast are also all very good in their roles, no matter how small. The dialogue has been handled very well, with some moments and monologues standing out more than others. There are political messages there but they’re not overwhelming. The slow burn of the show, while the pacing isn’t great, allows for the characters to grow. The use of their powers is handled extremely well, I think they have translated Cloak and Dagger’s abilities that they look realistic. I mostly dislike the shaky camera. It’s like in a constant state of shock which I hope it stops that in season two. Of course, they’re teenagers but sometimes it’s like “y’all are children, parents tell your kids to shut up!” lol plus, I hope the parents are more involved. I also hope the pacing of the show improves in season two. Listen, I think this show is great. I can’t wait to see what they continue to do with these characters. I truly hope we see a lot of power and character growth and that we start tapping into some comic reserves of story lines and villains. I like the contained feel and I hope it doesn’t lose that because that’s what makes it so great. It’s intimate and it works.

Rating: 4.8 out 5 stars.

Have you watched Cloak and Dagger Season 1? If not, what’s wrong with you!? Give it a try, especially if you’ve watched Marvel’s Runaways. Let me know your thoughts below if you have watched it, I would love to hear other people’s thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Movie Review: Captain Marvel (2019)

April 10, 2019April 10, 2019 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Summary: Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

Pros:

Cast and Characters.

Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Vers / Captain Marvel. So, without telling her entire story here, I’m going to be brief about who she is. So, she is part of an elite Kree military unit called Starforce. She has superhuman strength and energy projection. You see some other things she can do later. At first, she comes off as a smart ass (which she remains lol) but she is learning how to control her abilities as she can’t seem to not fight without them flaring up. It’s an interesting set up of what her struggle will be throughout the film. As she is a Kree in her mind, she is a strong believer in the truth and justice at all costs and she’s kind of unemotional because her job is to just do her job. She is a great fighter and knows how to think on her feet. She has a quick temper and very aggressive. All which help shape her character. In the comics I have read, I don’t particularly like Carol. She is the person who will make tough choices but sometimes it seems like she does it because it’s her way or the highway when it’s like “GIRL, you can be wrong you know.” But I liked her in this movie. She’s accessible and relatable in terms of her personality. I mean she’s a bit extra, but it works for her character and it helps her arc in the long run. I really liked how she had fun whenever she did her job, she didn’t have this stoic look on her face throughout the movie. There was a lot of talk about Brie Larson not smiling or scowling too much in the movie and I’m like… that’s not Carol’s character. She’s a smirker. That’s what she did throughout the film and it’s just her character. Haters. Anyways, I love Brie Larson. I have always loved her, and I think she was great in the role. She clearly had fun doing the action moves and she is so good at the emotional aspects of the character that I see why she was chosen. Plus, she looks good in that outfit lol.
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. We know him as the Director of SHIELD but currently he is a low-level agent. He has both of his eyes in this film lol. He basically is a desk worker and is still optimistic about things. It’s cool to see him before he’s a badass agent with all kinds of backup plans. I think the chemistry he has with Brie Larson is good (so good in fact they did a movie together on Netflix called “Unicorn Store”). It’s because of her that he is really introduced to the idea of superpowered beings and other beings. Him trusting Carol and working with her, is a big part of his character and shows how different he was because we all know Fury is not the most trusting man these days. But it also shows why she is the one he called just before he was dusted in the Infinity War end credit scene. He knows she can help. What can I say about Sam Jackson? I mean, he’s great in this role, he’s great playing a younger version of him. He’s so likable here, plus all the stuff with the cat is hilarious and super sweet. They didn’t even really need to de-age him because he pretty much looks the same!
Ben Mendelsohn. I don’t want to say much without giving him away, but he plays a dual role in this. He does well at both really and I was a little shocked at the bait and switch they did.
Jude Law as Yon-Rogg. He is the commander of Starforce and Carol’s mentor. He trains her to use her powers. He has a strong belief in his people and how they do things. He’s a devout warrior, conservative, he doesn’t question things, but he also manages to be a bit inspirational. You can’t help but to like him. You may not trust him but he’s likable. It’s clear that he has a strong friendship with Carol and I think it’s because of his special interest in her his other teammates kind of dislike her, particularly that one chick. Jude Law is a likable guy in everything I have ever seen him in. He can play weird and bad but he’s just so good at it.
Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau. She is one of Carol’s oldest friends and a fellow Air Force pilot. She has a daughter Monica, who is super cute. She is strong, resilient and she feels like someone Carol would go to first whenever she needs her. She is a badass and it’s clear she was affected when they all thought Carol was killed in a flight accident. They are best friends and it shows. The pictures of them through the years looked like they’d really been friends for years. The fact that she was ready to be ride or die but also was cautious because she has a daughter, made her such a relatable and accessible character. I think many women would think the same way she would. I’ve never seen Lashana Lynch in anything before, but she seems to be a very dynamic actress and my eyes always went to her whenever she was on screen. I don’t know how much of her we’ll see going forward but I would love to see her again.

It’s Pretty Funny. It’s not a constant laughter like Thor Ragnarök or Guardians of the Galaxy but it has a lot of good moments. There are a lot of great moments with the cat Goose. Carol is also funny with her deadpan reactions to some things, or how aggressive she is. Of course, Fury is funny because Sam Jackson is hilarious and with this being a younger Fury, he’s less serious lol. The humor is sprinkled throughout, and it doesn’t feel overdone, out of place, it fits in in the right places.

The Message/Story. Soo this isn’t really an original story. We’ve seen it before just in a different form. That’s fine. The point is to make the familiar journey memorable and fun to be part of. In this, you have Carol who does not remember who she is, she doesn’t even know she’s human. Throughout this movie, she is faced with the reality that what she knows up to this point might not be true. How does she handle it? She must decide for herself. Plus, she also must learn how to stand on her own. Of course, she is powerful, but she’s always held back due to what she’s been told, or the fact that her emotions prevent her from truly understanding her power. It’s her story to figure out who she is and just how she can be on her own terms! That’s a great message, especially for any young girls (boys too) out there trying to discover their power and who they are.

Cool Action. A lot of the action pieces are choreographed well! There are quite a few actions set pieces and I think not only does it look good, but it flows well. The entire last 30 minutes has a huge action piece and Carol has the chance to really show what she can do.

Awesome Visuals! Even if you didn’t like the movie, I would think we can all agree that the visuals were pretty dope. The effects used for her powers was a nice look, it even really reminded me of the material she received it from. There’s a part where she’s blown back by a huge energy and it was put in slow motion and it was a close-up of her face and that entire scene was cool personally. I also enjoyed the look of when she went into that mind thing lol. Then of course towards the end when we see her in her suit, the way they changed the colors, and all the technology in her suit. Not to mention, whenever her hair took on the power as well and it was floating upwards. Gosh it was just so cool!! When she came through that one door and her hair…DOOOPPE!! lol

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Cons:

LOTS of exposition. I don’t necessarily think the movie is slow, but it does have a lot talking and explaining things. It’s set a lot in space, with a lot of different species and types of beings, so there are lots of scenes were people are just talking and explaining their backstories or talking about their feelings in super long and introspective moments.

Continuity Issues. I guess this is more of a personal problem lol, but maybe not, I just think it’s hard to really grasp the timeline of things when there are so many Marvel Cinematic Universe films to keep up but the biggest things that stood out to me was “SHIELD” (I swear that word looks so wrong every time I write it lol), but this film is set in the 90’s right? Okay cool, but we know that SHIELD didn’t become S.H.I.E.L.D at least without the title becoming a thing until 2008 when Iron Man first came about. Pepper kept saying to Coulson that it was a mouthful and by the end, they finally made the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate into S.H.I.E.L.D. So, I thought it was big glaring misfire when they kept calling it that when it didn’t become that until years later. But that’s just me lol. Also, without getting too much into spoilers, but the thing that everyone is looking for, we’ve seen that thing so many times… it doesn’t completely add up to me.

Villains? I do think the MCU has issues with having compelling villains. I think their last few outings have been some of their better villains and it’s hard to say that there is a clear cut one in this film. You get a bit of a bait and switch when it comes to the villain and you can take it as you want, but I think either way, both villains are kind of meh in that what true threat to the pose? If anything, the first “villain” is there because of what we’re told throughout the movie, then the second villain is more of a personal villain? I mean… sure lol.

Overall, I really liked Captain Marvel. I think the acting is good all around. All the characters were interesting and good additions in their own rights. I’m curious to see the events of this movie affecting future Marvel films, even though this one is set in the 90’s. I think all of the characters are interesting. The visuals are top notch and the action is also handled well. I think it’s funny, Fury having a lot of the funny moments as to be expected with him being a younger character here. I like the story being portrayed. It may be a story we’ve seen before, but it’s handled well. Now it does have some issues, particularly with how exposition heavy it is, and it does feel like it’s preventing the movie from progressing as smoothly as it should. Also, the continuity issues that I think are pretty glaring for a movie in a shared universe. But that’s a kind of minor. Also, is there a villain? If so, they’re a bit meh which is kind of sad as the MCU has been doing well with their villains the last few movies. Anyways though, I really enjoyed this movie and it’s a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Rating: 4 out 5 stars.

Have you seen Captain Marvel? What are your thoughts down below? If you didn’t like, let’s talk about why? I’m interested to hear about it.

What is your favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe movie?

TV Review: Marvel’s Runaways Season 2 (2018)

January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 ~ Alyxwrites ~ Leave a comment

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Marvel’s Runaways has returned! I thoroughly enjoyed season 1. It did start off a little slow, which is fine, it didn’t bother me, I watched it twice. I think if you haven’t seen the show and are curious about watching it, then I think you should. The good thing, it is on Hulu which allows for a complete watch without having to wait each week for an episode. My friend and I watched it in two days and I really liked this season.

I did a review for season one here. I also did a piece where I talked about Alex Wilder from the show and the comics as he is my favorite character in both mediums. I had a lot to say so please check those two pieces out! As I already did a formal review for the show, I’m not particularly going to do that again so this review will be a little different.

On to the review!

The Runaways

I think once again these characters are interesting. They have the makings to be really good characters and I think for the most part, they manage to remain so throughout the season. Instead of going through each like I would normally do, I will hit on the Runaways, giving more emphasis on those I thought stood out.

Alex Wilder (Rhenzy Feliz): I think he is the most layered of the Runaways so far and definitely the stand out this season. I thought he did really well with what he was given in the first season which wasn’t much, but they really dug more into him this season which I appreciated. The season hit the ground running and I think he could tell he wasn’t wanted so he removed himself from the equation (he even says which made me cackle “I’m just the NPC in the MMORG of your lives), and it shows that everyone treats him this way. He even tried to help them have a steady flow of money by working with Darrius. While helping, a romantic relationship started to form between him and Livvie (Ajiona Alexus) who was Darrius’s sister in law type person? They were cute and I liked that he seemed to have moved on from Nico (who doesn’t deserve him anyway!). We got to see him go through a lot this season within himself. He’s been the only Runaway who didn’t give up on the fact that their parents are criminals and have killed teenagers regardless of how much they may love them. It seems to personally affect him the most because he was close with his parents and would never think they would hurt anyone or hurt him. I like that he’s steadfast in that and he’ll do whatever he thinks he can to bring them down. Sure, not all of his plans are fool proof nor is he perfect, which is something he also talked about with Chase. He wants to show the others that his presence is necessary and he wants to do right by them. He may be logical but he’s also emotional in some of his decisions. The fact that he acknowledged that I thought showed tremendous growth. I find it interesting how the others know that he always has a plan but they always talk crap about him. *sighs* I’m trying not to rant but sooo many feelings lol. Rhenzy Feliz continues to do a great job with his character. His emotions play across his face very well and my friend and I always mention his nostril flare lol but I’m glad he had a lot to do and he’s the MVP this season.
Nico Minoru (Lyrica Okano): I like Nico for the most part but she can be soooo judgey. When the season started and she was still being mean to Alex and then we saw his name in her cellphone, I was like *hard eye roll* but she did go to him to express some of her feelings towards him. I don’t think things were fully hashed out between them because I feel like Alex doesn’t stand up for himself enough, so I hope they have a full heart to heart later on. In this season, Nico uses the Staff of One in some pretty dope ways to the point where she makes decisions that affect others and she has to deal with it. It’s easy to tell that she’s afraid of it while also wanting to learn more about it. There are a few moments where it seems like instinct just takes over even when she’s exhausted to help out and I want to see more of that and I want to know where it comes from! I think Lyrica Okano has good chemistry with Virginia Gardner, which is necessary for her relationship with Karolina but I don’t know how I completely feel about it. I mean, it’s cute, but I still think it was pretty left field and that Nico may not feel the same way as Karolina which might blow up in their faces later. I know about her whispered confession when Karolina walked away but that doesn’t mean anything to me right now. I liked that she got a little closure about Amy (now we just need to find out why Alex didn’t go to the funeral), and that she’s a bit more confident in herself now. I think Lyrica is a very good actress and I hope to see her do more physical stuff because that scene with her and her parents was DOPE.
Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner): In this season, Karolina is learning who she is, what her powers are and how she can use them without limitations. I mean, she still has limitations as she is still learning but I’m glad we got to see a lot more of her using her powers than in the first season. She is kind of the optimist of the group, and still religious even though her religion is a sham. I don’t think we got a ton of growth from her this season as she is still the same person she was, just a bit freer? I guess I would consider her the voice of reason in the group. Now, she does some stupid stuff and I cannot believe she got away with it for the most part, but ya know, she’s nice and stuff. I think anyone could understand her when it comes to her how she reacts around her parents and Jonah. She’s confused so I’ll give her that. I hope in season three, we really get to see her shake it up with her powers. Virginia Gardner is extremely likable as Karolina, even if she’s annoying sometimes.
Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer): Gert was going through it this season. She has anxiety which was in full force this season, plus she didn’t have her meds to help keep her sane. I felt for her but it also took her out of a lot of action this season. A lot of her storyline was her relationship insecurities with Chase and I was annoyed. I like that Gert is outspoken and will say whatever she wants, but I also don’t want her to just be a typical SJW whose only real conflict is steeped in a boy. There was an interesting storyline where Old Lace got sick which in turn got Gert sick, it was cool to learn just how deep her mental connection to her dinosaur goes. I find Gert likable, I know a lot of people are annoyed with her but she’s okay to me. I just need her to do more things than just sit on the sidelines and talk. Ariela Barer does a very good job with the emotional side of Gert, now I just need to see a bit more layer.
Chase Stein (Gregg Sulkin): I like Chase, I think he’s sweet, especially in the way he treats Molly and Gert. It’s clear he likes Gert and is nowhere near as confused about it as she is. I think it’s clear he wants to have a relationship with her, he’s learning her quirks and how to respond to her. He tries hard to really show her that he’s in her corner but as she continues to do or say things that pushes him away, he’s never really sure how to bounce back. It’s also clear that he’s the one who wants to go back home the most. In the first season, he was the one who often wanted to give their parents the benefit of the doubt, and that doesn’t really change in this season. I do think he’s learned a lot about being on his own. However, I’m not sure what to think of him for the next season. Gregg Sulkin is likable, even when he’s all like “You suck Wilder” lol which makes me do a heavy eye roll but he’s cool and I like Chase, I just need him to not be so naive. He’s so aggressive towards Alex about his decisions and so naive about his own that it actually baffles me but I can’t find myself disliking him.
Molly Hernandez (Allegra Acosta): I continue to love Molly lol. She’s great and I like how she’ll say the stuff that no one else will say. Now, I know in the comics she was a lot younger, which in ways could excuse her behavior or her reactions to things, but she’s supposed to be 14 in the show and she makes some duuumb decisions. It wouldn’t bother me as much if she was younger. The whole thing with Topher, I get it and I get why she was so intent about it but it was also dumb. She is still vastly underused when it comes to her powers and I think she needs to learn how to fight. We don’t need her to succumb to the Superman syndrome where she’s just a powerhouse without any actual fighting ability. Allegra Acosta is great as Molly, she’s likable, I can’t imagine anyone actually disliking her and she just enjoys what she does. My main gripe with her is that I don’t buy it when she’s emotional, it doesn’t fully connect for me. Her best acting was episode 11 “The Last Waltz”.

Character Relationships

A large part of the show banks on how these characters interact with each other. I have a love/hate relationship with how the show handles these as well. I like overall, how they work as a team whenever they allow themselves to be a team and work together. When Topher showed up, they all had a mutual distrust for him, minus Molly, and I loved how they were all on the same page because it just makes sense. Also, when they stand together against something is some of my favorite moments because all of the drama between them falls away because there is something bigger going on than their teenage drama. There were some nice moments they had as a large group, like Molly’s birthday. The last 20 minutes of that episode was one of my favorites, it was super cute and it solidified that they were a family in the end. Alex and Gert had a nice moment. Alex and Karolina had a few nice moments, I even think she was wearing some of his jackets at some point (I saw someone on Tumblr say they don’t like Alex because he hates Karolina, that’s clearly fake news). Alex and Chase have a ton of good moments but their relationship always seems antagonistic so it’s very whiplashy. I don’t mind that they’re not best friends or anything, but I think they would understand each other a bit more. Something I thought was interesting was the fact that everyone went to Alex whenever they needed a one on one talk. Literally EVERYONE.

Gert and Molly had such a great relationship in the first season and it was a bit of a struggle in this season because of Gert’s issues. However, whenever they managed to have their moments it was sweet. Molly and Chase also had a few nice moments this season. They seemed to have gotten close because of their mutual feelings for Gert.

Now on the other hand, I have a major dislike for how the other Runaways treat Alex. I ranted about this in my season one review, I did an entire post dedicated to his character and I have a major problem. I know his storyline in the comics up to a certain point, I know what happens to him and while I don’t condone his actions, I completely get his reasons. As for the show, there hasn’t been any indication that he would do what he did in the comics, or at least something similar to link his fate in the show. He is the smart one and he really tries to think with everyone’s best interest at heart. It may not always work out the way he wants it too, or it may backfire in his face, but at least he has a plan and at least he tries. Nico continued to be mad at him for something that was out of his control to the point where she treated him like crap, even after he made sure to get money for them and brought tents for them to sleep in. Then Chase just loved to bring up the fact that Alex suggested regrouping and returning for Karolina once they had a plan. Alex even SAYS his intention was not to leave her behind but to make sure they knew what they were getting themselves into first. I don’t see the problem with that. Not to mention, when everyone else makes mistakes or dumb decisions, none of them get nearlyas crucified as Alex does. What about in season one when Chase destroyed the computer with the evidence? Not a big deal. What about the lying and sneaking that Karolina did this season? Oh, we’ll be mad at her for like a few minutes. I know Molly is 14 but even when she made her mistake, it’s ‘oh she’s a kid’ but ya know so was Alex when he kept Amy’s secret. I mean, I could go on about this but I won’t because I think the dislike for him is unfounded and I cannot stand the distrust because so far, he has been the only one actively trying to make sure his parents face justice for their crimes. Since he’s always thinking about the others, I don’t think it’s terrible that he wanted to them pay for what they did.

The Action

This season has a bit more action compared to the first season which hardly had any. This season we get the chance to see everyone use their abilities more in different ways and I think everyone kind of gets their chance to shine. Chasecontinues to work on the Fistigons and uses them when he needs to. Nicoworks with the magic/technology of the Staff of One and continues to learn it’s limitations and it’s secrets. Karolina learns how to access her abilities (I just need her to be a bit more active with her powers and be quicker on the draw when using them), Molly is still vastly underused with her abilities, I need her to learn to fight since she’s so strong but when she does use them it’s still pretty cool. Gerthad a lot going on mentally this season, so unfortunately, we didn’t see Old Lace in action that much so I hope moving forward we do. As for Alex, being that he doesn’t have any powers, he continues to try and make the plans and use his computer and nerd skills to be awesome. In episode 10: Hostile Takeover, Alex makes an enemy with this guy who comes to their hideout and it was great, probably one of the best of the season. Nico really got to shine in that episode and Alex got to take the lead with a plan. I don’t know if this meant anything, but Alex did this thing where he thought of a plan and he the camera zoomed in on his face and he kind of moved like his brain was moving 1000 miles a minute. Similar to a Jimmy Neutron Brain Blast. I thought it was cool, I don’t know if it’s an actual thing or not but they should do more of that lol.

Teenage Melodrama/Romance

They are teenagers so goossssh the drama is so annoying sometimes. They’re all stressed because of what they know of their parents, not to mention the stuff with Jonah. I get it, it’s so stressful. But they really need to get some perspective sometimes. Y’all are sixteen. Y’all acting like y’all been living for so long on your own and pay bills and what not… please. Karolina and Nico’s relationship, while cute sometimes, is very annoying. They have become soooo co-dependent it’s ridiculous. I don’t even believe that Nico truly likes Karolina in the same way she likes her. At least at this point. It feels more like she’s exploring, which is fine. Gert and Chase sighs I think they’re cute as well but Gert was so all over the place this season that I don’t even know if want them to even bother right now, that child needs to get her life together first. Alex had this thing with Livvie which was super cute as he got to experience the world his father grew up in while working with Darrius in Compton. I don’t know if we’ll see her in season 3 or not, but I thought she and Alex had great chemistry and I think if things went differently, it would have worked out really well. I just wish we got to see them have a better relationship even while just being friends because it didn’t turn out too well towards the end. I guess he just can’t catch a break.

There was this whole thing with this new guy that showed up Topher and, in the comics, he’s a vampire or whatever, so I was expecting something bad to happen and what we learn is actually kind of tragic. I thought it was a nice little three-episode arc and while it was soooo dramatic, it was handled well.

My hope for season 3 is to focus on them as a family and to really get to the meat of the story instead of focusing so much on the romantic relationships. I know it’s a teen show so that’s going to be a big part, which is fine, but I think the selling point is the characters more than the romance so let’s let these characters really shine in their elements and dial back a little on the melodrama.

The Parents

I remember when I read the first part of the comics, just how intimidating the parents were. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy them in the show but they’re inconsistent in how they come off to the audience, I think. If I had to pick, the most ruthless of the group is Tina Minoru, Victor Stein and The Wilders. In the first season, I would have counted Leslie Dean in that but she goes through it this season which didn’t alleviate my like of her but it made her less “scary”? Annie Wersching makes some of the best faces though.

In this season, we got to see a truly ruthless side of Catherine Wilder, that I think we all knew was there. Now, I am curious to see what happens with them in the third season since Alex was the only one who managed to do what he set out to do and he was so giddy about it lol. I really like The Wilders because they’re the only ones who don’t really have a reason to be in Pride anymore, but since Alex is a runaway, they worked with the others to bring him but they have no reason and they’re still intimidating.

I think overall though, the parents are still interesting with how it ended, I’m very curious to see how things work out. I want Janet and Robert to have more to do. They both got a bit of an upgrade this season, Robert has an awesome fight scene with Tina and Nico and we need more of that kind of stuff. The Yorkes are still quirky and funny, but I’m over the whole “we’re the nicer ones” in the group thing because they can be pretty intense too. I know they all just want their kids back home and what not but they all operate in gray areas which is interesting but let’s see what they can really do because so far, it’s been a lot of standing in a group and talking. The Minorus and The Wilders were really the only ones we see do anything physical. I know like the Steins and Yorkes are scientists but I feel like we can see more in general.

More Character Growth

I liked in this season we got to see a bit of growth from the characters. Some more than others and I hope the momentum continues. I cannot imagine with all that’s going on, our Runaways won’t continue to learn and grow. I think Chase has grown a lot, he’s become more mature, which is something he does mention in an episode. He does make a choice, while dumb, was mature in his reasons. I think both he and Alex have the most growth but Chase the most, especially since he is learning how to deal with Gert and her issues. I just hope we see more from everyone moving forward.

Villains

Obviously, the parents are the villains with Jonah in there as well. He remained this threat throughout both seasons but we didn’t know what he was really up in the first season. Of course, there were theories. It’s different from the comics but it’s not hard to kind of guess what’s going on. I think it’s pretty cool, it’s not completely original but it’s cool. I’m curious to see how things go in the third season as the ending of season two left sooo many questions.

Overall

I really really like Marvel’s Runaways and I think they are doing really well with having these teenage superhero stories told on the small screen. I would love to see them pop onto the big screen at some point but I’m glad they have their debuts on TV. I like all of the characters for the most part and the story has been interesting. I’m curious to see where it goes in the third season and I hope it gets one because there is so much more to tell.

Spoilers Below This Warning

My theory

Soooo basically Jonah is from an alien race “Gibborim” and at the bottom of the hole is his family which was stuck in the ship. Now, Xavin was also there, who is a shape-shifting being who is betrothed to Karolina (which I think they are officially a thing in the comics so I’m very interested to see how this plays out in the show) and it seems like they are on the Runaways side, mostly because of Karolina but also, they know what Jonah plans to do in the end. So, the Runaways and the parents work together to destroy Jonah’s ship as it was going to cause a massive earthquake and knock California into the ocean, so they stopped that. However, Mother, Sister and Brother (and Xavin) managed to escape and find hosts.

It turns out that Jonah is just a host body and the Magistrate (the alien) was inhabiting his body. So, when Nico stabbed through the body with the staff, it only killed Jonah not the alien inside which seems to be just a wisp of light energy. We don’t really know what their true form is yet. It seems that Victor is losing certain moments. He was all intimate with Janet and then was a bit confused about it later and I’m like “oh that’s Jonah then” and Stacy Yorkes has this super cutthroat moments where she takes off her glasses and I’m like “that’s another one of them” and Tina has these almost child-like moments. So, we can assume that three of the parents have been inhabited. We know that Karolina has a brother as Jonah told her she did when he showed her the ship. So, the question remains, who did Brother go into since both the Runaways and their parents were at the site when they exploded the ship? It can’t be another parent because no one acted outside of themselves. So as everyone else on the internet has said, Brother is either in Nico or Alex.

I say Nico because she’s passed out twice now from overexerting herself while using the Staff of One. In “Hostile Takeover”, she had to hold two draining spells for a long time and passed out. She lifted up all possessed like and called the Staff to her and then shouted, “GET OUT!” while the skin around her eyes got like this…

which reminded me of homie from Doctor Strange.

I don’t know if this means anything, it could since Marvel’s Runaways is part of the MCU. However, who knows. This happens twice. The second time is when she fought her parents in an awesome fight and the picture above is from that fight. Now, Brother could be expelling something in her that makes this happen, or it’s just that since now the Staff completely belongs to her, there’s something that Tina didn’t take into consideration when she created it. I’m thinking more along those lines though.

It could be Alex because one the other aliens jumped into hosts that reflect their own gender and Alex is the only male left in the group since Chase has been taken and put into a suspension pod along with Janet and Karolina. Not to mention, outside of his frustration with his parents and the others, he’s been pretty level headed. He doesn’t seem to be forgetting things, or losing time like shown mostly with Victor, nor has his personality completely changed like Stacy’s and Tina’s. However, there was a scene in Hostile Takeover, when AWOL was in their mansion and he has Chase’s fistigons, he’s frustrated and he takes the fistigons and he kind of starts trying to burn the guy and the others around him were shocked. When he snapped out of it, he looked shocked himself and backed off. That could indicate him being inhabited by Brother… or it could just be the ruthlessness from his parents finally coming out. Listen, if they use this Brother thing to try and make Alex do what he does in the comics, fine, but that should not be the end all be all for him. I’ll be upset if so.

That’s all I got for the spoilers as I just had to share my theories! Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoyed it!

Please comment your thoughts on the show and please be sure to like and follow this blog for more reviews!

Movie Review: Spider-Man: Into the Universe (2018)

December 20, 2018December 21, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 Comment

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Summary: Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his reality and crosses paths with his counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat to all reality.

Pros:

Cast and Characters.

Shameik Moore as Miles Morales / Spider-Man. Miles is a regular teenager, he has artistic abilities, has an interesting relationship with his dad and goes to a school for really smart kids. He seems to be very popular in his neighborhood. He is half Puerto Rican and half African-American, lives with both of his parents in Brooklyn. We don’t really know how old he is, I would assume 14-16 and he acts like a teenager which I appreciate. Another Spider-Man who is the right age! He’s trying to figure out who he is and once he gets his powers, he feels this need to live up to Peter Parker who he got to meet before his death. He’s determined to do this throughout the movie, but he struggles with the fact that he doesn’t know how to become Spider-Man. We see a lot of growth from Miles throughout the film and I think Shameik Moore’s voice was a great blend of youthful innocence and a kid who is trying to figure out who he is. He was great! He’s funny and endearing and whenever he was being emotional, I was on his side!
Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man. At first, I was very much against this casting because I could not stand his voice. He sounded too much like a bum and I also did not like how he looked like a bum because Peter Parker IS NO BUM! But it turns out, not only is he from a different dimension but he has gone through a lot to where he is basically a bum lol. A disheveled version of Spider-Man. He becomes a mentor for Miles but not willingly. He doesn’t really want to teach him or really deal with him since he doesn’t really care for kids lol. He goes through a nice arc throughout the film as well. We’ve never seen this version of Peter before and while I was against it at first, it works for the movie.
Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman. She is spunky and “free-spirited” and pretty much super cool! We meet her a little early on but I’m sure most probably won’t know who she is until later but she’s dope! When she first shows up in her white outfit, first of all, she lands on her toes! Like pointe! I think it’s so cool! We learn about her background in ways and it’s clear she cares about Miles in that she’s also young and wants to help him, but she doesn’t think he’s ready. I think she believes in him but doesn’t think he’s ready to do what they need to do to win. She’s sassy and Hailee Steinfeld’s voice works well for the character. I would be interested in seeing her again.
Mahershala Ali as Aaron Davis. We see him for a little bit and he and Miles have a special relationship. One that Miles doesn’t really have with his dad and it’s nice. Miles feels like he can be himself with Aaron and Aaron tries to be someone that Miles can look up to. He even takes him somewhere where he can use some of his artistic abilities. Mahershala Ali’s voice is amazing, and I could listen to it all day, but he gives a lot of nuance to the character.
Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis-Morales. He is Miles’ father and a police officer. In the comics he is not a cop but it’s cool and it works for the movie. He’s funny and has great chemistry with his son (which is funny since it’s animated lol) and you understand him because he is a father and he just wants to protect his son. Do right by him and what not. There are also some great emotional moments as well. I don’t think I’ve seen Brian Tyree Henry in anything, but I thought he did well.

Supporting Characters. There are a lot of these but they all help propel the film forward and I’ll just give a little sentence or something.

Lily Tomlin as May Parker. In Miles’ universe she has a bit more of an active role in what’s going on. She helps when she can and is also sassy.
Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales. I wish we saw more of her but perhaps if they do a sequel we will. She loves her family and is bit more lenient with Miles as she thinks her husband can be a little too hard. I also love the fact that she often speaks Spanish which allows the viewers to see that Miles is biracial and that his mom’s side is important.
John Mulaney as Peter Porker / Spider-Ham. I thought it was Nathan Lane at first lol, but he is an animal version of Spider-Man from a cartoonish universe. He’s like a looney toon. He’s funny lol.
Kimiko Glenn as Peni Parker. A young Japanese girl from an anime-like universe who co-pilots the biomechanical suit SP//dr with a radioactive spider. She’s super cute and has some laughs as well. There is also an emotional moment at the end and it was handled well.
Nicolas Cage as Spider-Noir. A dark and monochromatic version of Spider-Man from a 1930s universe. He was the one outside of the other Peter and Gwen I wanted to see the most because I find the idea of that kind of Spider-man so interesting. He was lol. Nic Cage’s voice fit with the character as he was clearly inspired by actors in classic film with the way he spoke. I actually would be interested in seeing a film about Spider-Noir.
The Villain. I don’t want to give up who he is, you see a quick glimpse of him in the trailer, but they kept it under wraps. We don’t see him a ton but when we do, he makes a lasting impression. I think they handle him well by keeping him scary but you also kind of understand his motivations.

Beautiful Animation. Ya’ll the animation in this movie is absolutely beautiful. The picture I chose at the top was one of my favorite screen grabs from the trailer so seeing it in the movie was even cooler. It was so dope. I wonder how the movie lends itself to 3D because it does seem like it would work well in 3D. The environment is well realized and while it’s animated, New York feels like a real city. We don’t see a ton of it, mostly Brooklyn and it’s very contained but you feel like you’re really in this world. The animation really brings you into the story. All the characters have their own look, even the two Peter Parkers we see without their masks look like different people. I thought that was important. I also love how we get a quick introduction for each of the Spider-people and we get to see them in their universe and the animation is different for each person as their universes aren’t the same as Miles’ or even Peter B.’s so it’s really cool. Such a beautiful movie.

Amazing Soundtrack. The soundtrack is also great. I think it fits what teens like Miles would listen to especially since our introduction to Miles is him singing a song. We also get introduced to that song again later and it was a great and humorous moment. When Miles goes to his Peter’s grave, the music playing over that scene was lovely. I would listen to this soundtrack with a nice mixture of the hip-hop, pop and the composed instrumentals.

Intriguing Storyline. So, I had an idea of what the movie would be about in terms of the other Spider-people because of the comics. In the comics, there are different worlds where different versions of the same people exist. There is a Peter Parker in Miles’ world but after a mission gone wrong, Miles decides he wants to help by using the powers he was given after being bit by a spider. He has most of the same abilities, so we get to see him try to learn how to master them and that’s a journey, which is fun and humorous. You also get to know the villain and why they’re doing what they’re trying to do and while you get it, you also dislike him. Miles is such a compelling main character that you care what happens to him, you want to see him succeed and you want him to reach the end of his journey in this movie victorious because it’s WHAT HE DESERVES!

Strong Message. One of the main messages in the film is “no matter who are you, anyone can be a hero (Spider-man)” or “what makes you different makes you a hero”. There is also family, friendship, understanding who you are… there are a few different nuggets in the film and Mary Jane says it best at Peter’s memorial. I think there is something for everyone in this movie.

Tense Moments. Ya’ll there are some moments when I was on the edge of my seat. Not literally since I was in a recliner and very comfortable, but I would have been otherwise. When Miles witnesses Peter’s death, he makes a noise and Kingpin sends The Prowler after him and that entire chase scene was so tense that I think I held my breath. Not to mention, the music for The Prowler was so scary! There’s another scene in an apartment with Miles and the Prowler. Then the main boss fight at the end, I was ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT!

Emotional. There are a few moments where I legit teared up. There is a great scene with Miles and his dad while Miles is in his room at the school, that was probably one of my favorite scenes. A scene with Miles and his uncle in an alleyway was also great, not to mention the scene on top of a house. There are just so many good things in this movie that it makes for a very solid movie going experience. I would not be surprised if you cried while watching this movie. They are earned moments as well.

It’s a COMIC BOOK. Listen, when I first saw the trailer, I was like wow, it looks like a comic book and it really does. The animation is beautiful and whenever they zoom in close on the characters, you can see the little dots like it’s straight from a comic book. Also, whenever Miles is thinking, they show thought bubbles! Also, when they would do certain action moments, like when Miles or any of the other spider people would jump off cars, they would do like a comic book like “wham” background thingy. You’ll know what I mean when you see it lol.

Great Action Scenes. Listen, the animation for the fights scenes were handled well. Whenever they were swinging through the air, it was like you were there. One of the first major fight scenes with Miles is in the woods and you can just feel the fear and determination from both sides.

Cons:

Ummm, I don’t have any lol.

Overall, IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS MOVIE THEN WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU? If you are a Spider-Man fan, then take yourself to see one of the best superhero movies I have ever seen. Obviously, people will think differently but this is such a great Spider-Man movie, a great superhero movie, that I am into them making more. Just when you think Sony isn’t doing their job with Spider-man, they but this one out. Perhaps they should only do animated versions because the people who worked on this film put their heart and soul into it and it shows. All the characters, all of them, are interesting and awesome to watch. The voice acting is done very well, Shameik Moore was a standout as Miles. He really manages to capture the essence of this teenage boy who is trying to find out his footing and he’s compelling. I want more movies just, so we can see them in their universes. The animation is beautiful and the little quirks they had for the characters, like how they looked different due to being from a different universe worked. The music is engaging and doesn’t feel out of place. It has so many great and tense moments, I jumped once or twice lol, and the emotional moments hit you hard. I think there are about 5 or 6 that I can remember distinctly being affected by. Just GAH this movie was so good. GO SEE IT.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse? No? What’s wrong with you? lol, no I’m kidding, not really, it’s a great movie lol. Let me know your thoughts down below!

Thanks for reading and be sure to like and follow this blog for more movie reviews!

Alex Wilder- Marvel’s Runaways

February 19, 2018April 23, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 Comment

So, it took me a long time to figure out what to call this piece. I wanted to make it part of the “Diminished Characters” list but there’s only been one season so far and I don’t really think he was diminished… at least not yet. Not completely. Kind of…sighs I don’t know. I just know I’m a bit irritated.

But this is about Alex Wilder from Marvel’s Runaways. It also took me a long time to do because of the fact that I wanted to rewatch the show to try to notice things I might not have noticed before and I read the comic up to his death so I really wanted to notice things.

There will be spoilers from the show AND the comics, so read at your peril. I’m spoiling everything… I kind of already did in my review but definitely here.

I finished watching the show with my friend and we both enjoyed it. Probably finished it in three days. I was also reading the original comic run through Hoopla (I like reading comics online, it’s a lot easier to just blow through them) and I wasn’t finished with the story yet but I knew at some point that someone in the Runaways team was the mole. They were feeding information back to Pride and I was like “hmm… who could it be?” So let me give you some back story on the comic. This might be long but please read if you’re curious or if you feel the same way.

The Runaways- Comics

So the story starts off with Alex Wilder gaming, it’s clear that he loves superheroes, especially Captain America, as the character he is playing as is Cap himself. His parents make him stop (his dad even makes him cancel the subscription because he didn’t want to be paying a monthly fee even though they live in Malibu, which Alex points out lol) because they’re getting ready for their annual meeting and they want Alex to hang out with the kids of the group. He doesn’t want too because they’re all weird but he of course does.

We meet the others and their parents. Chase Stein, Gertrude “Gert” Yorkes, Molly Hayes, Karolina Dean and Nico Minoru. They all come back together in the Wilder’s house and when Alex comes down, he immediately sees Nico and love at first sight, it was cute lol. But moving on, Alex suggests that since it was all awkward and stuff that they should spy on their parents. They witness a weird ceremony and they all freak out about it. They meet that night, and they end up going to each house to see if they could find any clues, the others all learn about secret things about them. Karolina can glow and is an alien, Gert has a telepathic dinosaur (they also find the Abstract that details everything, they just need Mrs. Dean’s decoder ring), Chase finds the X-ray goggles and fistigons, Molly (who was being held hostage by her parents) is a strong mutant, and Nico absorbs the Staff of One after her mother attacked her with it.

They go to a hideout that Chase found, and they sit tight while Alex is trying to decode the Abstract with the ring they stole from Mrs. Dean. A lot of shenanigans happen and we find out there is a mole among the Runaways. Long story short, Alex decodes the abstract, while also being very distant from the others, he almost treats them (outside of Nico) as children… which Molly is lol. But they go after their parents, there’s a fight, Chase is put out of the fight and he gives Alex his weapons so he can fight. Everyone gets incapacitated and turns out Alex is the mole.

He dies, the parents are assumed dead and the others at the end basically run away after being separated.

Marvel’s Runaways-TV Show

So in the show, it starts off with Alex playing a game but instead of his father coming in to tell him to stop, he tries to play with him because Alex has been distant for the last two years due to a mysterious something that happened. We meet the others as well, and we learn that they all used to be pretty close but whatever happened, which we find out was the death of Nico’s older sister (suicide) they’ve fallen apart. Alex is against having the others over just because Pride was meeting, but after seeing everyone apart, especially Nico sitting alone, he tries to get them to come over that night.

They all kind of get into an argument when Alex talks to Chase first about coming over and no one does. It’s not until everyone’s plans fall through that they decide to go over to Alex’s house. They’re awkward and what not, Chase suggests that he needs alcohol if they’re gonna have to talk it over. So Chase goes towards the study where the parents are supposed to be, Nico and Alex have a brief conversation about why he didn’t go to the funeral. They all go into the study and Chase starts raiding the cabinet, Alex tells them they’re not supposed to be in there, but no one leaves. Gert and Chase talk, and Alex moves to get a coaster for her which reveals the secret passageway.

So moving forward, the show takes a longer time to allow us to get the parents and the kids. But for a while, Alex tries to make sure everyone is keeping their cool and acting natural. He basically becomes the man with the plan throughout the show. After Gert and Karolina find evidence on Leslie’s computer, Alex finds out that the information shows the amount of kids “runaways” that Pride has sacrificed and that Leslie Dean has been the one choosing their victims. Nico was with him and she wanted to go to the police, especially because she’s starting to think that Amy didn’t commit suicide but was murdered. Everyone was against this, but eventually, Alex comes around and says that he didn’t want her to be alone so they go together. Then he’s kidnapped and episode 5 is a Wilder-centric episode.

Side Note: I saw some people state that this episode was odd, or it seemed kind of weird, which I can understand, but Alex already doesn’t get enough credit so it was nice to have an episode centered around his family, more so his father, but still. Plus this was also when everyone (minus Gert) uses their abilities and weapons they gained. Sure, it was a bit odd in how they all came together to use their abilities, like how Chase’s unfinished Fistigons worked, or how Karolina popped her bracelet off and just blinded Darius to death… I don’t think she needs that bracelet to stop her from doing anything considering how it takes so long for her rainbow lightbulbs to come on. Not to mention in the finale, she wasn’t lit up the entire time and the bracelet is supposed to inhabit the lights and her powers. But anyway, I appreciate the “Kingdom” episode.

So Alex shot this kid in the shoulder to protect his father, as the kid had a gun on him. So Alex is determined to save Andre, who was just following orders. They don’t find him and Alex feels guilty that he basically killed that kid. Now, I’m sure the Alex haters could say that he could easily have done that to help with the sacrifice since he’s “the mole” but unlike the comic, this Alex is a lot more emotional and attached compared to the comic who is way more cold. Not to mention, there isn’t an abstract so how would he know what the sacrifices were for??? So he and Nico make out after she comforts him through his guilty feelings. At the gala, they have a plan, Alex and Nico break into Tina’s office and this is where it goes downhill. Alex puts the password in without trouble and Nico is suspicious and he tells her “I’m just that good” but she doesn’t buy it. So skip other stuff, Alex is working on decrypting the hard drive they stole from Tina Minoru and Nico basically forces him to tell her how he knew Tina’s password. So he comes clean about Amy.

Amy’s Truth: So basically, while playing I believe Star Wars Battlefront, Amy’s computer starts acting up and Alex tries to help her out being a computer genius. He discovers that her computer was hacked and that someone is seeing everything she’s doing on it. Amy freaks out and runs off. She was snooping on Wizard’s servers trying to see what she could find to knock her mom down a peg (Wizard is created and owned by the Minorus). When she ran off, she was caught by Kincaid, who works for Tina, they knew someone hacked Wizard and he was warning her to back off. But someone else found out and was worried that she found out something she wasn’t supposed to. So Amy did talk to Alex on the phone as she prepared to run away, he tried to get her to calm down but she told him to promise not to tell, which he kept her promise.

So back to the story, so Alex tells Nico all of this and she’s upset. Don’t get me twisted, she has every right to be hurt that he didn’t tell her, but I don’t think her attitude and hostility to him the rest of the show is necessary. He was 14 and Amy was the oldest and she confided in him and I think he confided in her in ways, they were close, and she knew he liked Nico. It’s a natural thing to do. Keep a secret because you think it might do more harm than good, not to mention, he probably felt responsible once he found out she was dead. Imagine what that could do a teenager who knew what he knew. Again, I’m not saying that Nico doesn’t have a right to be mad, I just don’t think her nasty attitude to him afterwards was warranted. Give the kid a break. He’s done everything he can to help everyone. He finishes decrypting the hard drive and calls the others over to let them know what’s on it and how it could finally bring their parents down. Due to all that’s happened with Chase, he doesn’t want to turn the parents in anymore, Karolina is on his side since she’s talked to her dad (Frank) and thinks he’ll help. They argue, Chase and Alex have a fight and Chase deliberately breaks the laptop so all of their evidence is gone.

So, episode 9 is basically the lead up the finale in which the kids have their plan to try to find out what’s on the construction site, since Alex pieced together that the site is probably a front for whatever they’re doing. Before the dance, Nico called Alex from Amy’s phone. Oh yeah, she found the bag that Amy was going to use to runaway which confirmed that Amy was killed, which had her phone in it, which Nico charged IN AMY’S ROOM INSTEAD OF TAKING IT BACK TO HER OWN ROOM! This is why y’all need Alex around because that’s stupid. But she calls him from her phone, which would have freaked me out, and he goes over to her house to look at the text message on her phone. They have a chat, Robert Minoru comes in, Alex compliments Nico and she says “Oh you think I look nice?”

Alex: Yeah, you look great.

Nico: Too bad I don’t give a shit anymore.

Alex: You know how sorry I am Nico.

Nico: Not as sorry as I am.

JUST UGH!! WHHYYYYYY!!??? GIVE THE KID A BREAK!!

So, they go to the dance, Gert and Chase hook up, Nico suggests looking for them and Alex says “Want some company?” and out of spite she says “Sure, Karolina want to come?” just UGH! And this is where Karolina reveals her feelings to Nico by kissing her. So jump forward to the construction site, they get there and Alex is going through making sure everyone is ready and I feel like Nico’s little “and what are you bringing to the party Alex?” was snooty and I’m over it.

So they go in, try to shut it down and the parents show up. They all argue and then Jonah shows up and he blasts everyone. Karolina tells everyone to run while she stands off against Jonah since they have the same powers. So, the others run and everything around them is fried. It was very anticlimactic, the fight we didn’t see between Karolina and Jonah. Nico wants to go back for her and Alex tells her to be smart, and to look at everyone… and everyone is terrified, tired and it’s time to go. She runs off anyway “We’re missing someone!” and ends up having to run anyway!! You’re mad that he said y’all need to go but y’all had to go anyway because the parents were coming after ya’ll. rolls eyes

She gets mad at him again because when they ask what do they do after waking up since they’re all tired, Nico says “Save Karolina” and Alex says “Get out-of-town” and Nico says “You’d seriously leave without her” and Alex says that they don’t know where she is, or how she is and Gert tacks on, if she even is still alive. Look, I get it. Karolina is part of the team, I would never want to leave without my full team, but I’m also not going to get bent out of shape when the smart thing to do is regroup and come up with a plan. A SMART PLAN. I swear, these teenagers are so flip floppy, it’s so frustrating but they’re teenagers. Because it’s Karolina, everyone’s like “okay yeah sure”. It’s just so ARGH! Because Alex says they need to leave he looks bad and he’s the last one to get on board, he looks bad. I don’t think he was doing that to be cold, or anything like that, just that he was trying to think of the group and how everyone needed to get themselves together. I would have deduced and I’m sure with how smart Alex is, he would have, or at least should have deduced that Karolina and Jonah were the same. I would doubt that they would hurt her which would give us more time. It’s smart.

But ya know, it’s totally smart that Old Lace doesn’t go with them because they could get caught with her. Everyone is on board with that plan from Alex… yup.

After they rescue Karolina, Nico finds Alex looking at the view and asks her how long do you think it’ll take to walk back home and she tells him that they’re never going back. This is probably the one time Alex shows a hint of weakness in terms of maybe, possibly doubting anything. Everyone else has had their chances to be on their parents’ sides, or to doubt that they’re criminals whereas he’s been pretty steadfast. I know that could mean a lot of things, but he was already distant from them, so this was pretty much a nail in the coffin for him, not to mention the stuff he learned about his dad in episode 5.

But he does leave and he calls someone. We don’t know who he calls but in the next scene with him, we see Darius pull up and Alex tells him that he needs something from him, and that the enemy of his enemy is his friend. Alex came back and spoke with Nico, she asks him if he called his parents and he told her no, she asked who he called and he said it doesn’t matter, he got what he needed and he shows her a roll of money. She says “must be some friend” and her expression seemed a little suspicious to me. Look, you’re mad or whatever, get over it, he just got y’all some money. None of ya’ll thought about that. Then literally in the next scene, we see the Wilders and Cat says to Geoff that he can’t will the phone to ring, she’s tried. I think that implies that Alex did not call them otherwise, why would she say that? Unless he only called his dad and Geoff didn’t tell her yet, but why wouldn’t he tell her? No reason not to.

So we don’t know who called them in as kidnappers, we can assume it was Geoff as he does it in the comics, and Destiny’s death is also included in this so it wouldn’t have been Molly’s aunt. He said he was going to get them to safety and then go to war, and getting them arrested would get them safety, relatively speaking.

So they run.

The Mole Storyline

So in the comics, a note is left behind in the Hayes’ house, after the kids manage to get Molly and the decoder ring, that basically says “I love you mom and dad and I’ll always be loyal to you. I understand why you’re doing this” and I was like Oh snap, one of the kids is on the parents’ side, this is crazy. WHY WOULD YOU BE? What could you possibly understand just from seeing your parents murder someone? So, we deal with the hijinks of the group and their parents trying and failing to find them, while wondering WHO IS THE MOLE. So, the mole tipped the police off to their whereabouts and they sold out Cloak and Dagger (the Pride erased their memories). They finally get down into the lair of the Gibborim and after they revive Chase, who technically died, the rest go to fight their parents. Now, I thought it was strange how Karolina kept suggesting they do the Heimlich on Chase to revive him while Molly was screaming that it was CPR. Now, we all know that CPR is what you do when someone can’t breathe, or swallowed water or whatever right? So, why is Karolina suggesting the Heimlich and she was so sure of it. So I of course started to think that she was the mole. But it didn’t make sense as she technically did not see the parents kill that girl, I think Alex told her to take Molly away so Molly wouldn’t see it.

Anyway, they get to the temple, there’s a fight with the parents. Molly uses her strength, so of course she goes to sleep. Gert is knocked unconscious by the Hayes or Deans (neither of them like her anyway), Nico was frozen by her parents and Chase was left behind because he was hurt. So Alex and Karolina were left, so Alex takes Nico’s staff and he knocks Karolina over the head with it and mind you, he has Chase’s fistigons and X-ray glasses and I’m like “NO!” So then we see this picture.

Soooooo, Alex Wilder turned out to be the mole. Old Lace listens to him because Gert told her that should anything happen to her, then Old Lace was to listen to Alex. So, he has the dinosaur, the Staff of One AND Chase’s weapons. He tells Nico that he’s watched her with the staff and pretty much has figured out how to use it. So, I was devastated and in my mind, I couldn’t comprehend what I’d just read. Alex Wilder, my namesake, who this entire time, had been leading his team, who was in love with Nico, who while a bit short with the others, tried to be patient with them. Alex. Cries I was so upset but I had to keep reading. It’s such good writing and a damn good twist that I DID not see coming. He didn’t even cross my mind to being the mole. At all. So Nico is all shocked and stuff, and he releases her from her frozen spell and she’s demanding to know why and what not. He wakes her parents and his parents, who I believe were unconscious and he explains everything. He tells her that he came across the secret passageway a year prior, he saw what Pride did, and he found the Abstract in his parents house and he did tons of research to understand it. He knew what they were planning to do, to put forth their children into the 6 spots the Gibborim offered into the Utopia after they destroyed all humans. He goes on to say that he also overheard the Deans and the Hayes talk about killing the other families and their kids because they didn’t deserve the Utopia since they were the only ones not human. The Deans are aliens and the Hayes’ are mutants. So because they were gonna betray everyone, he decided that he would betray them and instead, he would take care of it. He loves her, so he wants to be with her in Utopia and since he loves her, he wants her to have her parents and of course they’re his parents. Nico does not like this and they argue, he doesn’t seem to understand why she’s acting this way. He gets a little beat up by the others as they all come to. Molly destroys the box holding the offered soul, the Gibborim appear and blame the parents, Alex doesn’t like seeing his father subjugated so he takes full blame aaaand he’s killed on the spot by the Gibborim.

So, I was so engrossed in this that when it happens, I paused and I think I screamed out loud lol. Since I work at the library, I have seen Runaways comics before, and I don’t ever really remember seeing a black kid on the cover, I mean Alex is very distinct with his afro, glasses and swag, so I guess in some way, I knew it… thinking about it now but I was devastated. Such good writing and part of me isn’t mad because it was handled so well but other part of me is pissed and I still am.

Alex’s Role in the Show

One of the biggest thing is that Alex starts off a bit more somber in the show. There’s a tragedy that pushed all of them apart and that will ultimately bring them together as Alex watches Nico be alone at school that he decides to bring everyone together. Or at least try.

So as you can see, in the comics, he was on the road to become a villain in the end, but he did his job in protecting the others until that point. In the show, I don’t see any indication that he’s going to be a villain, at least not yet. I see why people might be wary of him due to his comic book counterpart, but I don’t think that’s fair to him in the show right now.

Like in the comics, he didn’t want to have a get together, but he does it after seeing Nico by herself at school and he’s watching her. He sees everyone else as well but he’s watching Nico and he decides that he wants to have this get together for her. When he approaches Chase about in class, and after Chase, Karolina and Gert all leave, he says to himself that he wanted this for her. They’ve been apart for two years, and maybe their parents meeting would give them an excuse. But, as in pure teenage fashion, no one shows up.

Alex was not the first one to suggest going into the study like in the comics, it was Chase, who wanted alcohol. Alex knew he wasn’t supposed to be in the study, he even said his dad said “there is no reason for him to be in there without him” and he went for the coaster because obviously they can’t be in there and Chase gave Gert a drink and obviously they’re not supposed to be in there! Why leave evidence? He already asked them not to go in there, he already said don’t touch anything… in the comic, it was his idea to spy on the parents. Like out of the gate.

Molly also suggested going into the secret passageway first, it wasn’t really until he said “alright, let’s go” that everyone followed but still. He also did try to stop Molly from taking a picture.

When Alex suggested they split up to search their parents’ houses whereas in the comics they went to each house together. He wanted everyone to find their parents’ secrets so he could learn what they were. In this, he didn’t do that. What benefit would he have to do that if he was going to turn on them later? In the comic, he kind of kept a tight leash on everyone, but in the show, he led but he wasn’t a dictator or anything. Half the time, he would have an idea and someone would say something, or Chase would say “why does he come up with all the plans, what if someone else has a plan??” AND while his plans don’t always work, at least he tries. Everyone else goes along with it without offering anything to add. Alex is just there to be the plan man I guess.

It was Alex’s idea to shut off the power like a surge to hide the fact that there was a flash from Molly’s phone. If he was being set up from the beginning to be the mole, how would he know that Gert wouldn’t let Molly see, and that Molly would still try to see and take a picture? He’s a genius, not God. In the comic, he tells Karolina not to let Molly see but in the show he didn’t say anything to Molly. Alex is probably the only one we don’t really get to see be emotional about any of this until the end, he’s been keeping it together. Yeah, he’s been short with his parents, especially after episode 5, but he’s been the one that’s been pretty resilient the entire time.

I think it’s important that Alex thinks ahead as well, in episode 5 “Kingdom” which is a Wilder-centric episode, pretty much the only one, where he’s kidnapped by Darius, an old friend of Geoff’s. He asks Alex to give him his phone, Alex fingers the gun he took from his dad’s desk, he took it because he’s the only one without anything, and you can tell that he’s thinking “I could use it, but am I fast enough to get them all before they get me?” so he pushes it back down and gives him his phone. Plus, I think a part of him wanted to know more about his father’s past… which to me shows that this Alex, is more compassionate than the one in the comics. It may just be Rhenzy but so far I can’t see it.

I just think that his role is reduced. It’s not about screen time but more about his need in the group. Tv show Chase is secretly smart, which in the comics I’ve read, he’s not that intelligent but he’s very street smart and has a lot of wisdom whereas Alex is extremely intelligent but also extremely wise which he is in the show, but still a teenager, but by making Chase smart like that, kind of makes Alex seem unneeded which bothers me. Why do that exactly? To make Chase more three-dimensional? I don’t think he was ever one-dimensional, he seems really interesting and a good character, they didn’t have to do that to make him “special” in the show. He already was. By doing what they’ve done, they took what really made Alex “special” in the group where he has nothing else, away. I don’t understand that. Plus, he’s treated suspiciously, Nico gives him attitude after she learns about Amy and it just dries me up the wall to know that he’s been keeping it together, doing all he can to find evidence, he’s pulling a lot of the weight just to have Nico shout at him, freeze him out and pretty much decide “oh I don’t like you anymore” and then have Chase destroy his laptop. I mean are you kidding?

Alex & Nico

So from the beginning, it’s clear that Alex has a thing for Nico. It’s also, I think, clear to see that they were probably the closest in the group. Not only were they embracing each other in their picture, but he wanted to have them get together for Nico. He went to her, and he spoke with her… how he missed her. She made it seem like she couldn’t hear him with her headphones but we know she heard him.

4e016770faf3ea177fefc83336bb76b4-kisses-couple

It’s interesting.

Understandably, Nico was upset because he knew this secret and he didn’t tell her.

It’s hard for a 14-year-old kid, to want to tell a secret, even if it’s to the girl he loves, who happens to be the sister of the girl who committed “suicide” to not be afraid of the repercussions. Alex is a genius but he’s still human. He’s calculated but when it comes to Nico, he doesn’t always get it right. I think it’s unfair to expect so much from him and then treat him like he killed Amy himself. He did what he did to protect Nico and Amy, both whom he loves.

It seems like they wanted to add a reason, a more emotional reason, to push them apart. I don’t think they needed to do that, especially since it just makes Alex look bad, and then if they do go forward the mole storyline it makes him seem like a vindictive dick and we don’t need that on top of him being okay with destroying the world and his parents killing kids.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that since the show has done different things compared to the comics, that the whole thing between Nico and Alex could cause him to go bad.

That’s stupid. Why would Alex allow his feelings for Nico make him go bad just because she decided she liked someone else and didn’t tell him?
Alex being the logical person he is, I cannot imagine that being the reason. He would be hurt yes, but I doubt that would do anything.
It would be out of his character right now. We do not have any indication that Alex is a vengeful person. So far, he’s been very caring, yes a bit methodical but not to the point where he would ruin the others because of Nico. That’s dumb.

There is no reason for this situation to make Alex a bad guy. If they do that… dumb and I’m already over it. Just the implication of it I’m over it. I really want there to be a heart-to-heart conversation between him and Nico, where they stop playing games and actually talk. Or she actually listens to him without being extra. Season 2, make it happen. Redeem my boy.

Alex & Amy’s Secret

I think this whole thing with Amy is the biggest reason as to why people say “he’s making it hard to like him…” which this HAS to be the only reason because otherwise, Alex is likable. I can’t see it otherwise. In the beginning we knew something happened to Nico’s older sister Amy, it was part of what drove everyone apart. It’s also said that Alex did not attend her funeral, Nico even asks him about it earlier on but he doesn’t get the chance to tell her. So we know that’s a big thing in the group, Alex didn’t go which made everyone upset. We still don’t know why so I hope season 2 gives the reason and I hope it’s not something dumb. The whole password thing started it, she doesn’t let it go rightfully so. I would want to know too. So, she demands to know more, so he finally tells her that he knew something was up with Amy prior to her death. Like I’ve said many times throughout this, Nico is mad. He tells her that Amy made him promise. Of course, Nico is like “she’s my sister, I deserved the right to know!” Especially since it looked like a suicide and Nico thought it might have been something she did. So going forward, it’s smart-ass comments, but this child is so wishy-washy I get whiplash. Sometimes she speaks to him normally and other times she’s just UGH!

For the 50 millionth time, I’m not excusing him for not telling her, but at the same time, Amy trusted Alex to not tell her secret and he honored that. He also didn’t want to make things worse for Nico and how would him telling her that help? Amy was still going to be dead. The only thing that would change is that Nico wouldn’t feel responsible but whose to say that that’s even true? Alex did the smart thing, the thing he thought was right, to protect the people he cared about. I get it. It was a secret, but that hardly merits him being distrustful at least to the point where people are like “I don’t trust Alex” outside of that… someone PLEASE tell me what he’s done.

250px-runaways09 — Everyone gets these cool action shots in the comics so this one is his. Him with his book lol.

The Mole

The first season only covers a few issues of the original run of comics. The season ended with them running away after seeing that they’ve been framed for murdering Destiny Gonzalez and kidnapping Molly Hernandez. So, as of right now, anyone could be the mole IF they do this storyline. I don’t think they should because I think it would ruin the dynamic of the show and unless they allow the character who betrays the Runaways to be redeemed (and alive), then I don’t think they should do it. All of the teens are good characters and they are interesting. Making one of them mole, at this point, especially with Jonah and possible the actual Gibborim being at the bottom of that hole, it just doesn’t feel right to me. However, if they do go through with it, it doesn’t have to be Alex, it doesn’t make sense for it to be him right now. PLUS HE COULDN’T EVEN HANDLE THE STAFF OF ONE!! IT BURNED HIM WHEN HE TRIED TO TOUCH IT WHEN HE WAS TRYING TO HELP NICO WITH THE SNOW SPELL!!!!!!!

If anything, it should be Chase or Karolina.

Chase because he has a lot to lose in his mind. Pride is taking care of his father, he knows that Pride is up to no good but he loves his father, who has been an abusive dick all of his life. But that’s his dad, so he gets a pass right? No. Chase destroyed the laptop. That’s already a red flag. He also used the fistigons to destroy the computer console that he was sure he could understand because his father designed it, caused the alarm to go off. Which he could have let Gert press the big red button the screen. Just saying.

Karolina because there was a text to Jonah in the finale that said “Mission Accomplished: Let me know what’s next” which kind of indicates there could be a mole if that’s from one of the kids. I mean, who could that be from? Jonah dismissed Leslie and Frank from Karolina’s side, he wakes her up and they talk. We have no idea what they talked about, what he might have said or anything. SOOOO it could be her. It definitely indicates that someone is helping him. His only other close supporters are the Deans. Frank? But what mission? We’ve see him directly helping Jonah and he seems like a major pawn. Leslie Why, especially after she helped make sure Karolina was rescued. I’m just saying.

At this point, what reason would Alex have to be the mole? People were complaining about Alex running off as soon as the team saved him from Darius but I don’t think that holds up. He shot Andre who had a gun on his dad. I mean, Geoff is still his dad just like Victor is still Chase’s dad. He ran back because he KNEW that he was in danger and he wanted to help, especially after learning that Andre was only following orders. Andre’s face said ‘don’t make me…please’ and he looks scared. Alex and his dad fought because he not only learned more about his father’s past and how he’s gone back on his word, he also knows that could happen to Andre. So he tried save that kid too. I don’t think him leaving the others to go and save a stranger, merits him being distrustful or ungrateful. I think that’s a flimsy argument.

Overall

This was long and if you made it through, I appreciate that. I just had a lot of things I had to get out and this is my outlet. I really want season 2 to explore the kids more, we understand the parents a lot which I think was a good choice but unfortunately, it was at the expense of the kids in a lot of ways. I hope season 2 really focuses on them. I really want Alex to get his chance to be the strong leader he obviously can be. It’s exciting to see a prominent character, who is a black teenage boy, who is a black nerd, who is smart, who gets the girl (a bit), and who is the defacto leader of the group. All of that is awesome and we don’t see that often. After re-reading the comic, I saw the little hints of Alex being… untrustworthy and the mole but in this show, I don’t understand how he’s unlikable. I don’t understand the dislike of him, nor do I see the purpose in making him the mole.

Movies and shows deviate a lot from their source material all of the time and sometimes they’re good changes. This should be one of those times where it should be deviated. He is a strong and interesting character who deserves more than what has been given to him so far. Plus, Rhenzy Feliz has been so great and he’s made some great choices for the character and I think he deserves to be on the show for a long time and not in flashbacks.

I think his character has a lot to offer and I don’t think he should be a scapegoat, a mole, or written off for any reason.

I guarantee you though, that if they do kill him off I’m not watching it anymore. At this point, it would be a big mistake. I was devastated when they killed Wes Gibbons on How To Get Away With Murder and I know I’m probably in the minority but he was also a good character. I haven’t caught up with the show this season and after thinking about it, that’s partly the reason. I’ll get to it eventually but I’m sure the same thing will happen to this show if they kill Alex Wilder.

It’ll be a big mistake. Don’t kill Alex Wilder. Don’t ruin Alex Wilder. He’s too important.

P.S. Let the boy smile more too. Rhenzy Feliz has an adorable smile.

Movie Review: Black Panther (2018)

February 17, 2018December 12, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 4 Comments

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Summary: T’Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. There are a lot of characters in this movie and I might just touch on all of them because I can!

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther. Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa is mourning his father’s death, while preparing to ascend to the throne. He becomes king of Wakanda, who also has enhanced strength by ingesting the Heart-Shaped Herb. T’Challa is definitely more comfortable now that he’s back home. He is aware of the responsibility that comes with being King and he’s worried about how he’ll handle it. He wants to be a great leader like his father. T’Challa is determined to uphold the values of Wakanda. He learns things as the film goes on which molds him into a great man and a great king. I think Boseman is a fantastic choice for T’Challa. His accent is believable, I’m not the leading expert on African accents but I believe his. He carries himself like a King, but also a young man trying to be great, fair and someone who his people can trust.
Michael B. Jordan as Erik “Killmonger” Stevens. I think it’s important to note that there might be spoilers but I think the trailer kind of makes it easy to tell some things about him. But Erik is angry and seeks to overthrow T’Challa. He has his own opinion on how Wakanda has been run and should be run. He’s very strategic, patient, well-skilled and trained to the point where he’s playing the long game. Erik is the type of villain who doesn’t really see himself as the villain, I don’t think, because he thinks what he’s doing is right but he’s also thoughtful. His plans aren’t outlandish to be honest. I like the updated look from his comic book counterpart, his hairstyle is modern compared to his long ones in the comics. Michael B. Jordan was great as the villain, this is the first time he’s played a character like this, at least whose a villain because you can argue that Adonis Creed was also very angry but this role is very different from that. He really steals pretty much every scene he’s in, I mean, he’s my husband so I know he’s a great actor, but I was very thrilled to watch him be like this. He’s so great.
Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia. She is T’Challa’s ex-girlfriend, she’s a War Dog and an undercover Wakandan spy. She is from the River Tribe and she’s a strong character. Nakia seems very different from her comic book counterpart, I can’t help but wonder if they’ll go in that direction, I hope not at least not without proper cause. But anyway, she starts the film out fighting for enslaved women in Nigeria which already gives her a noble personality. She is stubborn, thoughtful, strong and she KICKS BUTT! Lupita Nyongo’o is great and I’m glad she’d played a role like this as she hasn’t been in much and I think she’s a fantastic actress. The emotions she can portray shows she has extreme range, not to mention, she really has great chemistry with Chadwick Boseman. I believed that she could go toe-to-toe with him if need be.
Danai Gurira as Okoye. She is from the Border Tribe who is the head of Dora Milaje, the all-women special forces who serve as T’Challa’s bodyguards. She loves her country and is a traditionalist in that she is determined to serve her throne. Okoye is stoic, but she does have a sense of humor that when it comes out, it’s really funny. She has a big heart and she cares so much for her people that she’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect that. I’ve never seen Danai Gurira in anything, I know she’s Michonne, but this is the first time I’ve seen her in anything and she’s badass. First of all, she wears that uniform like it’s nothing, and her facial expressions, especially during the interrogation scene, fantastic. She’s great and I wish we got to see a bit more scenes between her and W’Kabi.
Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross. He is a member of the CIA and we met him in Civil War. Ross respects T’Challa but maybe doesn’t fully trust him as he doesn’t want him to get involved. He ends up going to Wakanda where he learns a lot and does some pretty cool things. I like the fact that he’s not just some CIA dude who is rude all of the time, nor is he just comic relief. He’s able bodied here and I think Martin Freeman is great in this role. He’s likable, funny when he needs to be and I think he fit into the world, strangely enough.
Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi. He is T’Challa’s confidant and best friend. He is head of security for the Border Tribe, who serves as first line of defense for Wakanda. They breed rhinos or something. He’s a sweet guy who has his own painful past, which they incorporate well into the film. I can’t say much without spoiling it. But I like Daniel Kaluuya, he has this likability about him that I can’t help but like him regardless.
Letitia Wright as Shuri. She’s T’Challa’s younger sister and princess of Wakanda. I’m not sure how old she is exactly, but M’baku calls her a child so I’m assuming she’s a teenager. She designs new technology for the country, she’s innovative and she wants to forge a new path for Wakanda as she’s in charge of the technological changes. She’s super smart and considering all that she’s done for the country, I wonder where in the Marvel Universe (the comics and what not) she stands in terms of being smart. Letitia Wright was great! She has a great personality as Shuri, she’s likable, smart, and funny and I’m interested to see if she ever puts on the Black Panther costume because she does in the comics. She’s definitely a young spirit compared to everyone else, but she is wise and I love her.
Winston Duke as M’Baku. He is the powerful, ruthless warrior who is the leader of the mountain tribe, the Jabari. They protest T’Challa being the new king. Their animal is an ape as he is called “Man-Ape” in the comics but I believe they just worship the gorilla gods. M’Baku believes in the past and that it’s important to know it in order to move forward. Winston Duke is a giant of a man, so him standing up against anyone in this film is quite entertaining because he’s so TALL. But he’s also funny when he needs to be, but at other times very much intimidating. I like him though lol.
Angela Bassett as Ramonda. She is T’Challa’s stepmother, and the Queen Mother of Wakanda. She is probably T’Challa’s most trusted advisors and probably the only one he really listens to. She is wise and has a lot of insights even if she’s not always right. She is supportive of her children, holds a definite amount of respect from everyone. Angela Bassett is always a win and Angela Bassett in a long silver wig with locs is ALWAYS a win.
Forest Whitaker as Zuri. He is the keeper of the heart-shaped herb. He is a religious and spiritual figure. He is the one who is in charge of the ritual where T’Challa becomes King. There’s a lot of information we learn about him and Forest Whitaker is always good, and he plays this role very well.
Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue. He is a South African black-market arms dealer, smuggler and gangster who is allied with Erik. He has an arm cannon that is an advanced piece of Wakandan mining equipment, it’s a sonic disruptor arm-cannon. He is a threat to Wakanda as he’s an outsider who managed to steel some Vibranium and has access to it. He also has a personal vendetta against T’Challa and Wakanda as he feels their solitude from the rest of the world is hypocrisy. Andy Serkis is always, always a win and I’m glad that he got to play someone in person because he’s great at it. His South African accent was great and he’s intimidating but also humorous. I love it. He was great.

The Villain. Erik Kilmonger is a great villain. He is a staple of Black Panther’s lore and rogue’s gallery, but in this film, they really give him a backstory and allow him to feel like a product of his circumstances. I think lately Marvel has some good villains and I think Erik fits right up there as their best. He’s young but he’s angry and his reasons don’t feel like “oh yeah he’s just mad” but that he has reasons and you can sympathize with him. Like you root for him too and that’s what makes him a great villain and what makes the movie so great is because you sympathize with both him AND T’Challa. He has some great emotional scenes and you can’t help but fall even deeper into the hole of understanding him. HE IS THE BEST MARVEL STUDIOS VILLAIN.

The Story. This is a story about growth, revenge, courage to do what’s right even if it’s hard, redemption and family. There’s a lot happening in the movie but at it’s core, it focuses on family and how T’Challa, Ramonda and Shuri now have to live without T’Chaka. Not to mention the secrets that are in the family that we learn, it’s quite powerful to be honest. There’s also politics but not only are they not ridiculously complicated but it says a lot about ruling a kingdom. The story I think is easy to follow, it’s emotional, it’s a strong story and that’s all I can say without spoiling. A lot of moments are so profound.

Costume Design. T’Challa’s first suit is the same one from Civil War, which is amazing and sleek in it’s design. His second suit that Shuri builds for him, is one that forms around his body was inspired by a similar design seen in Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther comic book run. The purple you see in the design is kinetic energy which is cool. All of T’Challa’s outfits are ALSO amazing. That black hoodie he wears during Klaw’s interrogation scene is amazing and I want it. I want ALL of his coats. ALL OF THEM. Shuri’s clothes are amazing. Ramonda’s clothes, especially her headdress, and then that blue dress she wears, oh my gosh. Amazing. Also those white locs were fantastic on her and I’m still salty Angela Bassett was nervous back in the day of comic book movies that she turned down Storm. Nakia’s clothes… wow. The Dora Milaje’s uniforms are beautifully realized and the attention to detail in the clothes, wow. Erik Kilmonger’s clothes were also great, especially that black cloak thing he wears towards the end. Also, the detail with his bumpy ritualistic scares is really cool. Shout out to Ruth E. Carter who did a great job!

The Dialogue/Humor. It’s funny. It’s not like super funny or are you laughing the entire time, but there are definitely some visual cues that are hilarious and require laughter. Don’t expect Guardians of the Galaxy humor or anything, but there is humor. The dialogue can be funny and the way it’s delivered is great! Shuri’s great line in her lab referencing T’Challa shoes. Erik going “hey auntie…”, the scene where T’Challa sees Nakia, it’s some great stuff. I mentioned before in the story section that there is a lot of profound moments in this film and it’s true. The dialogue is so powerful, I think all of Erik’s lines are pretty profound. Don’t get me twisted, his execution was wrong but I can’t help but to understand him and in ways, root for him. But T’Challa also had some great lines, especially when he spoke to his ancestors and his entire scene with Erik at the end. Wow. Kudos to Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole for writing such a powerful script.

Visuals! Rachel Morrison is the cinematographer and she does a great job because the film looks great. Wakanda is a beautiful country, very vibrant full of colors and I think the scene where T’Challa steps into the pool of water and the people are standing on the rock wall formation, it’s amazing just how beautiful that scene was. The way some of the action scenes are filmed, especially in South Korea, that’s very cool. Not to mention, the use of technology in Wakanda, the little forms of communication they have, it’s a different way than how we’ve seen “holograms”. Or how Shuri can help T’Challa from her lab by being in a simulation. It’s super cool.

Awesome Soundtrack! I listened to the soundtrack a bit previously and I thought it was awesome but with it in the film, it fit so well into the film. Shout out to Kendrick Lamar for the original songs. Ludwig Göransson who also composed Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, he does the score and it’s beautiful. During Erik’s ancestral visit, beautiful and the score at the end with T’Challa and Erik was also beautiful. The music fits in the movie very well, it doesn’t feel out-of-place and I love the songs, but I also love the instrumentals where there are some quiet moments, like when T’Challa goes into the spirit world where all of the Panther ancestors were.

The Fight Scenes. Outside of one scene, I think all of the fight scenes are really cool, well filmed and well choreographed. The scene at the beginning where T’Challa drops from the sky, that whole scene was awesome because we got to see him in his element right from the beginning. Also, all of the scenes where he fights Erik, I think are all handled well. Their first fight in the water, it’s savage, raw and powerful. I think it’s clear that Erik is stronger and a better fighter considering… and it shows because it was pretty brutal. T’Challa’s fight with M’Baku was also a good one. The entire third act was also great. The scenes with T’Challa and Erik fighting respectively in their suits, was super cool and just the effects along with that, and how emotional and brutal it was. I think it was fantastic.

Emotional Weight. This movie has a lot of emotional weight going into it. It starts off with the death of a parent, husband and a monarch which is already tough on this world and the people in them. Not to mention, there are things we learn about the family as the movie continues that just makes you really consider how hard it can be to rule and be a good person AND a good ruler. I think Chadwick Boseman really sells the emotion in this film, especially the scene towards the end as does Michael B. Jordan. It’s amazing. You really feel for the characters and I think everyone has motivation for what they’re doing. You can’t help but to understand them.

Cons:

Awkward Fighting Scene. So, I wanted to make a comment about it, it was pointed out to me that some of the fighting scenes were a bit awkward. I did think this, but only about the casino scene in some areas. I don’t think throughout the movie this was a problem. But specifically in the casino scene, I do think there is weird choreography in there. There is also a mixture of shaky cam where you’re not sure what’s going on, mostly on scenes where there are some closeups. I also think there are some points, mostly when Okoye is fighting with her spear, where it looks like slow motion which does make it look odd but it’s not slow motion. It’s just real-time, I mean, these actors are human and can’t move super fast but it does make it not flow as seamlessly as it should. But it didn’t really bother me, I just wanted to bring it up in case someone else noticed and commented.

Overall, I LOVE this movie. I like, I can’t even begin to continue to sing its praises. It’s fantastic. It’s beautiful, everything in it is beautiful. The people, I mean, these actors are all beautiful people, the clothes, the music, the visuals, the story… everything is beautiful. The characters are all strong and different people to the point where you know who the are, what their purposes are in the film, and the cast is extremely talented and I can’t even. Chadwick Boseman heads up this film as T’Challa and he is great at his job. My husband Michael B. Jordan is a great villain, he’s sympathetic and he is understood even if he goes about things the wrong way. He is great. GREAT. Everyone is great. The soundtrack is amazing, especially the score, and the costumes are beautifully made. The emotions in this movie are strong and completely understandable, everything is felt because it feels so raw and organic. The fight scenes are handled really well. The movie is funny and the dialogue is profound! The only thing I can pull out is that one awkward fight scene in the casino but that didn’t really bother me. FOR THE CULTURE! WAKANDA FOREVER!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Have you seen Black Panther? If not, what’s wrong with you?? lol I’m kidding but go see it! Let me know your thoughts down in the comment section because I would love to have a dialogue with someone about it, especially if you don’t think Erik is sympathetic.

There WILL be a spoiler talk coming up soon. I’m determined to finish this one since I have so many I started and didn’t finish lol.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to like and follow this blog for more reviews!

TV Review: Marvel’s Runaways (2017) Season 1

January 27, 2018December 13, 2018 ~ Alyxwrites ~ 1 Comment

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So I just watched Marvel’s Runaways and I have to say I quite enjoyed myself. I wanted to watch it initially but hadn’t gotten around to it. I also just read the 2003 comics which I very much enjoyed. I’m hoping to keep reading soon.

**There are spoilers ahead. Be warned. Do NOT read this if you don’t want to know details about the show or even the comics.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. So the main characters are the six Runaways and then their parents are also important. It’s gonna be a lot, but I am going to make mention of each kid and the parents involved.

The Runaways
- Rhenzy Feliz as Alex Wilder. He is my favorite character in the show. He is a solitary person in the beginning. He’s considered a nerd due to him being into computers and gaming. Alex has a high intellect and he becomes the leader of sorts of the Runaways. It’s clear to see that Alex wants to reunite with his childhood friends but he recognizes that they’re all into their own worlds but he leaves the invitation open and he’s hopeful. As things are discovered, he gets very upset and feels betrayed by his parents. I feel like he takes it the hardest and he’s also the first one who wants to find proof. He’s always on the move, wanting to do something, find something, understand something. He makes tough decisions and while he doesn’t like it, he does it because it’s the smart thing to do. That type of personality does help him be a good leader, though I can understand why he may not be likable to everyone. He also has a thing for Nico, it’s clear in how he speaks with her, acts around her and in how he looks at her. He’s a bit awkward about it but everyone else pretty much knows it. He’s usually really calm in situations, he’s terrified (Rhenzy does a great job of showing Alex’s fear in his eyes but maintaining a calm facade otherwise) but he can think clearly. I like that about him. He’s not irrational… unless you smash his computer lol. I think things are hard on him because he doesn’t want to see his parents like this (he actually seemed to be the closest to his parents, even if he was distant at the beginning of the show) but the facts say otherwise… especially after what they did in the finale, I cannot imagine him being able to handle that… but he’d be silent about it. I mean if they were the ones to do it, they were the ones who did it in the comics. He’s a suffer in silence type. He shows that he’s very compassionate because he cares about his friends, he does make some questionable decisions but in the end, he’s always down. I also love his clothes, he always dresses so nice and he got swag lol.
  - I think Rhenzy Feliz is fantastic in this role and I think a lot of me liking him has to do with this actor. I liked him in the comics but I think Rhenzy manages to do a little bit more that keeps him likable to me. He’s so cute with his earnest face lol, but I think it’s a disservice that he doesn’t get to smile much since his character can be very melancholy. I think he manages to hold himself together and while it’s clear he’s not the oldest, he feels that way and while Rhenzy is one of the younger cast members, he holds himself very well in this role. I see bright things for him and this character and I hope the writers do right by him. I refuse to have another Wes Gibbons on my hands.
- Lyrica Okano as Nico Minoru. Nico isolates herself from others with her appearance and quiet personality. She is this way after her sister’s suicide. She used to be a bit more open but the death caused her to withdraw. Nico comes off odd in the beginning, she’s into Wicca and what not, but she obviously misses her friends as well. She shows up at Alex’s house for the “hang out night” after failing to I guess bring her sister back through a Wiccan ritual. Nico is a quiet person, very observant but if she has an opinion she makes it known. Quiet yet outspoken when need be. She also has a thing for Alex and that shows in that they have a lot of quiet moments together, or he’s the first person she calls whenever she needs help or needs to talk. It’s cute. Nico feels out-of-place in her family. Her mother is closed off and her father is distant but she obviously wishes for things to be different. As the show goes on, we see her grow a bit in her confidence of wanting to learn more. I do think she can be a bit over-dramatic, I mean I get it, Alex could have told her what he knew about her sister, but it’s a hard situation because he thought he was protecting her and honoring the last wish of her older sister, I’ll get into that another time. But Nico in ways, feels like the right hand man in the group.
  - Lyrica Okano is very good. The emotions she can go through in a moment is always evident on her face even though Nico tries to hide it. I like that. I like the fact that she feels human and not closed off like she was in the beginning or could be. I think she has great chemistry with her costars, especially Rhenzy, and I think season 2 could allow for her to really get into the magic or “science” as her mother says, from the Staff of One.
- Gregg Sulkin as Chase Stein. He is the jock of the group. A lacrosse player who most people dismiss as a dumb jock but he is very smart in engineering and science. Chase is the most different from his comic counterpart I think, which is a good thing personally. He needed to be more than that loud… whatever he is in the comics. I like the quietness in the show. It’s actually his idea to build the Fistigons. Chase does have some moments when he does come off dumb, naive or just very blind to what’s going on around him. He is also the most hopeful for his parents, especially his dad since he wants to believe that his dad actually wants to connect with him, though they do for a while. Chase is likable, though he could also be a character that people might not like due to his kind of wishy-washy nature.
  - Gregg Sulkin is very likable though which I think helps, otherwise I might not like Chase. His cute smile, big eyes and dimples make him have this innocence about him that just makes my heart melt for Chase whenever he’s sad about his dad. He wants to believe his dad is good. It’s kind of sad really. He’s also British, which I remember him on Wizards of Waverly Place and I think he does an American accent very well.
- Virginia Gardner as Karolina Dean. Karolina is a church girl, she is one of the faces of the Church of Gibborim. People often tease her, call her a slut among other things (this is why I defended Chloe Grace Moretz’s casting as Carrie) and it bothers her but she takes it in strides due to her religious upbringing. She wants to be free, to pursue her own desires. She first experiences freedom when she goes to a party and that’s also when she discovers an inkling of her powers. Karolina’s character probably gains the most confidence as the show continues. She has the ability of flight, to glow with rainbow-colored light, and shoot beams of light. In the comics, she and her parents are aliens but I don’t think they’re gonna go that route here, at least not with both of her parents being aliens. She comes off naive as well sometimes, but she’s very compassionate and tries to connect with Molly and gets closer in friendship to Chase and she and Gert understand each other, though they probably fight the most too.
  - I kept wondering who Virginia Gardner reminded me of and I still haven’t figured it out, but I like her. She’s likable. She does remind me a little bit in some of her delivery of lines of Kristen Stewart (I actually like her as Twilight did nothing for me in making me dislike her). I like some of her little quirks when Karolina discovered things at the beginning, being free and discovering her powers etc. Also the episode when she learns she could fly, when she had her little attitude, I also thought she did a good job for considering she spends most of the show being the smiley one.
- Ariela Barer as Gert Yorkes. Gert is a social activist, a loud personality, opinionated and the source for a lot of funny moments. She can come off too strong sometimes and I can definitely see why people would dislike her but she’s one of the characters that says what she’s thinking or feeling at all times. They need that as most of them don’t, at least not right away. A lot of her loudness is a facade as she is insecure in ways, especially when it comes to her feelings about Chase. I think Gert’s relationship with Molly is really sweet; there is a part in particular where she sings Molly to sleep. Really cute. She learns of the dinosaur her parents created that she has a telepathic link to. Gert quickly creates a bond with Old Lace and it’s like having a giant dog. I actually thought she was adopted as well as she looks hispanic and her parents are white… but ya know it’s fine lol.
  - I think Ariela Barer is really funny. She really plays Gert well, I actually kind of like her way more in the show than I did in the comics. I love the purple hair on her and whoever does the costume design does a great job with her. I love that she has anxiety and that she deals with that, I’m sure a lot of viewers can identify with that and I think Ariela handles that well. She has great chemistry with Gregg Sulkin and while she can be in your face with her personality, her emotional moments are really beautiful.
- Allegra Acosta as Molly Hernandez. Definitely a favorite character. She is the youngest, I would say 12 or 13 and she always has a positive attitude. Molly learns that she has superhuman strength and invulnerability that tires her out after using it. She is feisty, a bit naive obviously but very wise for her age as well. She is a kid so sometimes her dumb moments I want to give a pass, but I have to remind myself that she’s really young since Allegra Acosta is 15 and looks like it. But she’s really likable and I love it when she enjoys using her powers because I enjoying watching her use them. I also love the faces she makes when she’s upset because with the eyes and her expressions… kills me. She’s great! I love Molly’s energy and she’s way more likable than her annoying counterpart in the comic.
Pride
- The Wilders (Catherine and Geoffrey). Katherine is a successful lawyer and Geoffrey is a self-made business man. They are one of the two couples that are on equal footing. It does feel like Catherine is a bit more ruthless than Geoffrey is, but he’s just really protective of his kid and feels the most remorse for what they do. I like them and I think they have great chemistry and understanding of each other. They are a strong power couple who seems to keep it all out in the open with other, for the most part. I think both actors are great in their role. I think Ryan Sands (Geoffrey) is a large and intimidating teddy bear. Angel Parker (Catherine) is a caring mom who will kick your butt if you mess with her son.
- The Deans (Leslie and Frank). Leslie Dean (Annie Wersching) is the leader of the religious group “The Church of Gibborim” which is pretty much a cult. She seems like the leader of Pride and one of the more ruthless of the group. Leslie is the one who finds and brings the sacrifices. Annie Wersching is great at eye acting and I think if it wasn’t her, then Leslie would just be this crazy person, but Wersching manages to have this… way about her that makes you see she has a plan but doesn’t know how to keep it together. It’s pretty interesting. Frank Dean (Kip Pardue) is a former movie star who I struggling in his acting career. He is not on equal footing with his wife, though he is closer to Karolina, but he wants to be more involved. He’s a bit of a curious cat, and gets involved when he probably shouldn’t.
- The Steins (Janet and Victor). Reminds me of Frankenstein lol, maybe an inspiration? But Janet is the “perfect PTA mom” though she has a brilliant mind as well, but we definitely don’t get see that as she takes more of a passive role compared to Victor’s active one. Ever Carradine has the soft, sweet voice that keeps her from being imposing compared to the other moms, and she’s the most motherly as well. I love her facial expressions though, she has some sick burns going on in the show lol. James Marsters as Victor is quite scary. I think he’s scary anyway. Victor is extreme in that he wants Chase to live up to his potential but in the past, he didn’t feel he was, which made him frightening and abusive. Victor is the one that Pride needs the most as he’s the only one who can create and understand the little devices they use in their sacrifices. I like all of his scenes because you never know what he might do.
- The Yorkes (Stacey and Dale). They are bioengineers and the most quirky and eccentric of the group. They’re probably my favorite adults as they’re the ones who care the most, at least in what’s going on and trying to understand. Dale is awkward and says whatever he wants (It’s where Gert gets it from) but he can also be very scary himself when he needs to be. I can see my bother in law playing this part. Stacey is the best! Her expressions and comments are gold! They get a bit more to do in the latter half of the season. When they have to send Molly away to protect, that entire scene was beautiful. Brigid Brannagh and Kevin Weisman have great chemistry with each other, and their girls and they’re the most likable in the group.
- The Minorus (Tina and Robert). Tina is a brilliant innovator, ruthless CEO and perfectionist. A “Dragon lady” if you will. She is cold, and closed off and probably the most scary next to Leslie. She never seems like she cares, or she’s the one in Pride who makes the hard choices. She has the Staff of One that she created with science, I guess they didn’t want to deal with magic that much, but she knows how to wield that thing. She does things that’s best for her family mostly and her endgame will always be her family. I think Brittany Ishibashi is great in this role, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in anything before but she’s very intimidating but when she has to let emotions through, I felt really bad for her. James Yaegashi is Robert, and he is fine in his role. He doesn’t get much to do as not much is known about him other than the fact that he’s closer to Nico and nicer than Tina. He is very distant and has his own thing going on but he manages to get a moment in episode 8 I think that really allows him to be a character.
Julian McMahon as Jonah. A mysterious character, but it can be determined that he is the defacto leader of Pride. Jonah knows what he wants and he does whatever he wants to get it, no matter who he is hurting in the process. Julian McMahon is a scary dude period so when he showed his face, I knew he wasn’t up to any good in the show. I’m interested to know more about his character and I hope we get to see him really let some of the other characters have it.

The Story. Six teenagers from different backgrounds unite against a common enemy — their criminal parents, collectively known as the Pride. They congregated at Alex’s house after each of their evenings didn’t turn out the way they wanted and they try to have a good night. They discover a secret hiding place in Mr. Wilder’s study and discover their parents doing a ritual together where they killed someone. The kids freak out not knowing what to do and what their parents are up too. It really goes into allowing the viewer to spend time with the parents, to understand them, to spend some time with the kids and understand their dynamics in ways. It was really smart to wait until the season finally to actually let the kids become Runaways. I think the show allows the story to progress, but it does it very slowly that really stretches out the plot… maybe a bit too much but I’ll talk about that later. It gives a lot of questions but it does answer those questions. The story is interesting and really allows for some interesting character moments. I can’t wait to see what they do in the second season with the fact that now they are all accused of murder and of kidnapping Molly. Should be good.

The Friendship. The strongest aspect of this show is definitely the friendship between the Runaways. They start off apart from each other, they’ve drifted apart and are into their own worlds (outside of Gert and Molly since they live together), but they come back together and stumble across something that unites them. It’s great to see them grow with each other, together and apart. I think as a group they’re strong but of course there are some that connect more each other than the others.

Alex and Nico. They have one of the strongest connections I think. They also have a bit of a romantic chemistry and relationship going on that I fully support. He cares about her and doesn’t really know how to go about it, but I think it shows that she knows and she feels something for him. I do think he feels more for her than she does for him, but with the right kind of growth and writing it could grow organically. Whenever they’re together, a lot of the talking is done by Nico and he’s listening or offering advice, or he’s trying to be just be there. Like the great scene during the Pride gala when they’re hiding out in Tina’s office. I thought that was a great moment between them. I also love the scene in the limo when he puts his arm around her, she leans into him and he kind of plays with her purse, it was so cute. He also tries to be supportive. He went with her to the police station and he even helped her clean up the mess she made in her mother’s office. She called him because she knew he would understand and help her. It’s not perfect, they do have arguments, but I think they feel the closest and the pair that doesn’t feel random or out of left field.
Gert and Molly. They are so cute! I love their sisterhood, it’s definitely something special. Molly is the adopted one but she doesn’t feel like she is, Gert is protective of her, though she does treat her like a little kid when Molly just wants to be involved lol. I think one of the best part is when Gert sings to her to help her sleep, or later on when Stacey and Dean have to send Molly away and she and Gert have a beautiful scene. The actresses work together so well.
Chase and Gert. Now they don’t really have a strong friendship but they definitely have a romantic one growing which is also cute. In the beginning Gert obviously likes Chase but he’s blinded by Karolina’s prettiness and aloofness, that she doesn’t stand a chance. Towards the end they get closer and it’s cute, both actors have really good chemistry with each other and while I don’t think there was really much indication in the beginning that Chase liked her, they did work well together and it clear that there might be something in the future.

The Kids and their Parents. Another strong aspect of this show is that it’s human, which helps because the comics are like that as well. The show explores the relationship with the parents a bit more which for a show, I think is a strong choice. Each kid deals with their family differently. It’s very interesting to see the dynamics in the family.

The Wilder(s) seem to be closest to an extent. Alex has been distant but it seems that he at least used to be a bit more conversational with his parents which shows in how his father and mother speak with him and interact with him. I would say their entire family is one of the stronger ones. It was great watching both of them get riled up when Julian threatened to hurt their kids.
The Yorkes are probably the family that is the closest group, with both parents and Gert and Molly. Even with Molly being adopted she feels like she’s part of the family, and Gert and Molly seem so close that I actually thought they both were adopted by Dale and Stacy. The emotions that happen towards the end with them and Molly, was extremely heart-wrenching and you could tell that it was killing all of them. As a family, they were probably my favorite.
The Dean(s) are definitely one of the broken ones, which is interesting because what they have is a front anyway. Leslie is in charge of the church and I thought there were times when it seemed that she and Karolina were close but as the show went on, it was easier to tell that Karolina was much closer to Frank than her mother. She even trusted him with secrets towards the end of the show. Their dynamic felt like a power struggle a lot of the time. A power struggle that wanted to be on equal footing… quite interesting.
The Minoru(s) are interesting and it’s hard to really say. They have tragedy in the family as Amy, the oldest daughter committed suicide which prompted Nico’s change into her gothic persona. Robert is definitely closer to Nico than Tina but I think Nico felt out-of-place anyway in her family. Tina is closed off and a bit of a hard ass but as the show goes on, it’s definitely obvious she loves her family, and Robert has his own thing going on that he doesn’t feel part anyway.
The Stein(s) are also a broken family. First of all, Victor is a workaholic and violent. He’s beaten both Janet and Chase in the past and while we don’t really see any of that in show, we see moments where they’re both obviously terrified of him, even Chase, who is taller and bigger. There are moments where his eyes are just huge in fear and anticipation. They’re a smart family, that’s easy to tell, but there is definitely a feeling of “who’s the boss” in there. Definitely Victor. But Chase and Janet are close, that’s easy to see, but he also loves his father.

Relatable. I think when you have an ensemble cast like this, it’s important that the teenagers feel relatable and like real teenagers. Sure, their circumstances are extreme and it is set in the Marvel universe, but these kids are just kids. They still have to deal with their emotions, romance, school, bullying, puberty and the problems with their parents. I think all six of the teenagers are relatable and even if you don’t see yourself in all of them, you’ll see parts of yourself in one of them definitely.

Potential. I think this show has a lot of potential. Being that it’s based on comics, there are a lot of places it could go, I mean, I hope it doesn’t completely follow the comics as I am still upset at how the 2003 run ended but I hope they do manage to stick to some plot points. SOME. The way the season ended with them actually running this time, (great shot by the way) due to something the Wilders did (if they actually did it), follows what they do in the comics, which is pretty ruthless lol. I love it though. I hope they stick with it. Perhaps they’ll even have a chance to crossover with some of the other Marvel shows like Agents of Shield or the new Cloak and Dagger show that’s supposed to be on Freeform.

Cons:

The Pacing. There are times when the show is reeeally slow. Certain moments that should be quick take forever to get there. It’s a show so things must take it’s time to an extent to make more seasons, but I don’t think it should feel like a glacial pace that I could lose interest for even a minute. Plus, some characters make really stupid decisions that affect a lot and could easily be avoided if they just, oh I don’t know, don’t charge the phone in the room you’re not supposed to go in, why not take it back to your room or something?

Missed Opportunities. Maybe this will happen in the second season but there are some things I noticed that they don’t really touch on. When I come back to review season 2, we shall see.

Alex and Chase. It seems that Alex and Chase used to be really close friends at one point, but Chase took the jock route and Alex is the nerd which pushed them apart. They have a lot of moments where they feel very antagonistic and I wonder what exactly happened if anything. I want to see more interactions between them. They’re the only guys in the group (which is cool since its always the girls who are outnumbered) and I think we should see some type of interaction that explains. I mean after the fight they had… I need to know what the deal is between them.
The Steins. We never really spent a lot of time with them, at least not with them together. We did see a flashback to show how Chase’s father was, but I kind of wish we got to see more of them as a whole. I don’t know, I like detail (though I know when too much is too much) and I wish we could have seen more of the monster that Victor was. James Marsters is a great actor and I think he would have had fun with that.

Not Enough Action. I expected a bit more action. There is some good realistic action going on. There is even a nice subplot where Alex gets kidnapped because of some bad blood with his dad and an old friend… I kind of wish that lasted longer than it did but ya know, cool. Then there is some stuff in the second to last episode mostly. Considering that Chase has the Fistigons, Gert has Old Lace, Karolina is a rainbow lightbulb, Molly has the strength, and Nico has the staff, there should be more going on. We don’t really get to see them use what they can do. Hopefully we get more of it in the second season. I’m not expecting like fights every episode, but I think outside of Molly who we’ve seen grow into her powers, the others should get the chance to show what they’ve learned with their abilities.

Alex’s Involvement/Character Growth. So he’s my favorite character. I think I have a thing for the characters that get less, because I see the potential and sometimes it’s the actor that helps. I think Alex is a really cool and interesting character, he’s a very strong one that honestly could turn out good or bad depending on what happens. So far, a lot of things have happened and it seems to just get worse and worse for him. The others have things and moments that allow them to grow into themselves and receive clarity and strength. For Alex, it goes the opposite way. I recognize that THAT IS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT however, I feel like things could turn sour really quickly if he’s not allowed to show what he can do. In the first few episodes he naturally took on the leader role, I don’t know if he’s the oldest of the group or not, definitely seems like Chase or Karolina are older (but that may because the actors are 22 and 25 respectively) but he just oozes maturity and cleverness. If anything, he should be like the Professor Charles Xavier of the group, but more involved. He doesn’t have any abilities or weapons but he’s supposed to be really smart, we’ve seen that but not as much as I think we should have. It feels sometimes like they don’t make him feel necessary because Chase has genius potential and Alex is SUPPOSED to be a genius. He’s put pieces together, he’s made the hard choices (which everyone dumps on him for) and he spent an episode or two or three decrypting a hard drive. I feel like we still don’t really know him the way we were getting to know the other characters. I think he should get that chance in the second season. Plus, I think Rhenzy Feliz is very charismatic onscreen and I want him to really get his chance on the show.

The Romances. So, I feel like I have a problem with romances generally in tv shows but that’s because they sometimes either take waaaaay to long and do that whole “Will they, won’t they?” thing that gets really annoying OR they make it happen WAY to fast which I think is worse because if I’m not invested in their relationship then why would I root for them just because you smushed them together? I think the 2003 comics do this as well. Plus, the lead characters are teenagers and I’m not interested in seeing a good show ruined because of romance drama. That sucks.

Chase and Gert. Now I know I talked about them earlier, I think they’re cute, I do but I also think Chase decided he liked her out of nowhere. There was hardly indication that he felt for her the way she felt for him. I think he recognized the fact that he didn’t dislike her but romantic? Meh, I didn’t really see that until he called her first after his father got hurt which is about episode 8. He spent most of the time pining after Karolina, so it felt really random. I like it but I wish they would have allowed Chase to realize it and think on it more or something.
Karolina/Nico/Alex. No they’re not a thrupple, but as I stated before, I like Alex and Nico, I think they’re really cute. I also know what happens in the comics that pushes them apart and that Karolina likes Nico. I think they’re together at times in the comics… I don’t know, haven’t gotten that far but apparently there’s something there. I think the Karolina/Nico part is the rushed and forced part of this triangle. I have no problem with the fact that Karolina likes Nico or that Nico might be bisexual, it will be something she has to obviously think about… if they allow it. But we had no indication that Karolina was into Nico. I remember thinking that she obviously wasn’t into Chase, at least not the way he was into her. When she walked in on a moment between Alex and Nico, she was awkward and I was like “why is she looking like that? Is it because they were really making out… or is she into Nico or Alex?” However, she hardly had any scenes with either of them outside of being with the group that I didn’t really think about it again until they were getting ready for the school dance. She started to tell Nico something and she leaned towards her and Nico was like “ummm?” Then when she kissed her, it was a moment that was great for Karolina because she finally gained the confidence to come to grips with her feelings, but then Nico kissed back and I was like “What?” Did she kiss back because she likes her? Did she kiss back because she was just kissed? I have a lot of questions that I hope they answer later on. Then later, when Karolina goes up against Julian, they all run to safety at her request after some over dramatic refusals by Nico. After the explosion, Nico wants to go back for her but Alex says first that they should keep going, and the others agreed with him, plus they all look so haggard that I understand them wanting to take a moment. I would want to too. But Nico is all like “WHAT?” ya know dramatic and stuff and I was like “Okay, so it is weird that everyone isn’t up for rescuing her, especially after Karolina was willing to help save Alex and go see Chase previously, but Nico is being a bit much”. I get that she was mad at Alex for keeping a secret about her sister from her, and she has every right to be upset but I thought everything just happened and unraveled so quickly that it felt wrong. It just happened without preparation. Yes, I know they’re teenagers but I couldn’t help but to roll my eyes because it was so quick. I can’t even enjoy or even want to root for Nico and Karolina because I’m not over the fact that Nico and Alex never got to really hash things out. She just yelled at him. I don’t know… I don’t like love triangles, they’re annoying and I hope this doesn’t turn into anything serious at least that causes good characters to look bad. Especially Alex since he already is a character that people have mixed feelings on. I hope they don’t go the comic route for him because of love. I will be very upset if that happens. I hope they hash this out and if Nico and Karolina are the next step, that they allow it grow the way it should… realistically and organically.

The Battle. So in episode 9, the Runaways face off against Pride and more importantly Julian. They try to go and foil their plans at a construction site and the parents show up trying to get them to stop. Julian then shows up and hurts them, they all get back up and stand against him, even Alex who doesn’t have a dinosaur, weapons or powers. I was like that’s my dude! But anyway, Karolina uses her powers, tells the others to run away and she faces off against Julian and it was boring. I guess we’ll see them face off again seriously in season 2 but meh. I think it could have been better, especially if they were gonna have Karolina use her powers against Julian. I expected more to be honest. Though I do like the part when the parents show up and they’re all yelling at each other lol and Molly goes “and we’ll FIGHT you if we have too” and her eyes light up and the adults back away in shock! lol BAWSE but when Julian shows up it’s a yawn.

Potential Storylines. This isn’t really a hit against the show but I have to talk about it because I just DON’T WANT IT! So, I’m gonna spoil the comic here, I kind of have too to explain my thoughts on this… So in the comics, when they all escape, after some minor fights between the kids and the parents (in the comics the Wilders are mob bosses, which isn’t too far off I guess lol. The Steins are mad scientists, on equal footing. The Yorkes are time travelers. The Minorus are dark wizards. The Deans are aliens and the Hayes, Molly’s parents who are alive, are evil mutants), they actually run to a secret hiding place that Chase knows about. The parents find a note from one of the kids stating that they are still loyal to their parents. They don’t know which child said this but they have hope that they’ll be able to catch up with their kids because of the mole. The mole also alerts the police to their location. Later, they go to the secret location their parents meet to offer up the soul of their sacrifice to these gods called “The Gibborim” who want to destroy the people on earth and then recreate it into a Utopia. After Janet Stein reveals she’s pregnant (which puts Chase as the oldest), the others decide they would have children as well because the Gibborim told them that they would only allow six of them to live in the new utopia, so they decide that it should be their kids that get to have the Utopia. So, Chase almost dies, but he’s weak so he gives Alex his x-ray goggles and the Fistigons, and they go to fight their parents. Nico gets frozen by her parents, Gert gets knocked out, so does Molly and Alex uses Nico’s staff to knock Karolina out. He releases Nico and reveals that he was the mole the entire time. I was PISSED lol but damn that was some good writing and a good twist, I wouldn’t have thought it was him. But it makes sense. Anyway, he explains the whole thing to Nico, he reveals that he knew about Pride for at least a year, and he knew that the Hayes and the Deans plotted together to kill the others and their kids so they and their children (Molly and Karolina) could live in the Utopia since neither family are human. So he had a plan to save his family and Nico’s family since he loves her. Bruh… it’s a lot. In the end, the Gibborim show up, Molly crushes the box that holds the soul, and Alex tries to protect everyone by telling the Gibborim it was all his fault and they incinerate him… I mean, there is literally nothing left of him. UPSET. Then its assumed the parents all died when the kids escaped because their underwater temple exploded.

Alex’s future. So anyway, I don’t want them to go this route. While I enjoyed the twist, though it killed my soul since I love Alex, I don’t want that to happen in the show. So far, Alex is the character who has shown a ton of compassion for everyone. He does make the hard decisions and he does get a lot of flack because of it but I think that it shows that he cares about his group. Everything he’s done has been for the Runaways (he even tries to name them lol it was cute) or for the good of someone else. When he shot that Andre kid, he did it to save his father, but then he tried to go and save Andre because he knew what they were going to do to him. He didn’t have to do that since the kid helped kidnap him. I just don’t want him to turn against his group because at this point, it would be OUT OF CHARACTER. If it happens, they better have little moments here and there where it shows that he’s drifting away… he’s already mostly an outsider since he’s the only one without a weapon/ability. I also don’t think they’ve already been building up this “mole storyline” either. Yeah, he’s smart and he does make hard decisions, and in the finale, he does make a call to someone, we assume it was to Darius who gave him money and a gun (he is the only one without anything directly protect him and he had good aim when he shot Andre), but I don’t think those things point to him betraying anyone. I just want him to have his chance and though this is an interesting storyline, I feel like this would make things much worse and if he dies… I just can’t. I think it would actually be interesting… if they DO go this way for either Karolina or Chase to be the mole since they were the ones who wanted to believe their parents had reasons or whatever. I’d rather them NOT do the mole storyline but if so, I think Karolina or Chase would be the better options in the show.

Overall, I liked the show a lot. I really enjoyed myself. It has some issues that I hope they fix going forward but I think the strongest aspect of the show is the cast and characters. Everyone, including the parents, are extremely interesting and the actors do such a great job in their roles. The story is also very interesting and that it leaves a lot of questions that need to be answered so viewers will keep coming back for more. I appreciate the slow burn of the plot which allowed for some of the characters to really shine. I think the chemistry between the Runaways and even Pride is really strong, not to mention, certain actors and their characters really fit well together. It’s intriguing. It’s also really funny, I think the actors have great comedic timing with their delivery and facial expressions. I didn’t give its own “pro” but it’s a good thing. The characters are relatable. I see a lot of potential for the show and the characters going forward, even if they don’t completely follow the comics. Now, on the other hand, I DON’T WANT THEM TO FOLLOW THE COMICS COMPLETELY ESPECIALLY FOR ALEX’S CHARACTER. I think the action is pretty lame and not very well choreographed for the little bit we get to see, I really hope they up the ante in the second season. The battle in season 9 that was built up was quite boring. There are a lot of missed opportunities in the show that could create more mystery, or to set up future things, or even beef up the history between certain characters. I also don’t really care for how the romances are handled in the show. I don’t care what anyone says, I think they were rushed. I like some more than others but rushed. There are also pacing issues that make the show feel really slow, especially in the middle of the season. I also have issue with how they handle the writing for the Wilders, especially Alex’s character. I have a lot of feelings on that, so I’m going to have to do a separate post about. But I really like the show and I can’t wait for the second season.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars.

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Summary: Two teenagers from very different backgrounds find themselves burdened and awakened to newly acquired superpowers while falling in love (I mean that’s up in the air lol).

I’ve been trying to do this review for so long but for some reason, I kept putting it off. Season two has started and now I really needed to get this out! Plus, I just rewatched season 1 so I am reinvigorated!

There will be spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

Pros:

Cast and Character.

Supporting Characters. Obviously, we have our supporting “main characters” like their parents who I’ll kind of mention but not going into super detail about. I just need to mention them, as well as Evita who isn’t a regular but reoccurring.

The Cloak and The Daggers.

Cons:

Rating: 4.8 out 5 stars.

Have you watched Cloak and Dagger Season 1? If not, what’s wrong with you!? Give it a try, especially if you’ve watched Marvel’s Runaways. Let me know your thoughts below if you have watched it, I would love to hear other people’s thoughts.

Thanks for reading!

Summary: Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

Pros:

Cast and Characters.

Ben Mendelsohn. I don’t want to say much without giving him away, but he plays a dual role in this. He does well at both really and I was a little shocked at the bait and switch they did.

Cool Action. A lot of the action pieces are choreographed well! There are quite a few actions set pieces and I think not only does it look good, but it flows well. The entire last 30 minutes has a huge action piece and Carol has the chance to really show what she can do.

Cons:

Rating: 4 out 5 stars.

Have you seen Captain Marvel? What are your thoughts down below? If you didn’t like, let’s talk about why? I’m interested to hear about it.

What is your favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe movie?

On to the review!

The Runaways

Character Relationships

The Action

Teenage Melodrama/Romance

The Parents

More Character Growth

Villains

Overall

Spoilers Below This Warning

My theory

which reminded me of homie from Doctor Strange.

That’s all I got for the spoilers as I just had to share my theories! Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoyed it!

Please comment your thoughts on the show and please be sure to like and follow this blog for more reviews!

Summary: Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his reality and crosses paths with his counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat to all reality.

Pros:

Cast and Characters.

Supporting Characters. There are a lot of these but they all help propel the film forward and I’ll just give a little sentence or something.

Lily Tomlin as May Parker. In Miles’ universe she has a bit more of an active role in what’s going on. She helps when she can and is also sassy.

John Mulaney as Peter Porker / Spider-Ham. I thought it was Nathan Lane at first lol, but he is an animal version of Spider-Man from a cartoonish universe. He’s like a looney toon. He’s funny lol.

Kimiko Glenn as Peni Parker. A young Japanese girl from an anime-like universe who co-pilots the biomechanical suit SP//dr with a radioactive spider. She’s super cute and has some laughs as well. There is also an emotional moment at the end and it was handled well.

The Villain. I don’t want to give up who he is, you see a quick glimpse of him in the trailer, but they kept it under wraps. We don’t see him a ton but when we do, he makes a lasting impression. I think they handle him well by keeping him scary but you also kind of understand his motivations.

Great Action Scenes. Listen, the animation for the fights scenes were handled well. Whenever they were swinging through the air, it was like you were there. One of the first major fight scenes with Miles is in the woods and you can just feel the fear and determination from both sides.

Cons:

Ummm, I don’t have any lol.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Have you seen Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse? No? What’s wrong with you? lol, no I’m kidding, not really, it’s a great movie lol. Let me know your thoughts down below!

Thanks for reading and be sure to like and follow this blog for more movie reviews!

But this is about Alex Wilder from Marvel’s Runaways. It also took me a long time to do because of the fact that I wanted to rewatch the show to try to notice things I might not have noticed before and I read the comic up to his death so I really wanted to notice things.

There will be spoilers from the show AND the comics, so read at your peril. I’m spoiling everything… I kind of already did in my review but definitely here.

The Runaways- Comics