‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’ Review: A Sloppy, Bloody Mess

The Strangers: Prey At Night is exactly the movie you think it would be. A quasi-sequel to the 2008 thriller, Prey At Night lacks the suspense and emotionally resonant characters that made the original a surprise hit. At a brisk 80 minutes, the movie’s lightning-fast pace distracts you from the lackluster killing scenes and awkward song choice. Written by Bryan Bertino, the writer and director of the original, The Strangers: Prey at Night is so average it hurts.

“Based on true events,” The Strangers: Prey at Night follows a family on a brief road trip to drop the daughter off at a correctional boarding school. When they stop for the night at a trailer-park run by their uncle, things take a dramatic turn for the worse. Three masked killers, wearing the same disguises as the mysterious figures in the original, slowly torture and terrify the family. Now, in stereotypical fashion, the family that does nothing but bicker realize just how much they all love each other as they face their potential deaths. Christina Hendricks, the mother of the family, is probably the biggest name in the film but that doesn’t stop her from turning in a mediocre performance just like everyone else.

Instead of coming across as mysterious, the killers feel goofy and blessed with incredibly convenient foresight. The original film kept most of the action contained to a single setting (a house in the woods) to keep things suspenseful but this one utilizes an entire trailer park. While the park allows for a lot of wide-shots showing characters running that feel like a throwback to ’80s slasher films, The Strangers: Prey at Night doesn’t have the claustrophobic feel that made the original one scary. No matter where the people hide, the killers seem to always be one step ahead of them and that ultimately takes the suspenseful feeling out of the movie.

Also read: ‘Batman’ Producer Benjamin Melniker Passes Away At 104

As far as the movie’s slasher elements go, Prey At Night succeeds at building a tense atmosphere when the killer is closing in on his prey. The chase scenes all have a sense of dread hanging above them and the camera movement, usually done through long, dramatic zooms, adds a dynamic feel to each scene. Since the audience experiences most of the movie from Kinsey’s perspective, moments where she hides and desperately watches are pretty enjoyable, and actress Bailee Madison radiates fear off the screen. But once the action intensifies, Prey At Night shies away from showing too much gore or brutality and feels more like a PG-13 movie than the hard R it is. Instead of relying on a tense score or creepy songs to set a mood during most of the kill scenes, director Johannes Roberts packs the movie full of his favorite ’80s pop songs, and it feels forcibly contrived instead of genuine.  

What holds Prey At Night back the most is its dull, idiotic characters. The family at the center of the story does all of the generic, idiotic things audiences expect from people in horror movies. Instead of immediately leaving when they have the chance, the group sticks around to investigate and the Dad even decides to split the group up into pairs! As if I couldn’t smack my head hard enough in the movie theater, these characters never seem to run in a zig-zag when they’re being chased and desperately beg for their silent killers to stop what they’re doing. 

The worst thing about the family is how they are presented. Like many movie siblings, the brother and sister in Prey At Night rip on each other, but their level of mutual disdain in the first half of the movie feels overly dramatic. Since they are so foul to each other at the beginning of the movie, the forced changes in their relationship as the plot progresses lack any emotional weight because it’s hard to make an audience care about characters who don’t even care about each other. In The Strangers, the two characters in the center had an interesting relationship dynamic and watching them work through their own personal problems as the situation deteriorated around them made everything feel more intense.

For the most part, The Strangers: Prey at Night is very forgettable. Save for an interesting fight sequence set around a pool, there’s nothing that separates this movie from any other home invasion-esque thriller. If you’re in the mood for some suspenseful media, check out the original or Helter Skelter, the in-depth chronicle of the Manson killings that inspired Bertino when he first thought up the franchise. In many ways, this movie has all the pieces to be a direct-to- Netflix hit, but since it is going to theaters it will likely be ignored and quickly forgotten about. 

Final Score: 3.5/10

10 Female Directors Who Could Helm DC’s Batgirl Movie

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Batgirl was a project nobody knew was coming. It wasn’t part of the original DC Films slate back when it was announced in 2014. Yet in March 2017 it was announced that former The Avengers director Joss Whedon had been chosen by Warner Bros. and DC to helm a Batgirl movie. No progress was made on the project, but it seemed Warner Bros. was serious in the film as they announced it as part of their lineup at Comic-Con in 2017.

Yet after a year, Joss Whedon departed Batgirl. It isn’t known if Warner Bros. will still continue to actively pursue the film or if they will shelve it. It does appear though that the studio does plan to pick a woman to direct the film if they decide to move forward with the project. There are plenty of women working in Hollywood that would jump at the chance to direct a superhero film and plenty that would bring a unique perspective to the character.

These are just ten wonderful directors that could helm DC’s Batgirl movie. Click Next to get started!

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The post ‘The Strangers: Prey at Night’ Review: A Sloppy, Bloody Mess appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘A Wrinkle In Time’ Review: A Mediocre Film That Doesn’t Capture The Disney Magic

When Disney releases a new kids movie, the world seemingly halts in place, and things are no different with A Wrinkle In Time. Adapted from Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 novel, Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time is directed by Ava Duvernay with a screenplay by Jennifer Lee, the writer behind Frozen. Starring new-comer Storm Reid as 13-year-old Meg Murry, Wrinkle In Time doesn’t quite capture the magical feeling necessary to be labelled a modern Disney classic (or even a good movie).

Wrinkle In Time revolves around Meg, a bright girl who has been struggling since the disappearance of her father. Played by Chris Pine, Dr. Murry is a scientist who figures out how to travel across the universe and suddenly disappears, leaving his family alone for four years. Alongside her kid brother, Charles Wallace, Meg deals with harassment at school, from both students and faculty, and copes with the belief that their father is still alive somewhere. After Charles Wallace mysteriously befriends a group of magical witches off-screen, Meg has to get over her cynicism and, alongside her friend Calvin, travel across the universe to look for her father.

It’s a standard search-and-rescue story that takes the kids to a few visually interesting worlds. Unfortunately, we only stay with each new location long enough to get a small taste of the book’s hidden complexities instead of really diving into things. At two hours flat, Wrinkle In Time could have benefited from more time to allow the characters and settings some time to breath, but since it’s a kids movie, things are brief and flashy to retain audience attention. Audiences are told Meg’s a genius alongside the likes of Einstein, and it’s true she likes physics and is an intelligent girl, but it’s hard to see that because the other characters around her are strikingly dumb. The children are told there will be traps on each world they visit, and the only thing that separates her from the pack is that she never falls for any of the simple tricks. For a genius, she’s never challenged or truly given a moment to flex the intellectual might the movie keeps telling us she has.

Also read: ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ Cast & Crew Talk Crafting Disney’s Newest Feature

From an acting standpoint, only three of the performers really knock it out of the park. Oprah Winfrey, Chris Pine and Zack Galifanakis all kill it in their distinctive roles, but the rest of the cast is sloppy. For a movie that focuses on and follows children, none of the three children actors at the center of the movie deliver solid performances. Reid is bearable in the title role, but her dry delivery and moody attitude makes it hard to engage with her character. She’s at her best whenever her character interacts with her father. When Reid is with Pine, their relationship feels very loving and Duvernay does a great job of showing their intimacy through small moments. Deric McCabe, who plays Meg’s younger brother Charles Wallace, is unbearable. His zippy persona and starchy suits fit right at home in the Disney movie, but he turns in a lackluster performance that makes it hard to care about what happens to Charles Wallace. While she’s good on shows like The Mindy Project and The Office, Mindy Kaling may have been Wrinkle In Time’s weakest performer. Whenever she is on screen, she radiates this feeling of waiting to say her next line instead of appearing present in the moment.

One of the most frustrating things about Wrinkle In Time is its soundtrack. While movies like Guardians of the Galaxy and Baby Driver feel hand-crafted around certain songs, Wrinkle In Time‘s soundtrack feels like it was haphazardly thrown together by 13-year old girls. Yes, this may be a movie for kids, but loud, obnoxious pop music isn’t really the best way to hammer home emotional points. Even with the first original Sade song in eight years, the music throughout the film is very jarring and certain tracks made me giggle instead of feel inspired like Duvernay hoped. Fortunately, the soundscape is salvaged by Ramin Djawadi’s powerful score. The composer behind the Game of Thrones intro song, Djawdi’s melodic pieces pull the audience deeper into each new setting as the children continue on their mission.

Admittedly, I’ve never read the book and it’s been a long time since I saw the 2003 adaptation, so I can’t name everything missing here, but it feels lacking. For a movie that showcases three children embarking on a journey to fight a physical incarnation of evil, it’s an incredibly light, cheery movie. While Wrinkle In Time tries to feel emotionally complex, the evil “It” at the center of the movie is so vague that it strips agency away from every being in the universe. Instead of telling children that everyone feels dark and we have to overcome those feelings to grow, the movie essentially says bad feelings are never our fault and there’s always something else to blame. There’s a lot of depth to be explored in this story, but the movie just scratches the surface instead of diving in and fully wrestling with the material.

Wrinkle In Time is definitely a kids movie, but it doesn’t have the humor or emotional resonance of flicks like Zootopia or The Lego Movie that keep adults entertained and deliver similar messages to children. When I saw this movie, I took my 13-year-old cousin with me because she’s the perfect demographic for the film and was genuinely excited to see it. Unfortunately, even she thought the plot was boring and the characters weren’t challenged enough to make this an engaging film. Support it if you’re happy Disney is making movies more diverse, both in front of and behind the camera, but if you are looking for an excellent film to watch this week I suggest finally checking out one of those Oscars nominees you’ve been putting down off.

Final Score: 5/10

10 Ways The X-Men Could Be Integrated Into The Marvel Cinematic Universe

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We have yet to learn exactly when Marvel plan on bringing their newest acquisitions, the X-Men and Fantastic Four, into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it will require a lot of thinking in order to get it right.

With Avengers: Infinity War and its yet-to-be titled sequel rapidly approaching, it makes sense that we won’t see any new characters until after those movies, but it’s exciting to think they could already be on our screens in just over a year.

Hit Next to read ten ways that Marvel could possibly integrate the X-Men into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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The post ‘A Wrinkle In Time’ Review: A Mediocre Film That Doesn’t Capture The Disney Magic appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘Jessica Jones’ Season 2 Episodes 1-5 Review: Slow & Steady

After killing Kilgrave (David Tennant) and rescuing New York from the clutches of The Hand alongside Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Luke Cage (Mike Colter) and Danny Rand (Finn Jones), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) continues her day-to-day life as a private investigator for her own agency, Alias Investigations. Despite her reclusive nature, Jessica now has her neighbor Malcolm Ducasse (Eka Darville) as her assistant in dealing with new cases around Hell’s Kitchen.

This time around, Jessica tackles a case that has personal implications regarding her past. Through her latest journey, she slowly uncovers some shocking truths from not just her own repressed memories, but from other misfits who may have been blessed (or better yet, cursed) with special abilities. Thankfully, with the help of Malcolm and her best friend Patricia “Trish” Walker (Rachael Taylor), Jessica doesn’t have to face her newest journey alone.

In its first five episodes, Jessica Jones season 2 is mostly a slow-burn that could sometimes test the patience of viewers. In particular, the first two episodes plant the seeds necessary in setting up the story’s main conflicts with the main cast. Thankfully, by the time the second episode ends, the pacing improves and the intriguing mysteries that lie ahead become all-the-more exciting thanks to the palpable tension and terrific cast.

Jessica Jones season 2 excels in its more intimate interactions between characters. Thankfully, the returning cast slide back into their roles with ease. As per usual, Ritter’s nuanced performance as the troubled heroine never missed a beat since we last saw her and she particularly excels when Jessica is alongside Malcolm and Trish.

In regards to Malcolm, he has since been sober and has found new inspiration from working with Jessica at Alias Investigations. Despite their new professional relationship, Jessica treats Malcolm like a younger brother and even jokingly “fires” him if he doesn’t complete a task to her liking. Right off the bat, we see that Ritter and Darville have a great back-and-forth through their more serious interactions, humorous exchanges or a mix of both.

Also read: Marvel’s ‘Daredevil’ Adds Joanne Whalley To Season Three Cast In Key Role

As for Trish, she is shown to be quite focused on advancing her career as a radio host to the next level. Along with her new ambitions, Trish also has a new boyfriend who works as a prominent cable news personality. But despite her relative busy life, she still remains supremely loyal to Jessica as she works closely with her in cracking her newest case. Taylor once again plays Trish with such charm and particularly stands out in an emotionally-charged scene where she confronts her past as a child actress.

Season 2 also sees the return of Jeri Hogarth (Carrie Anne-Moss), who is experiencing major turmoil in her life as a result of troubles in her career and her health. It is quite fascinating to see Hogarth at her most vulnerable, especially given her cold-hearted nature.

Along with the returning cast, we also see the addition of a few new characters to the primary ensemble. For the most part, the new additions do a good-enough job performance wise, but the mystery behind a certain character leaves a bit to be desired.

One of the newest characters is Oscar (J.R. Ramirez), the new superintendent of Jessica’s building. There is a bit of tension between the two early on after Oscar witnesses a tragic situation that triggers some of his fears due to his recent past. From the first few episodes already, Ramirez plays Oscar with a certain earnestness that is easily likable; a dynamic that is welcome within the dark, grimy world of Hell’s Kitchen.

Also read: Disney Will Not Bring The Marvel Netflix Heroes To Its Streaming Service

We also meet Pryce Cheng (Terry Chen), who is also a private investigator and a new competitive rival to Jessica. Rounding up the new roster of characters is the street-smart nurse Inez (Leah Gibson) and the season’s newest antagonist played by Janet McTeer.

In regards to the three new characters mentioned in the paragraph above, Chen, Gibson and McTeer all give fine performances given the five-episode sample size Netflix has permitted for press to review. But McTeer’s character still leaves a bit to be desired. Granted, not much is entirely known about her role as an antagonist despite a few hints and connections to Jessica’s past sprinkled in here-and-there, but the character lacks the intimidation factor that Tennant’s Kilgrave had from his onscreen presence alone.

Similar to the remarkable first season, the first five episodes of this second season thrives with how the scripts tackle its adult themes with such maturity – especially given the show’s established coexistence in the otherwise family-friendly Marvel Cinematic Universe canon. In fact, no moment encapsulates the fascinating dichotomy between the child-friendly nature of the MCU films and the more grown-up streets of Netflix’s Hell’s Kitchen shows than when Jessica interacts with Oscar’s superhero-obsessed son. In fact, the wide-eyed boy is so drawn by colorful heroes that he even has an action figure of his favorite Avenger.

Among the numerous mature themes, season 2 continues to explore the depths of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that Jessica continues to deal with as we see more hints of her past as well as how she may have received her special abilities. Also, one of the serious topics explored in this new season feels quite timely given the current climate in the entertainment industry today as a result of the wrongdoings of certain men in power.

Jessica Jones season 2 is a bit rocky at first with its first episodes. Because it is the least action-oriented of Marvel’s Netflix series, some may find the more dialogue-heavy nature of the show to be a bit too slow – especially when it focuses on setting up the conflicts and mysteries that will be resolved later in the season. Also, from these first five episodes alone we continue to see why Marvel and Netflix shouldn’t drag the stories for 13 episodes given that a good two or three come off as filler. For some of the criticisms to be made from the over-simplicity of The Defenders, at least it was a brisk eight episodes to binge.

But even with its faults in pacing and its new antagonist, Jessica Jones still usurps its fellow Defenders’ standalone shows when it comes to tackling its mature themes. That, coupled with exciting new character development, showcases that this new season still shows promise through its slow and steady approach.

Score: 7.5/10

All episodes of Marvel’s Jessica Jones season 2 will be available to stream exclusively on Netflix on March 8, 2018.

10 The Defenders/Marvel Cinematic Universe Crossovers We Want To See

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After three long years, the Marvel Netflix universe is finally coming together for the epic crossover event series The Defenders, where Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist will team up to fight to save New York from a massive army of deadly ninjas known as The Hand. However, that is not the only crossover that Marvel and Defenders fans are longing for. Ever since these shows were announced, fans have been wondering when we might be able to see these characters appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper or when we might see a movie character appear on one of the shows.

Currently, though, there seems to be a divide between Marvel Television and Marvel Studios. They always like to say “it’s all connected,” but the most we get in the Netflix world is the occasional reference to “magic hammers” or “the green guy” or “the incident.” Marvel’s ABC shows have been given a bit more love, with characters like Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, Colbie Smulders’ Maria Hill or Jaimie Alexander’s Lady Sif showing up from time to time on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we still haven’t seen much crossover in the way of actual Avengers appearing on the show or characters like Daisy Johnson/Quake (Chloe Bennet) appearing in a Marvel film.

Who knows if we’ll ever actually see these two worlds clash in a way that is satisfying to both fans of the films and fans of the shows, but it sure is a heck of a lot of fun to dream. With these worlds so populated by superheroes, the possibilities are endless, but there are quite a few crossovers that we already know we would love to see.

Before we begin with this list, I would like to note that this article may feature spoilers for some of the Marvel Netflix series up until this point, including Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. However, I have not seen any episodes of The Defenders yet, so there will be no intentional spoilers for that show.

So, without further adieu, here are the ten crossovers between Netflix’s The Defenders and the Marvel Cinematic Universe films that we want to see. Hit the next button below to begin!

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‘Red Sparrow’ Review: A Spy Movie Full of Sexuality But Lacking In Substance

Fresh off her first Razzie nomination, Jennifer Lawrence is back in Red Sparrow, a Russia v U.S. spy thriller set in the modern day. Based on the novel by Jason Matthews, a former CIA agent, Red Sparrow is directed by Francis Lawrence, the director of all four Hunger Games movies. The best thing about this movie is that from the outside it looks like it could be an origin story for Marvel’s Black Widow, but that isn’t the case. Instead, Red Sparrow is a sloppy attempt at a spy drama that feels commercially designed to get its leading lady naked and in as many sexual poses as possible. Disguised as a film about survival and gaming a patriarchal system, Red Sparrow is just another movie that thinks it can profit off sexual violence towards women and shocking gore.

Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova, a ballet dancer who is forced into a situation much bigger than herself. A woman with a knack for determining what makes people tick, Egorova is a great fit for the sparrow program, a group of elite spies that help further the Russian state’s foreign goals. Audiences see Egorova attend a school in a remote part of Russia to be trained in tasks like lock picking and sexual manipulation to assist her on her path. Unfortunately, the premise is more interesting than the final product because Red Sparrow gets bogged down by a boring story and poor performances that keep it from being as captivating as other modern spy films like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. There are multiple points throughout the film where Lawrence momentarily drops her Russian accent and it’s hard not to giggle despite the film’s serious nature.

Also read: Jac Schaeffer To Write Standalone Black Widow Movie For Marvel

It’s hard to pinpoint the movie’s failure on just one thing because it feels like a big mess. The story is tedious and dull and the main character seems to completely lack a sense of agency during most of the film. For a movie that was marketed as a story about a badass chick, Red Sparrow sure does a lot to make her appear worthless. She has a clear motivation and is certainly an intelligent woman, but she never comes across as likable. One thing all good spy movies have in common is a solid and interesting protagonist, but Egorova never feels like an engaging character, even as audiences watch her slowly grow and mature throughout the film.

Something that stands out from the viewing experience is how brutal the movie is. While the marketing tried to frame this movie as somewhat of an action thriller, that’s really not the case. The little action that does appear in Red Sparrow is graphic and a few sequences even border on light torture porn. If blood or violence makes you a bit squeamish, this probably isn’t the movie for you because it is intense and full of moments designed to make viewers uncomfortable.  The upside to making the movie so graphic is Lawrence does a good job setting up how high the stakes are and how brutal this world without ever explicitly saying anything.

The rest of the film’s ensemble does a decent job filling in as both Russian and American spies. Joel Edgerton plays the male lead in the film, Nathaniel Nash, a CIA agent with a personal stake in ongoing intelligence missions in Russia. His relationship with Egorova makes up a big part of the movie’s emotional core, but it’s never interesting or believable enough to pull viewers in. Alfred himself, Jeremey Irons, plays a Russian intelligence officer who sounds more British than Slavic. The problem is, none of these characters come across as believable and no one stands out in any way. It’s not that anyone is necessarily unlikable, it’s that none of the characters are interesting or fleshed out enough to actually make viewers care what happens to them.

Also read: Sony Nearly Bought The Movie Rights To Every Marvel Character For $25 Million

Despite the film’s relatively flat, basic directing, the best part of Red Sparrow is the cinematography. Shots set in the Moscow subway or against snowy backdrops all leap off the screen and look gorgeous. One shot in particular of Lawrence looking tiny next to the massive Russian defense headquarters stands out as a shot that works from both a design and symbolic standpoint, but there weren’t too many powerful moments like that as the movie progressed. Coming in at two-hours and twenty-minutes, none of the sequences stand out as noteworthy and the final product feels bloated.

Ultimately, Red Sparrow is just missing a key ingredient to make it an enjoyable spy film. The twists don’t land as hard as they should and none of the scenes feel memorable. For a film that feels like a Jennifer Lawrence vehicle, it also fails at making her come across as a strong leading lady. The book the film is based on already has one sequel and another on the way, but I sincerely hope this film isn’t successful enough to warrant a sequel. It’s a shame a better director didn’t get their hands on this franchise because it had potential and interesting ideas sprinkled throughout, but things just never clicked for me.

Final Score: 5.5/10

10 Secrets Behind Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Series

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Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is a full-fledged member of the Avengers, but the character has a long history on the big screen. Before Captain America: Civil War and the (not so) Amazing Spider-Man series, Sam Raimi helmed a trilogy starring everyone’s favorite web-head. A B-horror director with a flair for silly moments, Raimi was the perfect choice to bring this quirky character to life.

While they’re far from perfect, Sam Raimi’s movies are gems within the superhero genre. Behind all the whimsical energy and the jokes is a stable of great characters who carry the series forward. No matter how efficient and effective the trilogy is at bringing joy to audiences, there are still a few behind-the-scenes secrets that people don’t know about.

Hit Next to discover ten secrets behind Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series! 

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Josh Brolin Confirms ‘Deadpool 2’ Will Go Through Reshoots On Instagram

Review: Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ Is Black, Beautiful & Brilliant

Back in 2014 rumors flew around that Marvel Studios was looking to cast Chadwick Boseman as its leading man for Black Panther. Those rumors were heavily denied up until Marvel Studios held an event at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood, showcasing its entire slate for Phase 3 of The Marvel Cinematic Universe. The studio surprised the crowd with the news that Captain America 3 would follow the Civil War storyline as well as introduce none other than Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. It was also announced that Boseman would have a solo film two years after Civil War hit theaters. The introduction of Boseman in Captain America: Civil War was a home run. Fans loved him and wanted to immediately see more of him. Black Panther was such a great character in the film and the story acted as a great device to lead into his solo film. Ryan Coogler, who is normally at home with Warner Brothers, was essentially poached by Disney and Marvel Studios to direct Black Panther, and that’s when fans knew Marvel wasn’t trying to play games with this film.

When Coogler boarded Black Panther it was automatically assumed by fans that his long time collaborator Michael B. Jordan would also join the film, and that assumption was correct. Jordan joined Black Panther as the film’s villain, Erik Killmonger. This stunned fans because Jordan was attached to the failed Fantastic Four reboot and they thought he would be contractually obligated to return, but lucky for us, that was all out the window. As the film’s cast developed with the likes of Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o and The Walking Dead star Danai Gurira, it was becoming more apparent that this project would be like no superhero film before it. Black Panther would be the first superhero movie with a predominantly black cast, with just two supporting white characters. Every trailer, TV Spot and bit of news that was released amped up excitement for the film. When it was announced that Kendrick Lamar would be composing an album for the film, fans went nuts. Black Panther was becoming something special.

My excitement and expectations for the film were quite high. I’ve never gotten a real black superhero movie before. Yeah, I mean you can count Blank Man, Spawn, and Blade. But, the first one was a comedy and the latter two were kind of demonic anti-heroes. So, Black Panther is the first black superhero film of my generation and pretty much of all time. I finally got to see Black Panther last week and when I tell you that I wholeheartedly feel like this is one of the best superhero films of all time, I mean that.

Black Panther continues Chadwick Boseman’s story as the newly crowned King T’Challa. The movie’s plot is one of the most complex plots that Marvel Studios has ever done. Full of amazing twists and turns, Black Panther is one of the most separated films from the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has the bare minimum when it comes to connections to the larger universe as a whole and that’s one of the areas it succeeds. The movie itself celebrates African culture and shows people of color in a light that has rarely been done on this scale of film. It’s a much-needed change of pace for blockbusters and it’s way past time that we see people of color shine the way they do in Black Panther. There’s even a scene with Danai Gurira that will make you proud of who you are no matter how your hair is and looks. This will resonate with millions of black women and girls around the globe and I think it’s the perfect message for a film like this to send.

Besides the message the film succeeds to send, the stunts and how they portrayed the strong women of the Dora Milaje and Lupita Nyong’o’s character was amazing. All of the stunts in the film supersede a majority of superhero films and the action definitely takes the cake. The film has Ryan Coogler‘s stamp all over it. You can tell it’s his film and it finally feels like Marvel is letting the directors run free in Phase 3. The acting in this film is by far the best in any Marvel Cinematic Universe entry and this film gives us the best-portrayed villain any Marvel or DC film has ever done. I believe Michael B. Jordan has just taken the crown from the late and great Heath Ledger as the best comic book movie villain of all time.

Chadwick Boseman plays the role of the young king who has just ascended to the throne due to the loss of his father so brilliantly. Boseman’s T’Challa has grown since we last saw him in Captain America: Civil War. He is no longer the man who wants vengeance for his father’s death, so we get to see him in a very different, non-vengeful light. His chemistry with the entire cast just works. But it’s the scenes that he shares with Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira and Martin Freeman where he shines the most. His banter and cool aura make him worthy of the Black Panther mantle. His weakest moments are when he plays off of Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger. Jordan’s on-screen charisma and acting ability completely steals the screen away from Boseman. That’s not to take anything away from Boseman, but Jordan’s backstory and portrayal of Killmonger was absolutely incredible. He has this way of making you feel conflicted and almost want to root for him to succeed as his character is more like an anti-hero, but you know that ultimately his way is not the right way. The film evolves the relationship between the two leads to the point where Boseman becomes the Martin to Jordan’s Malcolm. Jordan’s final scene is a tear-jerker that’ll make you reevaluate your feelings towards his character’s ideals.

The women of the film shine so brightly. Danai Gurira plays a military leader and right hand to Boseman’s T’Challa and she whooped some serious butt in the film. There’s an action sequence with Gurira’s Okoye that will leave the audience in awe. Lupita Nyong’o shines as Nakia, the reluctant revolutionary that comes back to support her King. Throughout the film, Nakia struggles with her place in Wakanda, but ultimately finds her way by the end of the film. Nyong’o hasn’t done many action films, so this film includes her first of many fight scenes and she definitely brings the pain. Action sequences with women are few and far between but with films like Black Panther and Wonder Woman opening the door the future is looking very bright.

Letitia Wright is the comedic relief of the film and that is seriously not a bad thing. She’s like a female Tony Stark, capturing the screen and making you want more of her. Angela Bassett plays the role of Queen as well as she does with any other role. She doesn’t really have a stand out scene in the film, but she gets no complaints from me as Angela Basset can do no wrong. Forest Whitaker has a more complex role than the marketing lets on and what happens with him in the film will shock you. Sterling K. Brown’s secret role in the film is the glue to making the entire plot work and he plays his part marvelously. Martin Freeman returns as Everett K. Ross and he has a more hands-on role in this film compared to Captain America: Civil War. His character is the only white character that has a lot to do and he handles it with expert precision. Andy Serkis returns as the villainous Ulysses Klaue and now that he’s one hand short, he’s even more menacing. The first time we met Klaue was in Avengers: Age of Ultron and what we saw of him there was a great indicator of what would play out in Black Panther. Klaue was already branded a thief by Wakanda and the film doesn’t shy away from that.

Black Panther does what other Marvel films don’t really get a chance to do. It breathes. It explains the plot, builds its characters through one film instead of many, and develops a villain with a backstory that rivals any comic book movie villain that came before him. What feels like a slow build ends up making Black Panther feel complete. I’m glad that Marvel let Coogler do what he does best with this movie. The cinematography and the special effects make everything beautiful. This movie will make any Black Panther fan proud. It was everything you’d want it to be. It’s black. It’s beautiful. It’s brilliant. More importantly, it’s for the culture. Go see it.

Rating: 10/10

10 Characters That Need To Be Avengers In Marvel’s Phase Four

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Avengers: Infinity War arrives this year, and will be followed by a currently untitled fourth Avengers film that will close off Phase 3 and will mark a new chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Phase 4 it is safe to say audiences will meet me a new roster for the Avengers.

Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America have been the pillars of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception, as their individual films have guided lead audiences into each Avengers film. But when the next two Avengers film it is safe to say the curtain will set for those three. That means the Avengers as audiences know them will change dramatically. This means the team will need some new members, ones that will make a big impression to fill the shoes of their predecessors.

While the status of other founding members like the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye are more up in the air right now, part of the fun in the Avengers comics is the ever-changing roster. The latest roster for the Avengers needs to make a statement. This isn’t the same old Avengers, this is the beginning of a new chapter. Some characters should be upgraded, others will take center stage as the new tentpole franchises, and the Avengers will be new.

Here are the ten characters that should make up the roster for Marvel’s New Avengers. Click Next to get started!

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The post Review: Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’ Is Black, Beautiful & Brilliant appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ Review: Satisfying Connections, Unsatisfying Film

Netflix had accomplished the unprecedented during Super Bowl LII. After acquiring the distribution rights of The Cloverfield Paradox from Paramount Pictures, the streaming giant debuted the first official look at the elusive Julius Onah-directed film during the big game. But that was not even the big news.

As it turned out, Netflix would be dropping the third Cloverfield film immediately after the end of the game.

Right from that moment, fans nationwide and abroad got pretty hyped that they had the opportunity to watch the newest entry in the Cloverfield franchise in the comfort of their own homes – and this is all thanks to the geniuses at Netflix, which is certainly receiving record-breaking ratings as we speak with this groundbreaking publicity stunt.

This brilliant marketing play is on par with Paramount Pictures’ campaign with 10 Cloverfield Lane. When the first trailer for that film dropped and was revealed to be in the same franchise as Matt Reeves’ 2008 found footage thriller, fans lost their minds. After years of anticipation and speculation, perhaps audiences would be receiving some answers to the complex mystery box that is Cloverfield. And while there were certainly some connections to the original film, 10 Cloverfield Lane succeeded at being its own story with engaging characters that happened to inhabit the same world. Honestly, if there was no mention of “Cloverfield” in the title at all, you would still get an engaging, tense bottle film.

Unfortunately, while 10 Cloverfield Lane succeeds beyond its connections to its predecessor, The Cloverfield Paradox coasts on those connections in order to engage its audience throughout an otherwise derivative and unsatisfying story.

The Cloverfield Paradox finds Earth suffering through an energy crisis that is threatening the planet’s well-being. Through all this chaos, a war is brewing. In order to solve this predicament, the collective space agencies of the planet unite to launch the Cloverfield Station in order to test the Shepard particle accelerator – given that this experiment is too dangerous to test on Earth itself. The crew of the Cloverfield Station have been testing the particle accelerator for over two years and although it looks as though they finally succeed, something inevitably goes horribly wrong.

The film is centered on the crew of the Cloverfield Station, which is populated by several two dimensional characters with little-to-no backstories. The only character the audience gets to truly know is Ava Hamilton (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who serves as the lead of the film. We get a glimpse at Hamilton’s past and her life on Earth before she joined the crew of the Cloverfield Station and she is likable enough to remain engaged with in the hopes that she survives the catastrophic events that occur along the way. It does help that we have a wonderful actress in Mbatha-Raw to add more layers to a character that a lesser actress wouldn’t have.

But besides Hamilton, her fellow Cloverfield Station crew members have little-to-no character development of their own. Although the crew boasts an impressive ensemble of performers in David Oyelowo, Daniel Brühl, John Ortiz, Chris O’Dowd, Zhang Ziyi, Elizabeth Debicki and Aksel Hennie, their respective characters are given lackluster material to work with. Sure, the cast are trying their best with the material given, and there is certainly a sense of chemistry within the ensemble, but at the end of the day, they are generic characters devoid of anything remotely interesting other than the fact that they are portrayed by actors and actresses that deserve a better script.

Also read: ‘Cloverfield 4’ Title & Setting Revealed, May Release By Year’s End

While the cast holds their own for what they are working with, the story itself is deeply derivative. Obviously, the basic premise immediately screams Ridley Scott’s Alien, right down to some similar narrative beats and typical cliches found in most Alien imitations. Some members in the crew suffer tragic ends similarly to the crew of the Nostromo. In Alien, those losses are effective to the story and in the development of our heroine Ripley but with The Cloverfield Paradox, the losses lack emotional weight given their lackluster character development.

Another major issue in the film’s narrative is in its explanations regarding the crew’s signature dilemma. The film explores somewhat interesting territory with ideas such as parallel dimensions. However, while there are interesting ideas to be found, the film’s explanation for the central conflict is murky at best and supremely convoluted at worst. Because of this, much of the narrative tissue turns out half-baked and ultimately unsatisfying.

The Cloverfield Paradox is not without it strengths. As mentioned earlier, the film does have some interesting connections to the original Cloverfield film – particularly whenever it cuts back to what is going on in Earth. Although these few cutaways killed some of the momentum with the scenes inside Cloverfield Station, these cutaways back to Earth provide some of the most exciting hints towards the broader universe established from the first film that will make fans squeal. Also, for all the flaws within the clunky scientific explanations in the film’s half-baked narrative, there are still some insightful answers to be found for many fan theories that have lasted for over 10 years after 1-18-08.

That being said, those connections to the original film can only satisfy the audience for so long. And as cool as those connections can be, the fan-service goes way too far in the film’s laughable final shot.

At the end of the day, The Cloverfield Paradox succeeds primarily as a remarkable marketing experiment by Netflix. In a lot of ways, the unprecedented hype for this film as a result of the Super Bowl announcement was also the film’s downfall. When watching The Cloverfield Paradox  at home, it is quite easy to forget that this film was originally set to be released in theaters later this year given the unremarkable visual effects that would succeed best as a Netflix or HBO original rather than a multi-million dollar blockbuster made for theatrical distribution.

One can argue that the marketing gimmick is simultaneously the best and worst thing in having this film finally see the light of day. At its best, The Cloverfield Paradox will always be remembered for its incredible 15 minutes of fame throughout the Super Bowl hype. At its worst, it is a derivative and unsatisfying narrative that coasts on its connective tissue to two superior films. A paradox indeed.

Rating: 4.5/10 

Top 10 Superhero Films & Shows We Are Excited For In 2018

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It seems that with each passing year, the Heroic Age of Hollywood continues to prosper through numerous mediums. Of course, comic book movies continue to dominate at the box office and 2018 will certainly be no different, but the colorful heroes and villains found in the panels of our favorite comic books and graphic novels have also fared pretty well in the television and video game mediums.

After a remarkable 2017 of solid superhero entertainment, 2018 seems to up the ante even further, boasting some exciting new films, TV series and more for fans to enjoy. Here is a rundown of some of our most anticipated 2018 projects.

Click Next to begin the 2018 rundown.

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