Shameik Moore. © 2023 Sony/Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Marvel Entertainment, Arad Productions, Lord Miller Productions, and Pascal Pictures. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.
Watched it in Dolby Cinema @ AMC Theaters
The Universe Expands with Some Consequences Behind It This year of comic book films is so far pretty mixed with some great while some disappointing or straight-up WTF. However, Sony Animation brought us some of the best animations I have ever seen in cinema and a story that will bring every emotion on screen. This film is wild from start to finish and this being a comic book film and a animated film, I was glued to the screen. It's memorizing, beautiful, emotional, action-packed, and just insane with the scope of this eye-popping film. It's a film that I will remember decades ahead and it's up there as one of the best sequels of all time. Dazzling and down to earth, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the film that everyone will love whether you love comic book films or not. Join me in the multiverse and high-five every Spider-Man we see until we run across the Spider Plushie. Story: After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most. Since the first film was released way back in 2018, it changed the animation industry by taking unique risks to make their films more artsy or pop-out by creating a unique identity. Five years later, they did it again by changing the animation game by pushing the limits of animation while giving a grounded story that the audience will connect with. While the story and characters are very important to every film, the technical elements should get more praised, especially with this film's groundbreaking animation from every frame and little detail. Over 1,000 animators worked on this film and it's the longest American animated film ever with over 140 minutes. That is insane, especially for an animated film that takes a while to complete. I applaud every animator who worked on this film and it came out beautiful. The animation details are incredible with the iconic comic book style, a mix of 2D and 3D, with different art styles from different eras. It's beautiful from every frame and I loved how there are small nice animation details that make the movement more smooth and poppy. I really love animation and this is by far the best technical animated film of all time with Ponyo still at number one. This film pushes the boundaries of animation but also superhero storytelling through animation. You still have the animated gestures and expressive actions of characters and action moments, but during serious moments without any action, the animation takes it down for a bit and makes a scene realistic. Not in terms of texture or graphical fidelity, but with lighting, emotions of each character, and atmosphere. That's where the animation gets stronger during emotional set-pieces and it works very well. The story itself also is fantastic because of its expansive characters and new worlds that put each character in danger of their own mistakes.
The story is now more expansive than ever. We travel to different universes and worlds that we would never see on the big screen. However, the story also expands on Miles's characteristics, struggles, and point of view of the world around him. While the film explores different universes and connects them all together into a larger-than-life story, it's still Miles's journey. His character arc is what keeps this story integral and the multiverse is just the icing of the cake. While it's nice to see cameos and references in the film, that's not the focus. It's about Miles jumping the hurdles of becoming Spider-Man and being his real self. We see Miles in his personal struggles with family, school, and friends. Plus, being Spider-Man can take a toll on his personal life and he makes new enemies along the way which can damage his personal life. There's no escape until you follow your canon event or break it to become the true Spider-Man. This film explores many ideas that come together on the creation of Spider-Man and this film does it very well. Miles's family is the center of his situation and he cares about his father's fate and his friend's life. However, Miles needs to make some sacrifices in order to become Spider-Man but he's in limbo. I love that it explores many corners and scenarios of Spider-Man and by the end of the film, we see what really happens to Miles when he encounters his true fears. This story is more personal for Miles and the multiverse concept also expands more than ever. I really liked the multiverse plot of this film and I like how each consequence Miles makes can hurt his universe but also his personal friends and family. It not just affecting Miles but also Gwen because she wants to save Miles from danger while also still letting him progress to becoming Spider-Man. Gwen gets more screen time in this film and we follow a similar pattern to Gwen from Miles but the film splits both povs to the larger events of the film. I love this kind of storytelling and it worked very well through the multiverse concept while still being a central focus of the struggles and risks of being Spider-Man.
The other side characters are amazing as well. I loved Miguel O'Hara as Spider-Man 2099 and since he is the main antagonist of the story, it made Mile's journey more difficult throughout the multiverse. However, the villain of this film really took over the first act and half of the second act of the film. The spot really made Miles's consequences way worse and his backstory is hilarious and dark. Having two antagonists in the story is unique and it does a great job differentiating each other on who really is messing up Miles's journey. It's nice to see Miles's mentor come back including newcomers like Jess Drew, Spider-Man India, and Spider-Punk. Spider-Punk is my new favorite Spider-Man and his personality just stands out easily. The voice cast here is fantastic and they really bring out their all into this film, especially Hailee Steinfeld. Everyone did a great job in the film and by the final frame of this film, you are begging to get more adventures of each character's stories but we will have to wait until the third film is completed. The score of this film is a complete overhaul of the first film with more exciting music and great character music themes. Spider-Man 2099 music theme is fantastic and the way they used music for suspenseful scenes is fantastic. Plus, Metro Boomin's songs are also a great addition to the music overhaul of this film's soundtrack. The editing is way more fluid in this film, especially during the fight scene in 2099. The runtime didn't bother me a lot and it flew fast which is a good thing. There is a lot to jam into this film but it didn't feel rushed. However, even with the cliffhanger in the end, I feel like there wasn't an ending which made me sorrowful for a bit. I still believe the first one is still a fantastical comic book film but this is definitely one of the best sequels I have ever seen in terms of story and technical achievement in cinema. A grand slam for animation. Multiverses can be a little bit tiring now but this film really hit the home run by making the multiverse concept big while still being a central story about struggles and scarifies through personal and superhero life. This is a fantastic animated film and it subverts every expectation in the comic book genre. This is a beautifully done film and when the credits roll, you beg for more adventures of Miles Morales. This is a grand achievement for animation and I'm happy this film hit the ballpark for me and for the fans. I cannot wait for the final film in the trilogy. Now Playing in Theaters! Vizeit Score: "A+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for continuing supporting my indie cinema website.) Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Cheif/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, and Bradley Cooper. © 2023 Marvel Studios. Directed by James Gunn.
Watched it in IMAX @ AMC Theaters
It's Time to Face the Music. After almost 10 years since the first film in the trilogy, the final film in the Guardians franchise is here and it delivers every aspect. Filled with emotional stakes, amazing action, and a wonderful cast that truly deliver a jam-packed superhero film. This is the film that Marvel Studios really needed since Spider-Man: No Way Home and I'm happy to say that it delivered and exceeded my expectations. James Gunn is really going to kill it at DC Studios. Let's hop on onto the Bowie ship and let's explore the galaxy one more time before Adam Warlock smashes into us. Story: Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them. Right from the beginning of this film, we knew we were going to be on a wild ride. However, we all knew we went into this film expecting emotional stakes and high action because of the wonderful directing from James Gunn. Gunn cares about his characters and wants every character to be developed with emotional depth including his smaller side characters and animals. The animals' man. Gunn really loves animals and this film really served a message about animal cruelty. Even PETA approves this film which says something a lot. Besides the animals, the characters in this film are amazing and every character gets a satisfying conclusion or receives a distinct send-off in this trilogy finale. Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is so much better developed here than the second entry. I really loved how he owned up to his mistakes but he is still a complete douchebag in serious situations. However, he always helps his crew no matter what the cost. His arc from the beginning to now is satisfying and with Pratt's performance, his ultimate decision in the film is unexpected yet natural to his character. Without any spoilers, the whole cast really gets a chance to make their own decision which affects the team in a negative and positive way. However, it's done very well and when the team is together, they shine together and bring out their team's energy on the screen. Obviously, the biggest member that stood out in the film was Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper). His character backstory is so tragic that is filled with every emotion that makes his arc so devastating yet hopeful. I really loved Cooper's voice acting performance and while Cooper doesn't get a lot of VA time in this film, the character is centralized throughout this story. Without any spoilers, he's one of the few characters in the MCU including Star-Lord that really affect the MCU as a whole. The other side characters are amazing including Mantis, Nebula, Drax, Gamora, and newcomers like Adam Warlock and the High Evolutionary.
The side characters really grew over time since the first or second entry in the series. Mantis really grew a lot as a character and she really has a lot of screen time in this final entry and she delivers the emotions throughout the story. Her relationship with Drax is so sweet and I love their duo-dynamic. Drax is also great in the film and while he doesn't do much in the first half, he gets to grow more as a character in the second half. Nebula was also great and I loved that she got used to the Guardians and her relationship with Rocket has grown expediently. She feels like a co-leader in certain sequences and her ending is very satisfying from the beginning we met her until the ending of this film. She really grew as a character and I love that everyone in the cast grew more positively in the end. However, there's one new character that really stood out which is the High Evolutionary. He's very evil. Like straight-up evil. He doesn't flinch on one positivity and he's very cruel with his actions. His character is so interesting from a psychological standpoint and his small backstory really made me hate him a lot. Chukwudi Iwuji gives a chilling performance and with his performance makes this character more believable and chilling. He's easily the best villain in the trilogy without a doubt. Adam Warlock (Will Poulter) is also pretty good and I like his quirky humor and weirdness of the world. However, he receives little screen time in the film until the end. Overall, all the characters are amazing and they were developed very well with everyone having a shining moment and a satisfying ending.
The plot of this film is also well-developed. A lot of unique set pieces and plot points that connect to the end of the film. Plus, a lot of flashbacks that some of it worked and there are some unique moments that keep you guessing on who's going to die. Without any spoilers, it's heartbreaking and the film twists your expectations very often in a good and bad way. James Gunn's writing and directing are very strong in this film and I loved his interesting coverage of the action. The writing is definitely the strongest since his first film and I'm glad he focuses this film as a James Gunn film rather than a MCU film. There are barely any Marvel easter eggs which are great and the risks here are greater. This is definitely the darkest MCU film to date and we finally got the historic first F-bomb in a Marvel Studios project. The film's tone isn't that dark but the way the scenes were directed was pretty edgy and brutal. The action sequences are very entertaining and the hallway sequence is one of the best action sequences in the MCU. The cinematography is very good with interesting coverage. The CGI is finally not dogshit but very great. I loved the prosthetics and practical effects used in the film and the music is pretty good. I really liked the song choices in the film and it fits well in every scene. The pacing felt fast which is good since the film is almost two hours and thirty minutes long. Overall, the film delivered on the technical side, and James Gunn really went in a great direction to end off the trilogy and make first a superhero film rather than an MCU film. Love to see it. However, I still had some small issues. Some of the issues that I noticed at the end of the film was the underutilization of Adam Warlock. He felt like a McGuffin but not really a McGuffin. He just pops out of nowhere and leaves until he is needed in the end. I feel like James Gunn had to put him in there last second but I still liked his character but a little bit disappointed. Some of the jokes here didn't land with me. Some were force-laugh jokes and jokes that were supposed to be funny but not really, unfortunately. We all have our own comedy taste so it's on me. However, I felt like Gamora had a little bit of a downgrade. Even though she's a completely different character from the last time we've seen her, her character development was weak in the first half. In the second half, however, she really had a full 180 and her final moments with Quill were sad yet real. Also, the film felt bloated at some points with the tone and flashbacks in certain scenes. However, the performances really dust off the issues and I was fully engaged in the scenes. Some writing issues overall but I still had a great time with this film. This is a satisfying conclusion for the Guardians and I loved every second of this film. Filled with great action, great character development, amazing visuals, heartbreaking moments, and an ending that really feels like a true ending. I was crying by the end and I'm happy we got a true trilogy from Marvel. James Gunn really delivered every expectation and I cannot wait to see him handle DC Studios. I'm definitely going to miss this superhero team, but I want to see more of Cosmo in the future tho. Now Playing in IMAX and 3D. Vizeit Score: "A" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for continuing supporting my indie film website.) Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
Gael García Bernal. © 2022 Marvel Studios. Directed by Michael Giacchino. Produced by Kevin Feige.
Watched it on Disney+ (Written on Letterboxd)
Quick Review: This is one hell of a good marvel special. It’s one hour and it doesn’t drag which is good. But the strongest element in this special presentation is the directing. The directing here from Michael Giacchino is very strong and it’s an amazing directorial debut from him. A lot of creative directing went into this project and the payoff was worth it. It’s very energetic and fun and bloody which is surprising. They got away with the blood since it was black in white. In which case, the black and white really works here and I wish they filmed it with actual film stock. It’s digital but I still love the cinematography in this special. The action is enjoyable and bloody. The atmosphere is so chilling and while I didn’t feel scared, I did feel what it was going for. It’s a spooky story and it worked. The VFX is pretty great and the production design looks pretty great for this special. The performance from Gael Garcia Bernal is pretty great and it’s nice to see a Mexican lead in a Marvel project. Ahora si mis compadres! The villain was pretty weak but it’s done its job. Laura Donnelly is also great in this special and I liked her character more because of her performance and small backstory. Overall, this is a strong MCU project because of its direction and creativity. This doesn’t feel like an MCU project and I’m happy that I got that feeling. This was an enjoyable watch at midnight and I hope we get more specials like this! Now Streaming Only on Disney+ Vizeit Score: "A-" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2023. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, and Florence Kasumba. © 2022. Marvel Studios / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Directed by Ryan Coogler.
Wakanda Forever!
Quick Review: After 4 years since Infinity War, we are back in Wakanda and this film brought many emotions, action, and grief. The execution of these elements of grief is done very well due to its direction and writing. This is by far one of the strongest written films from Marvel Studios and the directing is amazing. About 70% is Coogler's film and the rest is just MCU filler. But I'm glad that the film is almost centered around Wakanda and dealing with a new enemy from the ocean. It's very effective in its presentation and it's one of the best-looking Marvel films I've seen in a while. While the CGI is still iffy in some parts, the cinematography really makes up some of the crappy VFX in the background and with the color palette, it makes the film more beautiful and stand out. This film deserves the "Stand Out" recognition because it focuses on the character's grief, the expansion of Wakanda, and dealing with a new villain that has reasonable motivations with a great performance on top of that. This film dedicates to the characters and I love that. The MCU is missing and the serious moments are serious unlike Thor: Love and Thunder. This film deals with not just the loss of T'Challa but the real-life loss of Chadwick Boseman (Rest in Peace). It's an emotional film and while I didn't cry, I got chills and I felt tears in my heart. The ending hits, and I'm glad that this film went through a serious direction and tone. This is what Eternals should've been and I'm glad this was the final film in Phase 4. I have a serious issue with the multiverse saga but that's for another day. The cast is great including Angela Bassett and Tenoch Huerta. Namor is already one of the best villains in the MCU and I cannot wait to see him again. While I loved this film being different from the other marvel films, it still has the MCU stuff to build more of the universe. I liked Martin Freeman's scenes but I felt like they could've been written way better and shorter. Some scenes could've been shorter but I still appreciate the different direction that this film was going for. I really loved this film and it's the #2 best Phase 4 film, just behind Spider-Man: No Way Home. Now Playing in IMAX and Dolby Cinema. Vizeit Score: "A-" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Taika Waititi, and Christian Bale. © 2022. Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Directed by Taika Waititi. Watched it in IMAX @ AMC
Very Nice. Let's see Thor's card After the events of Avengers Endgame, Thor needed time to rethink about his past. Now in this film, he wants to be lazy as fuck. But Patrick Bateman picked up his laziness and started to kidnap children like it's the cartel war. That sounds crazy but the film felt like that. But add this film with comedy and this film looked like an SNL skit but with an actual good script rather than unfunny jokes making fun of political figures. But in the end, it was a lot of fun. It goes full-on Marvel which is great but as the film progress, you can see the cracks but also see the true passion of this film. This film is already divisive but you will read my personal thoughts on this film and I will tell you this, I had a good time watching this movie. Let's dive into this colorful world of Asgard. Thor embarks on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced -- a quest for inner peace. However, his retirement gets interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who -- to his surprise -- inexplicably wields his magical hammer. Together, they set out on a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance. The heart of the Thor series is still alive after Thor: Ragnarok. Taika's style of filmmaking is very much present in this film and I still adore his directing. His comedic tone fits naturally for Chris Hemsworth's character and with his performance, it's a perfect fit for a Taika film. Taika's directing was very great in this film and we get to visit new worlds and it looks beautiful on the big screen. Taika knows how to capture the scope and scale of every scene and he does that very well. Including in his independent films and he translates that into his Marvel films. It still has the Taika flavor and at no point, it does not feel like a Marvel factory film. I want every Marvel film to be unique and different and so far, Phase four is promising that, except Black Widow. I was so happy to see Taika's vision on screen and it worked due to the cast and screenplay of the film. The cast was pretty great including Chris Hemsworth and Christian Bale. Chris's performance was funny and energetic. His character of Thor really improved when Taika directed the film and this time, Taika wrote the screenplay. With that screenplay, Chris really improved on the character's story, emotions, and overall performance. He steps up his A-game in this film and he delivers it. The comedy is funny and his emotional beats really worked for me. The villain, Gorr The God Butcher played by Christian Bale, was fantastic in his role. He really ripped the role and made his character great. The opening scene was fantastic and maybe the best marvel opening scene since Avengers Endgame. It's heartbreaking and dark when Gorr is in full control and he eats up the scene. It was a well-directed scene and Gorr in other scenes is amazing. His scene with the main heroes was one of my favorites and he really delivers 80% of the film's emotions. Christian Bale was too good to be in a Marvel film and he was my favorite character and actor in the film. I cannot forget about Natalie Portman as Mighty Thor. She was pretty great in the role. It was nice seeing her back in the film and she has a lot of emotional scenes in the film. Plus, her chemistry with Thor is still strong and their romance is pretty funny. The side characters were also very good as well like Valkyrie, Korg, and the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves. While the Guardians aren't in the film that much, they were still entertaining and it's nice to see them on the big screen again. All of the characters in the film were great in the film and the story itself is a step back from the previous sequel, but it is still strong due to its screenplay. The screenplay is way stronger than Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness. There are more emotional beats in this film than in the latest Marvel entry and there are risks taken in the end. While it's the same Marvel structure, I can tell Taika tried to make the structure a little more different and there are risks that I respect. The comedy written in the film was pretty funny. Some of it didn't land but I still laughed at the funny moments and this film plays a lot of comedic and heartful moments. It does that well and with the wholesome ending, I appreciate it more. The action sequences are pretty fun and the black and white scene was fantastic. That was creative and it had the most tension in the film. The cinematography still looks pretty great with some unique visuals and shots. Plus, the score is still great and memorable. I liked the production design of the film and the costumes are also improved from the previous Thor film. Overall, the production is great. This film took risks and I liked that. Not every risk works but it's something new and Taika delivered the screenplay well. Plus, the characters were amazing and the pacing was much quicker. It's another great entry in the Thor series but there are flaws that this film has not delivered that well. Taika's humor really works when there's a comedic scene or a moment that is right for a joke. He did that in Thor Ragnarok and it worked. But in this sequel, it worked, but 50%. There's a joke every three minutes and while that's good, that is also bad because it can ruin tension and suspense. Plus, if it is a serious moment, one joke can ruin the emotional moment. The goat joke was funny like two or three times. After that, I was just cringing the entire time. Not a lot of the jokes here weren't that funny at all. Some of it was plain bad while some were cringe. There wasn't a moment where I laughed hard and my theater wasn't even laughing that hard. That to me is a bad sign. The final serious scene in the film was great but the attempts at humor killed the scene but Bale's performance saved that scene. Another flaw that I thought about after watching different reviews is that the serious moments and serious topics in this film weren't that serious at all. Cancer is a huge topic in the film and while it's serious in serious moments, it's also comedic and they play it off. But the writing was played off in a bad way and I didn't get a chuckle in the film. I felt like the only truly serious moments would be Gorr on-screen and that's all because he's the villain and he has a tragic past. The comedy really disappointed me but some of the characters were pretty lacking. Korg didn't do much in this film than the previous Thor entry and we didn't get to explore Valkyrie's rulership of Asgard that much. Plus, there is a push of "the message" on screen. While it didn't bother me, I can see that they tried it too much. The ending for me it's great but I felt like I wish there was more time to make some scenes more engaging or more serious. Glad this film strayed away from cameos and other stuff in the main film. Those are my main screenplay issues but the visual issues are a big pile of mess. While there are some beautiful shots and the black and white scene was beautiful, the CGI was a mess. A lot of unnecessary CGI with Thor's helmet, poor lighting, and not utilizing the Stagecraft pretty well. That disappointed me and the film has a budget of $250 million dollars. That's insane. But I'm not saying that the cinematography was absolute dogshit. I'm just saying that Marvel should've taken time for VFX artists to create the CGI well and not rushed. I hope the next Marvel movie won't look as bad as this one. There are a little bit of character writing flaws like Valkyrie and some story issues in the second act of the film, it's still a great Marvel movie and I like the risks they are taking. I wish Taika would learn from his mistakes in this film and try to make the serious moments, serious, while the comedic or somewhat serious moments be comedic or a little comedic to get the audience to engage. He did that with the third Thor film and Jojo Rabbit. If you didn't like his style this time in this film, try to watch his other past films. He is still a fantastic filmmaker, and I cannot wait for his next film next year about soccer. While this is not Taika's best or worst film yet, it's still a solid entry into his filmography and a great entry in the Thor series. I still had a blast with this film due to the great performances, solid screenplay, and great directing. Yes, the comedy is a mixed bag and some of the visuals look iffy, but I still enjoyed what Taika has to offer. A lot of risks and some didn't work, some did. Overall, I really liked this film and it's one of the better Phase Four entries we got. I cannot wait for the next Thor film and those post-credit scenes really got me hyped up. But no more Patrick Bateman...Oof. Now Playing Only in Theaters in IMAX, Dolby Cinema and 3D. Vizeit Score: "B+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. |
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