New-Release Movies - Spoilers Within (Currently: Doctor Strange)

Started by TheGlyphstone, May 08, 2016, 05:14:38 PM

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Ravenhawk


Mathim

Saw it, really enjoyed it. Nowhere near as bad as reviews seemed to indicate, though that meant I went in with lowered expectations, so that may have helped. Kind of made me roll my eyes that not a single cast member looked 10 years older than DOFP. Also at the end I thought they could have devoted another 30 seconds of screen time to explaining that the Sentinels were just projections in the newly completed Danger Room, and that it used Cerebro-style technology to create realistic simulations so that they would be able to feel everything happening as if it were real. Because I took my older friend with me who never read comic books, I had to explain that to him myself and I still don't think he quite understood it. And also I was disappointed that despite Jubilee's appearance and her getting a few lines, she ended up never once showing her abilities or getting to participate in the finale. And I suppose an argument could be made that Angel becoming Archangel and being suddenly loyal to Apocalypse for no good reason should have been done better, since it seemed so forced on him, not unlike what his human captors were doing to him forcing him to cage fight (and to be fair, it looked to me like he was enjoying being the king of the cage, keeping score). But when a certain character started tearing shit up and blood started flying everywhere, you would have needed a meter stick to measure the smile on my face! We all owe Deadpool a tremendous debt of gratitude for enabling them to grow a pair and not tiptoe around a hardcore stab-happy badass' rampage and show zero blood, even in a PG-13 movie where you can apparently get away with a surprising amount of it. Actually, now that I think about it they probably could have done two more things: Apocalypse's pyramid technology ought to have been explained as being alien in origin, thus hinting at the Shii'ar Empire so they could use that in future movies and have it already established as existing (these timelines are so confusing!). And Jean's suddenly unleashing her internal Phoenix Force without any hint of buildup and with complete control was too Deus Ex Machina-y. If they had gone with the alien tech pyramid stuff like I suggested, she could have found something resembling the M'Kraan crystal and maybe gotten the Phoenix powers from that instead of manifesting them from herself which is not how it's supposed to be.
Considering a permanent retirement from Elliquiy, but you can find me on Blue Moon (under the same username).

Beorning

If I may conduct some thread necromancy here... ;)

I finally managed to see X-Men: Apocalypse and... I didn't like it very much. There were some good moments there, but overall, the movie just felt... off. Too much obvious CGI, for once  ::) Also, I really feel that Apocalypse was way overpowered in that movie. If this guy could decapitate people with dust without raising an eyebrow or disintigrate cities and build high-tech pyramids with just some concentration, then... how the heck did he manage to lose? He should've been able to kill the X-Men on sight...

My other gripe is with how Magneto and Storm were forgiven after Apocalypse's defeat. Sorry, but these two were complicit to killing millions of people! And the X-Men just pat them on the back and invite them in???

I'm also not happy with the treatment of Angel, who was completely wasted by this movie... Finally, I must admit that the Magneto scenes taking place in Poland were... awful. Some historical nonsense and very bad acting there. And don't get me started on the idea of the Polish cops being armed with bows and arrows...  ::)

On another note: I also saw Civil War recently and I loved it! :) BTW. I see the question was raised of what would Cap do, now that he gave up his shield. Well, I'm certain that T'Challa can supply him with a new one... It actually did happen in the comics once. Back when Steve was fired from being Captain America and replaced with John Walker (that later became USAgent), he had to give up his shield and uniform. So, he continued adventuring as The Captain and did indeed receive a new shield from Wakanda!

Mathim

Quote from: Beorning on July 27, 2016, 03:12:17 PM
If I may conduct some thread necromancy here... ;)

I finally managed to see X-Men: Apocalypse and... I didn't like it very much. There were some good moments there, but overall, the movie just felt... off. Too much obvious CGI, for once  ::) Also, I really feel that Apocalypse was way overpowered in that movie. If this guy could decapitate people with dust without raising an eyebrow or disintigrate cities and build high-tech pyramids with just some concentration, then... how the heck did he manage to lose? He should've been able to kill the X-Men on sight...

My other gripe is with how Magneto and Storm were forgiven after Apocalypse's defeat. Sorry, but these two were complicit to killing millions of people! And the X-Men just pat them on the back and invite them in???

I'm also not happy with the treatment of Angel, who was completely wasted by this movie... Finally, I must admit that the Magneto scenes taking place in Poland were... awful. Some historical nonsense and very bad acting there. And don't get me started on the idea of the Polish cops being armed with bows and arrows...  ::)

On another note: I also saw Civil War recently and I loved it! :) BTW. I see the question was raised of what would Cap do, now that he gave up his shield. Well, I'm certain that T'Challa can supply him with a new one... It actually did happen in the comics once. Back when Steve was fired from being Captain America and replaced with John Walker (that later became USAgent), he had to give up his shield and uniform. So, he continued adventuring as The Captain and did indeed receive a new shield from Wakanda!

I don't disagree with you on anything about X-Men Apocalypse, and I would add that Jubilee's presence was wasted as well as she didn't do a single thing with her powers. Hopefully the next movie gives her some more to do. Also they neglected to treat the Phoenix force with the dignity it deserves and turned it into a Deus Ex Machina. But on the plus side, Quicksilver was fucking awesome, and got TWO scenes to really shine in, and we finally, at long last, got to see the REAL Wolverine cutting loose and getting down with his bad self. I really want that to happen in his next (and final? As Hugh Jackman, at least) solo movie.

As for Civil War, yeah, I believe T'Challa will kindly supply the team with any and all upgrades they need, like maybe a vibranium arm for Bucky, a vibranium Ant-Man helmet for Scott, and perhaps a new shield for Cap with multiple layers so that in a pinch Cap can split it into two shields at once, and be able to throw one while still being able to defend while holding the other.

And I just got back from Star Trek Beyond. I usually wait a week before seeing new release movies but since it was the middle of the week and the first showing of the day, I rolled the dice and luckily the theater was mostly empty. Also I bought a Fandango ticket online and for some reason, the ticket taker at the counter didn't need me to pay for an extra ticket for my friend, so I saved about 12 bucks not having to pay for him to get in too (I spent a little over half of that savings on a soda, though.)
Anyway, about the movie. I liked it a lot. I would go as far as to say I liked it more than Into Darkness but not quite as much as the first one. I think what would have made me enjoy it more than the first film would have been if the villain (played by Idris Elba) had gotten to show his origin and motivations earlier on, because they didn't actually show it til the very end which left me feeling confused and unsatisfied by his inexplicable dislike of trusting and relying on others, and vendetta against Star Fleet. It made sense in the end, to be sure, but they waited too long for it to have the impact it should have. I feel like if they'd figured it out in the middle that would have made the difference.
The new character, Jaylah-holy shit, I have a new favorite character. Badass, exotic, sexy as hell, kick-ass fighter, smart as a whip and she can actually tolerate Scotty enough to possibly be a romantic interest for him. While I will miss Anton Yelchin as Chekov, I am so on board with having her be a replacement, she would fit far, far better than Alice Eve (who was not missed at all; I didn't even think of her til just now). Besides, then it would be a less unbalanced mix of male-to-female main characters. The action is pulse-pounding, the visuals are some of the best I've ever seen (and this is extremely high praise), the acting remains top-notch, the characters' chemistry is universally excellent, and the choreography of the action scenes is clever and dazzling. I give it an 8/10, would have given it a 9/10 if it had revealed the villain's whole backstory and motivation at the halfway point instead of near the end (that kind of made it feel like The Dark Knight where after the hospital blew up, you were ready for the movie to be over), and if they had done something about Chekov since he won't be able to appear in the rest of the series. It almost felt like the early scene with Kirk and Bones toasting over a scotch they stole out of Chekov's locker was meant to be a memorial, but then Chekov remained prominent throughout the film. They could have easily put in a scene showing him dying heroically and had Kirk's birthday party in the end be also a memorial for their fallen comrade and put a neat and tidy lid on that tragedy.
Considering a permanent retirement from Elliquiy, but you can find me on Blue Moon (under the same username).

Ravenhawk

Ok, I know we have not officially changed topic.... but Suicide Squad... Yay or Nay?

Soumis

I saw Suicide Squad today, and I have to say I was disappointed. I felt like a majority of the dialog was incredibly forced, and the whole movie felt very rushed. I also feel like the plot wasn't very well developed. Enchantress was creating a 'weapon', which had a lot of flashing lights and special effects but it was never clarified what the weapon was... All of a sudden her brother was in the picture, I just feel like it was very confusing.

The back stories weren't well done. I was most looking forward to Harley Quinn, and both her, Enchantress, and Deadshot were the only three who were really given any sort of 'coherent' back story. Harley was the Joker's doctor, then in love with him and he asks for a machine gun. The next scene is his cohorts breaking into Arkham with machine guns... It just didn't make a lot of sense to me.

Enchantress was briefly explained. The fact she had a brother wasn't even touched on until she found him in Waller's closet. Then it was a big deal that Waller had her heart, but in the end it didn't really matter because she could draw from her brother's power... But in the end it was her heart that killed her? Just... Not well done at all. Very confusing and hard to follow, I thought.

Deadshot was shown to be this incredible assassin, and for some reason his story just didn't resonate with me. Then, when Waller is ready to test him she sets up four targets in front of him, and he spends more time hitting the same four targets then he does developing his back story.

Captain Boomerang, Katana, Diablo, and Killer Croc, were not afforded any of the same luxury of a real backstory.

I thought the Joker was present the perfect amount, but I'm not a fan of Jared Leto anyways. At one point he tells Harley to jump into a vat of 'acid', then jumps in after her and they kiss in a swirl of color... like, wtf?

Overall, very disappointed. I compare DC to Marvel, and it just isn't even much of a competition. With Marvel movies I always feel like I've been plopped down into a different world where superheros exist, and the banter between them feels natural. Sure, it has it's faults, but nothing near DC. It's a shame, I feel like they could have done so much with this story and they absolutely failed.

Ravenhawk

My feeling is that DC has great actors, great characters, great action directors, poor writers. They need to pull over their animated movie's script writers and have them do the live action scripts.

Markus

IMO, Cap America: Civil War > Superman vs Batman > Suicide Squad. On a side note, doubt anyone will be able to top Heath Ledger's Joker.


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mia h

markus, you forgot a couple of comic book movies
Deadpool---------------->Civil War> Suicide Squad > BvS v X Men > Turtles  ;)

There is obviously a big difference at the box office between Marvel & DC films, which highlights an underlying issue. Films don't make big money because people pay to see them, they make big money when people want to see them again. The market is there for both Marvel & DC films, it's just that when people get off Marvel's roller-coasters they want to join the queue and ride again.

If found acting like an idiot, apply Gibbs-slap to reboot system.

Markus

mia, I think Marvel's hit upon a formula which has worked, at least so far. Most of their films since Avengers, have been a happy combo of funny, witty dialogue, a few well defined action set pieces (the opening car chase for Deadpool, the climactic new york battle in Avengers etc.), reasonably bad baddies (Loki, Ultron, Mandarin etc.) who get beat in the end by the good guy(s). Each film serves its own plot, while also advancing the overall story arc and setting things up for a sequel. I think DC is moving in this direction as well, (Suicide Squad appears to be set directly after Superman vs Batman) albeit with less success.


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Mathim

Quote from: markus on August 15, 2016, 09:14:19 PM
mia, I think Marvel's hit upon a formula which has worked, at least so far. Most of their films since Avengers, have been a happy combo of funny, witty dialogue, a few well defined action set pieces (the opening car chase for Deadpool, the climactic new york battle in Avengers etc.), reasonably bad baddies (Loki, Ultron, Mandarin etc.) who get beat in the end by the good guy(s). Each film serves its own plot, while also advancing the overall story arc and setting things up for a sequel. I think DC is moving in this direction as well, (Suicide Squad appears to be set directly after Superman vs Batman) albeit with less success.

Absolutely right, and Doctor Strange takes this formula to the next level. Better than average writing, a complete evolution of visual effects action scenes, and tremendous caliber acting made it probably the best one so far, and I do not say that lightly. It's most certainly in the top 3, without exaggeration. The way he tangled with Dormammu in the end, tricking him like that, staring him down like a boss no matter how many times Dormammu tried to kill him, that was absolutely brilliant. "You are MY prisoner!" So awesome. I seriously want a gif with him flinging the cap on himself with a caption at the bottom that says "Like a boss".
Considering a permanent retirement from Elliquiy, but you can find me on Blue Moon (under the same username).

Ravenhawk

Quote from: Mathim on November 07, 2016, 09:00:42 AM
Absolutely right, and Doctor Strange takes this formula to the next level. Better than average writing, a complete evolution of visual effects action scenes, and tremendous caliber acting made it probably the best one so far, and I do not say that lightly. It's most certainly in the top 3, without exaggeration. The way he tangled with Dormammu in the end, tricking him like that, staring him down like a boss no matter how many times Dormammu tried to kill him, that was absolutely brilliant. "You are MY prisoner!" So awesome. I seriously want a gif with him flinging the cap on himself with a caption at the bottom that says "Like a boss".

Dormammu was't trying to kill him, he was killing him, but Strange had set up a temporal loop, and like the movie Groundhog Day, that just reset the loop. My question is, did Strange remember all those deaths? My guess is that he did, but both of them were forced by the loop to repeat the first few seconds all the time.

I like how they managed to set a time-frame for the beginning of the movie by referencing Rhodie's injury without actually saying his name. That's a sublty I haven't noticed too often in the series, and just goes to show how each movie can reinforce the story lines in another, without being needed for the story. Well, except when the previous movie is used to boost a storyline, like Stark's evolved case of PTSD in 3 after Avengers.

mia h

Quote from: Ravenhawk on November 07, 2016, 04:42:04 PM
I like how they managed to set a time-frame for the beginning of the movie by referencing Rhodie's injury without actually saying his name. That's a sublty I haven't noticed too often in the series, and just goes to show how each movie can reinforce the story lines in another, without being needed for the story. Well, except when the previous movie is used to boost a storyline, like Stark's evolved case of PTSD in 3 after Avengers.
I thought that as well, except it isn't Rhodie. The patient was 35 year old wearing experimental armour, Rhodie looks a little bit more than 35 and the film makers said it wasn't Rhodie. Also near the start there was a shot of Stark Tower in New York, but it only had the A of Stark on the building, like it was right after the Battle of New York which you'd have thought that would have been fixed soon after, meaning that Strange's car accident happened somewhere between Avengers and Iron Man 3, so way before Civil War and Rhodie's injury.
If found acting like an idiot, apply Gibbs-slap to reboot system.

Mathim

Quote from: Ravenhawk on November 07, 2016, 04:42:04 PM
Dormammu was't trying to kill him, he was killing him, but Strange had set up a temporal loop, and like the movie Groundhog Day, that just reset the loop. My question is, did Strange remember all those deaths? My guess is that he did, but both of them were forced by the loop to repeat the first few seconds all the time.

I like how they managed to set a time-frame for the beginning of the movie by referencing Rhodie's injury without actually saying his name. That's a sublty I haven't noticed too often in the series, and just goes to show how each movie can reinforce the story lines in another, without being needed for the story. Well, except when the previous movie is used to boost a storyline, like Stark's evolved case of PTSD in 3 after Avengers.

He never succeeded in killing him for real, so it was all just attempts. He set it up in advance to make it impossible, which I didn't see coming, though it's awesome to see that if you get it right, you can set up an infinite loop with it; we never had precedent to believe it could do that, or at least not without learning more about it first. Strange clearly did remember all of them since every time he said he wanted to bargain with Dormammu, his voice was getting more and more tired of saying it. So awesome, and to think most everybody believed the Eye of Agamotto was the Soul Gem instead of the Time Gem. At least the given constraints on when this took place has it making sense why he'd be on HYDRA's radar in The Winter Soldier, since when he was still a neurosurgeon, he probably would have sided with them, being all arrogant and liking power and status. They could even set him up with some unethical medical experiments that would fascinate him. So it's for the best he lost that talent. And you gotta love that little thing at the end of the credits that said "Please drive responsibly". LOL. Although, he never should have survived that crash. Someone on youtube also compared Dormammu's portrayal with Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer having Galactus as a cloud. What a load of crap! Dormammu had a face, and actually DID stuff, unlike the Galactus cloud. Although I was kind of expecting him to have a flaming head like in the Spider-Man cartoon. But maybe with Ghost Rider around, they didn't want something like that.
Considering a permanent retirement from Elliquiy, but you can find me on Blue Moon (under the same username).