Ranking Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Now that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is in theaters, I thought it would be fitting to let you know where it ranks on my list of "best" MCU films. 

1. The Avengers
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Captain America: Civil War
4. Doctor Strange
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
7. Ant-Man
8. Iron Man
9. Avengers: Age of Ultron
10. Thor
11. Captain America: The First Avenger
12. Thor: The Dark World
13. The Incredible Hulk
14. Iron Man 3
15. Iron Man 2

Late Review: Suicide Squad

IMDb

Title: Suicide Squad
Distributor: Atlas Entertainment, DC Comics (Warner Bros.)
Director:  David Ayer
Writer(s): David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, and Joel Kinnaman
MPAA Rating: Rated PG - 13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content, and language.
Running Time: 123 min
Synopsis: A secret government agency recruits a group of imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency, which inevitably leads to chaos.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 26% "Fresh", Top Critics: 19% "Fresh", Audience: 72% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 40 out of 100, Users: 6.8
MRQE: 45 out 100

My Review

Preface: I know this review is super late, but I still wanted to let you all know my thoughts and feeling on this film. Just in case SPOILER WARNING!!!

Source Material: The Suicide Squad is "team" of villains from the DC Comics universe. Robert Kangigher and Ross Andru are the creators of the original Suicide Squad comic.

Entertaining Value: 7

• Action Elements: There are two or three big action sequences that are really good. John Campea and Collider Movie Talk crew compared the "minions" of the main villain to the putties from the Power Rangers, which I believe is a fair assessment. With that being said, the fight sequences with those "minions" were the best of the movie.

• Comedy Elements: I was a little disappointed. I know DC typically is darker with their films, I thought this one would have been a bit lighter in tone.

• Dramatic Elements: They tried really hard to make Deadshot's backstory the "tug at your heartstring" moment.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: With all the talk of "Metahumans" you would think there would be more "Metahumans" in the film. There were only three of them, four if you count the cameo from The Flash.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 7: One of my fears of this films was that Will Smith would hog the limelight, he doesn't surprisingly. He might not have stolen the limelight but he brought a lot of himself to the character of Deadshot. There were a good amount of Will Smith-ism that made Deadshot feel less like Deadshot. I thought Will Smith had some of the best lines. He brought most of the humor to the film. Margot Robbie nailed the essence of Harley Quinn. The perfect mixture of sexy and insanity wrap up in a package of fun and excitement. I enjoyed Jared Leto's Joker, even though he wasn't a major presence in the film. Jai Courtney was a pleasant surprise as Boomerang.

• Cinematography: 7: There were some really cool shots. Overall, there really wasn't anything that stood out or amazed me.

• Direction: 6: David Ayer a filmmaker known for showcasing the courageous life of the military / police force (LAPD) is going to tackle a "team" made up of villains. I think he did a decent job at capturing the Suicide Squad as a unit, led by a military man. He got good performances out of his actors, and I can see his vision for the film, but I was unsatisfied as an audience member by the end of the film, due primarily to the writing which Mr. Ayer is responsible for, as well.

• Editing: 4: One of the major problems I had with BvS was the flashbacks / flashforwards which had little to no explanation. I think Suicide Squad suffers slightly from this same problem. At least the flashbacks in this film served as makeshift origin stories, giving them some substance. It felt to me like the filmmakers had awesome written scenes, for each individual character, but didn't know how to piece them together into a cohesive story. The flashbacks that DID work were the ones during the "starting line-up" portion of the film, which happens within the first half hour of the film.

• Screenplay: 3.5: I enjoyed the first third of this film from a story standpoint, granted it was basically a starting line-up. Using this format worked though because the average movie going audience only knows, The Joker, and maybe Harley Quinn. From watching Arrow and The Flash on the CW, I know a little about Deadshot and Boomerang. Besides that, I know basically nothing about the characters on screen. By the time the film ends, I really didn't care for anybody except for Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and The Joker. There was no emotional attachment to any of the ancillary characters. The "I will die for you because we are a family" bit at the films climax was unbelievable because there was no character development throughout the film. The whole team was assembled in less than 24 hours. The only common thread between each character is that they are "villains" or at the very least heinous criminals. They weren't even cellmates in the secret "metahuman" prison. I don't understand how any of them have a meaningful relationship with one another, without interaction. You know who did the "Rag-tag team of criminals / anti-heroes turned heroes" better, Marvel, with Guardians of the Galaxy. It possible to have a fun adventurous movies focusing on a team of miscreants heroes with fleshed out backstories.

• Sound and Music: 5: I was having fun with the soundtrack near the beginning of the film because it was very much like a starting line-up of a sporting event. As the film progressed it became more annoying. The pop music transitioned to a score near the third act of the film, which was nice.

• VFX: 7: The film was dark, not from a tone standpoint. It was night time, meaning covering up details. Overall the character design of the "metahuman" was good, except for the "minions." They were black and gray humanoid blob-ish figures, like I mention before "putties from the Power Rangers." El Diablo's shining moments were some of better visual aspects of this film.

Overall: 6: I had a decent time at the theater. I think it was at par with BvS, if not slightly better. I don't think I can recommend this film for the general audience.

X-Men: Apocalypse Review

IMDb

Title: X-Men: Apocalypse
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Bryan Singer
Writer(s): Simon Kinberg (screenplay) and Bryan Singer (story).
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Rose Byrne, Evan Peters, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Lucas Till, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Hardy, Alexandra Shipp, and Olivia Munn.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence, action and destruction, brief strong language and some suggestive images.  
Running Time: 144 min
Synopsis: With the emergence of the world's first mutant, Apocalypse, the X-Men must unite to defeat his extinction level plan.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 48% "Fresh", Top Critics: 36% "Fresh", Audience: 74% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 52 out of 100, Users: 7.2 out of 10
MRQE: 58 out of 100

My Review

Source Material: Characters based on Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's design. The story was inspired by the X-men comics.  

Entertaining Value: 8

• Action Elements:  The action felt much like a roller coaster ride, but overall it was fairly entertaining.  

• Comedy Elements: There were some well-placed one-liners. It wasn't as light hearted as most of the films in the MCU.  

• Dramatic Elements: The "dramatic" moments could have been slightly better. For me, this is where some of the writing falls flat.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: This film explores further down the comic book rabbit hole. With the X-men films, many different superhero abilities are showcased. 

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 7: I would like to compare and contrast the old face with the new faces. Frist of all, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender has some of the best acting onscreen. I totally buy into them being younger versions of Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen. The onscreen friendship between Charles and Erik is echoed through all the X-men films. Which says a lot about James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender's acting chops. I really enjoyed Evan Peters as Quicksilver again. His character was one the best characters onscreen, especially his dialogue. The weakest performance out of the old faces was Jennifer Lawrence. I felt like JLaw wasn't feeling her character anymore. Her performance was fairly emotionless and kind of flat. Don't get me wrong, Jennifer Lawrence is a very talented actress and her performance in this film overall was decent, there was just an atmosphere of "not caring." I'm a bit torn on what the actual problem was her acting or how her character was written.

The new faces were a delight. Oscar Isaac is having a killer career right now. He goes from being the best fighter pilot in the galaxy, Poe Dameron, to the most powerful mutant to ever live, Apocalypse. I thought his performance as Apocalypse was spot on. I enjoyed most of the new cast, the two that stood out the most was Tye Sheridan and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Sheridan captured a young Scott Summers nicely, but it was Smit-McPhee's Nightcrawler that captured my attention. The joy I experienced from Quicksilver in Days of Future Past is about equal to the joy I experienced from Nightcrawler in this film. The both of them together created good comic relief.        

• Cinematography: 7: I know what I'm about to praise belongs more to Production Design or even Costume Design. I really liked the design of each character minus Psylocke. I will give them props for being accurate to the comic book design. I thought it a bit odd that Psylocke doesn't get the same treatment as the other horsemen, cosmetically speaking. The other three horsemen gain bad ass battle armor-esk upgrades, Psylocke gains a leotard. I don't mind seeing Olivia Munn in that outfit, but it felt somewhat out of place, especially during the Auschwitz scene. I know there was a lot of hate going around the internet about Apocalypse costume looking like Ivan Ooze, not the case in the actual film. I also enjoy the set pieces. I really enjoyed the Egypt scene at the beginning. I guess I need more epic films set in Egypt. As far as the cinematography goes, the subject meant for this section of the review, it was adequate. The filmmakers use old school camera tricks to convey Superspeed, which added to the Quicksilver scenes.   

• Direction: 7: When I look at Bryan Singer's career, I see The Usual Suspects, a cinematic masterpiece to most, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, which was in my top five best comic book movies until the MCU happened. Continuing down the list of movies from Singer's filmography, I can say he's a decent director. I say that even with the few "duds" he directed, which in my opinion are Superman Returns and Jack the Giant Slayer. I was one of the few excited that he returned to the X-Men universe with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Since that movie was hit amongst critic and fans, I went into this film with high expectations. Unfortunately, I left slightly disappointed. I felt his directing chops wasn't on par with this film. Even though this sounds negative, a seven on my scale is good.             

• Editing: 6.5: There was a lot going on. The were a least three for four different storylines, which meant jumping between them. Some of the jumps were disruptive to what was happening on screen. I'm glad this aspect of the editing started to disappear near the middle of the act two when the storyline began to converge.

• Screenplay: 6: I think the weakest part of the story was character development. This wasn't a problem across the board. I thought Professor X, Magneto, and Apocalypse's stories and motives were the most fleshed out. On the other hand, I wasn't that interested in Mystique storyline, that may be due to JLaw's performance. Apocalypse horsemen weren't the most fleshed out either. Storm has aspirations to be a strong female hero, Angel / Archangel is down on his luck since his wings are broken, and Psylocke is sexy, I really don't know what is going on with her character. The characters on the X-men side of the fight were better, except for Jubilee. I'm curious to know the reasoning behind why the filmmakers cut the mall scene from the film. That would have driven home, the fact that these are teens.

• Sound and Music: 7: I really enjoyed the music selection. I'm glad they use Quicksilver as a window into the time period musically.   

• VFX: 8: The best scenes in the film are the Quicksilver scenes. I liked how they achieved the superspeed in the film. My understanding is it was a camera trick mixed with some visual effects. There were some really good particle effects as well. The Jungle Book sets the bar for the best visual effects of this year. So far, no film has quite hit that mark of quality in visual effects.

Overall: 7: I had a good time at the theater. As of right now, here is where I rank the films in the X-men franchise:

1. X-Men: Day of Future Pat
2. X2: X-Men United
3. X-Men: First Class
4. Deadpool
5. X-Men
6. X-Men: Apocalypse
7. X-Men: The Last Stand
8. The Wolverine
9.  X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Hopefully, that give you a better idea of how much I liked / disliked this film. Overall it wasn't that bad of a film.    

Captain America: Civil War Review

IMDb

Title: Captain America: Civil War
Distributor: Marvel Studios (Disney)
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writer(s): Christopher Markus,Stephen McFeely
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr.,Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, and Tom Holland
MPAA Rating: PG-13 
Running Time: 146 min
Synopsis: Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% "Fresh", Top Critics: 89% "Fresh", Audience: 90% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 75 out of 100, Users: 8.4 out of 10
MRQE: 77 out of 100

My Review

Preface: I'm going to try my very best to do a spoiler free review. With that being said, there may be a few minor spoilers that pop-up as part of negatives with the film. You have been warned.

Source Material: Inspired by the Civil War comic written by Mark Miller. Character based off of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby work.

Entertaining Value: 8.5

• Action Elements: The action in this film isn't non-stop but there is quite a bit. I have to note that the action in this film was well choreographed. There was some shaky cam, but it was well placed. I liked how the action made sense relative to the story. I didn't really get the vibe that there was action, for action's sake.

• Comedy Elements: What this film did well for me was balancing the various cinematic elements. The filmmaker's allowed the comedic character's to be the comic relief. Everyone doesn't need to be quipping all the time to make funny moments. Which has been a part of Marvel's formula for a while. It was nice to see the comedic moments play out slightly different than the normal Marvel wheel-house of comedy.

• Dramatic Elements: The tension and dramatic moments were better in this film than other Marvel film. This is a summer blockbuster, action thriller, comic book movie, I wasn't expecting much drama.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: What I'm liking about  "stand-alone" films of the MCU is that they feel more like non-comic book movie. For Example Captain America: The Winter Soldier was a spy thriller starring Captian America, and Ant-Man was a heist film starring Ant-man. What I'm pointing out is that each of these films, comic book fantasies isn't bogging down the story, they are enhancing them. Captain America: Civil War is no exception.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 8: We have seen a lot of these actors / actresses multiple times as their character in the MCU, for me, I think most have stepped up their game. I use to call Chris Evans, the "bro" of Hollywood because he basically played that type of character in all of his roles. Let's face it, he will always be remembered as Captain America. I have to take a minute to praise the newcomers. This film introduced T'Challa / Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Peter Parker / Spider-Man (Tom Holland) to the MCU. Chadwick Boseman is definitely on the uprise as a star. Before this role he played to iconic roles of Jackie Robinson in 42, and James Brown in Get on Up. The newest newcomer, Tom Holland, was perfect as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Some of the credit here has to be given to the writers, as well, but it was Holland's portrayal that got be excited for a Spider-Man Homecoming.

• Cinematography: 8.5: Two things have to be right when it comes to this type of movie. One, the filmmakers have to capture iconic images from the source material. This film did that well. Secondly, they have to capture action that flows well. From that standpoint, I thought The Winter Soldier executed that aspect better, but overall the action shots in this film were great. The opening action sequence I would have eliminated, not for its action, but for it writing, I will explain why later.

• Direction: 8: The one aspect I have to give props to the Russo brother for is their ability to film action. We saw this ability in full force during The Winter Soldier. It was heavily prevalent in this film as well. Which still baffles me, since they guys were known for comedies such as the television show, Community. I'm glad Marvel is moving forward with these two for Infinity War Parts I and II. Nothing against Joss Whedon but Age of Ultron was a bit of a visual overload when it came to the action. I hope the Russo brother take what they have learned on this film and The Winter Soldier and apply it to Infinity War Parts I and II, without getting burnt out like Joss. Action aside, I think the Russo's did a great job at the other aspect of directing. They got the best performance out the actors/ actresses that served the story. They also told a fairly compelling visual story. That two aspect is basally all I ask from any director.

• Editing: 8: It wasn't a mess like BvS. The flashbacks actually made sense.

• Screenplay: 7: I think overall the story was fine. There would have been a few areas I would have changed. First of all the fight vs Crossbones was more or less pointless, in my opinion. I understand why that scene was there, but the characters involved, primarily Crossbones, was out of place. Second I wish the film felt a little more warlike. I felt the film was more like "Captain America: Civil Dispute." Yes, there are some really cool battle sequences, one of which is the airport scene from the trailer. That scene is a huge battle. You may go into the film rooting for one team and come out rooting for the other. Even though the film, delivering on those aspects of war, I still did get a war atmosphere. I think raising the stakes by killing an Avenger would have been very impactful. Let's face it, Quicksilver's death in Age of Ultron had no impact. No one even mentions his death, including his sister, Wanda aka Scarlet Witch. I think killing off Rhodey aka War Machine or Bucky aka The Winter Soldier would have had a major influence on the Avengers emotionally. This death could have lead to Captain America surrendering, therefore, signing the Sokovia Accords ending the Civil War. That ending would have aligned more with the comic book. Third Marvel needs better-written villains, Zemo was another weak villain.

• Sound and Music: 7: Nothing spectacular stood out musically or in the sound mixing.

• VFX: 9: I'm guessing there are more CGI effect shots then I realize, which is a good thing. The Hulk doesn't appear but Iron Man dose. The down aging of RDJ was kind of weird, but overall it worked. I'm sure this film will be considered for the shortlist of nominations for visual effects during award season. If I were to venture a guess right now I would say The Jungle Book takes home the prize. I think BFG, Warcraft, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will also be top contenders, as well.

Overall: 8.5: I really enjoyed this film overall. I recommend that you see this one in the theater. At the moment, this film has earned a spot in the Top Five best MCU Movies. I also want to remind you that this  film is the third movie in the Captain America trilogy while at the same time Avengers 2.5. The fact this film is basically both of those things is part of the reason it is good.

Review: Deadpool

IMDb

Title: Deadpool
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Director: Tim Miller
Writer(s): Rob Liefeld (character), Fabian Nicieza (character), Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick  
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller,  Ed Skrein
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity.
Running Time: 108 min
Synopsis: A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter-ego Deadpool.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 84% "Fresh", Top Critics: 76% "Fresh", Audience: 96% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 65 out of 100, Users: 8.4 out of 10
MRQE: 69 out of 100

My Review

Source Material: Based on the comic book character of the same name.

Entertaining Value:

• Action Elements: For being a "superhero" film this one doesn't have non-stop action like all the other one out there. It was nice to watch a film in this genre and not be exhausted from all the action. This film had nice bookend action sequences.

• Comedy Elements: This film was one of the funniest films I have seen in awhile. You know you are in for a good time during the opening credits.

• Dramatic Elements: There are a few heartfelt moments, there, not the best but you shouldn't be watching Deadpool for it's dramatic moments.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: Deadpool lives in the same universe as the X-men, so expect those types of fantasy elements.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 8: Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool. If you know the character of Deadpool you would agree. T.J Miller as Weasel was great. Some of the better scenes are the interactions between Reynolds and Miller. Them riffing off one another was hilarious. I always laugh when a film cast a "martial artist" (I'm including pro-wrestlers in that general term) and basically edits around their less than stellar acting. The filmmakers know what they are doing. If you need a built chick to throw some heavy punch you hire Gina Carano. For me, Ed Skrein did a decent job as Ajax, but that might not be 100% his fault because I though Ajax was a weak bad guy.

• Cinematography: 8: What I liked the most about the cinematography was how fluid it was during the action scenes. Sometimes it's better to allow the action to happen without bringing in the shaky cam. The open sequence highlights exactly what I'm talking about.

• Direction: 7: For his first major film as a director, Tim Miller did a great job. When you watch the film you can tell Tim understands the strengths and weakness of VFX.

• Editing: 7: I liked the juxtaposed between the past and the present.

• Screenplay: 7: The screenwriters captured the character of Deadpool to a "t". The breaking the 4th wall knack that Deadpool has could have been cheesy and quite dumb after a while, but it wasn't. It was one of the funniest parts of this film. The comic timing in this film was perfect. As far as the story goes, well, in my opinion, it was an origin story, but funnier. For me, the weakest part of the story was the villain, but that a problem with Marvel Comics in general. (DC Comics has better villains.)

• Sound and Music: 8: A fun soundtrack that fits perfectly with what happens on screen. There are even a few jokes surrounding the music.

• VFX: 8: Very well done, and I would hope so with Tim Miller as the director. I'm not saying he is a well established visual effect artist, but based on this film and a few video games he helped on, I would say he knows enough to make it look good.

Overall: 7.5: I can't say, "Deadpool was the best comic book movies ever made." Yes, it's very entertaining movies. It's a very funny movie, with that being said, its humor is only going to work for certain types of people. (The people who get and like Deadpool as a character.) Also, the R rating is going to turn some people off (The filmmakers fully take advantage of their R rating) Overall, it was a very good movie, but it's not for everybody, and definitely not for children.

Best / Worst 2015 + Most Anticipated 2016

Preface: I haven't seen as many films this year as years past. This is partly due to the size of the town I live in and the availability of films at my local theater. Therefore, my list of the best and worst film of 2015 may not reflect the "popular" view. Before giving my list of best movies of 2015, let me share with you, my favorite films separated out via genre.      

Action: Mad Max: Fury Road 
Adventure: Tomorrowland 
Animation: Inside Out 
Comedy: Ant-Man 
Comic Book: Ant-Man  
Crime / Mystery: Mr. Holmes 
Drama: Tentatively: Spotlight 
Fantasy: Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
Historical or Bio Pic: Straight Outta Compton  
Horror: It Follows 
Indie Film: Ex Machina 
Musical: Straight Outta Compton  
Sci-Fi: The Martian 
Thriller: Mission Impossible Rogue Nation 
Western: Tentatively: The Revenant

Notes: I still have a lot of films to catch up on that came out in 2015, hence why Spotlight and The Revenant have "Tentatively" attached to them. As far as Western go, The Hateful Eight could give The Revenant a run for its money, but then again I'm more anticipating The Revenant. The Drama genre has quite a few films that could slide in as my favorite, but Spotlight looks the most promising. The weakest genres this year was comedy, horror, and musicals. Most of the "pure" comedies in 2015 were stinkers critical, therefore, I didn't buy a ticket and watch them in the theater.

Best:

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
2. Ex Machina 
3. The Martian 
4. Inside Out 
5. Ant-Man  
6. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation 
7. The Peanuts Movie 
8. Mad Max: Fury Road 
9. Kingsman: The Secret Service 
10. Straight Outta Compton  

Honorable Mentions: 

Avengers Age of Ultron 
Jurassic World 
Mr. Holmes

Notes: Let me start with my honorable mention. Avengers Age of Ultron and Jurassic World got me in the theater and gave me a good time while I was there, but didn't quite make my top ten. Mr. Holmes just barely made my list. Mr. Holmes was by far in my top films of 2015, but when I narrowed my list to 10 it didn't make the cut. Star Wars: The Force Awakens might not be the "best" film overall, but it impacted me on all levels. Personally, I think Ex Machina is a better film than Star Wars, but I was more entertained by Star Wars.

Worst: 

1. Fifty Shades of Grey 
2. Pixels 
3. Pan 
4. Jupiter Ascending 
5. Minions 
6. Fantastic 4 
7. Chappie 
8. Pitch Perfect 2 
9. The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials 
10. Tomorrowland

Notes: I got to be honest, I didn't watch half of these movies. Primarily because they had bad reviews across the board, including the people in my closest social circles. Some of you may be confused at seeing Tomorrowland on my worst list since it's on my favorites list above. Well, Tomorrowland, had really good adventure qualities, you may say the best of the year. Heck, overall Tomorrowland wasn't really that bad of a film, but it was very disappointing, hence why it's at the bottom of the list. Fun fact: Pixels was on my most anticipated list of last year, but sank to the bottom of the barrel after seeing the trailer.

Most Anticipated 2016: 

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 
2. Captain America: Civil War 
3. Deadpool 
4. X-Men: Apocalypse 
5. Warcraft 
6. Suicide Squad 
7. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 
8. The Jungle Book 
9. Doctor Strange (not sure if this trailer is the REAL official or not) 
10. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Notes: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice started near the top of this list but drop drastically once I saw the full trailer, and it revealed what seems to be the entire movie. I'm equally pumped and nervous for Captain America: Civil War. On one hand, it could be just as good Captain America: The Winter Soldier or it could swing the other way and just be Avenger 2.5 and focus too much time on the ancillary characters.   

Review: Ant-Man

IMDb 

Title: Ant-Man
Distributor: Marvel Studio (Disney)
Director: Peyton Reed
Writer(s): Edgar Wright (screenplay), Joe Cornish (screenplay), Adam McKay (screenplay), Paul Rudd (screenplay), Edgar Wright (story), Joe Cornish (story)  
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Peña  
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for Sci-fi action violence
Running Time: 117 min
Synopsis: Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 80% "Fresh", Top Critics: 76% "Fresh", Audience: 92% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 64 out of 100, Users: 8.2 out of 10
MRQE: 72 out of 100

My Review 

Source Material: Based on a comic-book characters created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. 

Entertaining Value:

• Action Elements: There are some really good action sequences in this film. Even though the action sequences are good, there wasn't a lot of them. Let's just say there isn't a visceral overload like in Age of Ultron.

• Comedy Elements: With the people attached to this film you may expect a "yuck yuck comedy" but it's not. The jokes are clever and quite funny.

• Dramatic Elements: Surprisingly for a "superhero" film there were some really good dramatic moments. There is one father/daughter scene in the film that pulls at the heart strings.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: On the surface this film is a superhero film so there is a good amount of Sci-Fi elements including shrinking and communicating with ants.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 8: First and foremost I want to bring to your attention that Michael Douglas is in this film and he does a fantastic job. When a high-caliber actor like Michael Douglas is in a potential big summer blockbuster, we begin to wonder if he just collecting a paycheck and not earning it. Well, Michael Douglas earned his paycheck. He portrayed a convincing old Dr. Hank Pym. I could continue singing praise about Michael Douglas's great performance, but there are other performances I would like to talk about as well. When I heard the casting of Paul Rudd, I wasn't all that excited because he was known for comedy, and Ant-Man is a superhero. After seeing the film, I can safely say Paul Rudd was perfect for the role. Evangeline Lilly and Corey Stoll were good in their respective roles even though their character's weren't my favorite. On the other hand, one of my favorite characters was Michael Peña's character. His character made me laugh every single time he was on screen.   

• Cinematography: 8: I really liked how they handled the micro-cinematography in this film. I'm glad the shrinking aspect wasn't cheesy like in Honey I Shrunk The Kids. The filmmakers made Ant-man's powers make sense while at the same time making it look and feel cool. The perspective shots made me more acceptable to the idea that Ant-man was the actual size of an ant.    

• Direction: 7: I was jumping ship with everyone else when I heard the news that Edgar Wright had left the production of Ant-man. I became even more disappointed when I heard Marvel hired Peyton Reed to replace Edgar Wright as director. I'm sure I wasn't the only one thinking, "Marvel why are you hiring a director known for bad comedy movies." I was proven wrong after seeing the film. You could tell Peyton Reed was an Ant-man fan and knew the source material. Also, there was a level of respect of Edgar Wright's original draft of the script.   

• Editing: 7: The editing wasn't bad overall, but I felt that there could have been some minor edits. I personally thought the film was a little heavy on the montage sequences.

• Screenplay: 9: I thought this film was well written. Usually having more than two screenwriters is bad news. I definitely saw Edgar Wright's touch in the story, especially in the final battle sequences. From my understanding, they left a lot of Edgar Wright's concepts in the film but tweaked them to be more "Marvel". I personally like how the screenwriters interject this film into the MCU. I feel like other MCU films and television shows (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) has forced connections, whereas, Ant-man's are elegantly placed. Even though I like the little sprinkles of MCU goodness this film offered, I wasn't the biggest fan to their "hard" connection to the MCU. SPOILER-ish There is a part in the middle of the film where Scott Lang has to steal a piece of tech from an old Stark warehouse. Surprise, the old Stark warehouse is the new headquarter's for the Avengers. This reveal then leads a fight between Ant-man and Falcon, granted it was an awesome fight, but in my opinion an unnecessary one. SPOILER End. This "hard" connection was disruptive to the follow of the story, but I personally think the dialogue references were enough of a connection to the MCU. Realistically, I'm being a bit nitpicky because the scene I described in the small spoiler section was pretty bad-ass. I though the character development was good was well.                 

• Sound and Music: 8: I really enjoyed the score of this film. 

• VFX: 8: The one main praise I have for the visual effect on this film is the ants. It's hard to watch this film and not get emotionally attached to the ants. The ants are just as much apart of this film as any of the actors.

Overall: 8: I'm not 100% sure this film is going to be for everybody but I a good time at the theater. I think it was a good end to phase 2 to the MCU. I recommend that you at least give the film a try. 

Should Conventions Provide A Virtual Ticket?

I personally like going to conventions, especially if I have the extra time and money. Let's face it conventions are a giant meet and greet, that allows a person to geek out with other geeks and potentially meet celebrities. The thing I hate the most about going to conventions is the cost. If the ticket to get into the doors doesn't burn a hole in your wallet, the traveling expenses will. Maybe for some the financial burden isn't a problem, but getting the time off work. Maybe neither off these things are and issue but you're an unlucky person and the convention sells out before you could get a ticket. What I'm trying to say is there is a limited amount of people who can go. I personally would like conventions to expand their business model and find an online space.

Follow me here. There are many live streaming sites that could easily sponsor a convention and broadcast the event worldwide. The convention could go the free route and limit the broadcast to the "main stage" and maybe a few other things. If the convention wants to make a little bit more money, they can charge a reasonable amount (I suggest half the price of a physical ticket) and show nearly everything. There could still even be room for exclusive content for those who are lucky enough to be at the actual convention.

The only convention I can think of that use this model is BlizzCon. BlizzCon, for those of you out of the loop, is Blizzard Entertainment's convention they throw for fans of their games. Blizzard usually announces their newest games including expectations to they're already popular games (World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Diablo). Blizzard knows their fan base is very large, so large that not everyone could fit under one roof. Blizzard fixed this problem with the Virtual Ticket. I believe their Virtual Ticket is sponsored by DirectTV and cost roughly 40 US dollars. With this 40 dollars, you get access to the majority of the conventions, which includes all the panels, eSports stages, and high-quality trailer. There are also some in-game incentives for buying the Virtual Ticket.

Let's imagine for a moment the SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con) used the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket model. One: people like myself who can't make it out to the conventions, for one reason or another, could experience those events as well. I'm positive I'm not the only one who would like to see the content released in Hall H. Usually, low res version of the panels are placed online, then taken down shortly there after. Two, this could be a way to release a non-pirated version of a trailer, and true market to their fans. This beats a journalist, blogger, or Youtuber's synopsis any day. There still could be exclusive content with this model. At this year's SSCC, Lucasfilm gave all the attendees of the Force Awaken's panel, a free Star Wars concert. Those who have the "virtual ticket" don't get to see that content, period. Maybe there are more incentives for those in the crowd, so the "virtual ticket" doesn't take out the point of going to the convention in the first place.

What I'm trying to say is I would love an opportunity to experience the major conventions like SDCC when life doesn't allow me too. How about you?           

Review: Avengers Age of Ultron

IMDb

Title: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Distributor: Marvel Studios (Disney)
Director: Joss Whedon
Writer(s): Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader (Voice of Ultron), Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, and Paul Bettany. 
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and for some suggestive comments. .
Running Time: 141 min
Synopsis: When Tony Stark tries to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.

What Others Are Saying?

Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter: 75% "Fresh", Top Critics: 73% "Fresh", Audience: 99% "Want to See It"
Metacritic: Critics: 67 out of 100, Users: NA out of 10
MRQE Metric: 75 out of 100

My Review

Source Material: Based on characters and story elements created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.     

Entertaining Value:

• Action Elements: This film doesn't really stop, it jumps from one fight sequence to another seamlessly. If you are worried about action fatigue, don't, this film isn't, Man of Steel.     

• Comedy Elements: This film has the charm of the first Avengers film. There is one running joke throughout the film that keeps you laughing. Ultron also has some good lines.      

• Dramatic Elements: It is very much a summer blockbuster movie so the intense drama doesn't really shine.  

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: We are back in the MCU and Marvel superheroes reign supreme. They don't hold back on the Sci-fi / Fantasy goodness.        

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 8: I thought the acting was solid across the board, generally speaking. I think that Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen needed to have better Russian accents. I really enjoyed the banter between each team member. It made the team feel cohesive.          

• Cinematography: 7.5:  There were a good number of action sequences, so much so, that there was a bit of a sensory overload. With that being said, the film wasn't sicking, but there was a lot happening. I really liked when the film would take a break from the intense action to show the mental wear and tear the battles had on the characters. I think the cinematography capture those moods well. 

• Direction: 8: I think Joss Whedon did a fine job as the director. You can tell he was in command, by the performance the actors gave. I could have lived without some of the "Whedon-ism" but that's more of a writing complaint. 

• Editing: 7.5: I did like the balance between action and "drama" I felt it was a little bit on the fast paced site of the spectrum.       

• Screenplay: 8: I'm glad we got full back stories and character development in this film. Each superhero in the film felt human and not like a god. SPOILER-ish I'm not sure why Thor went on his "spirit quest", that scene felt out of place. The information gathered becomes more or less exposition later in the film.   

• Sound and Music: 7:  The music was good. 

• VFX: 9: Avengers: Age of Ultron has the most vfx shots in the MCU to date, topping out at over 3,000 shots. Every bit of those shots was in full color, meaning they look great.    

Overall: 8: It barely missed the mark of overtaking the first Avenger's film, but overall its a  great film. I plan on seeing it again. I highly recommend this film.         

A Series of Genres: Comic Book Movies

We are about one month away from the opening of Marvel’s Avengers Age of Ultron and the beginning of the summer blockbuster movie season. What a perfect way to get excited about the latest comic book movie, by dedicating this post, which is a part of my genre series, to comic book movies. My original plan was to save this genre to the end, so I could save the best for last. The last post in this series, animated film for those of you keeping track, through that plan out the window. There were a few other factors to focusing on this genre now, rather than later. One of those factors was a buddy of mine’s podcast title, Informal Talks. This podcast should sound somewhat familiar because this series was inspired by a post on their site. Anyways, in this past week’s episode Devon and friends began by talking about the latest movie news, which consisted primarily of comic book movies. Comments during the podcast were mostly about the new X-men, Batman, and Superman films and how they are “shit”. These comments got me heated, and jump started this post. 

I personally disagree with their comments, sort of. My disagreements are with the premise that those films are “shit” in general. I typically reserve that declaration for the worst of the worst, since that jargon is referring to defecation. I may be a little more empathic to the notion that the films didn’t do the characters justice. This area of expertise is where I have to tip my hat to Devon and the guests of Informal Talks, because they know WAY more about comic books than I do. Rightfully so, they have more creditably to how well the filmmaker adapted the various comic characters. With that being said I think a problem has arisen. In the sweaty nerd culture this problem is called the “Um, Actually” syndrome. This is the constant correction of people who spout the wrong information about the subject matters popular in the geek / nerd culture. These corrections are almost always prefaced by the phrase “um, actually.”  

For the well read this problem manifest in the form of, “The book was better” which is usually followed by a laundry list of inaccuracies. Simply, this is a bad argument when talking about movies, because movies are a different medium from books / comics. There may be a strong case to be had when talking about movies adapted from other materials, especially if major plot points or character were changed significantly. There is a debate waiting to be had on what constitutes as a significant change. Mr. Pedantic will get caught up on every little change and call them significant, whereas Mr. Apathetic is willing to let some details slide, as long as the core attributes are intact. I really don’t want this post to focus primarily on this subject, but I do want to showcase my line of thinking, when determining the best comic book movies. I attempt to measure all the attributes of a film, include the truthfulness to its source material, to get a better picture of their strengths and weakness, therefore receiving a more accurate analysis of the films. 

Hopefully this will give you a better idea on how I look at movies adapted from other materials. So, when I reveal my list, you know the metric of my measuring stick. Before I share with you my favorite comic book movies let’s explore this genre's history. A history that is the epitome of a roller coaster ride. A history that showcases a fight between DC Comics and Marvel Comic, as they race to the top of the box office. A history that start back in the 1940’s. 

In the 1940’s there were a number of Serial Films being produced featuring DC Comics two main superheroes, Superman and Batman. Batman made his first appearance in the 1943 in a Serial Films title Batman, staring Lewis Wilson as Bruce Wanye / Batman. Superman followed in 1948 in its own Serial titled, Superman, staring Kirk Alyn as Clark Kent / Superman. Other superheroes serials from the 1940’s included Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941), The Phantom (1943) and Captain America (1944). 

The 1950’s was the decade for Superman with the TV series, Adventures of Superman, staring George Reeves, which spawn a movie titled Superman and the Mole Men. The following decade, the 1960’s, Batman took the spotlight with the TV Series, Batman, staring Adam West and Burt Ward as Batman and Robin. The cast of this television show would reprise their roles in 1966 with a full length feature titled, Batman: The Movie. DC Comics rode Superman and Batman to the bank throughout the 60’s and 70’s. Marvel tried to interject with their TV-made movies: Spider-Man (1977), Dr. Strange (1978), and Captain America and its sequel (1979). Marvel’s efforts were crushed in 1978 when Richard Donner released Superman (Superman: The Movie), starring Christopher Reeve. I would say this film kick started the comic book movie craze, which lead right into the 80’s 

Four, Superman related films came out during the 1980’s: Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), Supergirl (1984), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Unfortunately the Superman films progressively worsen both in popularity and financially. Superman made a little over 300 million, while Superman IV made about 15.5 million. Marvel had success with their television show / TV made movies, during this time. Marvel only had one feature length film produced during the 80’s, that wasn’t TV made or direct to video, and that film was Howard the Duck. As the 80’s were coming to a close Tim Burton released a dark toned Batman film starring, Michael Keaton. The film's tone was heavily influenced by Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke and Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. It was this version of Batman that we as fans wanted, so much so, a film franchise was built upon it. 

The 90’s was a dark time for comic book movies, even for Batman, who had three films released in this decade: Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), and Batman & Robin (1997). Batman & Robin is arguably the worst Batman movie ever made. George Clooney has been known for giving fans back their money for that film. DC Comics also produced Steel starring Shaquille O'Neal as John Henry Irons / Steel. Steel made less than 2 million at the box office. Marvel for the most part made their first major dent into the film world with Blade in 1998 which made about 131 million at the box office. It would take another two or so years before they revitalized the comic book movie genre. 

During The summer of the new millennium Bryan Singer gave us X-Men. X-Men made just shy of 300 million at the box office, with those numbers Marvel produced three more sequels / prequels: X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Marvel continued to steamroll through the competition, producing at least one film every year. Primarily under the 20th Century Fox banner Marvel attempt to bring to alive many of their properties: Daredevil, Hulk, The Punisher, Elektra, Fantastic Four, and Ghost Rider. Some of these films were fairly successful, while the majority of them were not. Marvel had their most success over at Sony, with their Spider-Man franchise, starring Tobey Maguire. 

While Marvel was focusing on cranking out many films a year, DC focused on putting out “quality” films. In 2005, Christopher Nolan rebooted the Batman franchise. Then three years later, in 2008, Nolan gave us a sequel titled, The Dark Knight, which is arguably the best Batman film, if not the best comic book movie. During that same year Marvel launched their first two movies in what will later become the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) these two films were Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk, which was more of a reboot of Ang Lee’s Hulk from 2003. Also right around that same time we got our first taste of Zack Snyder’s style with the films 300 (2007), and Watchmen (2009). Zack Snyder could one of the main driving forces behind The DC Cinematic Universe as we enter the 2010’s. 

Well, we have made it to present time and comic book movie are a staple of the summer movie season. Right now, Marvel rules the box office with their films in the MCU, which is being led by The Avengers (2012), with 1.5 billion dollars at the box office. The 2010’s have also brought with it a great deal of reboots. Sony rebooted Spider-Man starring Andrew Garfield called The Amazing Spider-Man. 20th Century Fox “rebooted” the X-Men franchise, using a younger cast, titled X-Men: First Class. Zack Snyder and Warner Bros. rebooted Superman, as the Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill. The reboots don’t end there, Fox plans on releasing a rebooted Fantastic Four film this summer. Also Marvel has a legal hand shake to use Spider-Man in the MCU which will lead to a reboot of the reboot. As far as the future goes, Marvel has a rough outline of movies to be released from now until 2019. DC has a similar plan, but focusing on establishing a cinematic universe themselves. 

There has been a fair amount of comic book movies throughout history, but which ones hold up as the best of the best. I’m going to give you my favorite comic book franchise. Before I do I want to warn you all, I’m a bit Marvel bias, so you may not see as much love for DC on this list. 

1. Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU) 
2. Christopher's Nolan's Batman Trilogy 
3. Sam Raimi’s Spider-man Trilogy 
4. X-Men Franchise 
5. Superman Franchise

At first I didn’t want to include the whole MCU because there are a lot of films included in that list. As I began to think of the films in the MCU only Iron Man has a full trilogy, so I decided to include all the films in the MCU. I will give you my top five films in the MCU: 

1. Marvel's The Avengers 
2. Guardians of the Galaxy 
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 
4. Iron Man 
5. Thor

Christopher Nolan raised the bar of what it means to be a comic book movie. The Dark Knight alone tops most people’s lists as one of the best comic book movies ever. I personally think the series ended on a weak note with The Dark Knight Rises. The Dark Knight Rises is one of those films that is good overall, but has enough issues that it doesn't rise to greatness like its predecessors.

Sam Raimi has given me the better set of Spider-man films. The second Spider-man film in this trilogy is by far the best Spider-man movie, period. I believe Tobey Maguire gave us a better Peter Parker than Andrew Garfield. I’m not saying Garfield did a bad job, but he was too much of a “Chic Geek” or “Hipster”. Let’s be realistic here, the success of the Spider-man and X-men’s franchise had to be a big confidence boost for Marvel to create a cohesive cinematic universe. 

Do you remember the 90’s X-men cartoon opening theme? I’m not sure how much of that show influenced Bryan Singer, but from my perspective, most of the mutants showcased in that opening were placed in the first X-Men film. Then a few years later an even better X-Men movie came out. I can safely say X2: X-Men United is in my top ten favorite comic book movies. Then Bryan Singer left to direct Superman Returns, which lead to a major downgrade in quality. Matthew Vaughn was going to replace Singer at the helm, but left early on into production for personal reasons, his replacement was Brett Ratner. Ratner turned out a bad X-men film. Fox’s plans after X-Men: The Last Stand was to make a few origin stories, including Wolverine, Magneto, and “The First Class” (Cyclopes, Jean Grey, Beast, Angel, and Iceman). X-Men Origins: Wolverine more or less tanked. So, Fox brought back Matthew Vaughn as a director and allowed him to make his X-men film. He combined the Magneto origin story with his First Class story to create a prequel / “reboot” to the first X-men film. This film was going to take place in the 60’s and focus on a younger Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr. The film had success and revitalized the franchise. A sequel titled, X-Men: Days of Future Past, was made with Bryan Singer at the helm. I thought DOFP was one of the best movies of this past summer, one word, Quicksilver. 

Superman is by far the most recognizable superhero, he is beloved by many including his films. Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman (Superman: The Move) pretty much defines who Superman was climatically. Yes, there were a few actors to bring Superman to life before Christopher Reeve, but it’s his take on the character that sticks in our minds. Like most comic book movies franchises, the films had a rapid decline in quality. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace is arguably one of the worst comic movie ever made, and by far the worst Superman movie. Superman didn’t make another appearance on the big screen until 2006 with Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. It was a decent movie, but not the greatest Superman movie. I enjoyed the cast: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, and Kate Bosworth but I didn’t enjoy the story. Just a few years ago, summer 2013, we almost got a Superman film that was as good as the 1979 film. For me the Man of Steel was a good film, but the last 45 minutes gave me battle fatigue. Even with the “bad” I can’t wait for the next Superman film, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. 

What are your favorite comic book movies?

Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

IMDb

Title: Guardians of the Galaxy
Distributor: Marvel Studios (Disney)
Director: James Gunn
Writer(s): James Gunn (written) and Nicole Perlman (written)
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, and Karen Gillan
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language.
Running Time: 121 min
Synopsis:After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter Quill, a half human/half alien is now the main target of a manhunt led by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team known as the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' to save the world.

What Others Are Saying?

Rotten Tomatoes: T-Meter: 92% "Fresh", Top Critics: 87% "Fresh", Audience: 96% "Like It"
Metacritic: Critics: 76 out of 100, Users: 9.2 out of 10
MRQE Metric: 76 out of 100

My Review

Source Material: Based on comic the book series created by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.

Entertaining Value

• Action Elements: Enough action to keep your action-philes out there excited.

• Comedy Elements: A lot of one-liners that will crack you up.

• Dramatic Elements:  There is a hint of drama here and there. This film is action-comedy with a lot of sci-fi elements.

• Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: Its based on a comic book, but its not your typical comic book film. Its more of an action-adventure in space.

Cinematic Value:

• Acting and Dialogue: 8: Seeing some of the names on the cast list I was a bit concerned to say the least, names like Dave Bautista and Vin Diesel. Vin Diesel voices a nine foot tall tree like alien that only has one repeated line of dialogue, "I'Am Groot" Dave Bautista known for his "professional wrestling" plays Drax, the Destroyer, who is a very muscular barbaric alien hell bent on getting revenge on those who killed his family. These non- thespian actors were cast for appropriate roles, that was a giant step in the right direction. Lets move onto the talent then, Chris Pratt is known for his comedic roles primarily, Park and Recreation does a great job as Peter Quill aka Starlord. I like the fact that Pratt based his character off Late 70's early 80's action-adventure heroes like Han Solo and Marty McFly. Zoe Saldana is your go to gal for any leading female role in a Sci-fi film. Bradley Cooper voices Rocket, which was a perfect choice. Michael Rooker known for his role in The Walking Dead as Merle Dixon play the same basic role in this film as Yondu Udonta. There are a lot of great actors rounding out the cast: Lee Pace as Ronan, Karen Gillan as Nebula, John C. Reilly as Corpsman Day, Glenn Close as Nova Prime, Benicio del Toro as The Collector.

• Art Direction: 9: The thing I liked the most about the art direction was each location had a unique feeling. The Xandarian planet ruled by the Nova Corp has a shiny future feeling to it, while "Knowhere" Had a rustic slums feeling. I like it when films have many different environments with vastly aesthetic differences.

• Cinematography: 8: The action in the film was well shot. I liked how the film brought me along for the ride without making me feel sick

• Direction: 9: James Gunn is more known for his writing, penning screenplays like, Scooby-Doo, Dawn of the Dead (2004), and Slither. Guardians of the Galaxy wan't Gunn's first time in the director's chair but it's his first time with a film of this magnitude, and he kills it.

• Editing: 8: The pacing was good

• Screenplay: 8: I think you could take this story out of the MCU and it could stand alone as a great space-action-adventure. I like that the story was basically a group of misfits turning into epic heroes. It was nice that every character had a significant back-story. I also liked that the main protagonist was kind of a bumbling idiot who showcase heroism only when the galaxy, which he lives in, is threatened.

• Sound and Music: 9: The soundtrack of the film is the soundtrack that plays in the main protagonist, Peter Quill, head/ Walkman. Having this as the soundtrack brings us, the audience, into the film. It also gives an outlook on what's going on in Peter's head.

• VFX: 10: Two major notes on the VFX: Rocket and Groot. The filmmaker did an amazing job giving these two character a wide range of emotions, especially with Groot, who doesn't say much.

Overall: 8.5: I recommended this film for a great summer action-adventure. This is a film I would see a few times in theaters, if I had the funds to do so.