Ken's Alternate Universe!

Ruling Over The Next MCU Phase

Wakanda

As Marvel begins to dig deeper into their vault of heroes to make new films, the major players such as Captain America, Spider-Man, Hulk, and Thor are taking a step back so that lesser known heroes such as Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and Captain Marvel can take the spotlight. Marvel did the exact same thing in 2008 with Iron Man. Although comic fans knew him, Tony Stark wasn’t necessarily a huge character outside of the printed page. Marvel gambled on the character but did so with a great story that set up the Marvel Cinematic Universe and now you can’t throw a rock without hitting some type of merchandise featuring Iron Man front and center.

In Walks The Black Panther

Marvel is doing the same thing with Black Panther. This time, however, they are doing it to keep an established franchise fresh and to usher in the next phase of the MCU, a phase that won’t feature tried and true heroes like Captain America and Iron Man. This phase will need a stand out hero, one that will keep the franchise alive and to explore new tales, and Black Panther is a perfect fit for this role.

Let’s be completely honest here. I’m betting that the bulk of the MCU viewing audience was completely unaware that a character named T’Challa even existed before Captain America: Civil War was released. While comic book reading fans of Black Panther have known about the him since his arrival in the mid 1960’s, most moviegoers are only learning of him now, just as most of them only recently discovered characters such as Star Lord, Winter Soldier, Yellow Jacket, and Groot.

Introduced in Captain America: Civil War, we were only given a taste of Black Panther. His solo film was given to us in order to add depth to his character. It did that, but not without its problems.

Spoiler Free Review

Black Panther is an epic film, make no mistake. Quite possibly the most heavily researched film in all of the MCU, it embraced T’Challa’s African homeland and celebrated the culture of the continent through costume, dance, cinematography, and music. This attention to detail shines throughout the movie and lifts it high above its somewhat standard MCU plot.

The film takes place primarily in Wakanda, with a couple of visits to Oakland, CA and Busan, South Korea. In the movie, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) has become king of Wakanda following his father’s death in Civil War and all of the Wakandan tribes accept him as their king with the exception of one, the Jabari tribe, who live in the mountains apart from the rest of the tribes. Their leader, the heavily underused M’Baku (Winston Duke), challenges T’Challa to ritual combat for the crown and fails.

Meanwhile, a young man named Erik Stevens (Michael B. Jordan) teams up with Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) to steal a Wakandan artifact from a museum. When the Wakandans hear of this, the tribal leaders ask their newly crowned king to capture Klaue and bring him to justice (He had been a thorn in the side of the Wakandans for a long time, but I’m not going to give up too much information in this part of the review).

What follows is one of the greatest action sequences in the film. After a CIA sting goes sideways in a Busan casino, Black Panther, his tribal general named Okoye (the amazing Danai Gurira), and his former lover and spy, Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), chase after Klaue through the streets of Busan. They manage to catch him and meet up with CIA agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman). Klaue manages to escape with help from Erik Stevens, injuring Ross during the escape. This forces T’Challa to bring Ross back to Wakanda to heal him, threatening to reveal the secrets of Wakanda (including Vibranium), which is actually the most technologically advanced country on the planet.

Ultimately it is revealed that Erik Stevens is T’Challa’s cousin, whose real name is N’Jadaka, and he goes by the name Killmonger, a moniker given to him during his time as a black ops soldier. He believes that Wakanda has abandoned the people of Africa and all people of African descent outside of their hidden country, idly sitting by and allowing them to become the poor and downtrodden of the world. He wants to take Wakanda’s technology and give it to those people so that they can overthrow the ruling classes in every country and thus, take over the world. T’Challa believes that this will bring only more pain and war to the world, and plans to stop N’Jadaka.

T’Challa is defeated by N’Jadaka in ritual combat, and N’Jadaka sets out to deliver weapons throughout the world. Luckily, T’Challa is saved by the Jabari tribe and he leads a great battle against N’Jadaka. Does he succeed? You’ll have to watch the film to find out.

Overall, this film is excellent. As stated before, Africa’s many unique cultures are celebrated through the film’s cinematography, costuming, dancing, and music. This was definitely a labor of love for director Ryan Coogler, as you could see that he spent a ton of time making sure that the film flowed at an excellent pace as an action yarn but still managed to highlight Africa at every turn.

All of the cast did an excellent job in the film. Danai Gurira stood out as Okoye, as did Winston Duke as M’Baku. Daniel Kaluuya was solid as W’Kabi, but he didn’t have a very large role in the film. Screen legends Angela Bassett and Forest Whitaker shined as Ramonda, T’Challa’s mother, and Zuri, the Wakandan spiritual leader responsible for tending to the heart-shaped herb that gives Black Panther his powers.

The biggest standout in the film was Letitia Wright as Shuri, T’Challa’s youthful sister who oversees all of the technological research and development for Wakanda. Wright energized every scene she was in whether it was a comedic shot or a serious part of the film. She provided humor in an otherwise very serious film.

As excellent as the film was as a whole, it still suffered some of the same weaknesses that seem to be standard for Marvel films. As cool as Erik Killmonger looked in the film, he just didn’t impress me at all. Michael B. Jordan didn’t come across as a seasoned war veteran hellbent on taking over the world. Instead, he was more of street punk who just happened to end up in Wakanda and managed to take over the place. The motivation for his actions was definitely there, perhaps more so than any other villain in the MCU excepting Vulture, but Jordan just seemed a little flat in his delivery.

Another shortcoming of the film is that despite the potential for an epic tale, it just seemed like another generic adventure for a hero. Bad guy shows up, takes over, threatens everyone, has to fight the hero. Nothing really stood out from all of the rest of Marvel’s superhero films.

The musical score was brilliant. No, check that, beyond brilliant. Ludwig Goransson went above and beyond in order to capture the rich sounds of Africa and expertly weaved them into his score. I could write an entire post on his work alone, but just know that it is awesome.

Black Panther has set the tone for the future of the MCU. Gone is the silliness of Thor: Ragnarok and the forced humor of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. Seriousness has returned and an atmosphere of real danger has been created with this film. T’Challa has the MCU squarely on his shoulders, and I’m sure that he will carry it successfully.

Hail to the king.

Spoilers Below!!! You’ve reached the end of the Spoiler Free Review.

I really loved Black Panther. Despite the weakness of Michael B. Jordan’s character, there were some excellent moments that stood out for me in this film. I especially enjoyed the sequence that took place in Oakland, where we saw N’Jobu’s deception and how he was outed. That was a very powerful moment in the film. As I stated already, Killmonger’s motive was clear and absolutely grounded in truth. He had real motivation, but I just didn’t believe Jordan’s delivery. Sterling K. Brown (N’Jobu) was much more believable. I understood why he was doing what he was doing, and actually sided with him a bit.

I loved how Coogler shot the “rescue” sequence early in the film where T’Challa and Okoye retrieve Nakia. It reminded me of many of the old African Safari themed films where predators were viewed in the glimpses of headlights and flashlights. The scene where T’Challa is viewed in the trees with flashlights was epic!

I also loved the technology of the Black Panther costume and of Wakanda as a whole. I saw nods to the otherworldly tech of the Sovereigns in GotG, Vol. 2, as well as hints at Iron Man’s ability to absorb and redirect energy back at his opponent (which he discovered by accident in Avengers and Shuri apparently developed in Black Panther).

One thing that I disliked about the film was how Winston Duke’s M’Baku was severely underused. He was an excellent traditionalist foil to T’Challa’s tech-loving people. For those unfamiliar, M’Baku is also known as Man-Ape in the comics. He’s one of Black Panther’s enemies, and I actually hope that he gets a bigger push in later Black Panther films or at least in Avengers: Infinity War.

I was also a bit miffed at how easily Klaue was defeated by Killmonger. I knew that sooner or later he would double-cross Klaue, but I felt like the weaker of the two villains came out on top. Had Killmonger been more imposing, Klaue’s death wouldn’t have been such a bummer.

Culturally, this is a very important film. Yes, there have been black superheroes represented in their own films before like Blade (which I highly recommend and love), but none have been literal kings. Sure, Luke Cage gave us a hero to believe in, but he was still situated on the streets in an urban world where crime ruled. With Black Panther, we see a country full of Africans living in peace, advanced technologically, and full of characters that are intelligent and respectful of their traditions but always looking forward.

So yes, there were a couple of problems with this film but it opened eyes to one of Marvel’s best kept secrets and the wonderful world in which he lives as king and protector.

Thanks for reading. Let me know how you feel about the film in the comments section.

Wakanda forever!!!!!

A Split Decision

Aboard The Cloverfield Station

The Cloverfield Paradox is a paradox in more ways than one. For starters, it’s production was full of scheduling changes, story additions, ties to the Cloverfield universe supposedly shoehorned into the film, production company changes, etc. While these types of changes are par for the course in many major films, TCP had them in spades. The theatrical release date moved no less than five times across a two year period. The film finished shooting in September of 2016, with release dates ranging from February 2017 to April 2018. Paramount also had difficulty with how to market the film, resulting in them accepting an offer from Netflix to purchase the film’s rights in order to gain a guaranteed profit instead of risking the film doing poorly in theaters. This led many people that were waiting for the film’s release to lose confidence in it. So much just didn’t make sense about the TCP’s many apparent troubles.

Super Bowl Sunday 2018 threw everyone a massive curveball when Netflix announced during the game that the movie would be available on the streamer when the game was over. I didn’t watch the film that night, but have watched it three times over the last few weeks.

I enjoyed the film. From what I’ve read on the web, though, the film has received a lukewarm reception from general audiences and pretty much total hatred from “professional” critics. Review websites also slammed the film, but I’ve noticed something in all of the reviews of the film that I’ve read: The reviewers didn’t really pay attention to what was going on. They were so hellbent on finding something wrong with the film (in my opinion) that they didn’t really give the movie a shot. I’ll cover this and more in my review below.

Spoiler-Free Review

The Cloverfield Paradox takes us aboard the Cloverfield Station, a multi-national project that is attempting to find a new energy source for Earth by using the Shepard, a particle accelerator that is similar to the Large Hadron Collider. Why? Because energy is becoming scarce on Earth and it’s actually pushing many nations to the brink of war. Conspiracy theorists believe that using the Shepard successfully might produce a paradox in which our world would collide with, combine with, or rip apart other worlds or dimensions, thus causing chaos throughout time and space.

Aboard the station is a small crew of brilliant minds, each serving a different purpose. The film focuses on Ava Hamilton (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who handles communications for the station. Her story is split between the station and that of her husband, Michael (Roger Davies), who is back on Earth. They’ve been apart for two years now and both are ready for Ava to return home.

The rest of the crew includes the fairly straight line commander, Kiel (David Oyelowo), the lead physicist on the project, Schmidt (Daniel Bruhl), his assistant engineer, Tam (Zhang Ziyi), station engineer and all around glum chum, Volkov (Aksel Hennie), station doctor, Monk (John Ortiz), and another station engineer, Mundy (Chris O’Dowd), who provides some light but much needed humor in the film.

During one of the attempts at firing up the Shepard, we see an interview from Earth featuring a conspiracy theorist, Mark Stambler (the always wonderful Donal Logue), warning the planet of the impending doom to come if the Shepard ever succeeds in stabilizing itself and producing energy. Commander Kiel barks an order for the interview to be turned off.

Eventually the Shepard stabilizes. The crew believe that they are successful until the beam somehow destabilizes and overloads the entire station’s power. Power is eventually restored to most of the station and then the crew realize that the Earth is now gone.

Commander Kiel has the crew begin repairs on the station as Ava attempts to make contact with Earth. Weird things begin to happen on the station. I won’t list all of them here, but one example is that Mundy’s arm is removed from his body by the station. The arm is then later found roaming around the station on its own and communicates with the crew by writing a message to them.

Eventually Earth is found, but it is on the other side of the sun and it is not the station’s version of Earth. The station has been transported to a parallel universe where Ava wasn’t on the Cloverfield Station and this universe’s station has been destroyed (apparently by the space time rip). A new crew member shows up on the station (I won’t say how) named Jensen (Elizabeth Debicki). She is this universe’s assistant engineer to Schmidt and he is apparently a saboteur for Germany, who is already waging war on Earth. This creates tension within the crew as Kiel, Hamilton, and the rest try to determine what’s going on.

Back in our universe, Michael is awakened to a world that is apparently being destroyed by a new menace. This menace is familiar to fans of the Cloverfield universe, but I won’t reveal what it is. He also learns that the space station has vanished.

On the station, the crew attempts to find a way back to their dimension. More anomalies occur and Hamilton learns that in this world, her children are alive. In our world, they passed away in an accident due to something that she did. She also learns that in this world, she stayed on Earth because of her family. She makes the decision to stay behind with Jensen so that she can return to the parallel Earth to be with her family.

Without giving too much away, sacrifice and murder follow as the crew attempts to return home. The unpredictability of the station and how it and the crew react to the chaos that they’ve caused keeps you on your toes. It keeps you engaged.

The story rolls along at a tense pace, combining elements of films such as Alien and Event Horizon to provide some wonderful thrills and “What the heck?” moments. It definitely takes a little bit of effort from the audience to sit and watch the ENTIRE film and not look at their phone or Facebook in order to understand what’s happening but the payoff is worth it in my opinion.

I really liked this film. Despite the many troubles it faced during production, the film is visually stunning. The CGI is only noticeable with the removal of Mundy’s arm. The station itself looks wonderful and the shots of space are excellent.

The entire cast did an excellent job with their performances. Mbatha-Raw delivered an excellence performance as the grief-stricken mother caught between two worlds. Bruhl was convincing as a man who is hard to trust, but absolutely crucial to the survival of the crew. Ziyi and Hennie were excellent as polar opposites. Ziyi fully believed in Schmidt’s work but Hennie perfectly embodied complete distrust and paranoia towards Schmidt. O’Dowd kept things as light as possible for a crew trapped in a parallel universe and I hoped more than once that he’d suggest “trying to turn it off and on again” when the Shepard fails. Fans of The IT Crowd will get that reference. Ortiz delivers a solid performance as well, as does Oyelowo as the stern but understanding commander. Debicki’s performance added heavily to the tension in the film. At no point in the film did I trust her, but she gave just enough fleeting hints of hope to Hamilton to make me want to trust her.

I definitely recommend this film. It’s much better than the critics say. You HAVE TO WATCH the film in its entirety and pay attention to what’s going on while it plays out. What doesn’t make sense is supposed to not make sense. Don’t just dismiss it as poor writing or “an editing decision” to save time. This film is good. Trust me.

Read below to find out why I believe that the critics hated this film. Spoilers Ahead!!!!!

Okay, I’ve said that I liked this film and that I believe it’s worth your time to view. So why do all of the critics hate this film?

You have to give your full attention to the movie. If you don’t pay attention to what’s happening, everything that already doesn’t make sense in the film will be harder to comprehend.
You have to think a little bit while watching this film. Most target audiences and mainstream critics these days grew up in an age where films spoonfed them every little detail about the movie. The Cloverfield Paradox rolls along assuming that viewer has enough cognitive ability to realize that what is happening to the crew and the station doesn’t make sense because worlds are literally colliding and fusing with one another. Volkov talks to himself after the Shepard’s overload because he is fused with himself from the parallel world. He literally convinces himself to kill Schmidt because he doesn’t trust either version of Schmidt. Jensen appears in the station’s walls with cabling through her body because that happened to be where she was standing in her world when it collided with our world.
They felt that the Netflix Super Bowl promo was a sign of desperation. Yes, I slightly agree with them that this does smell a bit like desperation on Netflix’s part, but you have to admit that it was a brilliant and sudden move. It offered the film immediate exposure on one of the world’s largest stages. It gave viewers just enough of a taste of the film to peak their interest. Only time will tell if this gamble pays off.
The still feel slighted by the success of Bright. Critics hated Brght, the Will Smith vehicle released a few months prior to The Cloverfield Paradox. They slammed the movie and yet viewers still streamed the film and fell in love with it. They loved it so much that Netflix already has a sequel in the works. While it’s a bit of a reach on my part, I honestly believe that some of the critics intentionally downplayed TCP in an attempt to take a cheapshot at Netflix.

Seriously, this film is much better than the critics are claiming. Pop some popcorn, grab a big glass of your favorite drink, and sit back and enjoy this film. It’s not like most standard films these days, but it is definitely worth a look.

In all honesty, selling the rights to Netflix was probably the best thing for Paramount. I honestly don’t believe that TCP would have done that well in theaters. I can definitely see how marketing found it difficult to pitch this film to general audiences in the hopes that they would plunk down money to watch this film in a theater, but offering it on a streaming service allows people to see the film without really sacrificing too much. I believe that watching films in this fashion actually works to their advantage. Why? Because there are a ton of good films out there that never get viewed because audiences don’t want to take a risk on them. On a streaming service you can start watching the film and then turn it off if you aren’t interested. It costs nothing more than a monthly service fee, and that’s a lot cheaper than a seat at the movies.

Again, watch The Cloverfield Paradox. It’s a strange and brilliant little gem that I really enjoyed.

Thanks for reading. Let me know how you felt about this movie in the comments.

Is It Time To “Walk” Off?

No More Pudding

Last night’s episode of The Walking Dead left me with a lot of questions. Most of them weren’t about why certain things went down in the episode. No, they were primarily about why I watch the show and have loyally done so for eight seasons and whether or not I want to invest as much time in the lives of these characters anymore.

Spoilers for last night’s episode and the entire series after this photo!

Season Eight, Episode Nine, Honor, showed TWD fans the one thing that they thought they would never see happen in the series…….Carl died. Sure, anybody that has been watching this season of the show, in particular the last couple of episodes, knew that Carl’s chance of survival was pretty much zero unless the bite he received was from a Whisperer (who haven’t officially joined the series yet but may or may not have been alluded to in past episodes).

Starting in the mid-season finale, Carl started to become weak and feverish. He hid the symptoms well from his friends, but by the time episode nine arrived, he was quickly going down for the count. The episode spent most of its hour plus run time saying goodbye to Carl through his own visions and through his words of wisdom to his father, Rick.

The secondary plot of the episode featured Morgan and Carol attempting to save King Ezekiel from the Saviors. In it, we see Morgan once again spiraling into a mindset of murder and mayhem over saving precious lives. Carol attempts to counter his decent, but with very little success. By the end of the episode, though, King Ezekiel has been saved and a possible new “kid of the apocalypse” named Henry (Morgan’s protege) rises to the top of the heap when he stabs Ezekiel’s last remaining captor through the back of the neck.

The episode was okay. It definitely wasn’t my favorite episode but I’ve seen better. Questions entered my mind as the show played out. Should it bother me that I’m not bothered at all by the loss of Carl? Can Morgan just pick a mood and stick with it? Rick’s eyes have been red for the entire season. Does he need to get that looked at? Why did it take Carl so long to get sick? Will somebody please shut Eugene up?

The biggest question, though, was this one: Why am I still watching this show?

I’ve been a huge fan of The Walking Dead from the start. I loved the fact that it focused on the human aspects of a zombie apocalypse. I appreciated how the living became the real threat to our little group of survivors and that the walkers were a constant, but fairly predictable secondary threat. I enjoyed seeing characters such as Carol and Daryl change over the seasons. I loved to hate Shane and hated to see him go when he did. Yeah, Lori was a pain, but I missed her after she left as well. Beth, Dale, T-Dog, Noah, Glenn, Merle, Hershel, Sophia, and so many more characters came and went and I hated seeing most of them go. In fact, I still miss a few of them.

I defended the second season, which took place in and around Hershel’s farm. Many fans of the series considered it to be a boring and slow sophomore effort, but I appreciated the character building done over the course of the season. I have defended recent episodes that focus on one character, particularly the Tara-centric episode. I also loved and defended that crazy cliffhanger that asked the question, “Who did Negan kill?”

But these last few episodes have found me spending more time looking at my phone and getting up to check the laundry. I’ve lost interest in most of the new characters and now hate characters that I once really enjoyed (I’m looking at you, Eugene). Only a few of the newer characters (Gabriel, Simon, Ezekiel, Aaron) keep me interested in the series.

As far as the older characters go, Carol has been pushed to the background. Daryl mumbles and grunts his way through most of his scenes without really adding anything positive to the storyline anymore. Michonne is a shell of her old self. Maggie still has potential, but has been derailed in recent episodes. I’m not quite sure where they are going with Rosita and Tara. These characters just aren’t interesting anymore.

I can’t buy into the fact that Negan is this all controlling leader. No offense to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, but he doesn’t have an imposing frame nor does he have the intensity of the comic version of Negan. I’ve also grown tired of Rick constantly crying and moping about the place. There were flashes of old Rick here and there, but for the most part I don’t care about what happens to him or most of the other characters in the show.

Carl was the one character that seemed to always be developing into something impressive. He was the one character that pretty much everyone hated in the early seasons of the series. In fact, most people wanted the poor kid dead. I think that it says quite a lot about the acting ability of Chandler Riggs that he was able to portray such an annoying little turd (who is responsible for the death of one of my favorite characters, Dale, no matter what Riggs says, LOL) and develop him into quite possibly the toughest and most intelligent character on the show. I SHOULD have cared that Carl died last night, but having become so detached from the series in recent months, I didn’t care at all.

I’ll continue to watch the series for a few more episodes, but if things don’t change soon, I might be walking out on The Walking Dead.

Thank you for reading my post. Let me know how you feel about the current state of The Walking Dead in the comments. My The Cloverfield Paradox review will be coming later this week.

Aro Lucha Live!

Beaumont, TX

Friday evening found my son and I deep in the heart of east Texas. We attended an Aro Lucha show at the Beaumont Civic Center. In the last year my son has really taken a lot of interest in lucha libre, a form of professional wrestling originated and perfected in Mexico. I’ve encouraged and molded that interest by allowing him to watch Lucha Underground on Netflix and pulling up videos on the web of wrestling matches from companies such as CMLL and AAA. I’ve also taught him what little information and history that I know about the wonderfully colorful world of lucha libre.

My initial exposure to luch libre was via WCW. Wrestlers such as La Parka, Psicosis, Juventud Guerrera, and Rey Mysterio, Jr. grabbed my attention. I also enjoyed the underhanded antics of the Guerreros. I eventually started watching promotions like AAA and CMLL and begin to watch the careers of wrestlers like Blue Demon, Jr. and Shocker.

My son and I arrived at the event about an hour before the doors opened in the hopes of catching a glimpse of some of the wrestlers. We saw John Hennigan (aka John Morrison, Johnny Mundo, Johnny Impact), Taya Valkyrie, and members of LAX walk into the building. Other wrestlers were walking in as well, but we were parked a little too far to tell who they were (some had on hoodies).

Once the doors opened, we went into a world where there was a free photo area with an Aro Lucha background, free Aro Lucha temporary tattoos and raffle tickets, and shirts, masks, and Meet and Greet opportunities for sale. Concessions were also available at reasonable prices.

We entered the arena for the show and saw the brightly colored ring. There was also an entrance ramp with a large screen playing the Aro Lucha “sizzle reel” to get folks pumped for the show. As more people flowed into the arena, a Texas based DJ began playing upbeat music to keep the crowd’s energy level up. A hype man also circled the arena to energize the crowd, encouraging chants and screams from the audience.

When it was time for the show to begin (and it began promptly at 7:30), the announcer, Dee Dee, entered the arena on the entrance ramp and gave a quick run down on the rules of the matches. After that, it was time for the first match, which featured Xtra Talented facing off against Thunder Rosa (aka Kobra Moon from Lucha Underground) and Lowrider. The teams provided an excellent opening bout which had a fairly long run time.

Other matches included wrestlers such as Steve Pain and Laredo Kid facing off against LAX, Demus and Super Crazy versus Hurricane Helms and Mascarita Dorada, Ultima Ninja versus “The Best Ever” Sammy Guevara, a three way match featuring Low Ki, James Storm, and MVP, and the main event, a six-man tag event featuring the teams of Chavo Guerrero, Jr., John Hennigan, and Taya Valkyrie versus indie wrestler Keyra, Maximo, and the legendary Blue Demon, Jr.

All of the matches went well, with Sammy Guevara, Laredo Kid, Thunder Rosa, and Lowrider turning in some of the biggest performances of the night. The more seasoned veterans, especially those in the main event, delivered as always. MVP and John Hennigan taunted the crowd. James Storm drank beer straight from the hands of audience members.

Despite being a promotion that is still in its early stages, Aro Lucha showed me excellent signs of growth potential based on the quality of the talent on the card, the production level of the live event, and the heavy interaction with the fan base. Sammy Guevara is a young and talented wrestler, and the promotion should use him as much as possible to gain a following. Seasoned veterans such as Blue Demon Jr., John Hennigan and Chavo Guerrero, Jr. are also excellent flag bearers for the company if they can lock them in for more shows.

The level of excitement in the fans was great. Many of them, old and young (myself included) wore masks of their favorite wrestlers. The staff at the event was friendly, interacted with the fans, and as far as I know there were no reports of any bad experiences from those in attendance.

1024x1024 — Photo by Ryan Pelham of the Beaumont Enterprise.

My son loved every minute of the event, and said that attending the event was one of the coolest things he’s ever done. I really hope that Aro Lucha returns to Beaumont or, better yet, makes its way into southwest Louisiana so that we can see attend another live show. Even if Aro Lucha doesn’t make it as a major promotion, I hope that they at least develop a regional brand. They are based in Nashville, TN, but their brand is a perfect fit for states like Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California.

If you get a chance to attend an Aro Lucha event, I highly recommend it.

As always, thanks for reading my post. I’ll be reviewing the latest film in the Cloverfield franchise, the direct-to-Netflix The Cloverfield Paradox, in the very near future. I also have plans to check out and review the Black Panther film. I’m also just a few weeks away from attending CyPhaCon in Lake Charles. Keep checking my blog for more information and fun!

Rise Of The TMNT Reveal!

Somewhere In The Sewers

Just a few minutes ago, the official Facebook page for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a live event where they officially revealed the new look of the Turtles, April O’Neil, and Master Splinter from the upcoming Nickelodeon series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Myself and a ton of other fans tuned in to see what our favorite heroes on the half shell would look like and here are my thoughts along with photos of the characters and the cast that will play them.

Raphael is up first. In this incarnation of the group, Raph will be the leader. According to a panel at the live event that featured Ant Ward (co-executive producer), Andy Suriano (co-executive producer), and Rob Paulsen (voice of Raph in the 80’s, Donnie in the 2012 series, and voice director on the new series), Raphael will be a reactionary, think first leader. Based on the photo, you can see that he’s ditched the sai for tonfas. Not much else was revealed about him except that he’s voiced by Omar Miller.

The tech-savvy Donatello is next, with a streamlined look and a ton of gadgets. He’ll be voiced by Josh Brener. He’s still a nerd, but according to the panel he will be more confident than other incarnations. Donnie will still use his trusty bo staff but, as in recent years, it’s loaded with gadgets.

Here’s the new look for Leonardo. Much like Donatello, Leo features a slimmer look. He won’t be the leader (at least for now, hopefully that changes), but seems to have been placed into a fast-talking, fun-loving, turtle with attitude role. Leo’s Katana blades are gone, replaced by a single Odachi sword. The way it was explained by the panel made it seem like he’s basically a sharper version of Michelangelo. He’s voiced by Ben Schwartz.

The last turtle is Michelangelo. He’s an artist and according to Paulsen, the one turtle that most closely fits the legacy of TMNT. Voiced by Brandon Mychal Smith, Michelangelo will lose the nunchucks and use a Kusari-fundo instead. Oh, and don’t worry, he still loves pizza according to the panel.

April O’Neil and Splinter finish up the new looks. April was the first character revealed at the event and she’s definitely different from the classic April O’Neil and even the newer, teenaged version thanks to a glowing green bat. Many fans have mentioned their dislike for her race change. That personally doesn’t bother me, but when asked about her new look (and not specifically her race), Ant War and Andy Suriano mentioned that they wanted to reflect the “diversity of the world around us” and “wanted to portray a contemporary teenager.” It sounded like a roundabout attempt to address the race change without directly addressing it. I did see negative comments posted during the feed but, c’mon, people, this is just a character. Get over it. O’Neil will be voiced by Kat Graham.

Splinter looks very different from his former incarnations as well. He reminds me of Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda. He’ll be voiced by Eric Bauza. Not much was said about his character, but it seems like he’ll have a tad more attitude in this incarnation than in the past.

rise-of-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles — L to R: Kat Graham, Josh Brener, Omar Miller, Brandon Mychal Smith, and Ben Schwartz.

According to the panel, the turtles were designed around their personalities and attitudes. Based on what I’ve read (and with a small bit of input from the panel), Raph will be a snapping turtle, which fits his angry attitude. Donatello will be a softshelled turtle but more confident than previous incarnations. Leonardo will be a red-eared slider who is very sure of himself and Michelangelo will be a box turtle who likes to “tag his shell” with stickers and paint.

The overall look doesn’t impress me very much. I’m completely willing to give the show a chance, as I believe that if the stories are strong enough, the animation won’t matter as much. Folks who know me know that I love Donatello, but this version of him is the least visually impressive one I’ve seen so far. I don’t care much for how lean both he and Leonardo look. Michelangelo looks better, but he has an extremely amphibian vibe going much like the other turtles. Raphael looks the best in my opinion. Of course, he also looks more like a reptile than his brothers in this version of the characters. I’m not too fond of April’s design and I can’t stand Splinter’s design at all.

Again, I’ll hold off judgment until I watch the actual series, but the overall look and feel of these characters is not very impressive.

Thanks for reading my post. Let me know what your impressions are of the characters. Do you like the look? Does the race change of April bother you? All opinions are welcomed and encouraged.

Look! Up In The Sky!

Boyle Heights, CA

I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling for pretty much my entire life. As a child, I remember waking up early on Sunday morning to watch Mid-South Wrestling with my dad. I cut my teeth watching legends like Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Ted DiBiase, Junkyard Dog, and Rick Flair. I watched tag teams and stables such as the Rock n’ Roll Express, the Freebirds, and the Four Horsemen develop. Many of these wrestlers would go on to the NWA promotion and/or WWF (WWE for you youngsters out there).

I started watching WCW and WWF and attending their live events once I got into college. I didn’t have cable television as a kid, and never saw WCW or WWF prior to college, so I was blown away by the skill levels of the wrestlers in these promotions and in their stories, ring entrances, and merchandise. WCW turned me on to luchadores and lucha libre, and I quickly became a fan of guys like La Parka, Psicosis, Rey Mysterio, Jr., and Eddie and Chavo Guerrero.

Once WWE gobbled up WCW and ECW, lucha libre was placed on the back burner and I was only able to watch it on Univision whenever I had that particular channel. I watched CMLL and AAA shows when I could, but I slowly caved to WWE since it was literally the only big show left in the states.

Netflix came to my rescue last year when it started streaming seasons one and two of Lucha Underground. Broadcast in the states on the El Rey Network (which I am not offered in my area), the show’s first season drew major heat for its over-the-top story lines and outlandish characters. Murder, a man that claims to be a dragon, another guy who is apparently from outer space, and a lady that controls one of the show’s biggest wrestlers with a rock is just a small taste of some of the stories and luchadores featured on the show.

NOTE: Minor spoilers ahead if you haven’t watched Lucha Underground

Despite all of this absurdity, the show works on a level that WWE would never dare to touch. The in-ring action is fast, high flying, and genuinely fun to watch. Luchadores such as Pentagon Jr. (who is currently going by Pentagon Dark), Aerostar, Drago, and Johnny Mundo (better known as John Morrison) use a countless number of holds and fast moves to impress the crowd. Almost all of the wrestlers use high flying, high risk moves to shock audiences as well. Angelico and Fenix are quite possibly the best at these aerial antics.

There are also “big guys” in the ring such as Big Ryck, Cage, Matanza, and Mil Muertes. These wrestlers will throw out some aerial work as well (especially Cage, who continues to impress me), but rely heavily on strength and intimidation to win their matches.

Oh, and the ladies aren’t forgotten on Lucha Underground. Sexy Star, Ivelisse, Taya, and Mariposa are just a few of the many women that wrestle for Lucha Underground. They don’t shy away from the boys, either. In fact, some of the best matches that I’ve seen so far include female wrestlers such as pretty much every Trios Champion match between Angelico, Ivelisse, and Son of Havoc against any trio that takes them on and a particularly great match between Taya and Cage.

Mascarita Sagrada, a mini luchador, competes against men and women that are two and three times as big as he is and he is often paired up with other unique wrestlers such as Pimpinela Escarlata. Drago, the aforementioned man that claims to be a dragon, walks out into the “Temple” for his matches with a long black tongue. As the seasons have progressed, he’s added wings and a huge headdress that he wears when entering the ring. Another standout wrestler is The Mack, who comes out in old school boots and tights and he’s built just like a wrestler from the seventies or early eighties. He’s not chiseled like a rock and his body jiggles when he moves, but he’s one of the most athletic big men in the game these days. He’s a big high flyer and draws a big pop from the crowd when he enters the Temple.

The storylines are just as flashy and unbelievable as the wrestlers themselves. As I mentioned, in the first season, a luchador was murdered off screen by another wrestler. Blood was shown splattering on the face of witnesses at the scene of the crime. Other story lines involve Pentagon Jr. breaking an arm of each opponent he faces, putting their career on hold. Catrina, manager of Mil Muertes, controls the big man by using a rock. The rock apparently holds some sort of power over Mil and his eventual stable called the Disciples of Death. Oh, and in season two, two of those disciples were murdered by the third one, Sinestro de la Muerte. Other stories include revenge, good old fashioned hate, and the desperate need for glory and fame.

All of this insanity is lorded over by the promoter, Dario Cueto, who is even easier to hate than Vince McMahon, Jr. Cueto is a manipulative sleaze ball, using money, jealousy, and hate to build tension between wrestlers. He often pairs up enemies in tag matches in order to force them to work together. He demands that the referees play loose and easy with the rules so that fans can watch the violence unfold in and out of the ring. Cueto is quite possibly one of the most brilliant creations in all of Lucha Underground.

While Cueto pulls the strings, a pair of guys that are very familiar to wrestling fans call the action in the temple. Matt Striker, best known for his work with WWE’s version of ECW, and Vampiro, known for his work for WCW and CMLL, create quite the pairing on television. Striker calls the matches in a fairly traditional way, throwing in cheesy lines and cerebral thoughts every now and then. Vampiro, the color commentator, often calls matches with spirit that channels the crowd. In fact, he sometimes leaves the announcer’s table to join the crowd. He also translates some of the dialogue by the luchadores and name drops classic wrestlers and wrestling moves. The duo are extremely fun to watch. Striker plays the straight man and Vampiro sort of rambles throughout each episode.

Lucha Underground is definitely a great option for wrestling fans that are tired of the same ol’ same ol’ of WWE. There’s more violence, much stronger language, and elements of history, fantasy, and science fiction woven throughout the show that give it something that makes it stand out from the pack. I recommend watching this program, but be warned that the violence and language can get pretty tough in certain episodes. I personally watch each episode before I decide if my son can watch it with me. F-bombs often run rampant in some episodes and plenty of wrestlers bleed excessively. If you are accustomed to watching the current tame version of WWE, you might want to avoid viewing Lucha Underground with your kids. Other than those elements, though, there isn’t a wrestling program on television better than Lucha Underground.

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Thanks for reading this post. I’m actually going to an Aro Lucha event (not affiliated with Lucha Underground but features many LU alumni and current wrestlers) in February and will happily give a full review of it afterwards. If you watch Lucha Underground or any other wrestling shows, let me know what you think about it in the comments!

Gulf South Convention Roundup!

All Over The Gulf States!

With a new year comes new geeky things! One of those geeky things is a fresh round of conventions across the Gulf South! In this post I’ll be listing a few of these conventions that will be hitting us within the next few months. I’ll also let you know if I’ll be in attendance at any of them.

First off, let’s take a look at Pensacon in Pensacola, FL. Although I’ve never had the pleasure of attending this particular convention, I’ve heard nothing but great things about it. It has grown with each year and based on their guest list for 2018, they have no intentions of slowing down any time soon!

From The Walking Dead to Doctor Who and Star Trek to Galaxy Quest, there is a media guest for everyone. Some of my personal favorites include the original Buffy The Vampire Slayer and all around gorgeous lady, Kristy Swanson, the Swamp Thing film’s Adrienne Barbeau, and Married….With Children’s own Marcy Darcy, Amanda Bearse. Other guests include Jack Skellington himself, Chris Sarandon, Walter Jones (Black Ranger from the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers), Cooper Andrews (the wonderful Jerry from The Walking Dead) and a whole host of other excellent actors, authors, artists, and exhibitors.

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Seriously, this convention is loaded, and if any of my friends happen to attend, I want a full report on this convention (and maybe a phone call from Kristy Swanson)! Once my crazy schedule dies down a bit, I hope to make the trip to sunny Florida to attend Pensacon! Check out all of their wonderful guests, vendors, artists, and more here. Pensacon happens next month, February 23-25.

Up next is one of my favorite conventions of all time, CoastCon. Held in lovely Biloxi, MS at the beautiful Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, this convention is celebrating its 41st year. That’s right, kids. This southern, fan-run convention has been kicking around as long as I have!

This year’s guests include anime voice artist, Bryce Papenbrook, and Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of the Lords of Avalon series and the Chronicles of Nick. This is one of the most fan-friendly conventions that you can attend, and I love not only the convention itself, but the entire city of Biloxi. This is the type of convention that you go to in order to hang out with friends old and new, and to attend panels covering all of your favorite fandoms. Get information on guests, hotels, and more here. The event will take place March 16-18.

Next up is the third incarnation of another one of my favorites, Southern Geekfest! As of this writing, there hasn’t been much talk about this year’s event. I’m hoping to actually make this event this year since I missed last year and because it is headed up by some wonderful people. Hattiesburg, MS isn’t the first place one might think of when talking about pop culture, but there is a thriving fandom community in this wonderful Mississippi town. Keep an eye out for more updates on this convention here.

Last but not least is the local con, CyPhaCon, in Lake Charles, LA. From April 6th-8th, CyPhaCon will take place at the Lake Charles Civic Center. This year’s event looks to be just as excellent as the last couple of years with guests such as Warehouse 13’s Eddie McClintock, Babylon 5’s Jason Carter, and Farscape’s Gigi Edgley. Anime fans will get the chance to meet Ian Sinclair and J. Michael Tatum. Kimberly Richardson and Mike Moreau are slated to attend as author guests. Morgan and Danny Allain will be in attendance as artist guests. Cosplay guests, fan groups, and the performance group Take One Productions will also be in attendance.

There are many more guests, including musical guests, to be announced, so be sure to look here for more information about this upcoming event. I am definitely going to this event, so be sure to look for me. When the event gets closer, I’ll let you all know exactly when I’ll be there. My primary goal: to get a hug from Gigi Edgley! I loved her as Chiana on Farscape, and she stole my heart with her guest role on Star Trek Continues.

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That’s all for now, folks. Thank you for reading my post. If you’re attending any of these events, be sure to let me know how it goes!

Addictive Apples

Storybrooke, ME

I’ve been all over the place with my nerd viewing in recent months. I’ve bounced around from The IT Crowd (which I love and recommend) to multiple rewatchings of Star Trek, Star Trek Voyager, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, to shows like Luke Cage and Robotech. My wife, who rarely becomes passionate about any fantasy or science fiction programs, often had me watching Grimm with her. While I enjoyed the series, I never felt a need to continually watch it. In other words, I can view one or two episodes and I’m good for a few weeks. My wife is a rabid fan of the show, however, and has watched all of the seasons repeatedly.

Over the weekend we decided to watch a new (at least to us) series entitled Once Upon A Time. If you know me at all, you know that I am a huge Disney fan. I’m also a big fan of fairy tales. I really enjoy Disney’s take on fairy tales as well and don’t mind the liberties that the Mouse That Walt Built has taken with those wonderful stories. I do, however, find myself hesitant whenever a classic fairy tale is injected into modern times. After skimming the web for information on Once Upon A Time, I was a bit worried over what I might be getting into. Thankfully the show has been a very pleasant surprise.

Be Forewarned: This series has been out since 2011 and I’m playing catch up. Any post I make about this show from here on out will contain spoilers for all of the existing seasons. But don’t worry, I’m still on Season One, so I’m not going to spoil anything recent for awhile!

We-Are-Both-once-upon-a-time-32539402-1600-900

The series starts with Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison, Kirk’s mom in the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie) reuniting with her son that she gave up for adoption, Henry (Jared S. Gilmore). In Fairy Tale World, the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla, Boomtown) storms into the wedding of Prince Charming (Josh Dallas, Fandral in the first Thor film) and Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin, Big Love) and casts a curse in which she’ll be the only person with a happy ending when their tales come to an end. This curse transports numerous popular fairy tale characters to Storybrooke, Maine, where they lose all memories of their former lives and live in a never-ending cycle of life under Mayor Regina Mills (the Evil Queen).

Sounds kinda silly, right? Stay with me here.

Henry shows up at Emma’s home and tells her that she is the key to breaking the curse placed on the people and beings of the Fairy Tale World because she is the daughter of Charming and Snow. According to a prophecy of Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle, Trainspotting, Ravenous, The Full Monty), Emma will return to break the curse on her twenty-eighth birthday. Emma doesn’t believe Henry and brings him home to his adopted mother, Regina Mills.

Henry tells Emma that no one can ever leave Storybrooke because of the curse and that anybody that does try to leave ends up having something bad happen to them. He also tells her that Regina only pretends to love him. Knowing how tough the life of an adopted or foster child can be, Emma decides to stay in town for a bit. She comes into contact with a number of characters in the first few episodes and we get to learn a little about each of them in our world and in the fairy tale realm. She eventually winds up as a deputy in the town under the watch of Sheriff Graham Humbert (Jamie Dornan, Fifty Shades of Grey), who happens to be the Hunstman that was sent to kill Snow White and bring her heart to the Queen.

With each episode, we learn that certain citizens of Storybrooke know exactly what is going on and that many others experience flashbacks to memories of their other life. Mr. Gold (Carlyle) is apparently fully aware of what is going on and makes deals with any and every citizen that becomes desperate in the town. He also manipulates Emma into running for sheriff and thus forcing Regina to run her own candidate. Of all of the characters in the show so far, Gold and Regina are definitely two of my favorites.

Another favorite is Dr. Hopper/Jiminy Cricket, portrayed by seasoned character actor Raphael Sbarge. Science fiction fans will no doubt recognize Sbarge from his time as a recurring character in Star Trek Voyager and as numerous other characters from TV and film in productions as varied as Independence Day, iZombie, Risky Business, and Pearl Harbor. This guy has been all over TV and film and his role as Hopper is excellent. He’s one of the first citizens other than Mr. Gold to stand up to Mayor Mills. He’s also Henry’s therapist, and has a strong bond with the boy.

Meghan Ory portrays Red Riding Hood/Ruby in the series. While she’s primarily nothing more than a source for information and eye candy for the locals, I’ve already looked ahead and know that her character has bigger things to come later in the series.

Josh Dallas’ Prince Charming/David Nolan hasn’t done much in the series so far, but that’s primarily because he’s been in a coma for most of the episodes in our world. He’s been really busy in Fairy Tale Land, though, managing to chase down the wrongfully accused Snow White and eventually fall in love with and marry her. He also slayed a dragon for King Midas (Alex Zahara) in order to bring Midas’ kingdom and his father’s together. I won’t reveal the twist in that particular story if you haven’t seen it yet.

In our world, David has only recently awakened from his coma and is struggling with feelings for Mary Margaret Blanchard/Snow White despite being married to Kathryn/Princess Abigail. He suffers from amnesia and is only beginning to discover his place in Storybrooke.

While the plot left me a bit hesitant at first, one cast member drew me in like a moth to a flame. I’ve always been enchanted by the lovely Ginnifer Goodwin since I first saw her in HBO’s Big Love, and she is the primary reason that I decided to give Once Upon A Time a shot. Her portrayal of a tough, smart, and quick-witted Snow White plays in wonderful contrast to her somewhat meek and caring Mary Margaret. She has quickly developed a strong friendship with Emma, and is only beginning to build her relationship with David. Her story has been very interesting so far, and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

I was entirely unfamiliar with Lana Parilla until seeing this series, but she has quickly become my favorite part of the show. Parilla plays bad at a devilishly good level. I love hating her, and am always surprised by how evil she can be. At one point in the series she physically dukes it out with Emma and despite all of her magical power in the other world, it’s this fierceness and jealousy-driven hate in our world that makes me love her so much. When I grow up and become the Evil King, I hope to rule just as bad as Lana Parilla.

The show overall is extremely fun to watch. There are a few moments were it becomes a bit disjointed, but the ship is usually righted before the end of the episode. I’m only ten episodes in, so I know that there’s a lot of story left to be seen. The CGI and practical effects are pretty good, with the CGI only faltering in a few spots. There’s a Disney purity that lingers over each episode, but there’s an adult tinge to it as well.

As each episode plays out, the story gives the viewer just enough of a taste of what’s really going on to want them to continue watching. That’s the sign of a truly good story, and considering the fact that this particular show is based on stories that have stood the test of time, that’s saying quite a lot.

I give it four poisoned apples out of five.

As always, thanks for reading. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever watched this series and how much you like or dislike it.

Wanna Be Famous????

On This Very Blog

I’m sure that you are all aware that convention season is upon us. Last year was a bust for me as I only attended one convention (Louisiana Comic Con, which was awesome). This year I plan on attending a few more. I have definite plans to attend CyPhaCon in Lake Charles, LA and Louisiana Comic Con in Lafayette, LA. I also hope to attend Southern Geek Fest in Hattiesburg, MS and CoastCon in Biloxi, MS. Those two are pretty much up in the air at the moment, but I highly recommend attending them if you can. I’m also looking at attending at least one or two other smaller conventions in Louisiana and possibly Texas.

So why am I posting this and how will it make you famous?

Simply put: I want new material for my blog and want your help doing so.

In order to do this, I want to do a few one-on-one interviews in person with cosplayers, other bloggers, artists, authors, convention runners, super fans, and maybe a celebrity or two. If you happen to be any of the things that I just listed, I want to hear from you!

If you are attending any of the same conventions that I am going to and have a few minutes to kill, I want to talk to you. I want to know why you love to write. I want to know what inspired you to create your art. I want to know how long it takes for you to make your costumes. Get the picture????

If you aren’t going to be at a convention but happen to be fairly local to me (from Beaumont, TX to Lafayette, LA and north to Alexandria, LA), I’d love to hang out with you wherever you’d like to meet and talk about what makes you tick.

Last year I started my “Ten Burning Questions” posts and while popular, it became difficult to find participants. People enjoyed reading those posts, but only a few brave souls actually agreed to answer questions. By doing interviews in person, though, I hope to get a little more insight to the individuals that I interview.

If you are someone you know is interested in being interviewed, please shoot me a message either through this blog or over on my Facebook page here.

Thanks for reading and thanks for your help!

Shining “Bright”

Orcs and Elves and Fairies, Oh My!

Veteran LAPD officer Daryl Ward (Will Smith) is forced to partner up with the first Orc officer in the country, Nick Jakoby (the completely unrecognizable Joel Edgerton), and ends up taking on a Dark Elf and some bad cops in Netflix’s most expensive original film to date, Bright.

I first heard about this film on Netflix earlier this year. The streaming service heavily promoted the film and successfully grabbed my attention. Despite having a seemingly absurd premise, I impatiently waited for the December 22 release date to arrive and watched the film that evening. Something about the promos really grabbed my attention. Part of me wanted to see just how bad this film could be, but another part of me said that director David Ayer (Suicide Squad, Training Day) might possibly be able to make a decent movie out of this Max Landis (Victor Frankenstein, Chronicle) story.

I held off on writing this review because I also saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi during the same time period and felt that that film was a bit more important to blog about first. This decision allowed me to think about Bright a bit longer and it made me grow to appreciate the film even more.

Minor spoilers ahead, but nothing too surprising.

The story seems a bit silly on the surface. It’s essentially a buddy cop movie about the grizzled veteran (Smith) attempting to survive the day with his new rookie officer (Edgerton)…..who happens to be an Orc…..and Elves and Fairies also exist in this present world. All of the other cops on the force want Jakoby eliminated from his position, and when Jakoby and Ward stumble upon a magic wand and an Elf (Lucy Fry) capable of wielding it, other cops see it as a way to permanently remove Jakoby by killing him and taking the wand for themselves.

Things get even crazier when a local human gang also finds out that Jakoby and Ward have the wand and they give chase. Top that off with the fact that the owner of the wand, the sinister Dark Elf called Leilah (Noomi Rapace), is after them as well, and you’ve got all of the ingredients for a chase film sprinkled with humor that only the combination of David Ayer, Max Landis, and Will Smith can deliver.

Despite having a solid amount of humor throughout, this story is pretty dramatic. There are undertones of racism (from the cops, Orcs, Elves, and humans) and an Uncle Tom factor (the other Orcs hate Jakoby for trying “to be human”) in the film, but these elements simply play out in the background, being injected at moments in the film and then being pushed back while the main plot plays out. Landis could have written a grand social commentary about race relations, but decided to stick with a buddy cop film and it works very well. I’ve read a few reviews where people claimed that Landis squandered a perfect opportunity to address race relations with this film, but I believe that his intention was never meant to address that specific element, only to use it as a catalyst for the main plot.

The Elves in the film are seen as an elite race, being wealthier, more intelligent, and considered more attractive than the humans and Orcs. Fairies are relegated to being a subspecies that are pests and nothing more. This hierarchy plays into the film’s tale, as one of the protagonists, an Elf named Kandomere (Edgar Ramirez), comes across as a bad guy at first, but is really only interested in upholding the law. In fact, I’d say that Razmirez gives one of the best performances in the film.

The rest of the cast does an excellent job. Smith and Edgerton have excellent chemistry on the screen, and Edgerton does a particularly good job behind a ton of makeup. Lucy Fry spends a lot of the film rattling off Elvish until she finally trusts Ward and Jakoby. It’s at this point where we see that there’s more to her than meets the eye. Noomi Rapace eats up every scene that she’s in, commanding the viewer’s attention as she kicks, punches, threatens, and murders her way through Los Angeles. Her two primary followers (Veronica Ngo and Alex Meraz) provide plenty of action as well. Margaret Cho and Ike Barinholtz are excellent as bad cops out to get Jakoby by any means necessary. Happy Anderson channels a young John Goodman as Montehugh, Kandomere’s partner.

The film has excellent practical effects and an excellent soundtrack. It makes perfect sense that Cannibal Corpse would be a band that Orcs would listen to, so it comes as no surprise that their track Hammer Smashed Face is considered “one of the greatest love songs ever written” by Jakoby. It’s these types of light moments and nods that hold the film up between the heavier moments.

It doesn’t surprise me that the professional reviewers shot this film down. I’m pretty sure that their DNA is encoded with an anti-fun gene that forces them to hate any film that doesn’t have some great message attached to it……or they are a bunch of snobs.

There are better fantasy films out there, but for a fun weekend flick that’s actually pretty cool, give Bright a chance to shine. Ignore the critics, pop some popcorn, and enjoy this movie.

Thanks for reading my post. Let me know what you think about Bright in the comments section. I’ll be posting again real soon!

Wakanda

In Walks The Black Panther

Spoiler Free Review

Spoilers Below!!! You’ve reached the end of the Spoiler Free Review.

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Aboard The Cloverfield Station

Spoiler-Free Review

Read below to find out why I believe that the critics hated this film. Spoilers Ahead!!!!!

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Beaumont, TX

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Somewhere In The Sewers

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Boyle Heights, CA

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All Over The Gulf States!

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Storybrooke, ME

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On This Very Blog

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Orcs and Elves and Fairies, Oh My!

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