The Avengers Assembled...So What's Next?

With Phase One of Marvel's Cinematic Universe now out everywhere on DVD and Blu-Ray (including ‘Iron Man 1 and 2’, ‘The Incredible Hulk’, ‘Thor’, ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ and ‘The Avengers’), people are now asking what is Marvel currently doing for the next phase in its cinematic universe?

Marvel’s Phase Two begins with ‘Iron Man 3’.

Jon Favreau has stepped down from directing to be replaced by Shane Black, who was a screenwriter on the previous ‘Iron Man 2’.

‘Iron Man 3’ sees what happened to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) after the events of ‘Avengers’ and how it has affected his life as he also tackles his greatest nemesis and fan favourite Iron Man baddie, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). The story also focuses on an Iron Man comic book story arc called ‘Extremis’, where Tony had to create a brand new armor to combat a man given superpowers genetically through a virus called Extremis. Don Cheadle returns as Rhodey/War Machine as well as Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan and Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. 

‘Iron Man 3’ is currently still in production with the latest filming to be done in China.

3 is a magic number when ‘Iron Man 3’ hits theatres April 26^th 2013 in the UK and May 3^rd 2013 everywhere else.

Meanwhile the sequel to ‘Thor’, ‘Thor: The Dark World’ is also in production with filming still being done at the Royal Naval College, aka the University of Greenwich in London, aka my university.

It will be directed by Alan Taylor, famous among the nerd community for having directed several episodes of ‘Game of Thrones’.

Also following after ‘The Avengers’, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) return to Asgard only to find it and the other Nine Realms in chaos as a mysterious enemy older than the universe itself returns. However, the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, one of the Nine Realms led by Malekith the Accursed (Christopher Eccleston) are on a quest for revenge that will plunge the universe into darkness. Faced with unstoppable forces that even Odin (Anthony Hopkins) can’t stop, Thor will reunite with Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) as he sets out on a journey that will force him to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Lightning strikes twice when ‘Thor: The Dark World’ is released on November 8^th, 2013.

Currently in development for 2014 is the sequel to ‘Captain America’, ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier'. 

It will be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and stars the returning Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, as well as Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Sebastian Stan as James “Bucky” Barnes, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill first introduced in ‘The Avengers’. Anthony Mackie will star as superhero The Falcon that will star alongside Captain America with several female actors being auditioned for Steve’s love interest.

The story will focus on Steve’s adjustment to the modern world after ‘Avengers’ as he is also targeted by the ruthless assassin, The Winter Solider, a soldier from Cap’s past.

‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ begins filming next year in March 2013 in Cleveland and will also film in California and Washington D.C.

Cap returns for an un-wintery release of April 4^th 2014.

Also in development is an adaptation of Marvel’s ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy’. The film will be directed by James Gunn, who last directed ‘Super’, a black comedy superhero film and will be written by him, Nicole Perlman and Chris McCoy.

Details about the plot and cast of the film are scarce but rumours indicate that Thanos, a powerful villain revealed in the mid-credits sequence of ‘Avengers’ will be the villain. The Guardians are a group of space Avengers, different alien races that come together in order to protect the galaxy, with the group consisting of Drax the Destroyer, Groot, Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon and Gamora, but rumors speculate that this will not be the cast of characters seen in the film. 

The ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ will protect us on August 1^st 2014.

But what we do know is that whatever happens in the solo films for Iron Man, Thor, Cap and Guardians, will have a large impact when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes regroup for ‘Avengers 2’, slated for a May 1^st 2015 release, directed and written by Joss Whedon.

And whatever happens…shall be AWESOME!

I'm a nerd, and this was my rant.  

The (Not So) Amazing Spider-Man Review

This summer, Sony rebooted their ‘Spider-Man’ film franchise in order to keep the film rights with a brand new cast, brand new director and brand new style, ala Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman’ trilogy. And now, ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is headed home with the Blu-Ray and DVD release next week on Monday 26^th November.

In 2007, the ‘Spider-Man’ film franchise ended with ‘Spider-Man 3’ and being squashed underneath a rolled up newspaper. Expectations were high for the third instalment with teaser posters showcasing the Black Suit Spider-Man and looked to be a darker tone as Spider-Man faced his greatest enemy, Venom.

But instead we got a whining and crying Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, who later became an emo who danced down the street in a montage that is scared into my retinas. Oh and Vemon, he appeared in the last 20 minutes of the 2 and half hour film and was killed as fast as he appeared on screen.

So you can expect many a fan, including me, were happy when news came that the series would not be getting a 4^th directed by Sam Raimi, but instead getting a reboot directed by Marc Webb. Spider-Man…Webb…Coincidence? I think so.

Was this new take on Spidey better? Yes and no. 

With more advanced CGI comes more advanced scenes such as many of Spidey's web-slinging sequence with iconic poses stripped straight from the comics and for his fight sequences against this films baddie The Lizard/Curt Conners, played by Rhys Ifans when he wasn't CGI'd up to the be a reptile Gollum.

There was also a better cast giving greater performances than those given in Raimi’s trilogy. Emma Stone stood out as Gwen Stacy, the first love of Peter Parker's life who works well acting against Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. 

I'll cling to the fact that Tobey Mcquire played a great Peter Parker, but wasn't such a great Spider-Man. Whereas Andrew plays a great and cocky, quip giving Spidey but fails to hit the nail on the head as Peter, a bit unsure of what kind of Peter he wants to portray, from nerdy high school kid to emo, rebel skateboarder. Martin Sheen plays a great Uncle Ben and Sally Field plays a funny and charming Aunt May for their brief moments and Denis Leary is Captain Stacy, Gwen’s father and Police Chief of New York for some great action packed, comedic and heart-breaking scenes. 

But ‘Amazing’ was not a good ‘Spider-Man’ film because it was too soon for the retelling of a story many of us can tell off buy heart. Trailers advertised that we would learn the “Untold Story” of Spider-Man, but it was more of a story that we already knew but in the Christopher Nolan approach, by giving the origin story of the character a darker tone. 

Whilst Spider-Man was portrayed at his best, Peter Parker was a mess and mixture of different aspects of the character, from an orphan abandoned by his parents and forced to live with his aunt and uncle who feels they don't understand him, helping people empathize with the character to the hipster geek who likes photography, tinkering with machines and an skateboarder. Though he was a photographer and invented his web-shooter devices, he never was a skateboarder and served no purpose to the story except to show Peter as being bit of a rebel and that his prowess and skills on the board transferred to his skills as being Spider-Man.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ was a film trying too hard to be different than its previous incarnations, but wound up being the same and telling the same exact story. This video highlights some of the flaws I have mentioned, and many more.

Overall, if you are a fan of the man that does whatever a spider can, you’ll love this. But an "Amazing" film, it was not. 

I'm a nerd, and this was my rant. 

God of Thunder Vs Time Lord as Thor: The Dark World returns to Greenwich

Chris Hemsworth as Thor battles Christopher Eccleston as Malekith the Accursed with his army of Dark Elves on the set of Thor: The Dark World this week at The Royal Naval College, also known as the University of Greenwich in London, England.

After secondary production shooting finished on October 21^st, it was time for my university to become the home for the film for 2 weeks starting November 12^th as primary production shooting begun.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor was the first to grace his presence on Monday and has been close to the set since, returning on Tuesday and Wednesday as Eccleston appeared in full costume as the films baddie, Malekith the Accursed. Both returned on Thursday for more scenes.

The scenes being filmed appear to be the climatic fight scenes of the film as the God of Thunder, battles Malekith the Accursed and his army Dark Elves, beings from another realm like Asgard as they invade Earth and London, with their ship crashing in Greenwich. The set comprised of broken and dug up piles of Earth, caused by the crash landing of the Dark Elf ship as well as crushed and destroyed cars and parts of the surrounding buildings.

Filming is scheduled to continue today, Friday 16^th and over the weekend and ending next week on the 23^rd. I will be there watching the scenes being filmed and trying to get Chris Hemsworth to sign my chest.

I’m a nerd and this was my rant. 

The Dark Knight Returns Returns Next Year

Last September, DC released the first part of their animated version of one of the most critically acclaimed, Batman graphic novels of all time, Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Part Two comes out on Blu-Ray and DVD next year on January 29^th, but here are my thoughts on part one.

The Dark Knight Returns Part One sees an older, retired Bruce Wayne looking for a thrill in his life since giving up being the Batman. But when a major threat in the form of a criminal gang known as the Mutants rises and Harvey Dent, aka Two Face returns, Bruce Wayne is forced to don the cowl once more to save Gotham.

Part One was released on September 25^th 2012 and do you want to know what I thought of it? As good as Christopher’s Nolan’s The Dark Knight.

You’re now probably thinking “Seriously? An animated Batman film is as good as the live action series?” And yes. It is.

The action sequences are spectacular, with one sequence involving a Batmobile turned tank, driven by the Batman as he takes on the Mutant army, being a show stopper. The animation is DC animation at its best, with scenes ripped straight from the graphic novel presented in glorious high definition. The voice cast is perfect for each of the characters they portrayed and the music and atmosphere has you gripped from start to finish. I felt nostalgic watching it as it reminded me

And then it finishes. My rant for this film is that it was too short, with its total run time at 77 minutes. DC is taking part in the recent trend of movie releases by releasing this animated feature in parts rather than one, whole release. I hate films that do this as they use the lie that they are doing this to tell the story in its entirety. But in reality, it is to rake in as much money as possible. Films such as Twilight Breaking Dawn are major culprits of doing this. But then again, I feel sorry for the people that pay to see any of the Twilight films.

I would have preferred to have Batman: The Dark Knight Returns as a singular release, instead of having to wait for the second 74 minute part. And I cannot wait!

I recommend Batman: The Dark Knight Returns to any Batfan and to anyone who has seen Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy. You will not be disappointed.

I’m a nerd, and this was my rant.

Disney Buys LucasFilm. Star Wars Ep 7 out 2015. WTF?!

On October 30th 2012, nerds everywhere felt excitement, fear, sadness and confusion to the news that George Lucas, the father of the Star Wars franchise had sold his company LucasFilm to Disney for $4.05 Billion and Disney has plans to release a brand new trilogy of films, starting with Star Wars: Episode 7 in 2015.

My first reaction to hearing the news was “What the f**k just happened?!” and “No. No. That's not true. That's impossible!”

One moment, I was happy with my Star Wars franchise, except the prequels (Jar-Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen shall forever be a mental scar). And then the next, I’m getting a whole new trilogy with an original story and all new characters and settings.

And who is the one making this trilogy? None other than the guys responsible for all of my favourite childhood animated films and other mental scars (Mufusa?! NOOOOOOOOO!) and the ones who also bought Marvel comics.

That was my reaction, but what did other people think?

Jack, 19, Student:  “I think it will either be an absolute disaster or a blockbuster smash. Personally, I don’t have any idea how it will go, in my opinion they would have to listen to the fans of the franchise otherwise it will flop.”

Lucy, 21, Student: “It'll make no difference to my life and I am more excited about The Hangover 3”

James, 20, Student: “Disney are known for their princess films and Pixar, but Star Wars can add to that - insanely iconic characters that everyone knows about, with an insanely iconic company that everyone knows about.”

David, 65, Teacher: “I am psyched. I can't wait until 2015, and I DO trust Disney to do a great job. They're my favourite company.”

Nina, 21, Student: “I think they will continue to do the best to maintain the fan base that Star Wars has previously built up. It is in the best interest to do so”.

Julia, 56, Mother: “I’ll be out of pocket as I’ll be the one buying you the tickets to go and see every single movie they make!”

Woops, the last one was my mum. Don’t know how that one got in there…

Anyway, a lot of mixed reactions to the news. Personally, I am…in shock. I don’t really know if I’m excited or worried for the steps that Disney is going to make with one of my favourite movie franchises ever.

But if they make another Anakin Skywalker from Episode 2 and 3, Disney is going to be thrown into the Sarlacc Pit.

Greenwich to Marvel at Thor Sequel

Marvel’s sequel to 2011’s Thor, Thor: The Dark World is to film scenes “showcasing London in a major way” at London’s Butler’s Wharf on October 8^th and at the Royal Naval College, the University of Greenwich on October 21^st.

Filming at Butler’s Wharf has ended, with filming consisting of a sequence where Thor’s hammer flies along the bank of the Thames before heading towards Tower Bridge, with bicycle cameras used as the hammer’s point of view as it weaved through extra’s acting as pedestrians shocked at the sight of the flying hammer. Filming began at 6am but ended at 2pm as it was delayed due to rain, though the sequence filmed was for 10 seconds of the film.

A letter given to residents and businesses in the surrounding area of the University of Greenwich details that filming for “Thursday Mourning”, the working title for the Thor sequel will begin on Sunday 21^st October from 7am till 11am. The letter reveals that the university is one of key locations in London in the film and scenes being filmed will involve a helicopter fly over descending from 500ft to 100ft as the helicopter crosses the river. 

And seeming as I am studying at the University of Greenwich, you can be rest assured that I'll be on the scene to watch the film shoot. 

Thor: The Dark Word releases on November 8th 2013. 

Disney puts the Ass in Avengers Assemble

"I’m here to talk to you about The Avengers Initiative.”

As Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) said these words to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) at the end of Marvel Studio's Iron Man, my body prepared itself for the total fangasm that was to be Marvel's Avengers Assemble in 4 years time. 

Iron Man! The Incredible Hulk! The Mighty Thor! And Captain America! All finally on one screen with  action, comedy and drama all woven together into the centre of Marvel’s web of their Cinematic Universe. And I was a fly caught in that web.

I pre-ordered my Blu-Ray copy as soon as I could. And then I found out what Disney had done.  

On August 20^th, 19 days before the UK release on Blu-Ray/DVD on September 17th, Disney (the current owners of Marvel) revealed that the director’s commentary by Joss Whedon would not be included in the release.

Disney’s reason was that their "DLT (Digital Linear Tape, required to replicate the disc) had to be delivered one month earlier than that required for the US pressing. So we missed out. We wanted it too."

  

I would have loved to hear Joss Whedon’s thoughts on the film he created as I watched it with him, but because Disney made a mistake with the replicating process for the UK release, I shall never hear it.

Well, not until I torrent it.