Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

One of the few non-crappy posters for this film.

Ever since May 2008, I have been a die-hard fan of Marvel's Cinematic Universe. It helps that it all started with my all time favorite superhero movie, but I keep coming back for the characters, the world building, and the humor. Nine years running, the MCU has rarely disappointed me, and even the disappointments are still at worst merely watchable (cough Iron Fist cough).

One of the most intriguing things about the MCU was that it focused on many of Marvel's B or even C-list superheroes, and that was entirely because Marvel Studios did not have the film rights to huge characters like the X-Men, Spider-Man, or the Fantastic Four. The fact that Marvel Studios could make a bonafide blockbuster franchise out of a once irrelevant hero like Iron Man spoke volumes of the quality in these movies. Naturally, Marvel Studios and their legions of fans still would have loved to see movies about these A-list superheroes taking place in this unparalleled cinematic experiment, and in 2016, fans finally got their wish when Spider-Man debuted in the MCU in Captain America Civil War thanks to a long-awaited deal with Sony Pictures.

Introduction and a quick Wonder Woman review

Hey all!

This blog has been a long time coming, but I'm finally getting around to launching it. As many of my Facebook friends would know, I love to review new movies, TV shows, and video games. Half the reason Facebook is my go-to social media hub is because there is no character limit, and I'm not expected to attach a photo along with my posts, which are usually my unfiltered thoughts pouring out onto the page. However, I still think it's time to host those reviews elsewhere for a few reasons:

1) The format of a blog allows me to go even more in-depth with my reviews, as well as making it easier to mark spoilers.
2) I can potentially reach more eyeballs on a separate website open to everybody than just sharing my thoughts with 150 Facebook friends only.
3) I like having a format that allows me to post pictures and captions alongside my reviews if I so choose (you can see this in my long-defunct tokusatsu blog here) because it makes things more visually appealing.
4) I can save posts in progress here and continue writing at my own pace instead of having to do it all in one sitting. This could make for more concise reactions than simply going by my gut.

So there you have it. I promised my friends I'd launch this blog with a Wonder Woman review, but I think I may have sat on it for too long. So I'll do a quick capsule review to officially launch this blog.

Long story short, I liked it. The only other DCEU film I've seen was Man of Steel (which I did not like), but Wonder Woman thankfully stands firmly on its own. The opening 20 minutes is a bit rough with lots of heavy-handed exposition, and the last 30 minutes is just one loud battle that feels like it belongs in another movie, plus the Ares reveal was incredibly weak.

However, Gal Gadot and Chris Pine shine in this film and carry it with their electric chemistry. It's funny, it has tons of creative passion and heart, it has a heavily positive feminist message as well as a strong anti-war message (unfortunately undermined by the aforementioned Ares reveal). It's far from perfect, but it is just the film DC and Warner Bros. needed to have their cinematic universe be taken seriously. While I may prefer Logan and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Wonder Woman is another strong addition in what is looking like a fantastic year for superhero movies.

And we'll hope that holds true with the subject of my first full review on this blog this weekend. See you guys soon as I take a look at the 16th film in the MCU, and the third live-action movie series based on Marvel's most popular character: Spider-Man: Homecoming.

EDIT: Corrected Hades to Ares. Thanks to Troy Connolly for the heads-up.