Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

The time has come for us to meet the newest avenger: Shang Chi. After ten years of hiding from his father and the powerful organization he controls, the Ten Rings, Shang Chi must face his past and become the hero he is destined to be.

Marvel has done it again. It seems like Kevin Feige can’t fail at this point, because everything he touches becomes absolute gold. And now, the not so popular Marvel character Shang Chi has his own movie, and it is magical and brilliant. So, let’s discuss it!

Even though Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has some pretty good and interesting cameos and references, the world of the Avengers is not central to the story, which I appreciate. I don’t think we needed the Avengers here, at least not for now. We wanted to see Shang Chi become a hero on his own, and that’s what we got.

This film has the best action sequences in the MCU. The fights are perfectly choreographed and shot, the visual effects are absolutely perfect, and the third act delivers one of the most impressive battle sequences in the history of Marvel. And the way they reinvented the Ten Rings is brilliant, making them probably the strongest weapon in the MCU right now.

If Black Widow was a thriller, Shang Chi is pure Chinese magic. The story and the cultural references are perfectly crafted, so if you enjoy Asian culture in general, or Chinese specifically, this movie will not disappoint you.

The characters are very interesting and well-written, which makes you not only want to know more about them, but also see them again. Simu Liu is the perfect Shang Chi. His physicality is perfect and his moves are hypnotic and believable. And also, his chemistry with Awkwafina is undeniable. She is very good too, and her role is quite large actually. She’s not only the female lead, but also an incredible comedic relief.

The rest of the cast is magnificent. Tony Leung is a really intimidating but deep antagonist, which makes us care about him and his motivations. His dynamic with Simu Liu’s Shang Chi and his sister, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) is the center of the film, so the strength of this aspect determines the strength of the movie. And I have to say, it its quite strong. By the end of the film, you will care for the whole family, including the wonderful Fala Chen’s Li, the mother of our hero.

Meng’er Zhang’s Xialing is definitely the MVP of this film. Even though it’s her first acting role she did an amazing job with her part. She delivers a powerful performance, both physically and emotionally. I really hope she gets a couple of cameos in future MCU films and shows, because her journey has just begun.

Director Destin Daniel Cretton delivers a powerful and emotional origin story, full of action, heart and humor. I can confidently say that this film is, by far, the best superhero origin story ever made, and one of the strongest entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you like Marvel, go watch it right now if you can. You won’t regret it.

Blood Of Zeus

We all know a bit of Greek Mythology, or at least, we’ve heard about Zeus, Hera, Poseidon and the other Greek Gods. And if you are familiar with Zeus and the multiple myths about him, I’m sure you know that the guy wasn’t the most loyal of husbands.

The story of Blood Of Zeus follows a commoner living in ancient Greece, Heron, who discovers his true heritage as a son of Zeus, and his purpose: to save the world from a demonic army.

When I first saw the trailer for this new Netflix original, I though that the gods wouldn’t be a huge part of the story. Luckily, I was wrong. Blood Of Zeus isn’t just about Heron. Zeus and Hera are pretty much main characters as well.

Hera is one of the most interesting characters of the show. Her relationship with Zeus’s bastards has always been a bit rough, and that’s something that Blood Of Zeus shows perfectly. She was a true menace and a very solid antagonist throughout this first season. Plus, her powers are very cool, and the show doesn’t hesitate to use them a lot.

Zeus also uses his lightning a lot in this show, but I found his story arc a bit cliché. In fact, I would say that Blood Of Zeus‘s story is not as unique as I would have wanted. It’s not bad or boring, but I think we’ve seen the same story too many times.

Even though Blood Of Zeus isn’t the most original piece of entertaining out there, the show is very bingeable, and if you enjoy other animated series like Avatar, I’m sure you will like this one. The action sequences are absolutely amazing and the animation is quite good.

Blood Of Zeus is the kind of show you can watch in a single evening and never regret it. It’s full of action, blood and Greek Gods, and sometimes that’s all we need. It isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough. And we need people to watch it so Netflix greenlight a second season.

Locke & Key

After many years of announcements, cancelations, and ordering pilots, Locke & Key is finally a reality thanks to Netflix. This new TV show based on the popular comic book series created by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez is a very intriguing and enjoyable adventure that hooks you right after its first episode. Now that the show has been out for more than a week, it’s time to discuss both the good and the bad elements of this show, WITH spoilers.

The story and the mysteries

One of the strongest aspects of Locke & Key is its story and the way it handles the many mysteries that appear during this first season.

If you like fantasy worlds, comic books, and magic, this show is perfect for you. Every single magic element that we got in this season was absolutely amazing, especially the keys. To be honest, these magical objects are what make the show so interesting and binge-watchable. Every time a new key was introduced, I was eager to see what it could do and how they were going to use it. In fact, one of the coolest things you can do when you watch Locke & Key is thinking about how you would use the keys. And believe me, there are a lot of things we could do with them. Even their design was incredibly interesting.

There are also a lot of mysteries around the keys, the house and some characters (Dodge!) that keep us hooked. However, one good thing about this show is that when you finish season 1, you actually get some answers. Of course, by the end of episode 10, there are still some questions that remain unanswered and new mysteries that I’m sure we will explore in season 2. However, the main enigmas, like Dodge’s identity, Rendell’s past or what was behind the Omega Door, were solved. That was good because when I finished the season I didn’t feel like I wasted my time in a story with no real answers.

Also, the story never felt slow and I never thought that we were going nowhere. The screenwriters did a very good job handling so many storylines and characters, and they always move the story forward. And even though there are some Netflix shows that can’t handle 10 episodes, that was not the case with Locke & Key. In fact, I would say that 10 was the perfect number of episodes for the show: we had time to get to know the characters and their personalities, explore Key House, dig into the past and even laugh a bit.

Bode, Dodge, and the rest of the characters

Yes, Locke & Key has a very strong story, but the characters in the show are a bit bland. The problem with most of them is that they make a lot of dumb decisions, which sometimes I could understand because if it weren’t for them, there would be no show. However, there were some moments where I really felt like the characters did something or acted in a certain way just because they had to do it, so the story could continue, and not because it was the best thing to do or the right way to act.

There are two exceptions though. Bode Locke and Dodge. Jackson Robert Scott, who stole every minute he had on-screen in It: Chapter One is the star of this show. His character, Bode, is not only the best and most coherent Locke but also the funniest, bravest and most intelligent character in the whole show. He is the one who discovers the keys and how to use most of them, and even though he is the youngest of the siblings, he understands the danger they are facing and could have avoided some of the things that happened in the final episode.

Alongside Bode, Laysla De Oliveira’s Dodge was definitively the most intriguing character. She is a very deadly, dangerous and competent villain, who even murdered a child in cold blood by pushing him into a subway rail (that was scary and shocking). But even though she is the villain, I really enjoyed every time she was on-screen. De Oliveira did a very good job with this character, which honestly could have been a very typical and insipid bad guy.

Tyler and Kinsey were the ones who made some of the dumbest decisions. Now, I have to say, Connor Jessup and Emilia Jones are great actors because even when their characters did the stupidest thing imaginable, I still rooted for them. They had a very nice brother-sister relationship, which the writers handle very well, and both Tyler and Kinsey had good moments during some of the episodes. But they really need to start listening to Bode, or they will end up throwing their mother through the Omega Door.

The rest of the cast is ok. Most of the characters were there for plot-devices reasons, but the actors did a nice job. Some of the secondary characters that I really liked were Rufus, Gabe (who we will need to keep an eye on in season 2) and Joe.

A great show in general

Locke & Key, as I said is very enjoyable and intriguing. It’s not a perfect show by all means, but it has the potential to become one of Netflix’s greatest. They have great production designs, great VFX, a good set of writers and a very nice cast. Season 1 ended with some mysteries still unanswered and raising new questions, so I really need to see where we are heading.

The producers have already said that they are working on season 2, so it’s just a matter of time that Netflix confirms it. And I’m really excited to see more of this world: more keys, more magic, more demons, and more Bode. If you like fantasy, magic and a good mystery, go ahead and watch Locke & Key, you won’t regret it.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 3

Rejoice, witches! Our favorite witch is back! And this time, we are going to Hell.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina became one of Netflix’s most popular shows soon after its release, back in October 2018. Since then, we’ve had two seasons and one Christmas special (something that I hope they do again), and now Netflix has released the third season, and it’s already preparing the fourth one.

Is Part 3 of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina worth our time? The short answer is simple: absolutely yes! However, I’d like to talk a bit more about this new season, which overall, I thought was really good and introduced a bunch of new and cool stuff that we can discuss right now.

Before we begin, I warn you: this review is full of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched every single episode of CAOS Part 3, go ahead and do it. What are you waiting for?

Great, but not perfect

I will begin with the not-so-good elements of this new season because, as I said, Part 3 was great, but not perfect.

I love musicals with all my heart. I love Glee and High School Musical: The Musical: The series. I simply love it when the characters of a movie or a tv show start singing and dancing spontaneously. Up until this point, I’ve even enjoyed CAOS‘s musical moments, especially in season 2, when they did that Masquerade in front of Lucifer. However, I think that they’ve gone too far in this new season. Sabrina and Roz’s cheerleading was cool, but the pre-recorded music didn’t fit at all, and Theo, Harvey and Roz’s band was pointless. I did like the episode where the cheerleaders performed at the Academy and the witches used their energies to power up, but that was a very good idea and the musical number was very well integrated within the context of the story. Overall, I do think they need to stop introducing random musical numbers if they don’t fit in with the story. It’s just a waste of our time.

I’m also tired of Blackwood. I think he’s served his purpose, and now he’s just there for the sake of being there. I understand that he is going to be a crucial part of season 4, and I’m kind of intrigued about that, but I don’t care about his character anymore. To be honest, Prudence and Ambrose should have killed him when they had the chance to, because now that he bears the Mark of Cain, he’s practically immortal, so I guess he’s going to be around for a while.

Finally, and this is more of a request for next season, I need more powers. This season was great in terms of Witches using their magic, but due to the fact that Lucifer decided to punish the Coven (I can understand why) taking away their powers, we’ve had a season where the main characters were facing a lot of dangers, and they couldn’t do much about it. Now, as I said, I’m ok with what we got, especially in that final episode when the Coven defeated the Pagans. However, after seeing Sabrina flying and killing angels with infernal fire, I was hoping to see more of that. And I still think they can give that to us in Part 4, now that Sabrina is Queen of Hell. At least, one of the two Sabrinas we have now.

Why CAOS is a good show

Every time I finish watching any season of CAOS, I say to myself: I want more. And that’s a good sign. Netflix’s adaptation of the comics is really special, and if you think about why this show is so good, you find the answer easily: the cast and the story.

CAOS is not Game of Thrones. It doesn’t have the biggest budget of all times. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy this show, because we do.

The cast is probably the greatest aspect of this dark and satanic series. Starting with Kiernan Shipka, she was born to play Sabrina. She is incredibly charismatic, and she makes us love Sabrina and we root for her even when she makes mistake after mistake. But she is the main character, so making dumb decisions is in her nature. Without them, the show would be very boring. Plus, Shipka really sells her spell casting, which is not an easy task.

Shipka’s Sabrina is not alone in this show, and, even though she is the star and main character, the rest of the cast is just as great as her. Michelle Gomez is not only my favorite character but also a very complex one. Her relationship with Sabrina is one of the most interesting aspects of the show, and I really hope they explore it even more in Part 4. Gomez’s Lilith is not only funny and charismatic but also a very powerful character, who’s willing to do everything to survive. Her future with Lucifer and the son they are expecting is very intriguing, but I want to see how she handles the two Sabrinas situation when she discovers the truth. And she will because as Ambrose said, she notices everything.

Hilda and Zelda continue to be great characters, and their storyline in this season was very good. Zelda’s new love interest is promising and I’m very happy to see Hilda being happy. As for Ambrose and Prudence, they had some really good moments, and they are great characters overall.

And last but not least, let’s talk about Roz, Harvey, Theo, and Nick. Out of these four characters, I honestly think Theo is the best one. His role in the show has evolved a lot since season one, and his relationship with one of the new characters, Robin, was a key element this season. Roz and Harvey are good characters, but they don’t have much to do. Roz’s cunning is an amazing gift, but I didn’t understand why she never said anything about what she saw at the Carnival. I mean, a lot could have been avoided if she had said earlier to everyone that she just saw a weird half-human, half-goat creature with her powers. As for Nick, I just don’t like him very much. I understand he’s been through hell (literally), but the way he treated Sabrina, even after they got rid of that Lucifer’s essence he had inside, was really despicable. Besides, he didn’t have much to do this season.

Now, even though I don’t like some of the characters of this show, I still think they are the most important and interesting aspect of it. The way the writers handle all of these characters and storylines is truly amazing, especially in an 8-episodes season. I said it last week when I talked about Sex Education, and I’m saying it again: Netflix shows are popular because they have great characters and stories, but they are also good because the writers know how to develop interesting storylines and relationships between the characters. In a world post Game of Thrones Season 8, I really appreciate when writers develop good and coherent characters.

The new additions

Part 3 not only deals with our favorite characters as usual, but it also introduces some new ones. And I have to say, all of them are refreshing and exciting new additions to this show.

Sam Corlett’s Caliban could have been a very annoying Hell demon because his main goal is to get the throne and rule Hell, so his aspirations are a problem for our main characters. However, Caliban is not only funny and charismatic but also intriguing. The dynamic he develops with Sabrina was very cool and kind of sexy, and even though he betrays her a lot, something tells me that Sabrina will need his help in Part 4. Maybe their relationship could grow into something more. We’ll see.

Skye P. Marshall’s Mambo Marie is also a very powerful new addition to the Coven. I’m ready to see more of her Voodoo magic and, what’s even more important, her relationship with our favorite High Priestess, Zelda.

Finally, I really enjoyed Jonathan Whitesell’s Robin Goodfellow. His relationship with Theo was very cute, and the fact that he is a hobgoblin makes for a very interesting dynamic between him and the rest of the group. I do think that his storyline was a bit cliché at first, but I’m looking forward to seeing how he grows as a character.

The Pagans ended up being great adversaries. Their powers were very cool, and I really felt that the Coven was in real danger. I knew that all of the killings that happened during the final episodes of the show weren’t going to last forever, but I thought that the Pagans could hurt the Witches pretty badly because they had the power to do so. But the Witches didn’t have their powers when they were facing them, and once the Coven recovered and regained their strength, it was really easy to get rid of those old gods. They were good characters, but I won’t miss them a lot.

Give us more, please

Season 3 was great. The story of the Pagan gods and the competition to see who would rule over Hell were two very interesting storylines, but they’ve ended. Now we have two Sabrina, and one of them is Queen of Hell. However, having two Sabrinas is probably not a good thing, and I’m sure that both of them will realize that sooner rather than later.

Furthermore, Blackwood and his twins have released something that will cause trouble for the Spellmans, and even though I don’t want to see more of Blackwood, I’m actually intrigued by that mysterious creature and how it’s going to fight the Witches.

In general, I think that Part 4 is going to be as wicked and enjoyable as Part 3. I know they are already filming it, but there are a couple of things I really want to see.

I want to see more of Sabrina’s dark side. Now that she is Queen of Hell, I want to see what she can do, and she has both Lilith and Lucifer to teach her some cool stuff. And I want more of Lilith plotting against Satan.

I also want to see how they develop the twins, especially how they interact with Zelda and Prudence. I don’t know if they are supporting Blackwood because they want to, or because he cast a spell on them. Knowing Blackwood as we know him, the second option is not a crazy idea.

And last, but definitively not least, I want more of Salem. I don’t know how, but they need to find a way to make that cat talk, and he has to begin showing up more frequently. Otherwise, what’s the point of having him there?

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is probably returning later this year, so until then, let’s enjoy this third season, witches, and let’s hope we don’t have to wait long to see the story continue.

Praise Sabrina, Queen of Hell. 

The Rise of Skywalker: What happened with Star Wars?

(This is a SPOILER review for “The Rise of Skywalker”)

I’m not a huge fan of Star Wars. I’ve watched all the movies and some episodes of the TV shows, but, in general, I don´t love Star Wars as much as other people do. I do like the Jedi and the Force as concepts, and I’ve always enjoyed a good lightsaber battle, but I do not have a huge bond with the main characters of the original trilogy or this new one, so for me, the ending of the Skywalker saga wasn´t going to be the greatest event of 2019.

I was actually curious about how they would end the trilogy, especially after watching “The Last Jedi”, a film that divided the whole fandom and became of the most discussed movies of 2017. I didn´t like it as much as other people did, but I didn´t hate it either. I understood some of the criticism the story received, and I agreed with some of them, which led me to believe that both Disney and Kathleen Kennedy needed to do some “damage control”, in order to reunite and “heal” the fandom. And yes, Disney did some damage control.

At first, with the return of J. J. Abrams to the director chair, I thought that he could be able to fix some of the problems “The Last Jedi” had, without undercutting Rian Johnson’s vision and script. But after watching this movie, “The Rise of Skywalker”, there’s only one thing I can say: he did NOT fix the problems and he definitively undercut Johnson’s story.

The good elements of “The Rise of Skywalker”

I am a huge fan of Abrams. I love what he did with “Star Trek” and “Super 8” is one of my favorite movies of all times. However, he is not a very creative person. This movie possesses the great elements every J. J. Abrams film has: it’s entertaining, it has some great action scenes and sequences, and the comedic element works most of the time.

Even when the action sequences were longer than they should have been, I found myself enjoying all of them. They are really well directed, the choreography is great, and you can see everything that’s happening during the scene.

The cast is also good, even if their characters are very bland in general. Both Daisy Ridley and Adam Drive do a good job portraying their characters, but they have no chemistry whatsoever, so Reylo doesn’t work.

The comedy really worked in this film too. I thought Rian Johnson couldn´t handle comedy in “The Last Jedi”, which was one of the reasons that led me to criticize the movie, but Abrams knows how to do it. C3PO was, by far, the funniest character in the movie. He had the most memorable lines and his sarcasm worked really well with the other characters. There were some jokes that didn´t work, but the movie moved so fast that you just forgot about them by the end of the scene.

And yes, in terms of script, there are some good elements that the story could have explored but fails to do so spectacularly. And that is probably one of the greatest mistakes of this movie.

The trilogy that never was

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is not the kind of movie it was supposed to be. This final adventure was going to be the end of a saga that began in 1977, the “Endgame” for the “Star Wars” franchise. However, it is not. And the main problem is not that this movie doesn´t provide a satisfying ending (which it doesn´t), but that Disney never knew what this new trilogy was going to be from the very beginning.

They never planned the story. Kathleen Kennedy gave Abrams the freedom to do whatever he wanted to do with Episode VII but never asked for a coherent outline of what the new trilogy was going to be about. For that reason, when Rian Johnson was hired to handle Episode VIII, he did whatever he wanted. As Abram did before.

I’m sure that nobody knew what was going to happen, IN GENERAL, during the course of this trilogy. That was definitively the greatest mistake Disney made with Star Wars. If you take a look back at this new trilogy as a whole, you can tell that the story went back and forth. They presented some questions, they answered them and then they changed those answers again, destroying and undercutting one of the movies of the trilogy.

Now, the problem is not that these movies had different directors. The MCU has a lot of different directors handling the different films and characters, but when “Endgame” came out, everything fit perfectly. There was a coherent story that had been built since 2008.

Kathleen Kennedy was supposed to be overlooking these new movies, and I think she should have been there “forcing” Abrams to create, at least, a draft for what he wanted to do with the whole trilogy. And I’m sure she didn´t because otherwise, we would be having a different conversation about Star Wars.

Now we know that Disney decided to ignore George Lucas’s ideas for the new movies, and they were in their right to do so. However, if there’s something that no one can ever say about Lucas’s trilogies, it is that they had a story to tell, and from the very first movie to the last one, the story was clear and had a direction, even if the some of them weren´t as good as the others. I cannot say the same thing about this sequel trilogy. In fact, I would say that they created the story as they created and crafted the movies, which then led us to this situation. Outlines are the key to success, and that’s something Kevin Feige and the MCU have demonstrated over and over again.

The problem with damage control

One of the most annoying things about “The Rise of Skywalker” is that you can tell that many of the creative decisions were made not because they fit in the story, but because they wanted to please the fans that didn´t like “The Last Jedi” AND also course-correct the new trilogy.

I want to start with the most despicable and mean decision they made: Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) is NOT one of the main characters. In fact, she is barely in this movie. Now, I didn´t like Kelly’s character in “The Last Jedi” because I felt the movie introduced a lot of new characters without giving them time to develop any kind of personality. However, Kelly Marie Tran was bullied for a long time, because of her character. A lot of “fans” of the franchise said terrible things about her, her looks and her acting ability. What does Lucasfilm and J. J . Abrams decide to do? Hide her in the background. The worst thing about this situation is the fact that the cast and Abrams himself DEFENDED her, and said they were very happy to have her. However, that’s definitively not what they really meant. Otherwise, Rose Tico would have had a role in this movie, instead of being a secondary character with 5 lines of dialogue. And even though some people didn´t like Rose Tico, that’s not an excuse to get rid of her. Both Abrams and Chris Terrio, who co-wrote the script, should have kept the character and, maybe, get her better lines and better scenes in this new movie. Or maybe just a proper character arc.

The Emperor is in this movie as pure fan-service. They never explain why or how he’s alive, how he built the ships he gives to Kylo Ren or anything related to him. His presence is a response to those who criticized “The Last Jedi” for killing off Snoke. It’s like “Oh, yes, Snoke was bad, but it was Palpatine who controlled him. He was the real villain all along”. That character didn’t work at all, and it was just there so we could see a cool action scene at the end of the movie featuring Sith Force lightning.

Abrams and Terrio also changed Rey’s origins AGAIN, making her the granddaughter of Palpatine. This was an idea I really liked, but somehow, they destroyed it too. I loved that they were saying: “hey, even if you are part of an evil family and your grandfather is the incarnation of the Dark Side, there’s still hope for you. You can be good. You can save the galaxy”. What did they do with this idea? They threw it away like it was nothing. At the end of this movie, Rey decides to call herself Rey Skywalker, an act that totally erases the important message they tried to include in the story. She should have embraced the Palpatine name, proving to everyone that she was more than a name, more than her blood. As I said, there were some good ideas that they decided to not explore at all.

The other little problems

I really think that this is the weakest film in this trilogy. You can enjoy the movie, and I’m sure a lot of people will. But when you stop to think about the story and the script in general, you realize how flawed it is.

The Knights of Ren are back, but they do absolutely nothing. The new characters suffer from the same problem that most of the new characters for this trilogy have suffered: they don’t have any kind of development. And the final act has a lot of similarities with “Endgame”, which really bothered me because it’s Disney who has made both films, so they should have been able to fix this PRIOR to the release of this movie.

There are also a lot of missed opportunities with characters that could have appeared in the film via cameo and others that could have had more to do in general (Dark Rey who?). However, these are the kind of problems that one could ignore because they don’t hurt the film as much as the other aspects that I pointed out.

The End

If someone had said to me, 4 years ago, that the Star Wars franchise would end up like this, I would have not believed it. The fandom is divided, the story they loved concludes poorly and the future of the franchise is not very clear (at least, in the movie area).

I do think that if you really like Star Wars, you can enjoy this film. There are enough good elements to do so, and I’m sure that if you have invested a lot of time with the characters and the universe, you will feel great after watching the movie. But as the chapter that was supposed to close one of the most important franchises of all time, I have to say: I expected more.

Jumanji: Next Level

“Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle” was a welcome surprise. Most people didn’t have faith in the project when it was announced and, to be honest, I was one of those. However, the film turned out to be incredibly funny and really good in general. Plus, it did really good at the box office, which gave Sony the confidence to greenlight a sequel.

2 years later, “Jumani: Next Level” hits theaters, with a brand-new story and the same cast we fell in love with. And, even though this sequel is a good movie in general, I don´t think it’s at the same level as the first one, which is unfortunate, because “Welcome to the Jungle” was really good.

There is one aspect of this movie, a creative decision, that really bothered me during the whole film. As a gamer, I have to say, there is nothing more frustrating than having to play a game with someone who doesn´t understand videogames at all. It is something that I cannot deal with, and it makes me kind of angry. Trying to explain important aspects of the game and certain mechanics can be frustrating, especially if the other person is not willing to learn. This film has not one, but two characters that don´t understand videogames. And yes, the jokes can be funny for a while, but after an hour, it gets really old and boring. Now, I understand that they had to twist the formula for this film, but I don´t think they came up with a great idea. In fact, I would say that this sequel is not as inventive as the first one, and maybe they needed more time to come up with new and original ideas.

The returning cast does a nice job this time around. Karen Gillan and Jack Black are both great in their roles, and they carry the whole movie until the very end. However, both Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart spend most of the movie doing absolutely nothing funny. Why? Because the real persons that control those characters are really boring. Yes, I know they are elders, and they don´t understand much about games, but those jokes, as I said, got old pretty fast. And neither Johnson nor Hart had good comedic moments until the third act. Both actors were really underused in this movie, and I thought that was odd considering they were amazing in “Welcome to the Jungle”.

Now, “Jumanji: Next Level” does have some great elements. The CGI is really good, the action scenes are amazing (especially during the third act) and there are some good jokes throughout the movie. The story is very simple, as it was in the previous film, but it has some good ideas to explore, and the ending is quite touching. Of course, this is no “Titanic”, but the bond we created with these characters is definitively there, so we empathize with them a lot.

In general, I would say that if you liked “Jumanji” and “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”, you will enjoy this film. It’s not as good as the other two, but as the X-Men said, “the third one’s always the worst”.

Frozen 2

Three years after the events of the first movie, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land, where they will have to find the origin of Elsa’s powers to save their kingdom. Along the way, they will learn that, maybe, the past is not really what they thought it was.

“Frozen” was one of the greatest hits of 2013. The movie made more than a billion dollars at the box office and the song “Let It Go” became one of the most popular songs of the decade. However, even though it had some good elements, I never cared too much about the first movie. It wasn´t bad, but it was far from being perfect. The songs were, probably, the greatest element of the movie, and that’s something that this sequel maintains.

Let’s start with the “not so good” aspects of this second film. “Frozen 2” is, as expected, a family movie. Yes, it is darker and more mature, but it’s definitely a family-friendly movie. The problem is not the tone, but how the movie solves many of the conflicts too fast. In fact, the ending felt a little bit too rushed and predictable.

Besides that, I think that “Frozen 2” is a better movie overall than “Frozen”. The story is more enjoyable and more interesting (even though it was a bit predictable), some characters have more to do this time, the jokes land perfectly and the music is also better. I would say that most of the musical numbers are as good as “Let It Go”, especially “Show Yourself” and “Lost In The Woods”. And yes, the animation is absolutely stunning in every single way.

Elsa has become one of the most amazing Disney princesses of all time. Not only she has amazing powers, stunning outfits, and the best songs, but she also has to deal with extremely real issues during this movie. This is one of the most interesting aspects of her character because it humanizes her a lot, and it makes us, the audience, relate to Elsa in some way.

The other characters are great. Anna finds the way to stay relevant and be unique even if she doesn´t have any power, and Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf have some great moments. The new characters, however, are not as interesting as they could have been, but that’s mainly because they don´t have much to do in the story.

As I said, “Frozen 2” is a great movie. If you loved “Frozen”, you will love this sequel as well, but if you are part of that group that didn´t enjoy the first movie or thought it wasn’t that good, maybe “Frozen 2” could surprise you.

Aladdín

Cuando Aladdín (Mena Massoud), un joven que vive en las calles de Agrabah, conoce a la princesa Jasmine (Naomi Scott), intentará conquistarla haciendo uso de la lámpara mágica y la ayuda del Genio (Will Smith). Sin embargo, el visir real, Jafar (Marwan Kenzari), no dejará que una rata callejera como Aladdín estropee sus planes para convertirse en Sultán. 

Guy Ritchie ha sido el encargado de dirigir este remake live-action de otro de los conocidos clásicos de Disney. Después de que Dumbo dejara un sabor de boca un tanto agridulce, es una auténtica alegría ver que esta nueva versión de Aladdín sí haya sabido no solo actualizar la historia, sino respetar también lo que la hizo tan especial.

Es cierto que este remake no es perfecto. Hay algunos detalles que dejan un poco que desear, especialmente hacia el comienzo de la cinta. Sin embargo, estos detalles no ensombrecen el resto de los elementos de la película, que sin duda alguna destacan por encima de cualquier aspecto negativo que podamos encontrar en ella.

El comienzo de Aladdín es sorprendentemente mágico, gracias a la fabulosa “Si a Arabia tú vas” y a una secuencia que nos enseña el mundo en el que se ambienta esta historia. Sin embargo, a partir de ahí, el ritmo decae un poco, y el número musical que sigue (“El rey”), no termina de encajar con el resto de la cinta. Además, a pesar de que la nueva canción que incorporan en este live-action es uno de los grandes aspectos de esta versión, creo que podrían haber añadido alguna que otra canción más.

Por otro lado, el personaje de Jafar, que también sufre algunos cambios con respecto a la película animada, acaba siendo un villano menos memorable de lo que era su contraparte animada, a pesar de aparecer menos en pantalla. Aunque los cambios que realizan en la historia del personaje son interesantes, la película no le dedica demasiado tiempo a Jafar como para que nos interesemos mucho en su pasado. Sus motivaciones sí están bien planteadas, pero como digo, el personaje no brilla como los demás.

Ahora bien, como dije antes, esta nueva “Aladdín” tiene muchos elementos positivos, y uno de ellos es sin dudas su reparto. Mena Massoud es el perfecto Aladdín: carismático, divertido y un tanto pillo. Por otro lado, Naomi Scott es una fabulosa Jasmín, y las novedades que han incorporado a la historia de su personaje hacen de ella una gran princesa Disney, quizás aún más interesante de lo que era su versión animada. Además, su nueva canción, “No callaré”, es la mejor adición a este remake, y uno de los grandes momentos de la cinta. Sin embargo, Will Smith es quién brilla en pantalla con su Genio, una hazaña difícil debido al increíble trabajo de Robin Williams. Smith deslumbra en cada minuto que aparece en pantalla, es divertido y tiene frases realmente increíbles.

El resto del reparto hace un buen trabajo, pero creo que entre todos los secundarios, Nasim Pedrad es quien destaca por encima del resto con su divertida Dalia, un personaje nuevo que da bastante juego a lo largo de toda la película.

Otro de los puntos fuertes en la cinta es el apartado musical. Dejando a un lado el número musical de “El rey”, los demás son bastante buenos, con algunos destacando por encima de otros. Uno de los grandes números, “Un mundo ideal”, está perfectamente rodado, y gracias a la enorme química que existe entre Scott y Massoud, el vuelo en alfombra voladora se convierte en un momento tan mágico como romántico. “Un genio genial” y “Príncipe Alí” son otros dos maravillosos números musicales, frescos y con increíbles coreografías. Y por supuesto, el “No callaré” de Jasmín, la gran incorporación musical que, como digo, se convierte al instante en uno de los mejores momentos de la cinta.

En general, “Aladdín” es uno de los mejores live-action de Disney, con algún que otro aspecto que podría haber sido mejor, sin duda. La cinta se mantiene fiel al original, añadiendo varias novedades que ayudan a crear una versión mucho más redonda y madura. El resultado final es una película que encanta a todos por igual, y que nos recuerda lo que es la auténtica magia Disney.

Hellboy

En esta nueva versión de Hellboy, la AIDP (Agencia para la Investigación y Defensa Paranormal) se enfrentará a una de las más poderosas y peligrosas brujas que la humanidad a conocido: Nimue (Milla Jovovich), también conocida como la Reina de la Sangre. Hellboy (David Harbour) tendrá que emplearse a fondo para detener los planes de la bruja y evitar la aniquilación de la raza humana. 

Hay mucho que se podría criticar en esta nueva “Hellboy”, empezando por el anticlimático final de la historia. Sin embargo, creo que es también importante hablar sobre los aspectos positivos de este reboot, que, sorprendentemente, son bastantes.

Ahora bien, hay que dejar claro algo antes de comenzar: esta nueva cinta del carismático personaje de Mike Mignola, no es una maravilla. De hecho, muchos la considerarán algo mediocre e incluso un desastre. En mi opinión, creo que hay ciertos elementos que funcionan bien y que, por desgracia, dudo que veamos en una casi imposible secuela.

Para empezar, el reparto es bastante bueno. David Harbour, Sasha Lane y Daniel Dae Kim hacen un buen trabajo con sus personajes, en especial Lane, cuya Alice es uno de los puntos fuertes de la segunda mitad de la cinta. Sin embargo, quien realmente brilla por encima de todos es Milla Jovovich, cuya Reina de la Sangre es todo lo que podríamos haber pedido. Jovovich no sale tanto en pantalla como hubiera deseado, pero cuando aparece, la película remonta.

El principal problema de esta “Hellboy” es el guion. La película es más una mezcla apresurada y sin sentido de varias historias totalmente diferentes, cuyo único hilo conductor es Nimue, la villana principal. Hay demasiados personajes, demasiadas ideas lanzadas al espectador sin motivo y demasiadas subtramas que no acaban de encajar con la historia central. Además, como dije antes, el tercer acto es muy básico, simple y poco creativo. Sé que hablamos de una película de bajo presupuesto, pero estoy seguro de que podrían haber recortado un par de escenas totalmente innecesarias y habernos dado una batalla final más entretenida.

En general, creo que “Hellboy” podría haber sido una cinta mucho más interesante si se hubieran centrado en Nimue y Hellboy, en lugar de intentar crear un universo gigantesco de la nada. Como digo, dudo que haya una secuela, pero si la hubiera, me gustaría verla. Tanto el personaje como el universo que han creado tiene mucho potencial, pero necesitan centrarse y escribir un guion decente, que haga justicia a estas historias.

Based on the graphic novels by Mike Mignola, Hellboy, caught between the worlds of the supernatural and human, battles an ancient sorceress bent on revenge.

One could criticize this new “Hellboy” movie because of many things, especially because of his anticlimactic ending. However, this reboot has some good elements that I think should be appreciated. The problem is that “Hellboy” is not a great movie. In fact, I really think it’s a mediocre one. That’s the reason why I think we’ll never get a sequel, which is a shame, because those good elements I talked about are really good, and I would like to see more of them.

The cast is one of those good elements. David Harbour, Sasha Lane, and Daniel Dae Kim do a great job with their part, even though their characters are a little bit stereotypical. Sasha’s Alice is actually one of the strongest elements of the second half of the movie, and her character is not only funny and charismatic, but also competent and useful. However, the real MVP of this movie is the fabulous Milla Jovovich, who portrays the evil Nimue, the Blood Queen. She is amazing as the villain of this movie, and even though she doesn’t have much screen time, she nailed every single scene she had.

The main problem with this new “Hellboy” adaptation, is the script. They try very hard to adapt Hellboy’s world in just one movie, and that’s impossible. There are too many characters and too many plots, and they don´t fit at all. Nimue’s character is the only thing that ties everything together, but at the end of the day, it’s not enough. In addition to that, the final battle and the third act in general, are very, very simple. They could have done a lot of things with Nimue’s powers and Hellboy’s inner demons, but they didn’t.

In general, I think “Hellboy” could have been better, if they had focused on Nimue and Hellboy, instead of trying to create a whole new universe in just one film. I would like to see a sequel, but I don´t think that’s going to happen. If they ever do it, I hope they find a better screenwriter.

Shazam!

La vida de Billy Batson (Asher Angel), un joven huérfano de 14 años, normal y corriente, cambia por completo tras un encuentro con un viejo hechicero. A partir de ahora, cada vez que Billy grita la palabra ‘Shazam!’ se convierte en el superhéroe adulto Shazam (Zachary Levi). Aunque con un niño en su interior, el poderoso cuerpo de Shazam hace lo que cualquier adolescente con superpoderes haría: ¡pasárselo bien!

Warner Bros. y DC parecen haber encontrado el camino a seguir. Después de algunos tropiezos, las últimas películas de superhéroes del estudio han resultado ser un éxito. “Aquaman” alcanzó los mil millones en recaudación estas Navidades, y ahora “Shazam” se ha convertido en una de las grandes sorpresas de este año, tanto para la crítica como para el público.

En mi caso, no disfruté tanto de “Aquaman” como por ejemplo sí lo hice con “Wonder Woman”, la que hasta ahora era, en mi opinión, la mejor película de este nuevo universo de DC. Sin embargo, “¡Shazam!” lo cambia todo, y creo que, sin dudas, se ha convertido en una de las mejores películas de DC en general.

“¡Shazam!” tiene solo un pequeño problema: el comienzo es un poco lento. La escena inicial sienta las bases de la trama, y es importante que esté ahí. Sin embargo, cuando pasamos a conocer al joven Billy, la trama se estanca un poco hasta que consigue sus poderes. Es a partir de ese instante, cuando la historia despega.

El guion es, sorprendentemente, uno de los aspectos más fuertes de esta cinta. Tanto Henry Gayden y Darren Lemke, encargados del guion de esta película, consiguen crear un pequeño mundo, dentro de lo que podemos considerar el universo de DC, en el que todos los personajes y elementos que introducen encajan a la perfección. La historia está llena de sorpresas, acción, y comedia, y ninguno de estos aspectos choca en absoluto en el producto final. Además, la historia tiene un componente emotivo que funciona perfectamente, y nos ayuda a empatizar con la mayoría de los personajes, en especial, Billy y Freddie (interpretado por Jack Dylan Grazer).

Zachary Levi ha nacido para interpretar a Shazam. Su habilidad como cómico no choca en absoluto con los momentos más serios de la cinta, y además, ayuda a que nos encariñemos con el personaje. Su química con Jack Dylan Grazer es perfecta, y ambos destacan en pantalla cuando están juntos.

Por otro lado, Mark Strong como el Dr. Thaddeus Sivana también es una grata sorpresa. Al principio parece que su personaje no va a tener una gran presencia, pero conforme avanza la cinta vemos que no solo es un gran villano, sino que además es uno que da miedo. Sivana no se detiene ante nada, y demuestra que está dispuesto a lo que sea para lograr su objetivo.

El resto del reparto también hace un gran trabajo. La mayoría de los niños que forman la familia de acogida son realmente carismáticos, pero no puedo hablar mucho de ellos sin entrar en spoilers.

En general, “¡Shazam!” es una gran película de superhéroes. Merece la pena verla en la gran pantalla, y sobre todo verla pronto, porque uno de los aspectos que la hacen tan especial es no conocer muchas de las sorpresas que se han guardado. Desde luego, una grata sorpresa y un auténtico paso hacia delante para el futuro de DC.

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s case, by shouting out one word – SHAZAM! – this streetwise fourteen-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult superhero Shazam.

Warner Bros. and DC are back in the game. The studio is finally able to deliver very high-quality superhero movies that most people seem to enjoy. “Aquaman” was a complete success and it was able to join the billion-dollar club. Now, it’s the turn for “Shazam!”, a light superhero comedy that everyone will love.

I didn´t love “Aquaman”, mainly because of the story, but I thought that “Wonder Woman” was one of the most amazing superhero movies of 2017, and until now, it was my favorite superhero movie of this new DC universe. However, “Shazam!” has changed everything, and now, I can say that this movie is probably, the best DC superhero film we’ve ever seen.

There is only one problem with this movie: the first act is not as good as the others. I know they have to establish the basic elements of the story, and they do a great job with the opening sequence, showing how a young Dr. Sivana discovered the existence of the wizard Shazam and the Rock of Eternit. The problem comes when we meet Billy, and that is when the story stops progressing as much as it should. But after Billy gets his powers, the movie becomes a rollercoaster of emotions.

The script is one of the most solid aspects of this movie. Both Henry Gayden and Darren Lemke, who are the screenwriters in charge of this story, do an amazing job creating a small but believable world inside this huge superhero universe. Every single character and element they introduce fits perfectly within the story and the world of Shazam. There are a lot of Easter Eggs, references, and surprises that they have been able to hide from the trailers, and it is magical to witness some of them on the big screen. The movie is also full of action and comedy, but also emotion, and none of these elements is out of place. In fact, this emotional aspect of the movie helps us to connect with the characters, especially with Freddie and Billy.

Zachary Levi was born to play this role. He is very funny and charismatic but also delivers in the more serious moments in the film. His chemistry with Jack Dylan Grazer is undeniable and both actors shine when they are together.

Mark Strong’s Dr. Sivana is also a nice surprise. At first, I thought that he would be a forgettable villain, mainly because his motivations weren´t as solid as they could have been. But as the movie progresses, you start to realize how dangerous he truly is, and I would love to see more of him in the sequel.

The rest of the cast also does a great job with their characters, but I cannot talk much about the other foster kids without getting into spoiler territory.

“Shazam!” is a very good superhero movie. It is funny and entertaining, and there are a lot of things you haven´t seen in the trailers, that I’m sure you will want to experience in the cinema. I really hope DC continues with this franchise, and maybe in the future, they can include other heroes to fight alongside Shazam.