HER TIME IS NOW. In 2563, Earth has been devastated; scientist Dyson Ido (Christoph Waltz) finds a female cyborg in the junkyard, gives her a new body and learns that she has great powers. This 3D adaptation of the Japanese manga series was long in the making, but the final result is worth a look. … Continue reading Alita: Battle Angel
REAL HEROES. NOT ACTUAL SIZE. After the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is under house arrest; soon, he becomes involved in an attempt to find Hope’s (Evangeline Lilly) mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) who’s been trapped in the quantum realm for 30 years. A sequel that matches the original, as it … Continue reading Ant-Man and the Wasp
WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT IS WHAT MAKES YOU SPIDER-MAN. At the same time as Spider-Man battles Kingpin, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is bitten by a spider and gains the same superpowers as Spider-Man. A comic-book character in danger of being overexposed gets a new look in the shape of a biracial teenager and throws him … Continue reading Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
FROM ZERO TO HERO. Timid bank clerk Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) finds a magical wooden mask that turns him into a confident, wise-cracking trickster with superpowers. Along with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, this adaptation of the Dark Horse comic book made Carrey into a major star in 1994. He’s the right person to play the … Continue reading The Mask
This sequel took nine years to make and once again Robert Rodriguez collaborated closely with Frank Miller to create a nightmarish comic-book visual style – but neither critics nor audiences seemed to care. Just as episodic as the original, with Miller contributing two fresh stories, but several of the old characters return. Josh Brolin replaces … Continue reading Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
UNITE THE LEAGUE. After the death of Superman (Henry Cavill), Earth is threatened by a supervillain and his demonic legion, leading Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) and Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) to form a league of heroes together with a couple of new talents. The DC Comics version of Marvel’s The Avengers tries hard to build … Continue reading Justice League
THEY KILLED HIS WIFE TEN YEARS AGO. THERE’S STILL TIME TO SAVE HER. MURDER IS FOREVER… UNTIL NOW. In 2004, Max Walker (Jean-Claude Van Damme) is a cop working to make sure that time travels are not used for criminal purposes; during one of his missions, he learns that a U.S. senator (Ron Silver) is … Continue reading Timecop
PREPARE FOR THE SECOND COMING. After a tragedy that changes his life, Wade (Ryan Reynolds) meets a 14-year-old mutant (Julian Dennison) with fiery powers who is being hunted by a time-traveling soldier (Josh Brolin). The sequel will satisfy everyone who liked the first movie, especially if you’re into wisecracks and meta jokes, and there is … Continue reading Deadpool 2
WHERE WILL YOU BE, WHEN IT ALL ENDS? Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) crash-lands on Earth in time to let the other Avengers know that he and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) have just faced the formidable villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) and that he’s coming to find the rest of the all-powerful Infinity Stones. The third movie in the … Continue reading Avengers: Infinity War
LONG LIVE THE KING. At the premiere of this entry in the Marvel franchise, the praise was universal and looked a little bit like how Get Out (2017) was received. Not only were both movies hailed as excellent genre examples, but critics and reporters also frequently pointed out how important they were in the aftermath … Continue reading Black Panther: Royal Rumble
A NEW BREED OF HERO. Perhaps no other movie from the 1980s received such a harsh treatment than this adaptation of Steve Gerber’s comic-book duck, an unusual member of the Marvel family. The decision to cast an actor in a duck suit is just one of many awkward, clumsy aspects, but the biggest problem is … Continue reading Howard the Duck
EVERYBODY WANTS A PIECE. Moscow, 1953; the sudden death of the all-powerful Joseph Stalin sets off a panic among those closest to him. Based on a French graphic novel, this comedy takes real-life events and turns them into an absurd, icy farce. Fans of the director’s TV shows (The Thick of It, Veep) and movie … Continue reading The Death of Stalin
NO HAMMER. NO PROBLEM. After being imprisoned by a fire demon, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) learns that Asgard is about to be destroyed and the one responsible will be his sister, Odin’s firstborn, Hela (Cate Blanchett). The third film in the franchise has Thor and Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) colliding on a faraway planet and then teaming … Continue reading Thor: Ragnarok
