Review: “Thor: Love and Thunder”

With 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” director Taika Waititi injected new life into what had otherwise become the dullest standalone character series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He made it more colorful, brought a wacky sense of humor to the proceedings, surrounded the lead characters with delightfully weird supporting players, and allowed star Chris Hemsworth to cultivate […]

Review: “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe might not exist at all if it wasn’t for Sam Raimi. That’s a lot of credit to give to one individual who up to now has never been explicitly involved in the MCU at all, but it’s Raimi’s “Spider-man” trilogy—which debuted in 2002 and spawned two sequels, the last of which […]

Review: “Spider-Man: No Way Home”

I wasn’t sure, especially in light of a pandemic that it seems we’ll never pull out of, if I’d ever have another theatrical experience quite on the level of “Avengers: Endgame.” I’m not a particular fan of that movie, or even the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, but there’s no denying that the conversion […]

Review: “Eternals”

“Eternals” opens in a manner that isn’t typical of any previous film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Instead of jumping straight into the action, an opening scroll details the mythos behind the story we are about to watch unfold. In 5000 B.C., ten super-powered beings known as the Eternals were sent to Earth by the […]

Review: “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”

“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” begins with what may be my favorite opening sequence of any Marvel movie to date: a thousand years ago, the warrior Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) finds and takes control of the ten rings, a weapon that grants their user great power and immortality. As the centuries pass, […]

Review: “Black Widow”

Regardless of your feelings on the dominance of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the film industry, it does feel like a signal of some normalcy returning seeing an MCU film in the movie theaters for the first time since 2019’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” which immediately followed the franchise’s massive “Avengers: Endgame.” But what makes […]

Throwback Review: “Thor” (2011)

In honor of the release of the first episode of the newest Marvel show on Disney Plus this week, “Loki,” I’m revisiting my 2011 review of the movie that saw the first appearance of the mischief-maker played by Tom Hiddleston: I’ve noticed over the past few years that the majority of superhero movies are one […]

Throwback Review: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

New entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe post-“Endgame” continue tomorrow, March 19, when the new series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” debuts on Disney Plus. I don’t typically review television series, but since I got to watch a preview of the first episode, I thought I would present my thoughts on it, and then […]

Review: “Spider-Man: Far From Home”

WARNING: As “Spider-Man: Far From Home” deals directly with the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” this review discusses some plot details from “Endgame.” If you still haven’t seen it, read this review—and watch “Far From Home—at your own risk. 3 out of 5 stars. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” has the misfortune of being the first movie […]

Review: “Avengers: Endgame”

3 out of 5 stars. “Whatever it takes.” That’s the Avengers’ promise to each other to do what needs to be done to reverse Thanos’ devastating actions at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War.” But that can seemingly also be applied to Marvel Studios’ and directors Joe and Anthony Russo’s approach to pulling out all […]