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Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

After the rather ambiguous ending of this year’s previous MCU entry (Infinity War), I hardly knew what to expect from Ant-Man and the Wasp. For instance, how would I cope with marrying the two stories which prior to my screening, I assumed would run along parallel tracks until they didn’t? Because we all know by now that these stories all fold into one another.

Also playing in the background was a part of me that will forever smart over the “might have beens” as it concerns this franchise over the loss of Edgar Wright’s creative vision. Even with that reservation, I must say, I did enjoy the first film well enough – it was entertaining and proved to me a rather pleasant and enjoyable time at the movies.

Image Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

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Hot Take: Doctor Strange (2016)

This month saw the release of yet another installment of the Marvel cinematic world – Doctor Strange.

Benedict Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange."
Benedict Cumberbatch is Doctor Strange.”

If I am to be honest, my ever expanding cinematic wish list did not include this title, but lo and behold, I found myself on a Saturday morning in a 3D IMAX theater on opening weekend. Go figure.

Brushing my initial ambivalence aside, I must admit that the end product turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Doctor Strange manages to take some very obscure concepts (at least by comic – to screen standards) and turn them into an accessible and cinematically stunning action adventure film. It is a rare moment when I recommend watching a film in 3D, but if you hadn’t seen this in this format, you did miss some pretty awesome sequences, that if nothing else, would leave your head spinning.

One thing that Doctor Strange and most of these Marvel films have going for them is the ability to draw top-notch talent. Sure, there is a part of your brain that chuckles at the thought of “thespians” like Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tilda Swindow, et al, donning goofy costumes and running down the streets, but you know what? Talent is talent and ultimately they all acquit themselves well enough, enough so that I was thoroughly entertained, whether the beat was dramatic or lighter in tone. Not much else one can ask for.

Another item worth noting is that the film felt a lot brisker than its 115 minute run time would suggest. I really felt like once the opening sequence launched, we were taken straight into the story with a few (if any) loose ends bogging the story down. Me likey.

If there was a negative point for me to make about Doctor Strange is that while it was a solid film, at the end of the day it is more or less “forgettable” in the pantheon of all the characters that we have seen on the screen to date (a result of genre sensory overload, perhaps?). That said, I suspect this is to be expected since the character is not one that I can ever claim to have known about until news broke about the development of the movie. My guess is that like always, we will have to take a “wait and see” approach in determining how seamlessly this chapter slides into the world of Nordic mythology, American Idealism and a huge green fella.

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What Are They Playing At? Fox and the Fantastic Four

First off, hope everyone is having a happy Friday. Maybe the weekend means you will be headed to the cinema, maybe not. If it is the former, chances are it will not be to see the latest “reboot” of the Fantastic Four cinematic franchise. Not only do you have these kind of tweets floating around ….

trank

 (in case it is not clear, this is the director of the film)

… but early reports clearly show that the box office receipts are going to be anything but fantastic. Which begs me to ask, “Why is Fox continuing to do this?”

I guess I could go into detail about the dubious history of this Marvel-sourced property, but it’s been a long week so I will just point you in this direction.

f4

So even if the constant reboots/re-imaginings are simply for the reason of keeping the Fantastic Four a 20th Century Fox property, what is the end game here? The results since Fox has owned the rights have been mediocre at best. Why not produce a quality product and really invest in the storytelling, much in the way they have gone all-in with the X-Men universe? Maybe I am showing my source material naïveté here, but I am simply flummoxed and left with more questions than answers, as is evident.

Then the thought comes to me, maybe Fox is thinking long term and pulling a Sony Pictures and what they did with Spider-Man – after what many considered a recent and unnecessary reboot, the execs did the math and realized it was not worthwhile to keep the property. What DID make sense in this case was to cut their loses, turn good ole Spidey back over to a now very solvent Marvel Studios, and cash the check.

If Fox is attempting to make a similar play in seeking a cost-justified reason to dump the Fantastic Four franchise, they are going about it in a very curious way. Because as the poor reviews keep coming in and the box office tanks, there is a great deal of damage done to the Fantastic Four brand, which I would guess devalues it and ultimately places Marvel in the catbird’s seat, allowing them to reacquire the rights at a cost that will not allow Fox to recoup their loses. And then there is this. A curious business indeed.

I have been talking about this situation in personal correspondence with friends, family and my friends over at Super Hero Movie Talk. It has made for a very lively discussion. Now I am turning it over to you all – what do you think?

 

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