Mike Goes To Movies

The New Mutants (2020) TLDR: A sad, dismal final chapter in Fox's once-acclaimed X-Men saga. The New Mutants shows promise in fragments, but its poor script and plot and often awkward execution makes for a sickly overall package that is quite fitting for this equally-sickly year that it has finally been released in... The New Mutants were an alt-X-Men team created in the early 80's in an effort to revamp and re-contemporize a new team of teenage X-Men. The new series became a smash-hit with new star mutants like Magik, Cannonball, Sunspot, Wolfsbane and Mirage, all of whom continue to headline Marvel comics to this day. Josh Boone's The New Mutants, which was announced more than five years ago and shot in 2017, has finally seen the light of day in 2020... The film seeks to adapt the team's beloved 'Demon Bear' storyline, while introducing audiences to this fresh team of mutant superheroes. In doing so, Boone tries to create an omelet-homage from the likes of Ste...

Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) I'll be honest, though I did enjoy Homecoming I didn't think it was anything overly spectacular. Even with my great like of Michael Keaton, I thought that everything about the film was done admirably and well but nothing entirely special came out of it. It was for this reason that my interest in Far from Home wasn't over the moon, other than the fact that I also really like Jake Gyllenhaal and think Mysterio is an interesting villain. However, I can now say that I actually enjoyed Far from Home more than Homecoming - it is a wildly entertaining superhero flick and has one of the most visually arresting sequences I have seen in a superhero film thus far. Far from Home picks up the pieces from both Homecoming as well as Avengers: Endgame. Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is still in high school, struggling with the balance of being both a superhero and a teenage student, as well, that he's now mourning the death of his great mentor, Tony S...

Spoiler Discussion - Avengers: Endgame (2019) Now that a week has passed since the mammoth release of Endgame, I feel I can now go into a more-spoilery discussion about the film, and about the general ending to the Infinity Saga. Disclaimer: Spoilers for Endgame Below! There are two particular reasons why I so immensely liked Engame. No, it is not perfect at all, but these two elements of the film let me see past the flaws and elevate it to great heights in my eyes. Firstly, is the final battle scene - truly a cornucopia of amazing moments and fan-service. From the appearance and inclusion of almost every hero of the MCU - amazing team-ups and interactions - to a few specific moments, such as Cap's long-anticipated wielding of Thor's hammer and Iron Man's use of the Infinity Gauntlet (with his iconic line), it has to be one of the most epic battle scenes in film history. The second, and even greater, reason why I thought Endgame was so fantastic though, was because ...

Avengers: Endgame (2019) - Spoiler-Free This is it - the culmination of 11 years and 22 films - a wholly unprecedented achievement in cinema history of a story-line that began more than a decade ago and has since weaved its way through various franchises, characters and plot threads, all under the banner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is the end of the Infinity Saga. And, in that, Endgame is a resounding success. As most of you know, this is absolutely a film to go into blind - there are many twists and turns that are obviously left unspoiled that will have you clinging to your seat and cheering out in the theatre (perhaps to almost-deafening levels by the true die-hards, as we evidently experienced last night). What makes this film truly special is that, unlike most of the MCU's previous films that always seem to be setting up the next film/character, Endgame is a love letter and a proper conclusion to all that has come before. Not only does this film end the narrativ...

6. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2002) and Avengers (2012) Okay, so this one really isn't fair at all... But, what the hell, top 10's are tough so I'm just going to go ahead and cram a whole load into this one. To the fanboy in me all three of these franchises have been infinitely important and influential. I was a huge fan of LOTR and all things Marvel prior to the movies coming out and, as most will attest, it is incredible how well they have both translated on-screen. While Star Wars originated in film, it has since evolved into every other available medium, similar to the other two, and clearly become its own mammoth nerdustry. I am going to keep these blurbs briefer today as multiple films fall under the blanket of each of these titles as well the impacts for myself of each franchise, or the films within, could take up more time from your day than I deserve to steal away from you. However, I have chosen o...