Nicolas Cage Movie Review: **** Ghost Rider (2005)

 Ghost Rider is a Marvel Comic character, but not initially accepted into the MCU.  A motorcycle stunt rider, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage)  sells his soul to the devil/Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) to save his father, Barton Blaze (Brett Cullen) from cancer.   He is cured from cancer, but dies in an accident the same day.  The Devil indicates he fulfilled the contract and Nicholas Cage becomes the Ghost Rider and has to do the Devil's bidding.  This contract is activated when Black Heart (Wes Bentley) wants to defeat his father, the devil and take over hell.  Ghost Rider confronts this evil with people with their own powers.  Roxanne Simpson (Eva Mendez) is the woman Johnny Blaze is attracted to but obligations keep getting in the way.  She finally sees ghost Rider in action and begins to believe him.  Caretaker (Sam Elliott) is a past ghost Rider but on a horse, and provides support as well.  

This movie is strange for Marvel, but I think it is going to be a nice addition when he is accepted in the MCU Universe.  

Marvel Animated Movie Review: *** Ultimate Avengers: The Movie (2006)

 This animated movie review is similar to "The Avengers" (2012).  However some the the characters fighting the aliens are different.  Bruce Banner (Michael Massee) is in charge of an experiment to replicate the serum that mad Captain America.  They find the Captain (Justin Gross) frozen in the Arctic and bring him back to life.  Nick Fury (Andre Ware) is trying to assemble the Avengers.  Among others he asks Iron Man (Marc Worden), Janet Pym/The Wasp (Grey DeLisle), Black Widow (Olivia D'abo) Giant-Man/ Hank Pym (Nolan North), and Thor (David Boat).  Dr Betty Ross (Nan McNamara) helps Bruce Banner.  They were once partners but Banner is too unstable.  

The aliens are very formidable, but the team finally comes together.  And Banner takes the super serum, releasing The Hulk, trying to improve his control.  It doesn't work but he helps destroy the aliens.  He then begins attacking the avengers, until they are able to administer his medicine he had been neglecting.  

Not as exciting as "The Aengers" but entertaining.  

Marvel Movie Review: ***^ Fantastic Four (2005)

 This presets the classic story of how five astronauts go to space to study DNA.  They are hit with a solar flash, four of them while outside the vehicle, and their DNA is altered, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis).  The movie deals with their coming to terms with their changes.  The Thing struggles the most, as his fiancé breaks off the relationship due to his changed appearance (he looks like a rock.). Richards, the lead scientist vows to find a way to reverse the machine, creating a controlled solar storm.  Mean while te fifth member of the company, Victor von Doom/Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon) begins to develop his own powers, unbeknownst to the others.  His body is turning to metal and can generate electricity.  While the Fantastic Four use their powers for good, Doom uses his powers to murder others, and wants to take the powers of the oter four so he will be the only one with powers.  He cures the thing for a time, using his generated electricity to have the power needed.  This leads to a battle between Dr. Doom and the Four.

The Thing finally meets a woman who accepts him as he is, Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington).  He seems to be more accepting of himself as a result.  

Marvel Animated Movie Review: **^Iron Man: Rise of Technovore (2013)

 Iron Man (Matthew Mercer) faces a new nemesis, a young man, Ezekiel Stane/Technovore (Eric Bauza) who uses a new type of nano technology to destroy people and computers and whatever stands in his way.  This includes his taking out Rhodey/War Machine (James Mathis III).  The part of this movie is why Nick Fury (John Erik Bentley) as director of SHIELD is so interested in Stark coming in rather than letting hm pursue Technovore.  This results in considerable loss of property.  He even sends Black Widow (Clare Grant) and Hawkeye (Troy Baker also Jarvis voice) to bring him in.  They would have succeeded if not for the Punisher (Norman Reedus) helping him.  Also important to him is Pepper Potts (Kate Higgins) who helps him with computers and he has used her voice as a backup for his satellite that Technovore has infected.  

Turns out War Machine is not dead, but took a long time recovering.  Without his help Technovore would have cleared the world of all humans.

Lots of action; but I felt the characters lacked motivation for some of their actions.

X-Men Movies: Summaries and Reviews.

 The X-Men series is now available through Disney +

**** X-Men (2000) The first X-Men made

****X2: X-Men United (2003) The two sides actually unite

***^ X-Men: The Last Stand (2006). Jean destroys everything but Wolverine saves us

***^ X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

****^ X-Men: First Class (2011)

**** The Wolverine (2013)

**** X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) Very good but bounces from past to present too much 

***^ X-Men Apocalypse (2016)

Deadpool (2016).  rated R  Deadpool as a character was first introduced in X-Men Origins: Wolverine

** Logan (2017) Too much language and too much violence.  Rated R, I watched edited tv version

Deadpool 2 (2018). rated R

**^ Once Upon a Deadpool (2018). An edited down version at the theater but still pretty rough.  Deadpool interacts with X-men.

**** Dark Phoenix (2019). In this movie Jean kills Raven

***The New Mutants (2020)

Deadpool and Wolverine (2024). rated R

Movie Review: At the Movies: ****Captain America: Brave New World (2025)

 I found this movie very entertaining.  The president (Harrison Ford) is the character Thaddeus Ross, who had a thing against the Hulk.  This seems to still influence him, as his daughter, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) avoids him as a result, and he is trying to prove that he has changed.

The part of the movie which is a bit confusing as an island has appeared with a new mineral more precious than vibranium.  The show starts with Falcon/Captain America (Anthony Mackie) and Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) recovering it.  As a result they are invited to the Whitehouse.  Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbley) the African American who was not accepted as a super hero but incarcerated for 30 years for experimentation by Ross, attends with them.  

At the reception, Bradley, along with five other attendees start shooting at the president; however they do not kill him.  They are all arrested.  The President had asked Captain America to reform the Avengers, but withdraws the offer and doesn't want anything to do with Captain America.  Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) portrays the secret service agent assigned to resolve the assassination attempt.  She is a former Black Widow.  

Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) is the man behind all the bad stuff happening, including mind control and use of the super-human serum.  He almost brings the U.S. and Japan to war fighting over the new mineral.  When things to be almost resolved; they are not.  We are introduced to a new Hulk and Captain America has met his match.

TV miniseries Review: Marvel Disney+: ****The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

 This is wonderful extension of the Captain America saga, as the title changes hands.  At first Sam Wilson isn't sure if he can take up the mantle of Captain America, so gives up the shield.  Bucky, who was the Captain's best friend is disappointed.  The government gives the shield and title to John Walker.  

Our heroes are confronted by a group of super soldiers called the Flag Smashers.  They are feeling life was better off during the period of the blip, when resources weren't spread so thin.  Now there are millions of people who have reappeared and are basically homeless, or putting others out.  Karli Morgenthau is the leader of this group.  With their super strength they are formidable combatants. The Falcon and Bucky are out to track them down.  They are joined in the hunt by Zemo and Sharon Carter.  John Walker, Captain America tracks them down by following The Falcon.   

After taking the last dosage of super soldier serum, John Walker disgraces the shield.  This leads to a major confrontation between he, and The Falcon and Bucky.  The Falcon is now ready to take up the mantl of Captain America.  

Subplots include Isaiah Bradley, who was given serum some 30 years prior, but his African American status lead to his incarceration for 30 years while the experimented on him.  Joaquin Torres is The Falcon's liaison in the military.  Another subplot is Sam Wilson's family's struggling business, and Bucky coming to terms with his past as The Winter Soldier, where under mind control he killed many people.  In the end the government is going to. do better to reconcile with the ideas of the Flag Smashers.

Anthony Mackie as The Falcon, Captain America, Sam Wilson.

Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, The Winter Soldier.

Erin Kellyman as Karli Morgenthau, leader of the Flag Smashers.

Wyatt Russell as John Walker, Captain America, U.S.Agent.

Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo.

Danny Ramirez as Joaquin Torres.

Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, Power Broker, a former SHIELD agent.

Carl Lumbly as Isaiah Bradley

Marvel Movie Review: *****Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

 Went to the movie yesterday with Tony and we had a very good time.  Tony before the movie was wondering how T'Challa died (Chadwick Boseman).  I told him we didn't know yet and would have to see.  This was covered at the first of the movie, and I still don't really know other than a disease his sister could not cure.  

Then the movie gets going.  T'Challa's mother (Angela Bassett) is serving as queen.  Shuri (Letitia Wright) failed to redevelop the blossom necessary to create a new Black Panther.  This was destroyed by Kilmonger (Michael B. Jordon) when he took over the country.  However many people want to steal the vibranium which gives the people of Wakonda so much power.  An attempt to steal this is discovered and thwarted.  

In the mean time the U.S. has developed a vibranium detector.  This is used to discover another source, and another people benefitted by vibranium.  This leads to conflict between the two people.  Namor (Tenoch Huerta) the leader of this people is determined that the people of Wakanda help him to conquer the surface people or he will attack Wakanda.  He insists they find the scientist who developed the detector.  Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Shuri attempt to find her.  CIA agent Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) turn them on to Ririe Williams (Dominique Thorne), a student.  She made the machine on a challenge from her professor but did not even know it was being used.  She also has made an iron man type suit and becomes Ironheart.  The people of Namor overtake the group and kidnap Shuri and the scientist.  The queen strips Okoye of her title, and turns to T'Challa's girl, Nakia (Lupita Nyong'o) who served as a Wakondan spy, to rescue them.  She. does, but Namor retaliates by attacking the city of Wakonda and killing the queen.  Shuri is again grieving, but she also wants revenge and using a gift form Namor, she is able to replicate the substance that makes one the black Panther.  She takes this and becomes the Black Panther, but sees Kilmonger in her dream.  Then comes a great battle between the two people, as they have a plan as to how to weaken Namor, who gains strength from water and can fly.  

Lots of action and great fighting scenes.  Namor is spared but he relents and his people return home.  The Wakandans rescue Everett from his exwife CIA agent Valentina (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who is behind a lot of mayhem in the Marvel Universe.  In the extra scene we meet T'Challa's son. 

TV Review: Disney+ Hawkeye

 Hawkeye is available on Disney+.  It is a post End Game show, and Hawkeye/ Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is drawn into the action when a sort of self-proclaimed super hero, archer wantobe, Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) comes across the Ronin suit, which Clint Barton used to work evil when his family had been blipped away.  This leads to their becoming the targets of a New York gang, as Ronin killed their leader and the leader's niece, Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) is now intent on revenge.  Turns out Bishop's mother is working for King Pin (Vincent D'Onofrio).  She has framed her fiánce for murder.  Also muddling the picture is Black Widow's sister, Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh).  She is a highly trained assassin after Clint Barton as she has been told he killed Black Widow.

This is six episodes of super fun.  In the final episode we have the gang of thugs, King Pin, Belova, Lopez, all converging on Rockefeller Plaza and the ice skate ring in New York.  I highly recommend this show if you haven't already watched.

Movie Review: *****The Black Widow

 This movie is delightful.  It is able to take a look at the Romanoff family from a different point of view, and gives us the back story for the Back Widow and for her sister, Yelena.  The family--which was put together to train the girls to be widow fighters includes Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), Yelena (Florence Pugh), mother Melina (Rachel Weisz) and father Alexei (David Harbour).  They were part of the enhanced network created by Dreykov (Ray Winstone).  In fact Dreykov has created an army of widows, and controls them through chemicals.  This movie is a struggle for the two sisters to get their lives back; and to deal with their past.  The movie is very well done how they combine family issues, from the pseudo family  and the humor is very good.  It takes a different view of the Marvel Universe.

Movie Review: ****Captain America: The Winter Soldier

 Winter Soldier is the second Captain America movie.  The Winter Soldier is Bucky, Captain Roger's childhood friend.  However he was captured by Hydra and turned into a super soldier with a prosthetic super arm.  Turns out Hydra had infested SHIELD with some very devious plans based on an algorithm predicting the future of people and eliminating those who are undesirable.  Fury is wounded in an assassination attempt because he is onto the infiltration.  Lots of great action which leads to the confrontation between Winter Soldier and Captain America.  We are introduced to Falcon who helps Captain America.  Black Widow also plays a big part.  Alexander Pierce is the Hydra leader but also Fury's boss.

Chris Evans is Captain America

Samuel L. Jackson is Nick Fury

Scarlett Johansson is Black Widow

Robert Redford is Alexander Pierce

Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier

Anthony Mackie as Falcon

TV Review: ****Wanda Vision

 I was a faithful watcher of WandaVision as the series ran on Disney +.  It was very hard to figure out at first, and was very confusing as they went through different decades of television sitcom styles.  However the characters are very intriguing with Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda and Paul Bettany as Vision.  The sit-con episodes center around them but Vision slowly realizes that things aren't as they seem.  The have twins, Billy and Tommy played by Julian Hilliard and  Jett Klyne, who age very quickly but have their own superpowers.  Kathryn Hahn plays Agnes, who plays an important part but unwilling to give the show away won't say more.  Teyonah Parris plays Monica Rambeau (a character introduced in Captain Marvel.) Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) also shows up.  She is a character from the Thor movies and has expertise on unnatural phenomena, because the town of Westview where everything takes place is very strange and has a protective energy field around it.  Rambeau and Lewis are studying this energy.  Another interesting additional character is Pietro, Wanda's twin brother who died at the end of Avengers Ultron.  However things are not quite right as he is played by Evan Peters, who played a similar character in X-men universe rather than Marvel.  With these characters we have the making of a very good time and that is was this series is; a very good time.  I really enjoyed myself.  It will be interesting to see how these characters play into future Marvel offerings.

Marvel Universe

Other Marvel Movie Reviews

 Once Upon a Deadpool 2018

Venom   2018

Daredevil   2003

Hulk

Fantastic 4

Fantastic 4

Marvel Cinematic Universe: My Reviews

Phase I

Iron Man (2008)

The Incredible Hulk. (2008)

Iron Man II (2010)

Thor (2011)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

 The Avengers (2012)

Phase II

Iron Man III (2013)

Thor: The Dark World. (2013)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Ant-man (2015)

Phase III

Captain America: Civil War. (2016)

Doctor Strange. (2016)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2  (2017)

Spider-Man: Homecoming  (2017)

Thor Ragnarok (2017)

Black Panther. (2018)

Avengers Infinity War (2018)

Ant-man and the Wasp (2018)

Captain Marvel (2019)

Avengers End Game (2019)

Spider-man: Far from Home. (2019)

Phase IV Multiverse sage

 *****Black Widow (2021)

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

The Eternals. (2021)

***** Spider-man:  No Way Home (2021). Three spider men

WandaVision. (2021)

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness  (2022)

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Ms Marvel (2022)

Phase 5. Multiverse saga continued

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. (2023)

Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania  (2023)

The Marvels (2023)

Madame Web (2024)

Captain America: ****Brave New World(2025)

Thunderbolt

Marvel Comics: Captian Marvel

I came across two graphic novels at the library that help explain a bit more of the background of Captain Marvel.  These are "The Life of Captain Marvel" and Captain Marvel Prelude.  I really enjoyed the movie and was hungry for some more information and this two books wet my whistle.  One presents the mother and brother of Captain Marvel.  It is also fun to see the different artistic depictions. 

Marvel Universe

In Theaters: ****^Spider-Man: Far From Home

The new Spider-Man movie doesn't fail to impress.  We have a new super hero/villain, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).  Tom Holland continues as Spider-Man.  Zendaya is MJ.  Other notable characters are Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson) and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau).  I think Zendaya steals the show, and the romantic scenes between she and Spider-Man seem to steel the show.  But then we also have illusion and almost dream-like scenes that bit Spider-Man against himself, and against a train.  But the biggest struggle is keeping the Peter Tingle or the sixth sense. 
But I love the part where the hands of Peter Parker and MJ creep closer and closer together. 

In Theaters: Dark Phoenix (2019) X-Men

X-Men Series

****Dark Phoenix (2019)  This movie plays on an alien power getting inside of Jean (Sophie Turner) and creating all kind of havoc.  Of course there are aliens who pursue Jean wanting the power for themselves, and the X-Men who are wary of Jean and her new powers.  The lack of control leads to the death of Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and other similar mishaps.  With her new powers Jean starts to remember her past as it really was, not as it was manipulated by Professor Xavier (James McAvoy).  Of course the other X-Men get involved.  At one point Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is intent on killing Jean for her having killed Raven.  Other X-Men include Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee).  I really enjoyed this movie.  I am not sure why people have been staying away.  Perhaps Xavier is a little too self-loathing in his part in Jean’s past, but we come to understand what is actually happening we hat past that.  This movie seems to give us a future look at what has happened to the X-Men.  However one problem with the X-Men movie series is the timeline is all over the place.  Great fun none-the-less. 

Movie Review: **Logan (2017)

X-Men series

Logan  I like this movie for the advancement of the story.  I hate it for the salacious violence and language.  Again this is a future look at X-Men; particularly Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).  Xavier has a bad seizure disorder, which effects those around him.  Caliban (Stephen Marchant) has been helping them.  He has an ability to track others but is susceptible to light.  Apparently many of the others have passed away, except for a new generation of young mutants who have escaped a facility in Mexico.  Logan is brought into the fray by Laura (Dafne Keen), his genetic daughter.  When they are confronted by Pierce (Boyd Holbrock) who has been contracted to bring the girl back, we end with a trio, Laura, Xavier and Wolverine, on the road trying to find the safe house for the mutants in the north.  The story line to this movie is really good.  I have watched the tv edited version.  Even with this the movie is too violent and (even though dubbed out on tv) there is too much bad language for me to recommend this movie. 

In Theaters: Avengers: *****End Game (2019)

Avengers: End Game:  This is the most anticipated movie in some time; and it more than lives up to all the hype.  From Thanos’ “I am inevitable” to “I am Iron Man” and all the ride along the way, this movie is great.  Of course the thing about this movie is having all the characters together.  There is too much here to give a plot summary, but suffice it to say this movie entertains and appeals to Avenger fans, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and Dr. Strange.  It has all the characters taking part in their turn.  There is a part during the major battle where all the women are going to protect the glove and it just seemed to miss as tried to make a politically correct statement.  And then of course the fumbled the glove anyway as Thanos had said, :He is inevitable.”  However that is my only complaint.  A couple of our major Avenger friends will not be coming back it appears, but there are plenty others who are ready for the continued Avenger Universe, including Peter parker and Spider man later this year.  This is a must see.  In fact it warrants going back and seeing all the Avenger movies.

Robert Downey Jr.     Tony Stark/ Iron Man
Chris Evans                Steve Rogers/ Captain America
Mark Ruffalo               Bruce Banner / Hulk
Chris Hemsworth        Thor
Scarlett Johansson     Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Jeremy Renner            Clint Barton / Hawkeye
Paul Rudd                   Scott Lang / Ant-Man
Benedict Cumberbatch  Doctor Strange
Chadwick Boseman    T'Challa / Black Panther
Brie Larson                  Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel
Tom Holland                Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Karen Gillan                 Nebula
Zoe Saldana                Gamora
and many more
Marvel Universe

In Theaters: *****Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel (2019) We left the theater and Tony announced this was his favorite movie ever.  I wouldn’t go that high, but it does put a new twist on the Avenger series.  Her is an Avenger before the Avengers.  Captain Marvel (Brie Larsen) is a human, who was taken to space and her memory distorted.  However she returns, chasing who she thinks are the bad people, some shapeshifter aliens.  However she discovers that what she believed is not so.  This makes for an interesting twist.  In they end, she serves those she hunted.  Captain Marvel has special powers from absorbing the blast of a light speed engine which was made with a special stone.  The alien race that kidnaps her tries to tell her these powers have been granted by them.  But as will happen the truth wins out.
Nick Fury assists her (Samuel Jackson) and from this the idea of Avengers is born. 

Marvel Universe