Big Hero 6 Is Big Fun

Sometimes things come together at just the right time and place to make something special. I can't imagine Big Hero 6 even existing in this form if Disney hadn't bought out Marvel. But this is a sign of the kinds of things the two studios can accomplish as a team. It's really quite exciting.

Big Hero 6 is the story of Hiro, a young genius living in the great city of San Fransokyo. When he loses his brother (and best friend) to a fire, Hiro falls into a depression. But his brother's greatest achievement, Baymax (a cuddly medical robot) awakens to help revive the boy's joy of life. They form a super hero team... and it's awesome.

The animation is wonderfully stylish. The characters, compelling and distinct... and very well rounded. And the plot balances just on the edge of feeling too adult and feeling too kiddy. But the ingredients work, and the final product is a very entertaining ride. Though there is one particular criticism that I believe may be affecting some peoples' experiences. The sound mixing toward the middle to second half of the film tends to drop away and leave what could be exciting, big action scenes feeling less spectacular than they should. The best comparison I have for this is The Iron Giant, where the sound design frequently gets in the way of what's otherwise a very interesting, heartfelt story. Though in all honesty, Big Hero 6's sound problems are in no way as offensive as The Iron Giant's. Just something to consider though, in spite of this fault, Big Hero 6 still manages to entertain through the very end of its runtime.

If Disney is interested in making a feature adaptation of something obscure like Marvel's Big Hero 6, I can only imagine what's coming down the road. I would personally love to get big animated productions of some of Marvel's more renowned characters. Even with the live action ones still coming out.

Marvel's The Astonishing Guardians Of The Galaxy

I caught a midnight screening of Guardians of the Galaxy last night, and I've gotta admit, I'm still flabbergasted.

This is the lesser known story of a team of superheroes that no one ever really thought of as major players. They're the misfits... the B team with A team powers. And they're a strange kind of comic relief in the Marvel Universe... because they actually can fight and win and their quirk is just a part of what makes them lovable. But the idea of putting these guys on screen in their own major motion picture event... well that would have seemed unbelievable only two years ago. Yet Marvel dug deep and decided, at some point they'd have to start using their lesser known characters. Well they had already established that Thanos was gonna be a major part of the Avengers story line... come the third Avengers movie. So at some point they would have to start dealing with areas beyond Earth... and Asgard. So logically, Guardians of the Galaxy was that next step.

What James Gunn (Super, Slither) has accomplished here is nothing short of a miracle. He's taken a team that no one had ever heard of and turned them into a legitimate franchise in their own right. Even greater, he's given people an almost new property (this current Guardians lineup is only six years old in the comics) to sink their teeth into and get invested in. Suddenly the Marvel Universe feels so much bigger... and anything and everything is possible. Because this film has proven that they CAN introduce fifty new characters and twelve new worlds without the audience ever having to skip a beat. Like I said, I'm flabbergasted.

Chris Pratt is so likable as Star Lord. He's quirky and charming and just plain gets the job done. It's so exciting to watch this guy succeed because that's all he's been doing for the last fifteen years is proving he's the guy... and finally here he is leading a superhero squad on a most amazing adventure. Zoe Saldana likewise fits her role, Gamora, perfectly and has been building on a young but impressive career. To include Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon is just perfect casting and I'd venture so far as to say I think I'd rather see Vin Diesel as Groot than any other Marvel superhero. Dave Batista's Drax is sadistic and wonderful... and that's the whole team. They all rock.

Then you get the other guys, Lee Pace is just entertaining as Ronan and Michael Rooker's Yondu feels like exactly what that character should always be. Karen Gillan does a great job as Nebula, and while Djimon Hounsou didn't get nearly enough screen time as Korath, he was still damn cool. John C. Reilly is fun and down to Earth here as well. He fully understands what this movie is supposed to be. And let's not forget about Glen Close, Benicio Del Toro, and Peter Serafinowicz all of whom admirably fill their roles with quality. It's impressive to see the lengths Marvel was willing to go to in casting this film. Every other character is played by a star. And that's gotta be a piece of their formula for success here... or maybe it's just that everybody wanted to be involved because they all believe in what Marvel's doing.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Guardians of the Galaxy is the biggest movie Marvel's ever made. Yes. It's bigger than The Avengers. It spans a galaxy and the stakes are high. The cast is so massive and well rounded that it almost makes the Avengers team look small... almost. Just saying, I can't wait to see these guys show up again both in their own movies and likely in Avengers 3.

I've Already Seen The Winter Soldier Twice...

And this new Captain America film is pretty much everything I desired from the character.

The First Avenger left me stumped because it couldn't find a balance between its action and its story, so when the action finally came it was shoved into a little 15 minute montage in the last quarter of the film. Not to mention the idea of Cap back in WWII is only made really cool by the advent of the same man doing that job in present day with his past keeping him from being grounded. At the start of The Winter Soldier, Cap has clearly buried himself in his work since the events of The Avengers. He hasn't made very many personal connections because he's been in shock since waking up from deep freeze. So imagine his surprise when something from his past comes back to haunt him... something from his old life. Of course, once he knows the truth he's gonna do everything in his power to find that connection and keep it.

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely did an excellent job of just presenting us with the story of The Winter Soldier given the materials they had to work with from previous films. And almost every element worked. The Winter Soldier acts as a force of nature coming in and cleaning up his bosses' messes. And if you've ever been interested in the books, that character begins in almost that very same way.

However, I do wish those two screenwriters were allowed to make a second pass on this script. When the story broke several months ago that they had delivered a first draft and the studio had accepted it without need of revision I was both excited and... scratching my head. Now seeing the final product, I do see a first draft on screen... a very good first draft, but one that probably could have felt more fluid and concise with an additional pass for the writers to figure out their characters' voices.

The biggest complaint I've heard about this stream of super hero flicks of late is that no one ever dies, so there's never any fear for the characters no matter how insane the situation. And there is some truth to that... Even when the filmmakers managed to kill someone important off in The Avengers, that character was willed back to life so that Marvel could have a tv show... a subpar yet sometimes passable tv show (granted it has begun to pick up a little steam of late). So I agree with that sentiment... However, these are comic book movies... and just because Game of Thrones truly makes you fear for all of your favorite characters doesn't mean every series has to do that. I love Game of Thrones, but it is not the model for super heroes and it shouldn't be. Game of Thrones would not be as good as it is if everything did what it does all the time. Now the only really confusing thing to me is how crucial a part Joss Whedon has played in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). When you consider how famous he got for ruthlessly killing off fan favorite characters in series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, it does make you scratch your head to see that he's been so open to so little death in these. But then he only controls The Avengers and can't be in charge of everything.

Chris Evans is doing an excellent job of selling this classic character. Where I was uncertain of the casting before (due to the Fantastic Four), I am now an adamant supporter of this choice. Thank god Scarlett Johansson was in this movie.

On more than one occasion she saved scenes for me because it was clear just how much fun she was having. I'm glad she's becoming such an important part of these films. Samuel L. Jackson had a lot more to do in this flick. And it's cool to see him play in the universe, but at the end of the day he really is just being Samuel L. Jackson.

One really nice surprise was the inclusion of Anthony Mackie as Falcon. This character was critical to the Winter Soldier book run and brought a new life to the film. He played his part with class and even though his "zingers" weren't all that funny, Mackie somehow managed to make them sound so sincere that I accepted them for wholly different reasons. I was also very glad to see Emily VanCamp make an appearance. She's been good for a while now and landed a part that could see a lot more screen time in the not too distant future. The last actor I'd like to mention goes back to the first film and really plays into the brilliance of the screenwriters... Toby Jones as Dr. Arnim Zola. He may have only had one scene, but man was that a cool way to pay tribute to that character. If you haven't seen it yet (who hasn't seen it yet?) just keep an eye open.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier rips Steve Rogers out of the 1940s and gives us the action that we've been asking for. And while I wouldn't call it the best Marvel film in this current franchise, it is a very welcome addition to the MCU.

Thor: The Dark World

While I was in Florida I got a chance to see Thor: The Dark World.

And while the dramatic side of it didn't really resinate, the comedy was closer than any other film I've seen to what would actually appear in a comic book. This is really quite a cool revelation in the grand scheme of things. Marvel is managing to give Thor's movies a different color than the others, a fact that bodes very well for the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

Anyway, the cast was quite solid in this movie... and I am ever increasingly surprised at the number of recurring characters that exist in Thor's stories. That being said, I found the general concept of the villain to be somewhat lacking...

rather, let me put it this way, at no point did I find Malekith even remotely threatening. I suppose his existence played second fiddle to everything else that will continue to blossom in the franchise's future. And that character could never hope to contend with Tom Hiddleston's Loki.

Now there weren't many emotional moments that surprised me. But there were plenty of things that I would never have expected to see appear on screen. Particularly an excellent cameo in a walk-and-talk scene between Thor and Loki. That little moment, and well... Thor's Hammer!! When you see the movie you'll know what I'm talking about. Just one of the quirkiest action sequences I've ever seen.

I really liked Thor: The Dark World. And I'm so glad Marvel is continuing to push the boundaries of their massive universe. No wonder Hollywood's been making so many super hero movies... there's just so much existing material to play with.

Agent Coulson Is Back And He Can Never Know...

In case you didn't know, the pilot of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. aired this week. You can catch it on Hulu whenever you want.

As anyone who reads this blog at all regularly knows, I am a huge fan of Joss Whedon. Every time he puts something out, I gobble it up... well with the one exception of his Much Ado About Nothing (but as a vacation movie after his greatest financial success, that gets a pass).

So imagine how excited I was when he and Marvel decided to move forward with an Avengers/Iron Man 3 television sequel. The answer is very very excited... and a little bit afraid... but mostly excited.

Well the first hour certainly didn't disappoint. Joss threw a myriad of potential serial plot points at us which only gets me more amped up for the rest of the series.

I love that Clark Gregg came back for this and has been such a great sport with Marvel since... well since the first Iron Man back in 2008.

Can you believe it's only been five years?

And I know you're wondering (without me giving too much away for the three people in the world who didn't see the Avengers), "didn't something happen to him in that big blockbuster movie last year?" Well I'm glad you asked. Yes. Something did happen to Agent Coulson. Something dubious. And man is it a shocker that he's back and well, straight off a boat from Tahiti... Well that's one of those mysteries that gets me so excited for what's next.

If you've ever watched Buffy or Angel (Joss' earlier shows) you'd know just how important his characters are to him... well he kills them off every chance that he gets. But there's usually some reason, some really good reason that we just won't understand until a season or two or three later. But this time he managed to do his dirtiest deed before the tv show even came out. And now we're getting the aftermath. And I'm just tickled anticipating the day when that episode airs that actually tells us what S.H.I.E.L.D. is up to with this guy (Agent Coulson if that wasn't clear).

MAJOR SPOILERS
That being said, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (I hate writing out that title) isn't perfect, but it's a good start. My greatest regret of the entire episode comes at the end, when the team faces off with the would-be villain. Something bad could happen here, but the budget won't allow it... actually the budget really falls off in this scene that's supposed to take place in (I think they said it was supposed to be) Union Station. And then the team takes action and the way they deal with things leaves a lot to be desired. Not because the idea is bad... it's more, they don't really take any time to explain what's happened. They leap forward and pass over the fact that there is a bullet firmly lodged in someone's head... then go on to say that he's fine and back with his kid in some hospital and everything's all happy-go-lucky? What? Maybe I missed something. But it felt off to me. Like they didn't have enough time to wrap up, but wanted to close that monster of the week story before the actual series started...
END SPOILERS

So to sum up, A lot of good and just a little bad. But definitely worth a watch. Especially if you want some more live action Marvel television fun with Joss Whedon and friends.