#in the comics her mother has clones and stuff (that's fairly new)

[biitchcakes]

@spybiote asked: who was the one family member your muse always looked up to, if any? — IN-DEPTH HEADCANON QUESTIONS — ACCEPTING

For a long time, Jessica didn't know if her mother, Miriam, was dead or alive. After a few decades passed, she assumed her mother — if she had been living — died of old age. However, her more prevailing theory was that her mother had been killed by Hydra. It made sense to her, having been in stasis for so long, the Wundagore lab torn to shreds when she finally awoke. And Hydra came for her not long after that, knowledgeable on herself more than even she was (Though in actuality, her mother was killed the night Jessica went into stasis — going for a walk on the mountainside only to be killed by a neighbouring werewolf.)

There was a brief incident when Jessica was still young, when facing the Viper (Ophelia), both the women had been tricked into thinking Ophelia was Miriam, but this had turned out to be false memories implanted into her by Morgan Le Fay — all to hurt Jess.

Jessica didn't know her mother for long, having fallen ill when she was only five years old, and being put into stasis mere weeks later. But she does remember her mother doing everything she could to nurse Jess back from her radiation poisoning without forcing her to sleep.

Jess loved her for that.

As for her father, Jonathan, Jessica harboured more complicated and less favourable feelings towards him. While maybe he thought he was doing the best he could, he still condemned Jessica to an unknown fate by pumping her full of his experimental spider DNA. She felt sometimes as though she were little more than a lab rat to him.

At first, she had looked for him, too. Wanting answers, closure, connection. . . But when she found out the truth, she cared only for finding answers and her mother.

She still has difficult feelings towards him, wanting to love or at least miss him, but she felt a stinging pang when she thinks of him.

The first person truly feel like a father to her was Magnus, her sorcerer mentor. He was the first person to treat Jessica like, well, a person: capable of her own thoughts and feelings, her own sense of agency. The two shared a deep fondness for each other.

She admired him. She looked up to him.

Nick Fury meant a great deal to her, too. The man she was sent to kill bringing her out of the darkness, convincing her to go her own path. He always trusted her, always took care of her. Whenever Jessica was put into a position of leadership, Fury always came to mind as someone to emulate.

Jessica has considered Carol Danvers family for practically as long as the two had known each other. The woman who has been to hell and back multiple times, who still has so much love and care to give. Who fought through her own demons, as well as battled the worst from the world — from the universe. Carol she admires most.

[38sr]

I wanna know everything

WHERE DO I BEGIN, VULPES????

Okay okay, I’m just gonna list off the things that I’ve already written for this AU and hope I don’t get into spoilers for the Undercut DJ. To make things clear, this AU is like a mix of canon divergence/fix-it since I’ve been taking the time to rewatch VLD and analyze the story as a whole. So let’s start at the beginning~

Voltron 2020: A canon divergence/fix-it AU based on the 2016 VLD series. I only call it Voltron 2020 since the stories I’ve written/drawn for it so far wouldn’t be out in the public until next year haha.

Where does it start?

V2020 (I’m just shorten it to this) keeps S1 and S2 in canon and kicks off in S3. There’s only one small change I would make to S1 but I’ll get into that when I talk about Shiro in this AU.

These haircuts??? Explain please???

Haha, yes I’m a fan of the idea of Keith, Lance and Allura (yeah you heard me) having shorter haircuts. More so Lance because compared to the rest of the cast’s original designs, his hair maybe be simple but lacks a bit of flair. Lance is the one who get’s his undercut first and the story behind how it happens is covered in a fan comic called undercut that’s slated for release this year.

How Keith and Allura get their haircuts are part of the story as well but doesn’t come until maybe S4 or after (I have to figure out the details on that). But for now, I just wanted to see how Keith looked with short hair and it looks pretty good! 

Keith is in BP suit and Lance is in RP suit?

Yup, one of the things that drove me bonkers in VLD was how they didn’t match their lions. This is more of an OCD thing because I prefer matched colors over mix-match. However, once again changing their suits also has a reason behind it in the story. You can sort of call it…truly stepping into their new roles in the Paladin team. For Keith, becoming the leader Shiro always saw in him. For Lance, becoming the right-hand man and gaining confidence in his skills as a pilot (also becoming Keith’s rock haha).

Okay the real question: Does Shiro die in this AU?

Here’s where things get…a bit interesting? I have two versions of this AU where Shiro does die in his battle with Zarkon and the other where he does not die. So a divergent…within a divergent haha. I have to preface this with I don’t hate Shiro by any means and love his character with all my heart, which is why I made a version where he doesn’t die. Shiro as a disabled, LGBT and PoC character has so much potential that killing him off would be a waste for storytelling. Since the AU takes off in S3 where it was implied that he died, that’s where I took the story and started writing how his death affected the team, mainly Keith. The main point I want to get across is that Shiro needs to lose his connection to Black Lion in order for Keith, Lance and Allura to grow as characters.

In the case I choose to have Shiro die….

As per usual, Keith reluctantly becomes the Black Paladin, Lance becoming the Red Paladin and Allura is the Blue Paladin. We see how Keith is struggling with his loss of Shiro and how he feels incompetent being the leader of Voltron. This would then lead to into the undercut comic and spark a more genuine, supportive friendship between Keith and Lance. I would also keep how Shiro’s conscience remains in the Black Lion, which only Keith knows about cause he’s BP now. This would be great thread to connect Keith and Allura who have lost someone dear to them and rely on technology to keep them alive (when in reality they will always live in their hearts). 

I would also keep the Kuron idea but instead of him joining team Voltron, Honerva and Zakron use the Shiro clones and make their own version of Voltron with the Robeasts we see in S7-8. That way, we could keep The Black Paladins fight since that’s a very emotional and groundbreaking moment for Keith having to face someone cares deeply for. 

In the case I choose to have Shiro live….

I wouldn’t have him be BP again since that prevents Keith from growing into a leader, which then prevent Lance growing as a character and then prevents Allura from growing as a character. If anyone has noticed after watching the series, the character development kind of gets wonky when they decided to bring Shiro back as BP. If anything, it really hindered Keith, Lance and Allura’s character development since S3 focused so much on the dynamics in team Voltron shifted (which would have been super interesting to see as time went on). Since this idea is fairly still new I haven’t quite figured out how I would write the story if I went this route. But, I’m not opposed of having Shiro being involved with the Altean colony…again gotta workshop some stuff here but killing off Shiro is such a waste of potential!

ALSO, if Shiro stays alive, then we need to address Adam in S1 E1. It can be simple like when everyone is at Keith’s shack and Adam’s name gets dropped casually like this:

Shiro: How did you get all this information? This is classified stuff from the Garrison…

Keith: I had someone help me.

Shiro: Someone….?

Keith: …it was Adam.

Shiro: Oh…

Not exact but my point is that could have been a great moment to tell the audience Shiro and Keith have a connection with Adam (more so Shiro because we all didn’t know he was gay until much much later in the series). But lemme move on before I get too into Adam cause so much needs to be written out before I spill it all haha.

Next big question: which ships are canon?

Y’all don’t burn me at the stake but….

Allura and Lotor. 

I KNOW I KNOW! BUT WHAT ABOUT KLANCE!?!?!?!?!??!

Y’all know I will ship Klance until the end of time but right now I haven’t gotten to a point in the story where confirming Klance as a romantic relationship feels natural and right yet. If anything, in V2020 I really want to build Keith and Lance’s relationship as friends and teammates which in turn can lead into something more. But the groundwork needs to be done in order for that to happen.

But yeah Allura and Lotor are confirmed in V2020 cause that feels right and Lotor deserves so much more than what we saw in the show. I’ll leave it at that for now.

Is the ending the same?

HA. NOPE. FAR FROM IT!

This is probably biggest change I made in V2020 but when VLD did this it made me worried for the show as a whole:

Zarkon remains as the main villain and final boss for the entire series.

I would have not killed off Zarkon as early as they did in VLD simply because Zarkon was made out to be such a big threat in the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, Honerva and the war factions are a cool idea as opposing forces but they could have happened first and left Zarkon for last. 

Honevra regaining her memories and going on her rampage could have happened first. Lotor could have found out that she was his mother  and had to confront his abuser. Allura would have to face the fact someone of her own kind was doing horrible things and that evil isn’t determined by (alien) race. All of that could have been presented before killing Zarkon and would have pushed Allura and Lotor’s character development. Also, having Honevra written off first would give Zarkon even more incentive to do what he’s doing cause well, that’s his wife and love makes you do crazy things. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The war factions could have happened after Honerva and that’s where we learn more about the Galra empire and society. Where are there are cracks in the system? How are half breeds like Keith and Lotor viewed? How do factions like the Blade come into play and help team Voltron? All of that could have been explored! Honestly, the war factions arc(?) is an opportunity to further develop Keith and Lotor characters and their relationship since they are both half-Galra. 

As for the final battle and ending of it all, Allura doesn’t die and Voltron (the robot) is the one to be sacrificed.

I wrote a whole theory on it after watching S8, so if you wanna read yet another long post you can check it out here haha.

The point of keeping Zarkon as the main (and final) villain in V2020 is to keep the overarching story simple. Think of ATLA, the story as a whole is really simple: 4 nations based on elemental powers are under the tyrannical rule of a dictator and only one person can stop him and save the world. By keeping the objective of the story simple, there’s room for character development and world-building. Instead of a dark, broody space epic (if that’s what you wanna call it), V2020 focuses more on the characters and world-building that are affected by the main opposing force known as Zarkon. A lot of the stories I have in mind are more episodic but I think that works best for a show where the stage is as grand as space haha.

Pidge and Hunk??

As for Pidge, she kind of….gets everything she wants in the show?? There isn’t really anything drastic I would change since the show fixed her issues…

As for Hunk my baby boy sweet cinnamon roll, don’t worry. I’m making sure he’s more than just a scaredy cat who loves food. I really liked how in the show Hunk learned about Galra diplomacy so maybe I can work with that! 

___

Yeah, I think….that’s everything I can tell you about this AU and I’m so sorry, Vulpes, that I made this answer so long! ^^; Thank you showing interest in my AU!

[aion-rsa]

Young Justice Season 3 Episode 25 Review: Overwhelmed

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Young Justice delivers the best episode of the second half of the season with "Overwhelmed."

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This Young Justice: Outsiders review contains spoilers.

Young Justice Season 3 Episode 25

Young Justice uses the second to last episode of the season to take a break from the endgame and look back at how far the team's come. The result is one of the strongest episodes of Young Justice season 3. 

The episode follows two stories and sprinkles in some setup for upcoming episodes. One sets up the final episode: Brion and Tara’s brother sneaks to Hollywood to see them and tell them that he’s trying to find a way to get them back into Markovia. The other storyline focuses on Cyborg and Halo, having defeated Granny Goodness and closed off the Apokalips storyline for the season. They’re babysitting Lian for the night with Beast Boy when Metron shows up and kidnaps Mother and Fatherbox (and Lian gets caught in the boom tube). He booms them to the Source Wall and lays on some heavy foreshadowing for next season. Lian has the time of her life floating in space and hearing Cyborg and Halo make Mother/Fatherbox noises when they try and talk. It’s fairly insignificant, but it’s a pretty enjoyable interlude in an otherwise pretty heavy episode.

In yet another story, Forager is having a tough time deciding his path forward. With Mantis and the forces of Apokalips defeated, he has the ability to return to his hive on New Genesis, but he also wants to stay on Earth with his “new hive.” But he doesn’t feel like he can truly be himself on Earth because he needs to keep his Fred Bugg glamor charm on to pass as human. So Superboy takes him to visit Geranium City, where he meets Mayor Dabney Donovan, who turns out to be Dubbilex using his psychic powers to make the entire population of the town appear human. This is actually where all the genomorphs hid after Cadmus fell. They built a city for themselves, and hide in plain sight while subtly guilting Superboy for not doing more to help them.

This was...unexpected. On a lot of levels. First of all, this was all out of the blue - there was no hint of Superboy having trouble with his identity, and it never occurred to me to think of what happened to the genomorphs after they were freed from Cadmus. Using them to further Forager’s story and push Connor into making a pretty substantial change next episode was interesting and a nice way to move forward by looking back. I was also not expecting a lecture from a psychic alien about the relative value of systemic change versus helping individuals. So if you’re looking for clones raging against neoliberalism...Young Justice, folks. 

Seriously, this could have turned into a conversation about secret identities and masks. I think it’s to the show’s credit that it didn’t. That’s well-trod territory, something that literally every Batman writer and most Superman writers eventually explore. Systemic injustice is a much more interesting and unexpected critique, one I think the writers did well to poke at, and I’m glad this is the direction they went.

The last major storyline focuses on Will Harper and Artemis, who are on a date. They unfortunately do NOT go to the Bone Zone like I expected in my notes because, as they kiss, she freaks out about not getting any closure with Wally. So she grabs Zatanna, who brings Rocket and Miss Martian for emotional support, and demands to be reunited with Wally. Z pushes back with all the clear and smart and well-known warnings about raising the dead, and instead offers to give her an evening in limbo with his soul. Of course, she jumps at the chance.

This storyline is messed up in only the way Young Justice can be. Like the Superboy/Forager storyline, it looks back to move Artemis forward. Rather than pushing nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, it uses our fond memories of characters who have passed to help develop Artemis as a person. She lives a quick life with Wally in Limbo, seeing him again, moving back in with him, getting pregnant, and having a baby. Then the show makes her give all of that up. Wally forces her to acknowledge that none of it is real, and that he loves her so much that he wants her to move on. So she gets her closure.

Of course, this is Young Justice doing Young Justice things, so at the very end we find out that it was just Zatanna putting Artemis in a psychic trance and letting her subconscious do all the work. So they now have a quick and easy way to undo the growth, and also another dark secret that is being kept by three teammates. It wouldn’t be this show without dramatic secrecy.

Swerve aside, this was a genuinely emotional, sweet episode that takes a lot of time to remind you of the world these characters have inhabited for almost a decade and of their potential power. It was an excellent episode. 

OUTSIDER TRADING TIPS

-Geranium City doesn’t exist in the comics, and I’m fairly sure it doesn’t have an equivalent. Young Justice has never been afraid to just put the wild shit from the books in the show, so if there was a city for clones and Cadmus monsters in the comics, it would be in here. 

-Dabney Donovan does exist in the comics, though. He’s a real bastard - head scientist of Cadmus, cloning expert and creator of Dubbilex. He was also featured in the Death of Superman/Reign of the Supermen animated features as one of Superboy’s creators. Those movies are excellent and you should watch them when you have time. 

-I really loved how John Stewart put the genomorphs down on what would become Geranium in a Green Lantern construct-ark.

-Artemis’s line when she comes out of the trance is “The spirits have done it all in one night!” That’s a Scrooge line from A Christmas Carol, in case you’ve never lived through a Christmas with a television before.

-I’m also very glad Will and Artemis didn’t happen. I think Will spoke for all of us when he said it would be “too weird.”

-Count Vertigo also breaks Baron Bedlam out of jail and he stages a coup in Markovia. This pays off next episode, and I’ll talk more about it there. There’s more Luthor/Trump stuff, and I really don’t like it. 

-Watch the credits all the way through. The credits sequences in both of the last two episodes pay off a season worth of jokes. They’re really funny.

Keep up with all our Young Justice: Outsiders news and reviews right here.

Books

5/5

DC Universe

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Animation

Young Justice

DC Entertainment

Review Jim Dandy

Aug 27, 2019

from Books https://ift.tt/2NEO4Ej

[ramajmedia]

Star Wars: 10 Movie Plot Holes Filled In By The Marvel Comics

The Star Wars saga has been going strong for over 40 years now, so it’s hardly surprising that several plot holes have cropped up during the time. While these gaffes are occasionally addressed on-screen – like when Attack of the Clones indirectly clarified that Yoda trained Obi-Wan before Qui-Gon took over – typically, it falls to other tie-in media to plug any storytelling gaps that arise.

So if there’s a particular continuity error that’s really bugging you about everyone’s favorite galaxy far, far away, chances are there’s a novel, TV show or comic book that’s already fixed it. Indeed, Marvel’s Star Wars comics in particular have built a well-earned reputation for crafting satisfying answers to many of the saga’s biggest unexplained questions – including those we’ve rounded-up below.

RELATED: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: 10 Showdowns We Want To See

10 Why Does Vader Take Orders From Tarkin?

The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi firmly position Darth Vader as the second most feared guy in the galaxy, with only Emperor Palpatine surpassing him in power and authority. So how come the Sith Lord plays second fiddle to Grand Moff Tarkin when we first meet him in A New Hope? It’s one of the biggest discontinuities in the original trilogy – but fortunately, Marvel’s Darth Vader comics have it covered.

Early issues in the series establish that the Emperor initially played Vader off against the Empire’s top brass, which meant occasionally taking orders from the likes of high-ranking officers like Tarkin. What’s more, we later witness a violent encounter between Vader and Tarkin that seemingly engenders a lasting mutual respect between the pair, and explains the collaborative relationship they subsequently adopt on-screen.

9 How Does Princess Leia Remember Her Mother?

 Revenge of the Sith’s protracted denouement ticks off a laundry list of major Star Wars moments fans had been waiting to witness for over two decades. Arguably the most important of these is the birth of Luke and Leia Skywalker, which fittingly coincides with their father’s rebirth as Darth Vader. It’s a suitably emotional scene, and it’s made all the more emotional when the twins’ mother, Padmé Amidala, passes away shortly after.

But this also causes a problem for the saga’s official canon – after all, in Return of the Jedi, Leia tells Luke that she remembers their mother (albeit in fairly abstract fashion), which seems…unlikely. Enter: the Princess Leia mini-series, which subtly suggests that our heroine’s latent Force potential is the source of her otherwise impossible childhood memories.

8 When Did Luke Learn To Use A Lightsaber?

The original Star Wars trilogy features several memorable scenes of Luke Skywalker learning to become a fully-fledged Jedi Knight, but his lightsaber lessons are almost totally glossed over. Seriously: Obi-Wan Kenobi only taught Luke the absolute basics – deflecting incoming blaster fire – while the days, weeks or (if you want to be really generous) months he spent training with Master Yoda didn’t include a single saber technique tutorial (on screen, at least).

That leaves continuity-conscious fans in a bit of a pickle: how do they justify the formidable swordplay Luke displays when duelling Darth Vader or tearing through Jabba the Hutt’s cronies? It’s simple – they catch up on Marvel’s main Star Wars title. Set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, this ongoing series elaborates on the lightsaber combat coaching Luke underwent with the Gamemaster, as well as additional theory on the subject he gleaned from Obi-Wan’s journals.

RELATED: Star Wars: The Highest-Grossing Films (According To Box Office Mojo)

7 What Happened To All The Prequel-Era Technology?

While the technology seen in the Star Wars prequels is (generally) less advanced than the hardware of later generations, it’s nevertheless hard to swallow that none of this gear crops up in subsequent episodes. You’re telling us that nobody has any use for mobile weapons platforms like the droidekas, or could see the appeal in zipping around in a Jedi starfighter?

Fortunately, Marvel’s Star Wars comic books have this covered across the board, and prequel-era tech appears prominently in several stories. From Darth Vader heading up a squad of battle droids to Thrawn collecting buzz droids, and right on through to Luke Skywalker squaring off against MagnaGuards, the comics continue the proud tradition of recycling the saga is famous for.

6 Why Didn’t Chewbacca Receive A Medal?

 OK, we’ll admit it: as plot holes go, Chewbacca not being awarded a medal during the closing moments of A New Hope is hardly galaxy-shattering stuff. But dang it, the flagrant disregard the Rebel Alliance shows for Chewie’s pivotal role in the destruction of the Death Star has always bothered us – to the point that we’re worried the Rebellion might have xenophobic tendencies!

Thank goodness for the Chewbacca mini-series Marvel published back in 2015, then. Here, we see the kind-hearted Wookiee bestow a medal identical to those seen in A New Hope upon a brave young girl named Zarro. The clear implication here is that Chewbacca did indeed receive a medal for his services, presumably at a separate ceremony not depicted on the big screen.

5 How Was General Grievous A Match For Jedi Knights?

Jedi Knights are legendary for their Force-powered prowess on the battlefield, however that doesn’t mean that non-Force sensitive opponents can’t defeat them on occasion. But even if the Republic’s sworn protectors aren’t unbeatable, it’s a bit hard to swallow that General Grievous supposedly cut down enough of them to line his cloak with their lightsabers, as shown in Revenge of the Sith.

We think we’ve found the answer to this conundrum though, in the pages of Star Wars: Age Of Republic – General Grievous. In this mini-series from Marvel, it’s revealed that the cyborg General – who is basically just a brain and a few organs inside a droid body – has inadvertently severed his connection to the Force, a horrific condition so unique it’s likely to blame for throwing his Jedi assailants off their game.

RELATED: Star Wars: Rey's 10 Best Moments (So Far)

4 Why Is The Jedi Temple Still Part Of Coruscant’s Skyline?

Before Star Wars was sold to Disney, the saga’s creator George Lucas was notorious for tinkering with the original trilogy each time it was re-released on home media. One of the less controversial changes Lucas made was the addition of two familiar landmarks to the Coruscant skyline during Return of the Jedi’s montage sequence: the Senate and the Jedi Temple.

At first, this seemed like a rare instance of Lucas inserting elements from the prequels without causing any damage…but did he? After all, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that Emperor Palpatine would preserve a gigantic monument to the Jedi Order. Luckily, Marvel’s Thrawn mini-series saves the day here, clarifying that Palpatine converted the Temple into his Imperial Palace – which is exactly the kind of perverse gesture we’d expect from the Dark Lord of the Sith!

3 Why Is Vader’s Fortress On Mustafar?

Darth Vader’s castle being located on Mustafar in Rogue One left more than a few fans scratching their heads. Sure, Sith Lords are all about maintaining their rage – and living in the same place where you were dismembered and burnt to a crisp is enough make anyone cranky – but it still seemed like an odd place for Vader to set up shop, given his options.

Why not his homeworld, Tatooine, instead? Dude has a whole bunch of terrible memories to draw on from his time spent on that desert planet, not just a lone (admittedly horrific) experience. But as it turns out, the very nature of Mustafar itself is the reason it plays host to Fortress Vader, not Tatooine. As recounted in Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, a locus for Dark Side energies resides beneath the volcanic world’s crust, which Vader can tap into via his Fortress’s tuning fork-like properties.

2 Why Did The Death Star Take So Long To Build?

Moon-sized battle station the Death Star took a long time to build: while construction commenced during the finale of Revenge of the Sith, it’s not finished until Rogue One nearly 20 years later. At first glance, this stacks up – we’re talking about a humongous feat of engineering here. However, the second, even bigger Death Star’s much shorter assembly period – although not quite complete, it was famously fully armed and operational in four years, tops – turns this logic on its head!

Happily, the Thrawn mini-series came up with a solution to this dilemma that is both a stroke of genius and painfully obvious, and it all boils down to secrecy. Prior to A New Hope, the Empire still had to tiptoe around the Senate, which meant resources needed to be sourced covertly. Once the Senate was abolished, keeping things hush-hush was no longer a concern, so construction on Death Star II could be fast tracked.

1 When Did Vader Find Out That Luke Was Alive?

Another instance of George Lucas altering existing Star Wars lore, new dialogue added to The Empire Strikes Back – coupled with the baby bump on Padme’s lifeless body in Revenge of the Sith – indicates that Darth Vader only recently became aware his son Luke was still alive. This is problematic, as the Sith Lord is shown to be aware of Luke’s existence already, in scenes that appear prior to the inserted exchange – so when exactly did Vader discover his kid had survived? And is this a glaring goof?

Not according to the Darth Vader comic book series, which confirms that the iconic baddie received the news about his Luke shortly after the events of A New Hope. The intel came from none other than famed bounty hunter Boba Fett and Vader kept it to himself – which means that he was only playing dumb when Palpatine later presents him with the same information in Empire (which is sorta implied, anyway).

NEXT: Star Wars: 10 Things The Comics Added To The Canon

source https://screenrant.com/star-wars-plot-holes-comics-fixed/

[esonetwork]

Movie review: ‘Aquaman’ is a wild and wacky dive into the DC Cinematic Universe

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Movie review: ‘Aquaman’ is a wild and wacky dive into the DC Cinematic Universe

It’s fair to say that DC Comics has sailed through some choppy waters as it seeks to build its own cinematic universe. (As a quick aside, I feel like I need to apologize for all the water-related puns that I’m going to be dropping in this review. Since I’m writing about “Aquaman,” I just couldn’t help myself. I’m sorry.)

“Wonder Woman” remains the crown jewel in the DC cinematic universe, and while I don’t think “Batman v. Superman” received enough praise for the things it did well, for me at least “Justice League” was a letdown. As a direct follow-up to that film, “Aquaman” needed to make a splash at the box office and get the franchise back on track.

While an argument could be made that “Aquaman” could’ve been a stronger film overall, it is a fun ride, and is a step in the right direction for the DC cinematic universe.

“Aquaman” is sitting at a respectable 68 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and the “critics consensus” blurb is actually a fairly accurate summary of what you can expect from this film: “‘Aquaman’ swims with its entertainingly ludicrous tide, offering up CGI superhero spectacle that delivers energetic action with an emphasis on good old-fashioned fun.”

To quickly summarize the plot: Although Arthur Curry a.k.a. Aquaman (Jason Momoa) has decided to embrace his superpowers and help those in danger on the high seas, he doesn’t really want anything to do with his Atlantean heritage. His mother Atlanna (Nicole Kidman) originally fled the underwater paradise and fell in love with Arthur’s human father (Temuera Morrison), but was eventually forced to return to the ocean’s depths.

Arthur’s half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) has become king in his place, and Orm’s dangerous obsession with power threatens to bring war to both land and sea. Thanks to a push from Princess Mera (Amber Heard) — and the help of a powerful, mythical trident — Arthur decides to finally claim his destiny.

There are parts of “Aquaman” that are really great, and some parts that are more just “okay.” I actually really liked the mini arc that featured the love story between Arthur’s Atlantean mother and human father. I enjoyed seeing Temuera Morrison’s performance in Star Wars (Jango Fett and voices of the clone troopers), and I’d love to see him in more big-budget films.

I also really enjoyed Jason Momoa’s performance as Aquaman. He’s clearly having a fun time playing this character, and that in turn makes him fun to watch. I might not have predicted it originally, but the “super-bro” take on the character actually works really well. I also enjoyed Mera’s character. I feel like Hollywood has been doing much better with its portrayal of female characters in big-budget movies; Mera is Aquaman’s love interest, but she’s also an important part of the plot and gets plenty of her own action scenes. It’s cool to see her and Aquaman working together and mutually respecting each other.

The villain character is one of the film’s weaker spots. I felt Patrick Wilson was chewing the scenery a little too much (although the final scene with this character was an interesting twist I wasn’t necessarily expecting). The more interesting villain was Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). His story felt somewhat shoehorned into the plot, but I really loved the character and the performance, and I definitely want to see more of him in the DC cinematic universe. I would have liked to see him play an even bigger role in the events of “Aquaman.”

The film’s special effects did vary a little in quality. There were some moments where the underwater scenery really blew me away; it was gorgeous and strange and otherworldly. I saw some things I had genuinely never seen on screen before, and I loved being immersed in that world. At other moments, though, the CGI was applied a little too heavily, and the scenery ended up looking a little fake (similar to what happened in the Star Wars prequels).

Also, there’s some genuinely bonkers stuff in this movie — and I do mean that as a compliment. At one moment, Arthur shows up in this big underwater battle between a bunch of crabs and sharks, and he himself is riding this giant kaiju-like monster. Was it over the top and a bit ridiculous? Yes. Was it fun to see? Most definitely yes. “Aquaman” doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the film is better for it.

In short, the film does have spots where the plot drags a little, and some concepts could have been executed more strongly. There’s also a lot of little side-plots that could have been connected more seamlessly (Black Manta, the quest for the trident, etc.).

But in the end, I did have fun watching this movie, and I was definitely never bored. I wouldn’t mind diving into this part of the DC universe again (final water pun, I promise!).

[takenews-blog1]

The Most Ridiculous Cosplay and Comedian-Con Fails

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The Most Ridiculous Cosplay and Comedian-Con Fails

From Superman to Batman and the X-Males, everybody loves Comedian-Con occasions. The cool costumes, the fastidiously thought our cosplay themes, the…What? That woman appears nothing like Marvel Lady, and that MAN definitely higher not be Princess Leia. Let’s take a very good take a look at these cosplay and Comedian-Con fails.

I gotta admit, whereas that is cute in a extremely unhappy kind of manner, I don’t suppose the Implausible 4’s “Factor” character would respect this pitiful try at cloning. Although I’m curious how he obtained the styrofoam to stay, I don’t suppose I actually need to know. Comedian-Con Fail!

That is really an authentic thought, I suppose. I’ve by no means seen anybody attempt to cosplay a VHS tape cassette earlier than. And I’m sure I by no means need to see it tried once more. Is the child attempting to channel his interior “Ariel”? Is he attempting to channel all of the characters without delay? Does he want for an easier time? I’m shocked that somebody his age even is aware of what a VHS tape is.

“Sailor Moon” wants a shave. Badly. A minimum of she’s courageous sufficient to let the world know she’s most undoubtedly NOT an actual blonde. I at all times thought these anime characters have been a bit too clean-cut for their very own good. This simply proves the purpose. To all mother and father: be taught to worry this character.

“Jigglypuff,” the deranged pink Pokémon appears nothing like this pink..factor you see beneath. And why would he be so low-cost about it anyway? Why would he go to all the difficulty of dressing up like a spherical, pink Pokémon a extreme consideration deficit dysfunction, however run out of pink make-up earlier than he might do his face?.

“Jessie” from Pokémon’s “Group Rocket” is such a show-off. She’ll do something to remain within the limelight. This one appears like she simply got here off the set of VH1’s “Behind the Music.” On that episode, she’ll in all probability clarify that she makes use of a physique double for all scenes and she or he simply voices the character, for apparent causes.

I’ve been telling folks for years that Pokemon’s “Misty” was this man I do know named Travis. Nicely, at present the reality lastly got here out. I heard Travis was came upon due to his dependancy to body-hugging yellow tank tops. He stored going into the lads’s altering room at Goal to attempt them on and the remaining is historical past.

Are you able to think about this “Cat Lady(?)” beneath slinking round your property in search of a bowl of milk? Its always-dirty intestine dragging on the ground or grass all day lengthy? I’d lure it with some catnip to it’s scratching publish whereas I hid in a closet with my aluminum bat. 20 minutes later Cat Lady would have a brand new dwelling within the nation. I’d stuff the bizarre turtle with cheese to present the cat some firm.

I noticed this one on the Discovery Channel the opposite day. It’s a prehistoric Comedian-Con model of Spider-Man. Its extinction was discovered to be induced not by the large meteorite which worn out so many dinosaurs on the identical time, however as a result of it was too massive to climb, and was too heavy for its internet to help it after falling right into a prehistoric field of Cheetos.

Crimson ziplock over the top however, this cosplay isn’t all that unhealthy. And by that I imply on a scale of Chernobyl, I’d quite be caught in a tsunami. This isn’t a lot Indignant Hen as Insane Hen. Hell, If I noticed this one climbing a tree, I’d throw this boy at a wall whether or not he requested me to or not.

See what is going to gene splicing get you at Comedian-Con? One offended Wolverine combined with a extremely, actually outdated and fairly probably dementia-laden banana. This isn’t gonna go down nicely at this man’s retirement dwelling. I’m curious as to why a banana would paint on underwear, nevertheless it’s actually none of my enterprise.

So the opposite day, I used to be strolling down the road simply window purchasing when lo and behold, I see a few Wolverines on the counter of my native Krispy Kreme. Now I believed to myself, I suppose superheroes get hungry too. Till I spotted there was just one Wolverine on the counter. And it was hungry….

I believed this was a clip of RuPaul’s Drag Race once I first noticed it, lol. I’m so foolish. I suppose Aquaman determined to return out of the ocean at Comedian-Con. I do suppose the gold starfish necklace units off his eyes, although. And people chiffon fins are to DIE for!! I have to get the identify of this man’s designer.

I admit I don’t know what this factor is meant to be. So I’ve determined it’s that Pikachu character from Pokémon. Really, I’m calling it the Pokémon that ATE Pikachu. And Pikachu’s different Pokémon associates. And Group Rocket. OK, it ate Ash, Misty, and Brock too. Glad??

Not gonna say one phrase about this strapping, younger Comedian-Con man’s portrayal of his favourite character “Colossus.” Nope, I’m not even gonna mess together with his huge toes or how badly he wants a tan. However I WILL say this; That excellent, strategically positioned object that’s between his legs is greater than sufficient to make me snicker all day lengthy!

I do know Darth Vader has a tough job. You recognize, operating his mighty empire, managing sufficient GoFundMe accounts to consistently exchange these costly Dying Stars, and so on. However Darth, actually, you could eat one thing. Something. I swear, the very last thing I noticed you eat was that hand you chopped off, lol.

I do love Marvel Lady. Too unhealthy this isn’t her. Don’t you acknowledge the hairdo?? That is actually Marvel Lady’s stunt double. She’s shy, that’s why she’s nonetheless sporting a pair of these “Relies upon” underneath her Marvel Bottoms. Wouldn’t desire a “Paris Hilton” to occur at Comedian-Con when she steps out of that limo now, would we?

Don’t I do know you? Wait, I do know you. You have been at my good friend’s wedding ceremony. Yep, you have been the ring bearer!! I knew it. I always remember a stomach button. Or Tub Salt glazed-over eyes. So, you at the moment are a girl huh? Cool. I really suppose you look higher now as Storm, mutant climate mistress. Superman is just for weddings anyway.

I like to consider this Comedian-Con man because the Flash that slowed down. Method down. Within the comics, after all, Flash has to eat plenty of energy with a view to be all tremendous speedy. This Flash merely fell right into a stoop. Or possibly a vat stuffed with doughnut glaze. I’m unsure.

I nonetheless do not forget that first Star Wars film from the Seventies. Nicely, I keep in mind Leia. What a magnificence, I believed. So swish, and what a physique! As you see above, Leia appears simply as nice as she did all these years in the past. Certain, all of us get just a little bushy once in a while as we age. However Leia nonetheless has that rocking physique, and what a rack!!

Metal physique, nigh indestructible, tremendous energy. Sadly, this cosplay man doesn’t have any of these qualities. However he may very well be taking part in Colossus’ uncle, “Reynold’s Wrap” I suppose. One who apparently wants some low-cost Spec Savers glasses to battle super-villians and such. No use preventing when you may’t see with out squinting, lol.

Everybody is aware of Deadpool has a Marvel Lady fetish. I for one am so blissful he’s let it out. OK, he didn’t let it out precisely. These are pics from his hacked Google Drive account, posted to Comedian-Con. It’s true, and I’m not ashamed to publish them both. It’s time to point out heroes how they are surely.

It is a Comedian-Con tragedy, nothing extra, nothing much less. That is Iceman after a few doobies in the midst of a heatwave. For medical causes, after all. Very like Michael Phelps used to do. I simply thought it is best to know what the true Iceman is like when he’s a, nicely, 7-11 slurpy.

Nicely, what do we’ve got right here? I see the Iron Man animated collection’ character has by some means come to life. Nonetheless made largely of paper I see. And that blue repulsor ray coming from his has is mighty intimidating too. And what’s this? I didn’t know Pillsbury had a brand new mascot at Comedian-Con. The extra you recognize…

Worst. CosPlay. Ever. This appears just like the porno model of “Human Centipede.” Why would anybody do that to themselves? I wouldn’t even do this in non-public, lol. All this for fifteen minutes of fame? And I guess at the very least two of them will run for Congress sometime. Their mother and father have to be elated.

Sonic the Hedgehog by no means appeared extra emaciated. Clearly, he’s fallen on exhausting occasions and never consuming repeatedly. Nonetheless, I see he’s protecting his spirits up together with his well-known finger stance. Bless him. The identical factor can’t be mentioned for poor R2-D2 although. It appears as if he’s nonetheless doing the lingerie gig for stag events simply to make ends meet. Fortunately he has no genitalia.

A lot as I just like the present, doing CosPlay out of “The Simpsons” is a bit suicidal. Mr. Burns’ taped-on nostril is unhappy sufficient, however a stuffed and soiled tube sock strapped to his head? And this offensive Homer? Give any fats man only one Duff beer and so they all seem like this, lol.

These CosPlay fails solely come down to 1 query: Which Lara Croft would you quite? Personally, I’d take “Castrated Lara” on the proper. I merely love the voice that comes out of a eunuch. Heavenly. Plus it appears like he might do loads of housekeeping and maintain the garden manageable too. And he in all probability has no real interest in the rest.

Bruce Banner have to be kidding himself if he thinks he’s actually the Hulk. Perhaps he typically simply turns inexperienced with out turning into the Hulk? Nicely, he definitely doesn’t appear to be scary anybody. Not even that child within the stroller is intimidated. This 90 pound Hulk is fortunate the birds aren’t taking a poop on him.

Everybody need to be Leia at Comedian-Con. I don’t get it, however I settle for it. The costumes are OK, however why so a lot of them? This jogs my memory of the newer model of “Battlestar Galactica.” The model the place the Cylons don’t die, they’re merely resurrected. And I didn’t need to say something, however isn’t that Hillary on the left??

Mountain folks, I imply the deep-woods form, have to have heroes too. Sure, even the inbred. That is what would occur if Superman had landed within the mountains of Virginia. I can think about him being raised by “Banjo Boy” and the remainder of his household from Deliverance. Yep, raised on hog jowls, squirrels, and the occasional Tasmanian Satan and given a sixth-grade training. This one is admittedly tremendous.

Maybe his energy lies in his unimaginable top. He’s in a position to run underneath any car standing straight up. He’s so highly effective he’s in a position to flip again time (at the very least when he listens to that Cher track) and area. And don’t overlook that fantastic cape. Rumor is he solely makes use of the factor as a safety blanket, however I’m not shopping for it.

Ariel, you’re trying so…match. Yeah, actually. Did you modify your coiffure or one thing? I see you’re nonetheless rising that beard so you may donate hair to sick youngsters. Nicely, I believe that’s nice. Me? Nothing a lot. I used to be heading in to take a look at 12 Monkeys. I hear it’s fairly good. You too? Cool. Hm? Oh. Umm, no pricey. You possibly can’t eat them. It’s not a restaurant. Is that why you’ve obtained a ginormous fork in your hand?

OK, this man is killing it with the Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard CosPlay outfit. He’ll have the ability to put the worry of the Almighty into…What? He’s not a caucasian? However what in regards to the hood? It’s only a ceramic painter’s pot he obtained from HomeDepot? Oh. Nicely, by no means thoughts.

It takes a quite courageous individual to combine meals into their very own hair. I can think about a swarm of honey bees coming for “Leia” proper now; her, attempting to battle them off along with her Nerf water pistol, trying to run (nicely, possibly waddle) into the closest spaceship or cave (or Circle Ok) for cover.

I’m questioning why EVERYONE seated is ignoring this man? Are they frightened that in the event that they make eye contact he’ll ask them for some spare change? “Magneto” right here has by no means appeared extra appalling than this. And what’s with the Boy Scout knot that he’s utilizing on his Salvation Military Retailer sheet? And please, a jock strap for a helmet?

I’m simply gonna say it and stand my floor: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the primary 4 phrases on the signal. I’ll go no additional. So, what’s up with the new chick? What’s her expression imagined to imply? At first, I believed she is perhaps drugged and wanted help. Now I suppose she’s kind of hinting that for the correct of “compensation” she’ll pose with ANYONE at Comedian-Con.

Think about, if you’ll, your baby’s sixth celebration. You’ve invited all your child’s associates, obtained all of the presents and employed the leisure so that you and the opposite mother and father can seize a couple of cocktails whereas the brats are distracted. You rocked this get together and you recognize it. Then the leisure exhibits up: Spiderman’s Nice Grandfather. Wrinkly as all hell, can’t even put on a masks as a result of he’s too outdated to breathe filtered air, and needs money upfront. The youngsters scream, some even begin to vomit once they see his scalp transfer by itself. You and the remainder of the mother and father simply get one other cocktail.

Am I the one one who get dizzy this over-stuffed Spiderman costume? I imply, I’m certain the man desires to play superhero with all of his associates however couldn’t mommy get him one thing that will match? This factor appears just like the digital camera is on LSD or one thing.

Simply take a look at the pitiful expression on the younger man beneath. Would YOU be impressed with this Cosplay try? Hell, I’d be suicidal too if all I needed to put on to the large Cosplay get together was a cardboard field that I in all probability needed to battle a rabid homeless individual for.

[andrewsallreviews-blog]

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - A new look at the Star Wars universe

I just got home from seeing Rogue One, and my god, that is a Star Wars movie. The acting was superb, the story was well written and well executed, the music felt reminiscent of John William’s music, but also unique to Michael Giacchino.

So, into the real review.

The movie starts with the classic “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”, but there is no classic crawl that takes places after it. The title doesn’t even appear. Suddenly, you see a landscape. Black, almost ash like, with very little nature. This is the section that gives you the backstory behind our lead character Jyn Erso, and her father, Galen Erso (Played by Mads Mikkelsen). The Empire has found them, being led by Galen Erso’s old friend, Director Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn).

This section has a few cliched moments in them. Kidnapping of father, death of mother, ect. But it is a good set up. As Jyn hides in a small room under a rock, Saw Gerrera (Forrest Whittaker) finds her, a friend of the Erso’s. Star Wars fans will recognise that name from four episodes in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

The title suddenly appears. Simply coloured in the classic Star Wars yellow, just showing “Rogue One” and stars behind it. The music played at this point is the most reminiscent of William’s music, with a few notes played from the title music, which gives off a feel of Star Wars, while not being exactly the same. This does allow for the movie to seperate it from the main saga. The same effect comes from the lack of the opening crawl. This properly illustrates that this is not Episode VIII, but rather a story set in the Star Wars universe. I know a lot of people were pretty disappointed when it was announced that there would be no crawl, but I already had assumed that It wouldn’t happen, way before the announcement.

We then find Jyn, grown up, now played by the wonderful Felicity Jones, locked up in an Imperial prison. This section is where it is messy for a bit. The location jumps around so much, it’s a little too fast paced. We go from Jyn’s prison cell to Yavin 4 to the Death Star to Jedha within 5-10 minutes. It’s a little confusing at times and, a little annoying. However, this is done to properly set up the characters.

In this sequence, we see all kinds of characters. The audience is introduced to another main character, Cassian Andor, as well as K-2SO (played by Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk respectively). We also meet characters from the original and prequel trilogies, including Mon Mothma (reprised by Genevieve O’Rilley from her single scene in Revenge of the Sith), Governor Tarkin (despite Peter Cushing’s death in 1994, he is revived through the power of CGI), and Bail Organa (also reprised by Jimmy Smits from the prequels). 

I have to mention the CGI used to recreate Tarkin. It truly is remarkable what can be done with CGI nowadays, and this isn’t the first time we have seen this sort of thing done before. CGI has been used like this in a few films, but one that really comes to mind is Tron Legacy, used to deage Jeff Bridges. While that was only deaging, this is full on recreating a man. This is absolutely remarkable technology. I only saw one flaw in this and that was that it looks majorly strange when he talked. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, but there was something about it. Otherwise, it was absolutely amazing.

This all sets up the story to find the plans for the Death Star.

Something I really liked about this was that it explained why the Death Star had the weakness like the exhaust port. WE FINALLY HAVE AN ANSWER!!!!

This movie showed a bit of the Rebellion’s dark side. Unlike in the original trilogy, where the rebellion appeared as wholly good, Rogue One shows that the Rebellion was a side in a war, and they have their own atrocities. This really appears in Cassian, who, in my belief, was the best written character in the movie (more on that later). Cassian has a small character arc that involves the disobeying of orders due to his morals. This plays out more as he explains that he has done stuff that has made him have to say to himself that “it was for a good cause”. This shows that the Rebellion was not wholly good, but rather as complicated as any side in a war.

The massive battle sequences were really well done, specifically the one on Scarif. At this point, it showed that it was more of a war movie than any other Star Wars movies had ever displayed. There was death on both sides, and a display the devastation of war. I think there are only two sequences in the main saga to display something like this, where there was both sky and land warfare, and the death on both the sides of the war, and that is the Battle of Hoth in Empire, and the Battle of Takodana in Force Awakens (even then, less so with the latter). There is only one other thing that displayed the horrors of war better than this movie, and that is The Clone Wars TV series from 2009, but that is an entire other matter. The Battle on Scarif was truly well done, and it was absolutely horrible at times, so I applaud Gareth Edwards on the direction of this battle.

I will, again, applaud Gareth Edwards, this time on the direction of Darth Vader. To me, this was the pinnacle of scary for Vader. Despite only appearing in two scenes, Vader is such an imposing figure. During, what I call the epilogue, which is a collection of scenes at the very end that lead directly into Episode IV, there is a part where a rebel ship is attacked by Imperials above Scarif. and this is some immense spoilers for those who haven’t seen it yet, and want to experience this for themselves.

This scene begins. The rebels have downloaded the plans onto a drive, as they are being attacked. They are running for another ship (which turns out to be the Tantive IV), when the door shuts. The lights go out. There are about 10 rebels stuck in this hallway, one of who has the plans. There is an explosion at the other end of the hall, and just darkness. A few rebels turn to fight whoever is about to come through. Suddenly, a beam of red light appears. Darth Vader is standing in the doorway. It’s a low-angle shot, making Vader appear more imposing. A fight begins. The rebels fire upon Vader, but he just blocks the lasers, and kills the rebels. While this goes on, a rebel is still trying to get a door open to escape with the plans. Vader is encroaching ever closer. The rebel eventually gives up and just gives the plans to the guy on the other side. That guy runs as Vader stabs the last one standing. The rest of the rebels escape onto the Tantive IV, where we see, who is assumingly, Raymus Antilles, give a CGI’ed young Leia the plans, which leads into A New Hope.

It’s quite suspenseful, and Vader is terrifying. It is the best that Vader has appeared ever. 

I only have one major criticism of the movie, and that is that the characters were not very well fleshed out. I could not tell you what Jyn or Cassian would do in certain situations like I could with someone like Obi-Wan or Luke or even Rey or Finn. I couldn’t really tell you if Jyn was a hot head, or if Cassian is funny. As I said earlier, I do feel that Cassian was more fleshed out than others, as his mini arc was based around knowing when to follow orders and when to disobey them based on moral grounds. There are a couple characters I could tell what they would do in situations, such as Chirrut (Played by Donnie Yen), who would believe in the force in pretty much any situation, or K-2SO, who would make some sarcastic remark (I actually really liked K-2SO), and Baze (played by Wen Jiang) would probably shoot at it, but it is all very two dimensional and not very well explored. I feel this is a weakness in the story, as the story does comprise of several different sections, with the characters flying to many different planets throughout the movie (from Yarvin IV, to Jedah, to Edeu, back to Yarvin IV, and the to Scarif), and it needs to be that fast pace to keep the story going, but it feels like there really isn’t a lot of time for the characters to properly develop.

However, I don’t feel like you were meant to truly connect to the characters, as they are one off characters that will never appear again. And this isn’t a bad thing, as there needs to be characters who serve their purpose and then go, but I do like to connect to characters, I like caring about characters, so I would have liked them to have been explored better.

Unlike Star Wars’s previous attempt at comic relief (not mentioning names…*coughJarJarcough*), K-2SO is a welcome character. He is a droid, who, due to his reprogramming, says “anything that goes through his circuits”. This makes him pretty funny and extremely sarcastic at times, and provides some much needed comic relief from the fairly dark story.

Overall, this is a fantastic spin-off film. There is enough roots to connect the movie to Star Wars, and to the Star Wars universe, however, it also feels like it’s own film, which is exactly what spin-offs need to do to achieve their goal. It is familiar, but different enough to not be a main movie. Gareth Edwards did a fantastic job at directing, and the actors performed amazingly. The story worked very well, but the characters could have been better written. If you are a Star Wars fan, then you should really see this movie, because it’s damn good.

[mcnaughton]

Abandoning Hope -- Some Thoughts on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

*NOTE: I wrote this the day after seeing Rogue One at the cinema. I don't do FB, so I posted it to my neglected G+ and linked to Twitter ( twitter.com/drewmcnaughton ). Every few years I remember I have a Tumblr, so I'm sharing it here 6 months later. Also, to correct the opening sentence, I did not see R1 again in theaters, making it the first live action Star Wars movie I've ever only seen once on the big screen. Enjoy....... Original Post 12/16/16 ( https://plus.google.com/108163877778963936170/posts/TUqccQPVkzf ) I will see Rogue One again while it is still at the cinema. That isn't really saying much since I saw Phantom Menace five times during the summer of 1999, back when I had way more time on my hands and George Lucas was only in his first phase of ruining my childhood. Today at work, I told people who knew I saw it last night that if they like Star Wars, then Rogue One is worth seeing, and if they had seen all of them, then they had already seen worse Star Wars movies as well as much better ones (among which I would include The Force Awakens). I did not really know what to expect walking into Rogue One as I had read no spoilers other than there would be no opening crawl (real spoilers will follow below). While I was looking forward to seeing it, it was the least excited I had ever been for a new Star Wars movie (I was 4 years old when Jedi premiered, and the Emperor's force lightning torture of Luke was too much for my little mind to handle). I identified at least two reasons for my lack of enthusiasm: it would not move the saga forward nor would it likely answer long pondered questions since in at least a general sense we already know what happens because it is literally spelled out for us in the opening title crawl of the original Star Wars. Also, we just got a new Star Wars a year ago. I probably will be much more excited for Episode VIII next year, but it is also possible that the House of Mouse Star Wars saturation is already taking its toll. ***Spoilers below, you've been warned*** I walked away from Rogue One with mixed feelings. I did not enjoy it as much as I did last year's The Force Awakens. This is largely due to Rogue One’s paper thin characters. I don’t dislike Jyn or the Captain guy. The blind Jedi inspired warrior and his brick shithouse companion are fun. I especially got a huge kick out of blind Chirrut (I had to Google his name because I honestly could not remember it) saying "May the Force of Others Be With You" and his reference to the Whills, both of which are ancient relics of the earliest drafts of The Star Wars by Lucas (I highly recommend The Star Wars comic book miniseries that brings the rough draft to life; it isn't exactly what I'd characterize as a good story, but it is a fascinating look at from what Star Wars evolved, as well as how certain elements emerged decades later in the prequels, for better or worse). But the only character I really cared about was the droid K-2S0. He dies. They all die. That was fairly predictable. But only K-2S0's sacrifice made me even somewhat emotional. The Captain is a one note character, and while I embrace the diversity on display in these new Star Wars films, I honestly had a difficult time understanding some of his dialogue due at least in part to the character’s (or actor’s) accent. Then there is Jyn, who goes from not really caring about the Rebellion (or anything for that matter) to preaching about "hope" to Mon Mothma almost immediately after her father is killed, seemingly turning on a dime in terms of her character’s motivation. This character’s shift is less convincing than Anakin's turn to the Dark Side. I cared less about Jyn after 2+ hours than I did about Rey in her first couple of minutes on screen in The Force Awakens while scavenging the crashed Star Destroyer, hocking her goods, and making her portion of space bread. Maybe it was a difference in the quality of the acting, the script writing, or both. The absense of characters in whom I am emotionally invested is a big problem I have in fully embracing Rogue One. Not caring about the characters is largely what sank the prequels, especially The Phantom Menace (though to be fair, I really liked Ewan McGregor’s performance in Attack of the Clones because he seemed to be having fun with the role, and even Hayden Christensen had a few shining moments about midway through Revenge of the Sith where I actually felt his inner turmoil). Speaking of which, Darth Vader is in Rogue One and it is pretty awesome. We see his lava planet castle, based on old conceptual art for Empire Strikes Back, I believe. Most of the planets in Rogue One are identified by title cards. This one is not, though I assumed it was Mustafar and I'm sure that will be confirmed or denied through some official Star Wars sanctioned means if it hasn't already. I absolutely love the planet Jedha, with the relics of the last remaining Jedi temple and fallen statues that are very much in the spirit of the Lord of the Rings films (think The Argonath from Fellowship of the Ring). Pretty much everything that happens on this planet are my favorite parts of the movie. I'm getting slightly ahead of myself here though. The film opens with a somewhat cliched scene of young Jyn seeing the murder of her mother and abduction of her father by the Imperial bad guy who needs help finishing the construction of the Death Star. It is notable that the mother is wearing clothing very similar to the Jedi robes in the prequels that were also worn by common Tatooine folks in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. She also is the bearer of a Kyber Crystal, which have long been known to be the power element for both Jedi/Sith lightsabers as well as the Death Star's main weapon, though never acknowledged on film until now. We then flash forward to Jyn in an imperial jail. It is at this point that I really started to worry about Rogue One because in the next 10 minutes, we visit at least 4 different planets, and I started to wonder if the film was heading into a narrative nightmare not witnessed since David Lynch's Dune (which, in full disclosure, I absolutely love, though I'd never try to convince anyone that it is actually a good movie). Fortunately it does not (although perhaps Rogue One would be far more memorable if it was a complete disaster of a film rather than one that is just somewhat off its mark). As I write this, it has been about 24 hours since I saw Rogue One, and that brief, messy stretch of the film is mostly a blur in my mind, but at its outset, Jyn is going to help the Rebels find Saw Gerrera played by Ghost Dog himself Forest Whitaker because plot reasons.. That leads to the terrific sequences on Jedha. The film is worth seeing for these alone. In The Force Awakens, Han Solo stated that Luke Skywalker went in search of the last Jedi temple. Perhaps what we see on Jedha will come into play in next year's Episode VIII, or perhaps not. There was no teaser for Episode VIII before or after Rogue One. Then a bunch of stuff happens: Jyn's dad dies, we see Tarkin which is cool, and we see some other OT characters, some of whom's cameos are clever, while others are shameless fan service and pandering. And then we get to the film's third act, which has been what most people who have seen and enjoyed Rogue One have pointed to as its highlight. Frankly, I was underwhelmed. Again, I got a little emotional when the droid K-2S0 is killed protecting Jyn and Captain guy. Many of the more iconic images from the film's trailers didn't even make into the final cut of this sequence (which calls into question the apparent validity of the rumors of the production being troubled). I did not hate this extended sequence, but this is the first time in any Star Wars movie where I was not fully engaged in the epic battle. Yes, that includes the ones in the prequels. I did really like when Darth Vader's Star Destroyer popped up to thwart any sense of pure victory the Rebels may have felt after capturing the Death Star plans. Then we see Princess Leia, obviously a special effect, and she lightspeeds away on the Tantave IV into the opening shot of Episode IV. This all calls into question why The House of Mouse felt compelled to make this movie. Well, the answer is simple, to continue to make "a shitload of money" (to quote Lone Star from Spaceballs) off of their $4 billion investment. But why this story? My guess is that the powers that be recognized that Revenge of the Sith’s attempt to tie directly into the beginning of A New Hope failed miserably, largely because of the 20 year gap in the saga timeline between the two films. This is probably why they went with Princess Leia at the end of Rogue One and not Artoo and Threepio, since we already saw them on the Tantave IV in one of the last shots in Episode III. There's a lot of unaccounted for events on the Star Wars timeline, especially in light of the abandonment of the Extended Universe (which was fine by me because most of those novels and comic books were really dumb) and the introduction of new characters, concepts and entities in The Force Awakens. Maybe years from now (or much sooner) we'll get to see the Battle of Jaku on the big screen in another standalone film. I would have preferred that to what we get in Rogue One. Some of my specific nitpicks, such as how can the X- and U-Wings destroy the AT-ATs when in Empire Strikes Back their "armor is too strong for blasters", I've already found answers to -- according to Den Of Geek, these are actually AT-ACTs, designed for cargo, not combat ( http://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/star-wars/260771/star-wars-rogue-one-easter-eggs-and-reference-guide ). My brother picked up on some other nitpicks, particularly how the end of Rogue One and the beginning of A New Hope don't exactly match up ( https://t.co/q881t4Jr5e ). I'm sure more of those will occur to the collective Star Wars community as time goes by and second, third and perhaps fourth theatrical viewings occur. *****END SPOILERS**** Look, when new Star Wars (and also Star Trek) movies are released, I am tense when I see them the first time because I am anxiously waiting for them to start sucking. There is an unfortunate precedent for that for these two franchises. In the last year, I enjoyed both The Force Awakens and Star Trek Beyond way more on subsequent viewings than I did the first times. In the case of Rogue One, it stumbles out of the gate, then thrives during the Jedha sequences, and finally settles in as a B-/C+ grade Star Wars film. There is a chance I might like it even less when I see it again, but I might also find more to appreciate. I've seen the worst Star Wars and Star Trek films at least several dozen times each, and the best ones hundreds if not thousands of times (no exaggeration…. I wore out my VHS copies of Star Wars, Empire, Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock and The Voyage Home as a kid). I'll see Rogue One again. I even look forward to it. I just HOPE I find something more to like about it.