FAIR NEW MOVIE -- AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

 Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch  

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018). Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo.

A dangerous cosmic entity known as Thanos (Josh Brolin, in a computer-generated performance) wants possession of several powerful rings so that he can remake the universe the way he wants to, and eliminate half of the population -- and although he is opposed by a great many heroes, including the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, he essentially succeeds (until the sequel, of course). Aside from a few dull stretches, Avengers: Infinity War is not boring and mercifully moves at a fast pace, although I can't imagine how people who are not "Marvel fans" and have not seen all of the Marvel movies might get into this. As others have noted, not a single character is ever actually introduced to the viewer. (Fortunately, being a long-time comics fan, I knew who most of these people were, or were supposed to be.) The movie is a noisy amalgamation of cute quips uttered by characters (ostensibly so they can keep up their courage), serious moments that are touching for twelve-year-olds, and lots of explosions and flying bodies. The film has been widely overpraised by people who, I suspect, read nothing but comic books and only see comic book movies, having no other frame of reference. As noted, I am a big super-hero fan, and know that comics are not always juvenile and mindless, but I don't confuse them with Shakespeare or Citizen Kane, either. That being said, AIW has some great art direction and striking cinematography, and action scenes that often seem more cluttered and busy than especially effective. The "human" drama in this -- if you can call it that -- has to do with the love story of the Vision and the Scarlet Witch, as well as the love-hate relationship between Thanos and his "daughter," Gamora (Zoe Saldana, giving a very good performance). One could add that Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) has trouble turning into the CGI Hulk, although there seems little point to this (aside from Ruffalo perhaps wanting his actual face to be seen more in the movie). There are interesting things in the picture, but this notion that it is the "culmination" of every other Marvel super-hero movie is ridiculous. Personally, I have never found Thanos to be a very interesting villain, even in this, and have always thought he was just a pale imitation of Jack Kirby's Darkseid, who should be showing up in a DC Universe movie any year now. With the exception of X-Men: Apocalypse and Logan, I think Marvel's X-Men films are much better than the Avengers series.

Verdict: A lot of sound and fury signifying very little, but some fun for the inner geek. **1/4. 

WALLY'S WORLD

WALLY'S WORLD: The Brilliant Life and Tragic Death of Wally Wood, the World's Second-Best Comic Book Artist. Steve Starger and J. David Spurlock. Vanguard; 2006.

This book examines the life, death, and career of Wally Wood, who was considered one of the best pencillers, and especially, inkers, in the comic book business, contributing to the classic E.C. horror line and doing exemplary work for Marvel's Daredevil (creating the sleek red costume in the sixties that was later worn by Ben Affleck in the film version) and other series; he also wrote, drew and edited T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents for Tower comics and did much other illustrative work. Wood had a problematic relationship with his father, as well as with his wives, with his alcoholism and other issues especially creating tension in the latter case. Wally's World is full of testimonials from people who greatly admired his work, as well as co-workers and other artists, looks at his influence on both comics and films, and offers illustrations of some of his most interesting and effective drawings in various genres. Beset by demons and serious health problems that affected his work, as well as bitter at certain aspects of the comic book industry, Wood took his own life at age 54.

Verdict: Interesting look at the life and work of a talented illustrator. ***. 

THE BLACK PANTHER

THE BLACK PANTHER (2018). Director: Ryan Coogler.

When his father dies, Prince T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) will become the new king of the mysterious African nation of Wakanda, but first he has to face more than one challenger to the throne. M'Baku (Winston Duke) is defeated after a fierce struggle, but T'Challa has a tougher time with Erik "Killmonger" (Michael B. Jordan) -- a mercenary who is also T'Challa's cousin, raised in the states -- and there is a real danger that this peaceful, if isolated nation with its incredibly advanced technology (mostly stemming from its mountain of a metal called vibranium) will try to take over the world under Killmonger's regime. The Black Panther is based on a Marvel Comics character who first appeared in the Fantastic Four comic over fifty years ago. Although the ruler of a nation with its own troubles, he became an on again-off again member of the Avengers, a situation that is repeating itself in these movies. The Black Panther isn't a perfect film by any means, but it is absorbing and fast-paced and very well-acted by the handsome Boseman, Jordan, and Duke, as well as by Letitia Wright as T'Challa's sister Shuri; Angela Bassett as his mother, Ramonda; Lupita Nyong'o as his ex-girlfriend, Nakia, who wants to use her country's advances to help the rest of the world; and Danai Gurira as General Okoye, who leads an army of skin-headed warrior women. Andy Sirkis and Martin Freeman, the only Caucasians in the cast, are also good as the villainous Ulysses Klaue and the CIA agent, Everett Ross, respectively. Some of these characters appeared in the comic books while others are new. The picture has some fairly good action sequences (such as a fight on the edge of a waterfall), and boasts impressive and intriguing settings and costumes. The FX are also top notch, showcasing some remarkable aircraft and other devices. Even the Black Panther's costume is a device.

Of course, we have to contend with the fact that Wakanda is not a democracy, and despite the fact that women have contributed a great deal to this society, they apparently can not challenge the king for the throne, adding a misogynous tone to the proceedings. One also has to wonder how this advanced country can choose who rules the nation by having one challenger beat the crap out of another! Perhaps these very things will be addressed in future movies or at least in the comics!

While I agree that The Black Panther has been over-praised, I was amazed at the sheer hatred it got as well. Some viewers may well have been reacting to the far-fetched concept (Wakanda apparently has an express subway line in the underground), but, sadly, others were undoubtedly bothered because the black characters dared to be intelligent and technologically superior. It's a movie. Get over it!

Verdict: Very good to look at, often exciting, well-acted, and somehow stirring. ***.

THOR: RAGNAROK

Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston

THOR: RAGNAROK (2017). Director: Taika Waititi.

"Asgard is not a place -- it's a people."

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) manages to defeat the fire demon, Surtur and his impressive dragon, but then learns that he has to take on his sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), who happens to be the Goddess of Death! (In the early Thor comic books Thor and Hela were not related). But while Hela is wreaking havoc on Asgard, Thor is imprisoned on a strange planet ruled by a weird character named the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), who pits Thor against his special champion in an arena -- the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)! Will Thor be able to convince his fellow Avenger, as well as his untrustworthy brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and a fierce Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) to escape the Grandmaster and rescue Asgard from Hela? What do you think? Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was a huge and unexpected hit, and it was played mostly for laughs, so it was decided to try the flippant, almost campy approach with this latest installment of the Thor series (following Thor and Thor: Dark World). As much as I may lament this approach in most instances, the fact remains that Thor: Ragnarok is better and much more entertaining than the previous Thor films. Although the characters perhaps dally too long on the Grandmaster's planet, the film is fast-paced, colorful, full of some amazing FX (including a gargantuan canine) and well-done action scenes, and features some amusing and lively performances. Hemsworth and Hiddleston make good, somewhat friendly brothers and adversaries, Goldblum is fine as a campy version of an old Marvel cosmic character; and Blanchett [Blue Jasmine] basically steals the movie with her stylish and impressive turn as the dark goddess Hela. There is also nice work from Anthony Hopkins as Odin; Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange; Karl Urban as Skurge; and Idris Elba as Heimdall. The art direction is striking, as is Javier Aguirresarobe's cinematography; and Mark Mothersbaugh's music is effectively "grandiose" when required. NOTE: To read about the comic book adventures of Thor see The Silver Age of Comics.

Verdict; Too silly and flip perhaps but undeniably well-made, good to look at, and exciting. ***.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR/ DOOMED: THE UNTOLD STORY

The Thing

THE FANTASTIC FOUR (1994). Director: Oley Sassone.
DOOMED: THE UNTOLD STORY OF ROGER CORMAN'S THE FANTASTIC FOUR (2015). Director: Marty Langford.

Roger Corman co-produced the first film adaptation of Marvel's Fantastic Four comic book, but whether it was never meant to see the light of day, or if Corman and others were paid off so that this low-budget treatment wouldn't interfere with a big-budget version from Fox (with Marvel in control, which it wasn't with this production), or both, is debatable. Doomed! is a documentary in which various actors and other participants in the production discuss making the film, as well as the disappointment and betrayal they felt when they learned after all their efforts that the film would never be released. Told by Roger Corman that he had received a check for a couple of million dollars, probably not to release the picture, Alex Hyde White (who played Reed Richards and is the son of Wilfrid Hyde-White) remarks in Doomed! that "Everyone did well except us, the people that made the movie." Two brothers even spent their own money putting together an orchestra to play their ambitious score for The Fantastic Four. Apparently, wisely or not, nearly everyone involved with the film was convinced that the movie would be a big, big break for their careers. Unfortunately, that was not the case. This was a Roger Corman film, and the cost of the production was only a million dollars. Hardly enough to make a super-hero blockbuster. Doomed! is an entertaining, well-done documentary bolstered by interviews from personable actors such as Hyde-White and Joseph Culp (who played Dr. Doom and is the son of Robert Culp) and several crew members and creative types.

As for the film itself, it has surfaced in bootleg tapes and is on youtube. The Fantastic Four is not terrible by any means, but it can't compare to the version that eventually emerged ten years later: Fantastic Four. The acting is a mix of solid and professional (Hyde-White, Rebecca Staab as Sue Storm) and the uneven and amateurish (like a high school play) , and one mistake was to include a silly (if well-acted) character named the Jeweler (Ian Trigger) who is sort of an annoying substitute for old FF foe, the Moleman. The FX are uneven, but there is a nifty enough climax with the Human Torch trying to outrun a devastating light beam in order to save New York City. There are confusing elements in the script, and instead of our heroes gaining powers due to cosmic rays, there's something about a space project called "Colossus" that never makes that much sense. There are also odd moments, such as when after the foursome's spaceship crashes on earth, the boys seem to take forever to wonder where Sue is. Joseph Culp's performance as Dr. Doom is problematic -- he has a great voice, but he over-gesticulates and often speaks over-portentously as if he were playing a character in a cartoon. Perhaps the best thing about the movie is an excellent score by David and Eric Wurst with its attractive theme music. Virtually all of the actors in the film went on to have many more credits.

Meanwhile, the big-budget Fantastic Four had a sequel entitled Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and the series was unsuccessfully rebooted with Fantastic Four in 2015.

Verdict: Doomed! ***.
              The Fantastic Four. **1/2.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF COMIC BOOK MOVIES

A BRIEF HISTORY OF COMIC BOOK MOVIES. Wheeler Winston Dixon and Richard Graham. Palgrave Macmillan; 2017.

This is indeed a very brief overview of comic book and comic strip adaptations that comes off more like a long article than a book. Chapters look at characters from the DC Comic universe, such as Superman and Batman; the characters of the Marvel Universe, such as Iron Man and the Fantastic Four; Japanese anime; and independent films such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The book is breezily written for the most part, makes some good points about these movies, but in some ways comes off like a well-done term paper. There are no photographs. It's strange that the publisher didn't invest in some pictures and thicken the book's page count.

Verdict: Publish or perish? **1/2.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Michael Fassbender as Eric Lensheer aka Magneto

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST (2014). Director: Bryan Singer.

"So, you were always an asshole?" -- Logan referring to Erik.

Around 2027 mutants and their human supporters are besieged by robots known as Sentinels and the world is in a terrible state. To prevent this scenario from ever coming about, Logan (Hugh Jackman), is sent back in time -- or rather his mind is -- to inhabit his body in 1973. The plan is for Logan, with his knowledge of the future, to help Charles Xavier (James McAvoy of Victor Frankenstein) and Erik Lensherr (formerly known as Magneto, although he is not referred to as such in this movie) prevent shape-shifting Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence of American Hustle) from murdering the creator of the Sentinels, Dr. Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage). Logan's first task is to break Erik (Michael Fassbender) out of prison, where he has been shut away after allegedly murdering JFK (he claims he was actually trying to save him). But can these three men prevent an angry Mystique from bringing about the very future they fear? This movie is very loosely based on a classic storyline in the X-Men comic book, but it eliminates the Brotherhood (of Evil Mutants) and adds a tense climax wherein Magneto lifts up an entire stadium and places it around the White House. The movie makes other changes as well. Quicksilver (Evan Peters) is Russian in the comics, but in this he's American and can run as fast as DC Comic's Flash. Another big change is that in the comics Trask is of "normal" size whereas in the movie he's a "little person" -- what that's supposed to mean except perhaps for the indication that people who are different can still discriminate against other people who are different?  -- but the movie never explores his feelings in that regard. The performances throughout the film are excellent, with Fassbender taking top honors as Erik. Ian McKellan appears briefly as the older Magneto, a role he created on film, and he's fine, as is Patrick Stewart as the older Charles Xavier (although one can't quite see James McAvoy turning into Patrick Stewart no matter how many years have gone by). Nicholas Hoult [Jack the Giant Slayer] scores as Hank McCoy, better-known as the Beast, and there are what almost amount to cameos from Halle Berry (Storm) and other characters/actors from the earlier films. This has an interesting and moving conclusion, and a good score by John Ottman.

Verdict: Those X-Men just keep on comin'! ***.

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE

A Really Bad Guy: Apocalypse (Oscar Isaac)

X-MEN: APOCALYPSE (2016). Director: Bryan Singer.

In 1983 Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender), also known as Magneto, a mutant terrorist, has been leading a quiet life with his wife and daughter when his true identity is discovered and a confrontation with police leads to their deaths. Now his mind is in the perfect place for him to team up with En Sabur Nur (Oscar Isaac of Star Wars Part VII), the world's first mutant, born in 2500 A.D., and better-known as Apocalypse. Nur wants to remake the world over by demolishing human society, and Magneto -- at first -- is only too willing to help him. His former friend, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and even fellow terrorist Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) are out to stop the two men and their mutant allies. The trouble with X-Men: Apocalypse -- the sixth X-Men movie (the 8th if you count the two Wolverine films released before this one) -- is that it suffers from over-familiarity and despite a somewhat impressive main villain, lacks a really strong story or sense of desperation. This is another prequel, with younger actors completely taking over from those cast in the first X-Men -- Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan are nowhere to be found. The X-Men comic and its many spin-offs (Apocalypse actually first appeared in X-Factor) have been published for so many decades now that the movies have their own interpretation of the characters, hence Peter (Pietro) Maximoff --  apparently Magneto's son -- is no longer a brooding, unpleasant Russian but a hip teenage American, who (as in the last film) has been reinvented to be more like The Flash. The movie's most striking sequence has Flash -- I mean, Quicksilver (Evan Peters) -- rescuing all of the students from Xavier's mansion when it explodes. I don't recall Professor Xavier ever being able to stop time in its tracks the way he does in this movie. X-Men: Apocalypse isn't bad, but it does take a long time to get started, and despite some decent effects, the pace isn't great and the action scenes not that well delineated. Fassbender, who is quite good as the conflicted Erik, has emerged as the dynamic star of the X-Men movies. Hugh Jackman only appears briefly as Logan and was given three of his own films.

Verdict: Perhaps one trip to the well too many? **1/2.

HOWARD THE DUCK

The "Dark Overlord" about to strike

HOWARD THE DUCK (1986). Director: Willard Huyck.

Due to experiments involving a "laser spectroscope" conducted by Dr. Walter Jenning (Jeffrey Jones), an innocent fellow named Howard (Ed Gale, Chip Zien and others), who lives on a world where ducks are intelligent and capable of speech, is sucked out of his universe and into ours. There he tries to find his way in a strange new world of "hairless apes" while befriended by rock singer Beverly (Lea Thompson) and observed by wannabee scientist Phil Blumburtt (Tim Robbins of Mystic River). Unfortunately Jenning tells them all that his laser beam has also swept up a horrible creature called a Dark Overlord of the Universe, who takes over Jenning's mind even as it hopes to take over the world. Will anyone survive? Well ... Howard the Duck is based on a satirical Marvel comic book and it could easily be dismissed, as it was, as utter schlock were it not for the fact that it has some genuinely amusing moments, good FX, and some good acting from the principals, especially Jones in a funny turn as the possessed, hostile Jenning. The first half of the film, once you get used to the main character being a little guy in a duck outfit, has some minor whimsy to it (as well as a cute scene when a job counselor tells Howard she'll get him a job no matter how weird he tries to look), there's a fairly exciting sequence with Howard and Phil trying to fly off in an odd homemade contraption with wings, and the stop-motion effects [Phil Tippett of Starship Troopers 2] of the giant, slithering, creepy, scorpion-like Dark Overlord are excellent. Unfortunately, this just doesn't add up to a very good movie, and it's often more loud and busy than entertaining. Jorli McLain has a nice bit as a waitress in a diner. John Barry's [Goldfinger] score, including a memorable heroic theme, is better than the movie deserves. Howard was created for the comics by writer Steve Gerber.

Verdict: You want to like it but ...  **.

FANTASTIC FOUR (2015)

The supposed Dr. Doom

FANTASTIC FOUR (2015). Director: Josh Trank.

I thought the original Fantastic Four film franchise, which consisted of two films, was perfectly good, but the FF was rebooted with this mediocre, but not totally awful, picture, which fans and critics seemed to hate, to put it mildly.  Fantastic Four does have a number of problems, the first being that the cast appears to be a little too young. As Reed Richards or "Mr. Fantastic," Miles Teller [Whiplash] completely lacks the charm of Ioan Gruffudd in the original films. Kate Mara [House of Cards], as Susan Storm or the "Invisible Girl" looks, as usual, as if she's twelve. [Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell play, respectively, the Human  Torch and the Thing.] The origin of the team and how they gained their powers has been changed from a trip to outer space and an encounter with cosmic rays, to a journey to an alternate dimension called "Planet X." The "Dr. Doom" (Toby Kebbell of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) of this movie only remotely resembles the venerable character from the comic books (admittedly Doom was a bit different in the previous films as well). There are too many military complications in this, and a tiresome plot, but there are some interesting touches, and the film, while disappointing, is not that bad. There's a good score by Marco Beltrami and Philip Glass. As of now Marvel is no longer publishing its flagship title (which first appeared in 1961!), and the failure of this film will probably not change that situation any time soon, for shame. See The Silver Age of Comics for more info on the FF.

Verdict: Better stick with the X-Men. **1/2.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (1944)

The Scarab (Lionel Atwill) vs Captain America (Dick Purcell)

 CAPTAIN AMERICA (15 chapter Republic serial/1944). Directors: Elmer Clifton; John English.

"A shocking exhibition of barbarism!" -- Cyrus Maldor.

District Attorney Grant Gardner (Dick Purcell) is secretly -- actually, not so secretly -- the famous costumed hero Captain America. His adversary, as we know from the first, is the Scarab, who is -- very secretly, except to the audience -- Cyrus Maldor (Lionel Atwill). Maldor first kills off members of an expedition who know too much via a poison known as the Purple Death. He has his men steal a destructive device that brings down a building; uses a scientist's secret of perpetual life to bring one of his henchmen back from the dead; and employs a "Singari blow-gun" to kill off another of his enemies. Later he tries to get a portion of a map that will lead him to a secret city and its treasures. Highlights of this exciting serial include the aforementioned building collapse in chapter one; a bit with a guillotine in chapter five; and a sequence when our hero is nearly crushed by a mine car hurtling down a shaft in chapter six, Another interesting scene has the Scarab brutally whipping John Hamilton, the "chief" from Adventures of Superman. Purcell [Brides are Like That] is quite suitable as Captain America/Grant Gardner; pretty Lorna Gray makes less impression in this than she did in The Perils of Nyoka; and Atwill [The Devil is a Woman], in his classy, elegant and utterly evil performance as Maldor, positively walks off with the picture; his underplaying makes him that much more effective. Jay Novello also registers in his brief turn as a thug. The fight scenes in this are furious and frenetic and very well-done. In the comic books Captain America was a soldier named Steve Rogers, not a D.A. I find this serial a lot more entertaining than the recent movies about this character such as Captain America The First Avenger.

Verdict: Delightful Republic cliffhanger. ***1/2.

FANTASTIC 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER

Doug Jones as The Silver Surfer

FANTASTIC 4: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007). Director: Tim Story.

In this sequel to Fantastic Four, Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffud) and the Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba) are about to get married. Their wedding day, unfortunately, is interrupted by the arrival of a silver flying alien popularly known as the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones; voiced by Laurence Fishburne). In one of the movie's best sequences, the Surfer and the Human Torch (Chris Evans of Captain America: The Winter Soldier) engage in high-flying battle over Manhattan, near the Washington monument, and inside the Holland (or is it Lincoln?) tunnel. But there are other problems besides the Surfer -- Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) has stolen his cosmic surfboard; the members of the FF suddenly find themselves switching powers; and it develops that the Surfer is only the Herald of an energy-absorbing monstrous mass known as Galactus who intends to suck the earth dry. While the film's conception of Galactus is disappointing, the Surfer is well visualized, and the film is a more than acceptable popcorn movie. Sometimes the picture is a little too light-hearted for its own good, although it never quite becomes high-camp. The fourth member of the team is the Thing (Michael Chiklis). Although McMahon can be a touch hammy, he is effective as "Dr. Doom," and the other actors all do a nice job as their comic book counterparts. There were only two films in this FF series, which has just been rebooted with a completely different cast.

Verdict: Fun, with good FX and action sequences, if perhaps a touch too lightweight. ***.

SIZE IS RELATIVE

Marvel's Ant-Man

SIZE IS RELATIVE.

This week we've got a round up of movies dealing with differences in sizes. While I hesitate to say this is in honor of the opening of Marvel's Ant-Man movie tomorrow -- the movie might be too awful to "honor" -- it has got me thinking about the size of things in movies and on television shows, especially the size of people. This blog has already posted on such films as The Amazing Colossal Man, War of the Colossal Beast, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Cyclops, Dr. Cyclops, Fantastic Voyage, and Attack of the Puppet People and this week we look at The Devil-Doll*, The Incredible Shrinking Man, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver and TV shows World of Giants and Land of the Giants. There's also a look at classic Twilight Zone episodes that deal with the relativity of size.

As for Ant-Man, the original character from the sixties, Henry Pym, is being played by Michael Douglas in the movie. The younger Ant-Man is "Scott Lang," who is sort of Pym's protege. The old comic book stories from Tales to Astonish were ridiculous but charming. [For more info see The Silver Age of Comics.] Michael Crichton and Richard Preston wrote Micro, an interesting novel about miniaturization, but it has yet to be made into a movie.

* I actually watched this movie last night and wrote a review, only to discover I had already reviewed it on this blog some years ago. My opinion of it has gone down half a star. Both reviews are available on Great Old Movies.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014). Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo.

The spy organization SHIELD is compromised, and the chief, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), attacked. Captain America (Chris Evans) discovers that the evil group HYDRA has been hidden inside SHIELD all the time. With the assistance of the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Sam Wilson, the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Cap takes on HYDRA, the Swiss scientist Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), Batroc (Georges St-Pierre), and a character from his past known only as the Winter Soldier, (Sebastian Stan) who is actually Cap's old partner, Bucky Barnes, now turned assassin. Evans [Fantastic Four] and Johansson [Marvel's The Avengers] give good performances, and there's a nice, well-played part for Robert Redford [Lions for Lambs] as the corrupt Alexander Pierce. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is busy, has some good action scenes and stunt work, but overall is second rate. It is a slight improvement over Captain America: The First Avenger however.

Verdict: Maybe the next one will get it right. **1/2.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (2014). Director: Marc Webb.

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) tries to balance his private life  -- with his out-of-his-league girlfriend Gwen (Emma Stone) -- with his activities as the high-flying, web-shooting Spider-Man, who has to take on such antagonists as Electro (Jamie Foxx), the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan), and a metal-suited Rhino. Garfield and DeHaan give good performances, and there's a charming, well-acted scene between Garfield and Stone, but the action scenes are not very well done, and the movie is overlong and kind of dull. Worse, sometimes it's even campy like Batman and Robin. Leisurely-paced and with an abrupt conclusion, although a sequence at a grave with the seasons changing is well-done. Overall this is very disappointing, and not nearly as entertaining as the classic comic book stories. Apparently yet another movie reboot of the character is in the works. This is the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, which was better.

In the meantime, the Spider-Man comic books have become almost unreadable, with cartoonish and unattractive artwork to boot. Like DC Comics did with Batman in the sixties (and is doing again), there are now all sorts of "Spider" characters in Marvel Comics, including a young woman named Silk who was also bitten by a radioactive spider, and the clone of dead Gwen Stacy, now known as "Spider-Gwen," believe it or not, and with her own comic. Compared to the great Spider-Man comics of the silver age and throughout the seventies, eighties and later, these books are rather awful.

Verdict: Watch Spider-Man 2 of the first movie series instead. **.

FANTASTIC FOUR

Invisible Woman, Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch and the Thing

FANTASTIC FOUR (aka Fantastic 4/2005). Director: Tim Story.

Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd of Sanctum), his ex-girlfriend Susan Storm (Jessica Alba), her brother Johnny (Chris Evans of Captain America: The First Avenger), and buddy Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) all participate in a space experiment with college acquaintance and scientist Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon). Unfortunately things go a little awry and they all wind up with strange, super-human powers. Sue can become invisible and create force fields. Johnny becomes a flying, blazing Human Torch. Reed can stretch any part of his body like a latter day Plastic Man; and Ben turns into a lump of orange rocks with incredible super-strength. Together they become known as the Fantastic Four and save the city when Von Doom [aka "Dr. Doom"] mutates into a metallic maniac and goes on the rampage. Despite some changes to their origin, this often captures the feel of the old Stan Lee-Jack Kirby Fantastic Four comic books of the silver age. There's a generous amount of humor, but it generally comes from the situations and isn't forced, as well as some pathos concerning the situation of "the Thing," as Ben becomes known, who loses his sweetheart when she can't deal with his ugliness. The movie presents the inter-relationships of the foursome along the lines of the comic, with a callow, often insensitive Torch goading the Thing into destructive rages, and so on. All five of the actors, including McMahon, while they may not at first seem like perfect casting, do a fine job bringing these super-heroes to life. Alba received a lot of knocks, but she has authority and gives a perfectly good performance. The only problem with the movie is that the climax is rather short. For more information on the Fantastic Four comic see The Silver Age of Comics.

Verdict: Fun Marvel Comic Book Movie. ***.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD

Thor (Chris Hemsworth)  and Loki (Tom Hiddleston)  join forces

THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013). Director: Alan Taylor.

"She no more belongs in Asgard than a goat does at a table" -- Odin, referring to Jane Foster

In this sequel to Thor, a malcontent named Malekith and his friends return to life and want to take over the universe -- or something like that. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) again disobeys his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), and temporarily joins forces with his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to take on the bad guys, but Loki always has a trick up his sleeve. There's little point in discussing the [lack of] plot as the film boasts some impressive scenic design and special effects and little else. As with the first film, Hiddleston and Hopkins offer the best performances -- Hemsworth has his moments as well --  and some of the comparatively minor characters from Thor are also back. It's one thing to have girlfriend Jane Foster (Natalie Portman of Black Swan) on board, but why do we need Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard, who doesn't even seem to be acting) and especially the annoying, collagen-lipped Darcy (Kat Dennings) -- they add absolutely nothing to the movie except pad the running time. With all of the fascinating villains that have appeared in Thor comic books for the past several decades, Malekith -- who comes off like nothing so much as a Star Trek reject -- is the least interesting they could have come up with. Rene Russo makes a good impression as Thor's mother, Frigga, and again Hiddleston almost walks off with the movie as Loki. There are only a couple of effective action scenes, most of which are not handled with any real panache, and the photography is often cluttered and unattractive.

Verdict: Read a stack of old Thor comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby instead. **.

THE WOLVERINE

Logan struggles to stay on bullet train

THE WOLVERINE (2013). Director: James Mangold.

Logan, the mutant Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) from the X-Men, is determined to give up his violent ways after being forced to kill Jean Gray in X-Men: Last Stand. But this is a vow he has trouble keeping when he's summoned to Japan to say goodbye to a now-aged Japanese man, Yashida (Hal Yamanouchi) whose life he saved in Nagasaki during WW2. [Wolverine's healing factor keeps him forever young.] Yashida has studied mutants, and Wolverine in particular, and wants to steal away his immortality if he can. Wolverine is aided by a young lady with psychic powers named Yukio (Rita Fukushima) and tries to protect Yashida's grand-daughter, Mariko (Tao Okamoto), from attacks by the criminal organization, Yakuza, and a nasty lady mutant called Viper who has a literally poisonous tongue and can suck away men's life forces with a kiss. Late in the movie what appears at first to be a robot Silver Samurai shows up to engage Wolverine in battle. The Wolverine is a fairly standard action/super-hero movie with little new in it, and is not as good as the character's first solo feature nor such films as X-Men: First Class. It has one near-thrilling sequence when Logan has a battle with an assassin atop a speeding bullet train and the two engage in some nifty acrobatics while trying to kill one another, but the rest of the movie isn't on that level. There's a post-credit sequence wherein Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Professor X (Patrick Stewart) make an appearance [presumably leading into X-Men: Last Stand]. Jackman has nailed the character perfectly and turns in a very good performance, and the supporting cast, especially Svetlana Khodchenkova as Viper, are generally arresting.

Verdict: If you've seen one Wolverine, you've seen them all. **1/2.

IRON MAN 3

IRON MAN 3 (2013). Director: Shane Black.

Anthony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), whom the world knows is the hero Iron Man, issues a challenge to a terrorist known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) and shortly after Stark's cliffside house is demolished by missiles. Another threat is posed by one Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), who has developed Extremis technology that gives human beings explosive and fiery super-powers that can easily get out of control. Are Killian and the Mandarin working together? The Mandarin in this movie is nothing like the character in the comics, but the business with Extremis was taken from relatively recent Iron Man stories. Iron Man 3 is entertaining [although non-comics fans may wonder what the hell is going on] and generally fast-paced, although it can be awfully talky at times. The action scenes are pretty well-orchestrated, and the two best scenes detail the attack on Stark's house and a knock-out sequence when Iron Man rescues eleven people who have been sucked out of an airplane [surely some of them would have died from terror?]. The climax has Iron Man and Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) -- formerly known as War Machine -- rescuing the president and having a knock-down drag-out with a super-charged Killian. Iron Man 3 has a little too much humor and comes dangerously close to camp at times. Downey gets across the movie Stark's flippancy, but not much else. Guy Pearce steals the picture as Killian, easily giving the most impressive and intense performance. Don Cheadle is miscast, but Gwyneth Paltrow is fine as Stark's girlfriend and associate Pepper, and there are notable turns by Rebecca Hall as Myra Hansen, James Badge Dale as Savin [both associates of Killian's], and Ty Simpkins as little Harley, who helps Tony midway through the picture. Ben Kingsley is also good as the movie's rather weird reinterpretation of Iron Man's arch-enemy, the Mandarin. To read more about the comic book adventures of Iron Man, see The Silver Age of Comics.

Verdict: Iron Man fans may scratch their heads but otherwise enjoy this. ***.

IRON MAN: RISE OF TECHNOVORE

Iron Man prepares for battle

IRON MAN: RISE OF TECHNOVORE (2013 direct-to-video animated feature). Director: Hiroshi Hamazaki.

"Next time I see you I'll buy you the best therapist money can buy."

Anthony Stark, aka Iron Man, prepares to launch a "Howard" [named after his father] satellite that will monitor and presumably safeguard activity on earth, but it is destroyed by a "weird kid" in strange armor that employs a technology unfamiliar to Stark. The kid is Ezekiel Stane, son of the late Obediah Stane, an old adversary of Stark's, and he is certifiable. Eventually Stane transforms into a hulking monster that Iron Man has trouble taking out. Guest-stars in this animated feature include Nick Fury of SHIELD, the Punisher, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow, some of whom, in a contrived bit of business, wind up fighting Stark. The movie has a wide range of styles, as well as that annoying anime influence, and the flat direction doesn't help. Stark is very well voiced by Matthew Mercer.

Verdict: Not very memorable. **.