Marvel's Agent Carter: Time and Tide

"I wanted it to be gold"

Carter begins to close in on Stark's missing stash of weapons however things hit a snag when the SSR question Jarvis.

Been wanting an episode where we get some more background on Jarvis and of course this show delivered well. I didn't expect Jarvis to have a charge of treason in his record but of course it was for the right reason of helping his wife which helps to reinforce Jarvis as a damn likable guy on this show and sheds light on his loyalty to Stark. Then there was his interrogation scene with Thompson and I am glad that Jarvis didn't crack and that he was saved by Carter before it could get worse. It is nice watching these two help each other (because they compliment each other well as a duo), Jarvis risked being deported by keeping silent and Carter risked her career. It is a shame about the latter because the rest of the SSR are real jerks when they want to be and the stunt by Carter will make her look even more incompetent in their eyes. Of course there is another adventure with Jarvis and Carter on the boat which was awesome because we got a great fight scene (where they both helped each other out) and the effect of that Stark weapon was really cool. I have said this in my previous episode reviews of this show and I will say it again; they have done a damn find job with the partnership with Carter and Jarvis, it is a highlight watching these two work together in every episode.

Luckily for the hitman the whole street was empty 

As for everything else we got the brutal and cold killing of one of the SSR agents which does increase the threat by Leviathan in my opinion and I hope they continue to step up their game. The agent's death looks like it will have a lasting effect on everyone else and spells more trouble for Stark. I was surprised how much it affected Carter but I liked how she admitted she thought he was a jerk but is still saddened by his death, it made for a good emotional scene at the end. Then there is the typewriter in the SSR hands and I think this will probably play a big role; that they are going to use it to find out who is receiving the messages. We also got more scenes focusing on Carter's personal life with her friend and seeing what it is like at her new digs and we need these scenes because she can't be all guns blazing all the time lol.

That landlady is a real tyrant!

Overall I really don't have any complaints at all; it was a solid episode from start to finish. Quickly thought I'd point out is that while the agents still act like jerks this episode also fleshed out their characters more because a lot of focus was on them as well.

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: More focus on Jarvis
                   Carter and Jarvis team up
                   The agent's death by Leviathan
                   Seeing more of Carter's personal life


The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/  

Marvel's Agent Carter: Bridge and Tunnel

What a nice fun time

Agent Carter must not only try to recover Stark's deadly weapons but she must now try and keep it a secret from the SSR.

Just the second episode but Agent Carter is turning out to be one damn solid Marvel series! Just like the last episode I really enjoyed watching this from the beginning all the way until the end. First off I just got to praise the people behind the show for recreating the 1940s just so perfectly; just everything from the clothes, the technology, the buildings and how every acts is just spot on. A highlight of it in this episode was that really funny Captain America radio drama that played several times and sometimes mirrored what was going on, now that was a nice touch. Another highlight was again the team up with Carter and Jarvis and I am glad that this time Jarvis took on a more active role and it looks like he has gained some of Carter's trust at the end. The action scenes in this with them (like the fight on the truck) was so awesome and done really well and I liked how in this episode and the last one they add a bit of light humour as well. Leviathan is becoming an interesting antagonist such as how they seem to mute all of their agents and that one agent who murdered one guys wife and stabbed the other's hand was pretty damn gruesome!

"...................."

As for everything else I also really like seeing Carter battling with the sexism with her fellow agents and always coming out on top. If they did this in a modern setting I would just find it rather forced to highlight their female lead but it works in this show because it is what happened at the time. Despite that I do like the scenes with the male agents doing their own investigation (it's good to see how far her rivals are getting) and I do enjoy it when they also work together like when they had to scan all of those employees. However I do wish the male agents where a bit more fleshed out and be given more of a backstory like her boss, Suosia who is the only one nice to her or Thompson who may be sexist but seems really job at his job. Finally I did like the moments with Angie and Carter discussing apartment hunting because it is nice for Carter to have a friend outside of work since it develops her personal life more.

We should really go back to this kind of interrogation lol

Overall another awesome episode with Carter and I am really looking forward to seeing what she and Jarvis gets up to next week.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: The 1940s setting perfectly recreated and a joy to watch
                   Carter and Jarvis team up/action scenes with them
                   Leviathan got way better

Let - Downs: Want to know more about her fellow agents


The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/  

Marvel's Agent Carter: Now Is Not The End

WWII may be over but Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is now back in the field to clear the name of Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) who has been branded a traitor.

You know I really liked Agent Carter's character from Captain America but I really wondered how it could work as a TV series but it seems to be off to a strong start. Frist off it does a really good job of setting the stage, 1940s New York, by showing us the kind of thing Carter has had to deal with after the war which is sexism in the work place; she was this secret agent during the war, at the frontline for most of it, but with the soldiers returning she has been brushed aside. Treated as nothing more than a secretary and from her point of view we see all of the male agents are actually really incompetent and even outside of the workplace this happens to her friends as well. This actually did happen after the war so it is woven in so nicely here and the rest of the set too such as the buildings and the costumes; they really do a good job of showing off 1940s New York. As for Carter herself she is really badass because not only do we see her battling against being treated second class but she is also back out in the field as a spy. It was cool seeing her in disguise, using numerous gadgets and the fight scenes where great and I liked her interactions with Jarvis (James D'Arcy) because it works really well; Jarvis's more down to earth demeanour and juggling a marriage clashes with Carter's more rash actions gives us some enjoyable moments.

"Did you remember from the film that I's an expert marksman?"

As for the rest of the episode the whole story of Stark's weapons being stolen makes for a great pretence for everything and it would be cool to see a new weapon every week Carter has to deal with. What I also liked about this show is that even though it is the 1940s we are still going to see futuristic - like technology like the explosives or the type writer that acted like some kind of computer or text messaging. As for the rest of the cast it is a bit funny seeing her male co workers act really incompetent (as I mentioned above) and seeing Carter one up them during the mission. However there was also an agent who sympathised with Carter, Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj), but in my opinion character like that will either turn out to be a love interest or secret villain so I guess we'll wait and see. Now as for the big bad Leviathan group they did seem very interesting with their scars, highly trained agents and wanting to gather up weapons however since the show as only eight episode it really can't afford to keep them in the dark for long. This episode did lack the impact of a season villain because it kept Leviathan too much in the dark or gave us their motives; mystery is good but as I mentioned this series is too short to do that.

Hail Hyd-........wait wrong group

Overall I was surprised with this and found myself really enjoying the episode and looking forward to next week.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: The 1940s setting/the stolen weapons plot
                   Carter and Jarvis where excellent
                   Carter's missions are very entertaining

Let - Downs: Left Leviathan too much in the dark.    

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/   

2015 film releases I am looking forward to

I have been a bit ill recently so I haven't been able to do much but I thought I would write a quick list of some films I am really looking forward to this year.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron
The first one was such a great success and this one looks like it can top it. It seems to have a more darker tone than the first film (helped by that creepy altered Pinocchio music) and Ultron just looks badass.

Mad Max: Fury Road
I am a massive fan of the previous three Mad Max films staring Mel Gibson and I am glad this is a proper sequel and not a remake. It looks like they have captured the essence of the previous films well enough in the trailer and Tom Hardy was a great choice to play Max; the guy is such an awesome actor which is why I am still upset about him leaving the Suicide Squad film.

Jurassic World
The first Jurassic Park film was such a ground breaking film and I even really liked the second one; it stars Jeff Goldblum and the guy is one of the greatest actors of all time, however we will forget about the third film. Jurassic World looks like it is trying to capture the magic of Jurassic Park while of course trying to add in some new elements such as there being an open park this time.

Ted 2
The first one was just so funny that I laughed at almost every scene and even though comedy sequels have never been as funny as their first ones the trailer for Ted 2 does look promising.

Ant - Man
I admit the trailer wasn't too exciting but this film is going to be apart of the Marvel Universe so I am confident it is going to be a great addition.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I remember binge - watching Star Wars throughout my childhood so it is my favourite film series of all time and I like every single Star Wars film. I am confident JJ Abrams will do a good job because I really liked his Star Trek films and Revolution so he is just a great director overall.   

Marvel Civil War, My Thoughts

Those of you who have paid attention to some recent Marvel news must have heard that Marvel is planning to adapt the Civil War storyline from the comics in the third Captain America film. I thought I'd give my thoughts on how it could work and what I think could happen, this will contain some SPOILERS for the comic and the Marvel film franchise.

Quick overview for those who haven't read the comic and don't care about spoilers; the Civil War arc begins when the United States introduces the Superhuman Registration Act which requires anyone in the United States with super powers to register themselves with the government. Tony Stark is for the Act because it would mean that inexperienced superheroes would get mandatory training and control their abilities. Captain America however is against it because it is against their human rights; if all identities of superheroes are registered and revealed then the "normal" part of their lives would forever be in danger. Thus a Civil War breaks out in the Marvel universe with many superheroes for and against this new Act.

Now the Civil War arc in the Marvel comics has always been one of my most favourite storylines because of its overall dark nature and that the good guys find themselves on opposing sides of war. If the films does this right then it can be an even more epic film than the Avengers or The Winter Soldier. I thought if they would have ever adapted the Civil War arc it would have been a stand alone film like the Avengers but I guess it does suit for a Captain America film because of its theme of civil war in America and protecting human rights.

Firstly what I am looking forward to seeing in this is if Stark will be the main villain because in my opinion he really is in the comics. He may support the Act for some right reasons but he does turn on a lot of his former comrades and it is easy for him to agree to the Act because everyone in the word already knows who he is and that he is Iron Man. Also wouldn't it be great to see the first hero to start off the Marvel universe of films become a major villain? It would be interesting to see how he agrees to it in the films because those who have watched it knows that he is always fighting with the government but I think what will drive him is guilt. In the comics he is guilty that his alcoholism almost kills people when he was in his suit but they have already dealt with alcoholism in Iron Man 2 so that leaves Ultron.

Everyone now knows that the plot of Avengers 2 revolves around Stark creating the artificial intelligence called Ultron that becomes self aware and deems humans to be the biggest threat to the world. I don't know how the film will play out because it is not released yet but I think Stark may feel remorse and guilt over what he created and feels after that superheroes, like himself, needs to be kept in check. This is just a guess however and I could be completely wrong about it.

As for which sides the other Avengers will take I can see The Hulk siding with Iron Man because Bruce Banner and Stark are good friends in the films and I think Banner would like the idea of young superheroes controlling their powers. However the Black Widow and Hawkeye will probably join Captain America because of their past together in S.H.E.I.L.D. As for Thor I don't think he will be in this film because the Act would not really affect him in any way.

Now for non - Avengers I first hope that War Machine (James Rhodes) is in the film because he has always been one of my favourite superheroes (even if he is now Iron Patriot) and Don Cheadle has been really great has him. But if he is to chose a side I hope he joins Captain America because it would be cool to see two armour - powered superheroes on opposing sides. Flacon will also join Captain America because he sides with him in the comics.

Starks side is looking pretty thin and that is because his big supporters are missing from the films, The Fantastic Four, Reed Richards in particular. I hear that they are rebooting the Fantastic Four films but I don't know if it will be out in time for Cap 3, however even if it isn't I guess that can still include the them. Also it would be interesting to see The Winter Solider agree with Stark and clash once again with Captain America, maybe feeling guilt over the things he has done?

Something that really worries me however about this film though is that they won't be able to include the X - Men and Spiderman because they exist in a separate movie universe. They are both against the Act and become major participants during the war so it is a real damn SHAME that we won't see them. However it is not only them but also heroes like The Punisher, Blade, Ghost Rider etc. that are also not included because once again their films have been standalone ones not connected to any other Marvel films. So I do really hope they reboot them quick or introduce them once again in Cap 3.

There you go just a quick run down of my thoughts on the Civil War arc that is going to be used in Captain America 3, I hope that everyone is looking forward to it like I am.         

Film Review: The Amazing Spiderman 2 (MASSIVE SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!)

I know I have not reviewed the first Amazing Spiderman but I have just recently seen the second one and I just want to dive right in to reviewing it. Also I won't go on about the story, I am just going to focus on specific events and characters in detail so has the title indicates there will be MASSIVE  SPOILERS for those who have not yet seen the film.

Firstly I want to talk about the villains that appear in the film so lets start off with the main one; Max Dillon/Electro played by Jamie Foxx. Now sorry to all the people who are massive fans of the original Electro from the comic books but in my opinion I much preferred the version of Jamie Foxx. I have two main reasons for this and they start off with the his change in look; anyone who have read the comics know that Electro wears a green and yellow spandex costume and while this is ok I always found it to be a tad wacky and really think this would not have done well in the film. His look in the film however is really cool; his electric blue skin which is kind of see through and covered in veins defiantly gives Electro the look of a mutated super human.
The other reason I prefer the film version of Electro was Jamie Foxx's praise worthy portrayal and the story arc that they have given him. In the comics Max Dillon is just an electrical engineer and line man who gains his powers and then just turns to crime but in the film they give more depth to the character; he works for OSCORP as an electrical engineer and is probably the biggest nobody in the entire world. I mean really this guy is so alone, so mistreated and so under appreciated for is work by is colleges that I really felt sorry for this guy. One of the best non - action scenes in the film for me was when he was stumbling through Times Square after just getting his powers and he sees himself being filmed on all of the big screens and even though they are picturing him as the villain Max just looks soooo relived that people a finally seeing him......until Spiderman ruins it for him by stealing the lime light. Another change in the Electro back story for the film was that after Spiderman saves his life he practically idolizes (and it is a little creepy with how far they go lol).
Oh and one more thing I would like to add that Electro has one of the coolest themes for a villain that I have heard. When it comes to villains a factor that I think is a definite plus is a badass theme song and I think they did it right here.

Next I would like to go in to possibly Spiderman's arch nemesis and that is the Green Goblin. Now when comic book fans watch this film I bet some of them where surprised when Harry Osborn is the Green Goblin when usually his father Norman Osborn is the first in almost all other forms of Spiderman media. Not only that but they kill Norman off after only five minutes of screen time from a disease, something that Harry has as well. Now this was one hell of a bold move since Norman is supposed to be the first Green Goblin but they handled it so well in this that it is something I can look over and Dane DeHann as Harry was so good too. Even when he was just Harry Osborn and not the Green Goblin he seemed really dark and creepy and the disease that is killing him gives him a good motivation to take the spider venom drug.
As for the costume besides form the usual armour and glider they have decided to forgo the use of a mask in favour of changing Harry's face when he injects himself with the drug. So instead of a goblin looking helmet like in the previous Spiderman films Harry's face is given a greenish colour, his hair lightens and is spikes up and his mouth is all smiley and twisted with black teeth. I really did like this look because like Electro they decided to kind of mutant his appearance to make him more sinister instead of giving him a costume and like with Electro it has worked.

Now with the villain that I feel is completely wasted and that is the Rhino; first I will just say that I am not a big Rhino fan, in the comics and now he is not one of my favourites but I was still looking forward to see him in the film. This is because in the trailers I saw that they gave him an awesome mecha suit and what looked like a cool fight with Spiderman however this fight only happens for the last five minutes of the film and it cuts to the credits half way through. A bit of a disappointment after how much the trailers showed of it so I can really just hope at this point that it is continued in the next film.

As for the fights in this film besides from the disappointing one with Rhino I have to say that all of the others are done really well. The two major fights Spiderman has with Electro are just awesome, the one in the Time Square was great with the cool use of Spidey Sense and we get to see Electro getting better with controlling his powers throughout it. It may have ended suddenly with Spiderman hitting Electro with water from a fire hose but since water is his actual weakness in the comics am not going to fault them for that. However his final fight at the power station with my favourite fight in the entire film; It was so cool when Electro kept teleporting himself in between the rods and it was playing his theme song!
For the Green Goblin fight I have heard some saying it was just shoehorned in at the very end so it can include the death of Gwen Stacy (talk about that next) however as short as it was I think it was done very well and choosing the clock tower as a location was great too. Like with Rhino I hope that the Green Goblin has more screen time in the next film.

On to the death of Gwen Stacy and I have to say that I am really glad the writers decided to keep it  and not change it in any way. As a fan of the comics I knew she would have been killed off by the Green Goblin the second I saw her and like in the comics she is killed when Spiderman tries to catch her with his webbing and the impact snaps her neck. This is one of the most definitive moments in the comics because not only had Spiderman killed an innocent, it was his girlfriend and it established the Green Goblin forever as his arch nemesis. Also if I am honest I am kind of glad that they did kill her off now because despite Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone having amazing chemistry together I was kind of annoyed by their constant on again off again relationship throughout the film. I feel that some of their scenes together could have been cut out from the film to focus on other events.

One last big thing I would like to talk about and that is they whole mystery surrounding Peters parent and I have to say that the whole revelation of it was a bit of a let down. Sure it goes includes how Ben Parker was the one behind the mutated spiders but in the end it all amount to one thing: OSCORP bad. Fans of the comics and even non fans probably could have worked out that on their own, it was done really well, especially the beginning of the film with Ben and his wife on the plane but like I said the big reveal behind their deaths and everything they done was a bit obvious.

Now lastly I talk about one of the most exciting aspects of the film and that is the whole set up for the Sinister Six group! For those who do not know they Sinister Six is a group in the Spiderman Universe made op of some of the most dangerous of the Spiderman villains. Harry literally mentions it at the end of the film and that is even the whole reason Rhino was introduced at the very end. We also have a massive hint in the film that Doctor Octopus and the Vulture will also be included in the roster and I have also heard rumours online that Kraven the Hunter may be included as well which would be great since he is an interesting character. One I would like to see are Shocker, Scorpion and the Chameleon, I am really looking forward to seeing the Sinister Six so I guess we are just going to have to wait and see who will be included.

On another note I just want to say I really hope Carnage is included in the film series eventually, he is the my most favourite (an in my opinion most powerful) of the Spiderman villains!

Overall this was a awesome follow up to the Amazing Spiderman 1 with its strong points being the villains of Electro and the Green Goblin but being let down slightly by Rhino and too much screen time being given the Peter's and Gwen's relationship.

SCORE: 8/10