MARVEL COMIC BOOK MOVIES
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Here on this page I have provided a
summary on live-action films that have been made based on Marvel
Comic Book
characters. These are films that were released in theaters or
went
straight to DVD and or online streaming.
I do have a page on my
site focused on Marvel animated films that you can visit by
clicking here.
Since Marvel movies have dominated theaters everywhere since 2000,
most think that there have been Marvel movies that were produced further back than
that.
That’s not the case.
When you look at the first Marvel movies to hit theaters it was in
the form of movie serials that ran in less time than most drama
shows on TV today.
Captain America Serials (1940s)
Captain America serials were featured in the 1940s with Cap battling thugs of
the day. He never fought any of the Nazis during World War II
in any of these shows. Each episode would always end in a cliffhanger putting Cap
or one of the good guys in dire straits with the next installment
found
the following week showing how they escaped. You would have to
come back to theaters and purchase a new ticket to find out what
happened. It was great for the studios as it meant continued ticket
sales.
I recalled watching a lot of these serials on syndicated television many, many years later. I always liked them, but compared
to movies of today they were low budget and low quality in
production, visuals, sound and effects. The editing of the
cliffhanger to the next episode did not always run well together.
Cap was in a speeding car about to fall off a cliff in one episode
and the next episode showed you how he escaped, but the scenes
didn’t always blend in well together if you ran the episodes back to
back.
This was essentially the first Marvel movies to hit theaters, but no
other character would be produced in a feature film until 40 years
later.
The Captain America serials are available for purchase on DVD
and you may also find them on VHS.
Conan the Barbarian (1982)
The
first full-length Marvel feature film would focus on a character not
originally created by Marvel, but adapted by Marvel from novels made
famous by writer Robert E. Howard.
Conan the Barbarian made its debut in 1982. This is the
film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role making him an
international film star.
With brute strength, sword and sorcery, an assortment of weird
characters and creatures and a couple of key one-liners that Arnold
would build his acting persona on, the film became an international
success.
Conan's village and parents are slain by the evil Thulsa Doom (James
Earl Jones) and his band of thugs and is taken along with many other
young boys and enslaved. They are trained to become fighters
to serve Doom in their grown-up years, but Conan has other ideas and
escapes and meets up with a wizard and two other mercenaries who
become allies.
They as a combined group will take on Doom and his men in a battle
to the death.
The action and fighting were great back in the day and still hold up
today. It not only led off as Marvel's first major film, but
stands out as one of their better film properties to date.
The film is available on DVD and Blu-Ray, but is tough to find on
its own. It seems to be in a set with the next film in Blu-Ray.
Conan
the Destroyer / Red Sonja (1985)
The
sequel to Conan the Barbarian came in 1984 with Conan the Destroyer
and a spin-off from the Robert E. Howard novels and Marvel Comics
characters in the Conan mythology came in 1985 in the form of Red Sonja.
Schwarzenegger would reprise his role in the 1984 sequel and made a
guest appearance as another character in the 1985 Red Sonja film
starring Brigitte Nielsen. Sandahl Bergman would appear as the
villainess in the film in stark contrast to her role as Valeria
(Conan's love interest and ally) in Conan the Barbarian.
Each film has its own charm and appeal and are good companion films
to its predecessor and worth acquiring for your collections.
They both have slick effects, good fighting sequences and feature
fantastic visual worlds.
Both films are available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Howard the Duck (1986)
George Lucas produced Howard the Duck
in 1986 about a duck from another galaxy getting zapped and
transported to earth and then meandering his way amongst our population and becoming a mascot for an all-girls band and duking it out with a gigantic
creature in the finale.
The film bombed at the box office in the US, but more than made up
for it in the international market. You can find the film on DVD,
Blu-Ray DVD and VHS.
Punisher (1989)
The next Marvel movie was the Punisher in 1989 starring Dolph
Lundgren in the title role. Dolph famous for being the opponent in
one of the Rocky movies against Sylvester Stallone dyed his hair
black and brought his muscle to the role.
Most fans found his
portrayal to be not exactly the Punisher they saw in the comics.
There wasn’t any one thing that fans hinged on, but it didn’t grab
fans and didn’t fair well in ticket sales. I’ve seen bits and
pieces over the years in syndication and I don’t necessarily hate
the film, but the film didn’t bowl me over either.
Generally when films don’t have a large budget, the production
quality shows and the attention to detail is lacking. The
script is rushed and then you have a final product that you start to
see a lot of holes in. It is available on
DVD, Blu-Ray and possibly VHS.
Captain America the Movie (1990)
I recall sitting in movie theaters seeing a teaser trailer with the
famous red, white and blue shield streaking across the screen
indicating that Captain America was due in theaters the following
year. Unfortunately or fortunately it never came and only appeared
overseas and that was a very limited time.
In 1990 Matt Salinger son of
famous writer J.D. Salinger who wrote Catcher in the Rye among others
starred as Captain America/Steve Rogers in Captain America
the Movie battling the Red Skull in Nazis Germany in the 1940s
during World War II. The film told the origin of both and showed
Cap getting frozen to be unfrozen decades later almost
exactly like the comics sans the Avengers discovering and doing
the unfreezing.
The film was even more low budget than the Punisher and it almost felt
the same as the serials from the 40s although there were some well known veteran
actors in the film like Ronny Cox (Beverly Hills Cop), Ned Beatty
(Superman movies), Darren McGavin (Nighstalker). They didn’t save
the movie from harsh reviews and fan disappointment.
The film however as noted does capture some of the essence of
Captain America from the comics and if you can look past some of the
lesser production qualities, it is worth watching. It was
originally difficult to find for purchase, but in recent years a
re-mastered version became available and you can acquire it on DVD.
Fantastic Four (1994)
Another fan favorite also got movie treatment in very much the same
fashion.
The Fantastic Four movie was produced for release
in 1994, however due to a low budget and other issues the
film never made its way to theaters. I often see the film for
sale at comic
book conventions, online on Ebay, but these are the only versions
available as Marvel I understand has some spent time trying to
have every copy destroyed.
The only item that I can find now is a documentary on the film.
Blade (1998)
One of
Marvel’s cult favorites from the Tomb of Dracula comic books made his movie debut in 1998 with Blade. Wesley Snipes
in the starring
role as a vampire slayer of sorts battling the nocturnal
creatures in ninja-like fashion. The film has had good success
with two sequels and a possibility for an additional film. If you like
action fighting with a mixture of horror and scary figures, then
Blade may be your thing. The movie is available for purchase on DVD
and Blu-Ray.
X-Men (2000)
I
think most fans recall for a long-time asking for
an X-Men film and couldn’t understand why it hadn’t been produced.
The X-Men up to that time was the most popular comic book of
all-time. It had spawned into several best-selling titles and
fans were clamoring to see a live-action, big budget film.
Some
blamed the nightmares of special effects limitations in properly
portraying the characters as one of the reasons for the delay. How were they going to do Wolverine’s
claws. How were they going to do Cyclops laser eyes. How were they
going to simulate Jean Grey/Phoenix and Storm’s powers and so on.
When X-Men debuted in 2000 starring Patrick Stewart, Hugh
Jackman (an unknown at the time), Halle Berry, Ian McKellen and others, this film paved the way
for superhero/comic book films to the big screen like no others
before.
There have been other superhero films prior to, but the Batman films
of the 1990s for example only led to more Batman films as did the
Superman films of the 1970s/1980s. X-Men began the surge of superhero/comic book films that continue
to present day.
The film introduced audiences to most of the major X-Men team
members (Cyclops-James Marsden, Wolverine-Jackman, Professor X-Stewart,
Storm-Berry, Rogue-Anna Pacquin, Jean Grey-Famke Janssen) as well
as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants led by Magneto-Ian McKellen.
With state of the art effects, costumes, sets, the film was a major
success domestically and internationally and did incredibly well in
DVD sales too. Every year after this film came out, there was
a major superhero/comic book movie coming out and most would have to
credit this film as the trailblazer.
There are a couple of versions of the film with additional scenes
added and behind the scenes documentaries that are
available in different sets on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Blade II (2002)
The
follow up to the original Blade came in 2002 with Blade II.
Wesley Snipes reprising his role as the vampire slayer. This
time Blade is in Europe taking on a slew of new vampires with main
villain Ron Perlman as the chief antagonist. The vampires in
this grouping are called the Reaper who pray on vampires in addition
to humans and Blade is called upon to assist the true vampires in
defeating this new group.
In typical sword slashing fashion the film continues to bring the
high quality fighting that the first film displayed with big budget
effects. The film is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Spider-Man (2002)
The
major epic of Marvel’s most recognized superhero finally made
his motion picture debut in 2002 with Spider-Man starring
Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Willem Dafoe, Cliff
Roberston and Rosemary Harris.
The film sent shockwaves throughout
the comic book world and the movie going public. It quickly became
one of the all-time box office draws ever.
The film shows us the origin of how young Peter Parker-Tobey Maguire
becomes bitten by a radio-active spider while on a field trip and
slowly transforming him into a human spider.
His first public demonstration of his powers is almost exactly as
described in the comics with Parker needing to earn money and
challenging a wrestler to stay in the ring long enough to earn the
grand prize. While leaving the contest, a thief is allowed to
run past Parker with the police in hot pursuit and ultimately it is
this thug that contributes to Parker becoming the amazing Spider-Man
as he was responsible for killing Parker's Uncle Ben played by Cliff
Robertson.
Spider-Man’s greatest super-villain the Green Goblin-Willem Dafoe is
introduced in the film and the two tangle on more than a few
occasions with the finale leaving an open-ended triangle between
Parker, his would-be girlfriend Mary Jane Watson-Kirsten Dunst and
Harry Osborn (son of the Green Goblin)-James Franco. The
film has been offered in multiple sets that you can find available
on DVD and
Blu-Ray as part of a set.
Daredevil (2003)
The
man without fear made his motion picture debut in 2003.
Daredevil starring Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke
Duncan and Colin Farrell was one of those films that due to its
release date in early February may have missed out on the summer box
office opportunities.
The film shows Matt Murdock as a young attorney protecting those who
cannot defend themselves due to a lack of resources and as Daredevil
at night protecting those who cannot defend themselves against the
corrupt underworld controlled by the Kingpin played by Clarke
Duncan.
Bullseye is hired to takeout Daredevil. Elektra also known as
Elektra Natchios-Daredevil’s and Matt Murdock’s love interest
respectively is out to get both Bullesye and Kingpin for murdering
her father.
The two heroes are setup in a way that Elektra thinks
Daredevil is involved with the murder with her getting blind-sided
by Bullseye during her search for DD. Daredevil is now out to
avenge Elektra and take down the Kingpin once and for all.
If you get passed the leather suit which is not really bad but some
folks have complained, the film has
some great fighting scenes and does tell Daredevil’s origin and
essentially Elektra’s too. It’s a good film that is worth
purchasing and owning in your collection.
There are a couple of versions of the film available which has
additional scenes and behind the scenes documentaries and even a
director's cut. They
are available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
X2:
X-Men Unlimited (2003)
X2: X-Men United in 2003
was the sequel to the first X-Men movie and was an even better film
than the original. Colonel Stryker-Brian Cox is introduced
demonstrating his hell-bent way of getting revenge on mutants as he
feel in some way they are responsible for what had happened to his son many years ago.
We get to see
glimpses into the creation of Weapon X also known as Wolverine-Hugh Jackman and
how he gained his adamantium skeleton. Colossus, Nightcrawler, Lady
Deathstrike, Pyro and other well-known mutants are introduced
in the film with a climatic ending with Jean Grey/Phoenix-Famke
Janssen and Wolverine's fates hanging in the balance with both
somewhat being
drawn together spiritually.
The film is offered in a couple of different sets on DVD and Blu-Ray with a couple having additional scenes and behind the scenes
documentaries.
Hulk (2003)
The
green goliath had his major motion picture debut in 2003 with the
Hulk starring Eric Bana as Bruce Banner. The Hulk is created as
a CGI character in order to duplicate the size and strength and
abilities that the comic book Hulk possesses.
The origin of the
Hulk is told in the film with his father played by Nick Nolte as a
central figure. Jennifer Connelly plays Betty Ross who tries to
help Bruce and the Hulk. Her father played by Sam Elliott is
trying to take down the beast as he sees the Hulk as a major threat
to the population.
Ang Lee of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
directing fame is tabbed as the director of this film and creates multiple moments in the film with comic book
panel action scenes that run simultaneously onscreen. It’s a little
distracting as most have never seen a film shown this way, but
after a couple of viewings you get used to it and it actually has a
nice touch.
The film is available in a couple of different versions
on DVD and Blu-Ray with one version containing behind the
scenes documentaries and more.
The Punisher (2004)
Tom
Jane is cast as The Punisher in 2004 as a retired FBI agent
who suddenly has his whole family wiped out by a businessman played
by John Travolta whose son was killed during a sting operation that
was conducted by Frank Castle and his team.
Frank would later
become the Punisher and as in the comics takes out his revenge
on all who were responsible.
This version of the Punisher I
haven’t watched enough of, but I'm sure it has a following.
There are a couple of versions
available-regular and extended cut. Both are available for
purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The
sequel to the first blockbuster Spider-Man came in 2004 with
Spider-Man 2. Most of the main players returned with Spidey
now
taking on Doctor Octopus.
Most feel this film was better than the first as it expanded on the
characters from the original with even more high impact action. Dr.
Otto Octavius played by Alfred Molina has developed an energy source
that could revolutionize the world.
Unfortunately one of his
inventions to harness this power takes over him mentally and he
begins to turn to crime becoming Doctor Octopus.
Spidey and Doc Ock battle in the streets, on high rise buildings and
on a high trestle train all the while as Peter Parker continues to juggle
his life as Spidey and his relationship with Mary Jane Watson.
Harry Osborn fueled with getting revenge on Spider-Man for having
killed his father in the first film is right in
the middle of all of the action.
You will most certainly want to own a copy of this film and will not
be disappointed. The movie is available in a couple of versions
with behind the scenes documentaries and such on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Blade: Trinity (2004)
The Blade trilogy comes to an end with Blade: Trinity in 2004
with Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds joining the cast and teaming up
with Wesley Snipes to take on a growing breed of vampires led by
Dracula now resurrected.
The film continues to bring the
sword-slashing action that the previous two films contained, but the
story and acting tends to fade in this movie. I’m sure Blade fans
loved this film and the unrated version that is more like a
director’s cut. Both versions are available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Elektra (2005)
Jennifer Garner was able to return as the character Elektra in the title
role in Elektra in
2005. It centers
around Elektra as a hired assassin who decides not to kill a single
father and her daughter at the request of a crime syndicate and in
turn decides to protect them from the bad guys.
The Hand is a powerful
crime syndicate who utilizes the dark martial art of ninjitsu in
their fighting style and search and hunt down the three. The film has
similar action scenes as was displayed in the previous Daredevil film
that Elektra was featured in.
The fantasy like powers of the Hand is something that seems a bit
out of continuity from the Daredevil mythology, but Garner has a way
of dealing with them in her own right.
The film is available on
DVD and Blu-Ray.
Fantastic Four (2005)
The
worlds’s greatest comic magazine finally got its first true live
action, big budget, blockbluster in 2005 with the Fantastic Four
movie starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis.
The team’s origin is told with a few changes as
Doctor Doom played by Julian McMahon is partly responsible for
funding the team’s venture and is also on the same ship when all are
affected by cosmic radiation.
The film shows the members slowly
adjusting to their new changes and new powers and coming together as
a superhero team. It also shows how Doom is slowly becoming
metallic all over and slowly growing evil.
The final battle is a showdown with the FF
taking on Doom in the middle of New York. The film has received a
mixture of reviews, but I enjoyed the film and I think most will
too. It has good action, good effects and good humor. The film is
available in a couple of versions with one having extended cuts. They can be found on DVD
and Blu-Ray.
Man-Thing (2005)
From
the pages of Savage Tales, Fear and his own titles, Man-Thing
made his debut in movies. Unfortunately it went straight to DVD in 2005. The
legendary creature whose power is searing heat from its touch
focuses on an oil-digging magnate who digs in a sacred area of land
in the swamp resulting in mysteriously damaged equipment, various
murders and other mayhem.
A sheriff along with a school teacher search for the cause and
ultimately faces the creature.
The film has been panned by most who
have spent time placing a review online or in forums.
The film is not too expensive and can be found on DVD.
X-Men: The Last
Stand (2006)
The finale in the original X-Men trilogy came in 2006 with X-Men: The Last
Stand. Magneto-Ian McKellen is recruiting a
massive new army of mutants for his cause against humanity. Jean Grey/Phoenix-Famke
Janssen is under his control to exact her powers on those who oppose
mutants.
The X-Men are more of a skeleton crew now with some
members having been taken out. Professor X-Patrick Stewart,
Wolverine-Hugh Jackman, Storm-Halle Berry and Kelsey Grammer as the
Beast along with newcomers Colossus, Iceman, Kitty Pryde battle
Magneto's new army. Cyclops-James Marsden was taken out early
in the film by the Phoenix thus extinguishing one of the long-time
X-Men members.
It is
probably the weakest of the three films, but is certainly an
entertaining film with so many plots and twists. There are so
many new characters introduced in this film and trying to keep up
with all of their powers was a bit confusing, but generally the film
has some great moments. The film is
available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Ghost Rider (2007)
Nicholas Cage got to portray a superhero for the first time
in 2007 with Ghost Rider. He had been a comic book fan all
of his life and the Spirit of Vengeance was a perfect way to live
out a childhood dream. Eva Mendez appears in the film as his
girlfriend.
Johnny Blaze-Cage
has a dying father and makes a deal with Mephistopheles-Peter Fonda
in order to save his father by giving his soul, but is deceived and
his father perishes in a motorcycle stunt.
Johnny returns later and is offered a second proposal from
Mephistopheles to defeat his evil son Blackheart-Wes Bentley, but
has to become the Ghost Rider first. Johnny accepts and does battle
with Blackheart.
The CGI effects are
very good in the film, but the story is a little shaky. Ghost Rider fans will
still want to have a copy of the film for their collection. The
film is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The final
film of the original Spider-Man films
under Sam Raimi’s direction came in 2007 with
Spider-Man 3.
The film continues with Peter Parker battling the avenging son-Harry
Osborn who now dons the New Goblin costume in order to redeem his
father's death at the hands of Spider-Man from the first film. Mary Jane
Watson struggles with her career and her relationship with Parker is
deteriorating and she turns to Harry Osborn for comfort.
The Sandman-Thomas Haden Church is introduced in the film and is on
the run pursued by the authorities.
An alien symbiote has landed on earth and gravitates to Parker and
his costume and his mental state change to black literally. Parker
struggles to get himself out of this dark hole and to earn back his
relationship with Mary Jane, but before that has to subdue his
friend Harry Osborn leaving him dishevel and pummeling the Sandman
to waste.
A new love interest for
Parker in the form of Gwen Stacy-Bryce Howard is brought in the
story. She was the first true girlfriend to Parker in the
comics.
Eddie Brock-Topher Grace is also introduced in the movie and has the
hots for Stacy, but with Parker's new darker side wins over Stacy
and in the process humiliates Brock by exposing his photo scams.
Now Brock is doubly mad at Parker with the symbiote eventually attaching itself to Brock and turning him
into Venom. Venom teams up with the Sandman and holds Mary Jane
hostage while they prepare to exact some payback on Parker.
It was the weaker of the three Spider-Man films,
but did retain some of the magic that the previous two had. The film is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Continuing the further adventures of the FF on the big screen came
in the form of Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer
in 2007.
The story starts with Sue Storm about to marry Reed Richards
while unbeknownst to the world is being prepared for its eventual consumption by
the engulfing Galactus.
The Silver Surfer-Galactus’ herald is sent to earth for preparation
and the FF stand in his way. They momentarily divert the Surfer,
but Doctor Doom having returned is able to commandeer the Surfer’s
board and with it taking his powers. The now transformed Human
Torch with all of the FF’s combined powers at his disposal is the only hope in stopping
Doom now.
The movie doesn’t show the monolithic Galactus from the comics, but
rather some sort of worm hole entity that travels through space and
descends upon the planet about to suck the earth in.
The Surfer takes a leap of faith in the earth’s favor and merges
into the deep void that is Galactus.
Although some fans have commented on the film somewhat negatively, I
walked away from it positively. I do believe there are parts that
could’ve been stronger and better, but it’s not enough that made me
not like the film. You
can find a couple of versions of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Iron Man (2008)
The golden Avenger made his screen debut in 2008 with Iron Man
starring the comeback story of the year-Robert Downey Jr. as Tony
Stark/Iron Man, Gweneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard.
The story takes us to the middle-east initially with billionaire Tony Stark
traveling with US Marines on the front lines and is ambushed by
militants and taken prisoner.
He is ordered to construct a weapon that they can use against their
enemies, but instead Stark has other plans and devises the first
Iron Man armor and is able to escape.
Upon returning home Stark has a different view on his company's
focus of weapons manufacturing and wants to create more humanity
related devices, but that clashes with his controlling
officer-Obadiah Stane-Bridges.
Stane is conspiring to take over Stark's company and wants to steal
the technology that Stark created for the first armor for his own
objectives.
The two eventually have an epic battle with both utilizing their
most advanced armor against one another.
The film was a major success and brought a lot of charm, wit and
action.
It can be found in a couple of different versions on DVD and Blu-Ray.
The
Incredible Hulk (2008)
As
Marvel wanted to redo one of its longest-running properties, they
turned to Ed Norton and a whole new cast and creators. The
Incredible Hulk came out in 2008 and in a sense picked up the
story from the last film in that Bruce Banner is now on the run
trying to find a cure for his gamma radiation effects that turn him
into the Hulk.
Liv Tyler portrays Betty Ross this time and William Hurt is General
Ross. A new character is introduced-Tim Roth who plays a soldier
for hire and accepts an experimental drug as part of a program headed up by General
Ross and is transformed into the Abomination whose
specific task is to destroy the Hulk.
The CGI is brilliant as the two goliaths tangle in the city streets
in titanic proportions.
This was the Hulk that reminded us of the comics and was a better
version than its predecessor.
Unfortunately Ed Norton would not return in any future
sequels and was replaced by another actor.
The film is found on DVD and Blu-Ray
with a couple of different versions and packaging
with behind the scenes and making of documentaries and other
features.
Punisher: War Zone (2008)
There
have been two Punisher films previously, but none as violent as
Punisher: War Zone in 2008 starring Ray Stevenson as Frank
Castle/Punisher.
This version introduces Punisher villain-Jigsaw where the previous
films had never featured any villain from the comics. The
Punisher in this film is a master of modern day weapons and uses
them in obliterating fashion. He is out to clean up the crime world
and takes absolutely no prisoners.
For
Punisher fans this is the version that they’ve been waiting for.
Although it did not do well at the box-office, it is a strong seller
in the DVD and Blu-Ray market. These can be found online or locally
in different versions with many behind the scenes features and documentaries.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Hugh
Jackman having established himself as a star after appearing in
three X-Men films and other ventures got a chance to expand on his
role as Wolverine with X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009.
The film focuses primarily on him and no other X-Men team member.
Sabretooth-Lev Schreiber is there at the onset of the film as the
story shows the two leaving their home back in the 1800s and
battling side by side in multiple wars in the 1800s and 1900s. The two
get recruited by Stryker played by Danny Huston in a plan
to bring to light the Weapon X program.
Wolverine has had his share of fighting and leaves with Sabretooth
with Stryker in hot pursuit to bring him back to their
fold.
Wolverine helps several mutants escape from Stryker’s hold before
having to hold his own against Deadpool-Ryan Reynolds who is
introduced in the film.
Deadpool is Weapon XI and is ordered to kill both Wolverine and Sabretooth
with the
film ending with Wolverine having forgotten his memory and opening
up the door for a sequel.
It’s a good Marvel movie that is on par with some of the previous
X-Men films. There
are a couple of versions available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Kick-Ass (2010)
A modern-day crime fighting comic book based on regular people donning
costumes of super-heroes and combating real crime came in the form
of Kick-Ass in 2010. Originally the comic had the title
character in a lesser role, but readers became big fans and wanted
more of him and subsequently Kick-Ass was the star of the series.
The film tells of a story of a young teenager who often gathered in
a local comic book store/coffee shop with his friends discussing the
druthers of high school life and the world around. He then
conceives the idea of dressing up as a superhero and roaming the
streets to stop any of the petty crimes that take place on a daily
basis.
He is thrust into being a You Tube phenomenon overnight and becomes a
cult hero in the process.
All the while an ex-cop played by Nicholas Cage has been planning to
avenge his wife’s death on those he feels responsible with the help
of his daughter who he has trained in the art of fighting. All
three eventually come together and take part in the destruction of a
mob crime-lord played by Mark Strong.
The film has a lot of incredible fight sequences reminiscent of the
Hong Kong and Matrix style of fighting.
It is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Iron Man 2 (2010)
The follow-up to the successful Iron Man film came in 2010 with
Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey Jr. returning in his role as the
golden Avenger. Terrence
Howard is replaced by Don Cheadle and dons the War Machine armor for
the first time in the movie.
Rejuvenated Mickey O’Rourke is Whiplash and wants to take back what
he perceives his father deserved that Tony Stark’s father had taken
away years earlier. He seeks out to destroy Tony Stark and his empire and devises
a drone army and his own weapons to do so.
Scarlett Johansson brings the Black Widow to the screen for the
first time in this film. Her appearances were brief, but
spectacular.
The film in my opinion was not as good as the first and lack some of
the charm as well as some of the coolness that the original brought,
but I purchased a copy for my collection and I think you should too
as it is still a good film. You can find a couple of versions on
DVD and Blu-Ray that contain behind the scenes and
making of documentaries.
Thor (2011)
The
Norse God made his film debut in 2011 with Thor. Chris
Hemsworth was cast as the Mighty Thor with Natalie Portman playing
Jane Foster who isn’t Don Blake’s nurse, but rather a scientist out
to prove the existence of life on other worlds. Anthony Hopkins
plays Odin the father of Thor and Tom Hiddleston as his half brother
Loki.
Just about all of the principles from Thor’s mythology are featured
in the film including Sif, Heimdall, Hogun, Fandral, Volstagg, the
Destroyer and the Frost Giants.
The film shows Thor wanting to send a message to the Frost Giants
who had secretly found their way into Asgard in attempt to steal a
power source. Thor foolishly defies and argues with his father who
then banishes him to earth with no powers. Here he has to make his
way amongst the locals including Jane Foster and her crew.
The Destroyer is sent down by Loki to destroy Thor as he
increasingly had grown jealous of Odin's love for Thor and his place in Asgard
and wants to finally see his half brother done away with.
It is only
through this encounter does Thor prove worthy and regains his powers
and returns to Asgard where he finds his father in a deep
sleep.
Thor battles an invasion of the Frost Giants and Loki to regain
control of the Kingdom.
The humor and wit was great and the look of Asgard was surreal. It
really felt like Asgard but some of the CGI scenes were a little blurry
to me, but that should not detract from the overall film. The movie
has been a great success. It is available on DVD, Blu-Ray
and 3D Blu-Ray.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
The X-Men movie franchise got a reboot with X-Men: First Class
in 2011 by moving the storylines back to the very beginning of the
team. Charles Xavier meets Mystique for the first time and
essentially they are the first team members of the X-Men.
Magneto has been searching years for a Nazis scientist who put him
through a vast amount of tortuous experiments when he was younger
who also murdered his mother.
As Charles is brought in by the government to help in
finding the Nazi's scientist-Sebastian Shaw played by Kevin Bacon, he
meets with Magneto for the first time and the two share a common
bond as they are the most powerful mutants up to that time.
The Beast, Havok, Banshee, Mystique and Magneto all train under Xavier's
watchful eye
to become a part of the initial X-Men team to stop Shaw and his
group of mutants including Emma Frost.
This movie was better than expected. It had a lot of great scenes
and has some strong performances by James McAvoy-Charles Xavier,
Michael Fassbender-Magneto and Bacon. Jennifer Lawrence who was
pretty much an unknown at the time plays Mystique. It is available for purchase
on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The Sentinel of Liberty finally got his true motion picture made in
2011 with Captain America: The First Avenger. Chris Evans is
cast as Steve Rogers/Captain America and the origin portion of the
story is told in very much the way the Golden Age comics were
written and drawn.
Steve
Rogers a frail young man is eager to join the military to fight for
the US in World War II and after multiple tries is used as an
experiment to become a super soldier in a top secret government
program. Unfortunately after getting his new found powers, the
creator of the formula is killed.
Captain America is sent around the country and overseas as part of a
patriotic promotion to help raise funds and morale for the war
efforts.
During this time the Red Skull played by Hugo Weaving has found a power that
will make him the absolute ruler in the form of the Cosmic Cube an
alien power source that can make the possessor almost invincible.
Steve Rogers hears that his friend Bucky Barnes’ unit has become
prisoners of the Red Skull and goes to the rescue as Captain
America.
Cap then goes on a barrage with the aid of the eventual Howling
Commandos team and Bucky on the Red Skull’s Hydra army.
The film pits both Cap and the Red Skull in hand to hand battle in
the climatic battle. It was a great film that received a lot
of great reviews and was a
success at the box office.
The movie is available on DVD, Blu-Ray
and 3D Blu-Ray.
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
A new
version of Conan the Barbarian made its way back to theaters
in 2011 with Jason Momoa as the
lead role with a couple of
long-time veteran actors-Stephen Lang and Ron Perlman in supporting
roles.
The film focuses on Conan's attempt to exact vengeance on the men
who murdered his father and sacked his village.
With updated special effects and 3D technology we basically have a
video game style film that did not lead to the same kind of success
as its original predecessor enjoyed when Arnold Schwarzenegger first
assumed the role back in 1982.
Today's movie goers will certainly enjoy the fighting and action
sequences laced with CGI effects and creatures, but will come up
short on story and acting with the exception of our two veteran
actors who almost always give good performances in each role they
partake in.
The movie is available on DVD, Blu-Ray
and 3D Blu-Ray.
Ghost
Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)
Ghost
Rider: Spirit of Vengeance starring Nicholas Cage back as the
title character was released in theaters on February 2012.
This was follow
up to the first Ghost Rider movie, but some say not considered a
sequel.
The
film is about Ghost Rider/Johnny Blaze being asked to save the son
of the Satan from the devil himself. Johnny Blaze still
continues to struggle with his powers that he gained in the first
film after making a deal with the devil and reluctantly agrees to
protect the boy at the request of a religious church sector.
There's break-neck action sequences with CGI effects you have come
to expect in most comic book films. You'll also find the
Nicholas Cage dry humor that he tends to exude in all of his
films. The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray
and 3D Blu-Ray.
Marvel's Avengers (2012)
The highly anticipated and much publicized Avengers Movie
made its debut in 2012 starring the principles from the other
Marvel films with Chris Evans as Captain America, Robert Downey Jr.
as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black
Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner aka the Hulk. Tom Hiddleton
returned as Loki and was the primary villain in the
film.
Thanos
is introduced who helps grant Loki extended powers through his
surrogate in order to defeat the Avengers and initiate an invasion
of Thanos' forces on earth. Thanos is slowly acquiring pieces
that will help build the Infinity Gauntlet so he can rule the galaxy
and uses Loki to help get closer to that objective. The team
goes through several challenges before putting all of its enormous
powers together for a major battle against Loki and Thanos' army in
the finale.
Marvel Studios had been working to introduce its characters to the
mainstream audiences by each featuring one of its key characters in
their own film before assembling them into one superhero team film.
They were trying to build the Marvel Universe on the big screen and
with Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America all having success in
their own films culminated into the Marvel's Avengers movie.
The film went on to be the most successful comic book movie of
all-time at the box office both nationally and internationally.
The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray as well as in
special sets as part of Marvel Studios' film set phases.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Spider-Man was rebooted by getting a major restart with Andrew Garfield playing Spider-Man
in 2012 in The Amazing Spider-Man. Emma Stone portrayed Gwen
Stacy while Martin Sheen, Sally Field co-starred as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. The
Lizard was the villain.
The film
re-started from the beginning and would redefine what had
already been shown in the previous three films.
The origin of Spider-Man differed from its predecessors and the
comic book in this new direction as Peter Parker would still be
bitten by a spider, but this time at Oscorp's laboratories which was
experimenting on various genetics in order to eventually build a new
army of super-powered beings. That would be further fleshed
out in a sequel. The search behind the secret of Peter
Parker's father and his disappearances as a result of his work at
Oscorp is at the heart of the film. The secret of Parker's
father dogs him the entire film as he searches to find the truth and
dealing with his new powers. Parker raises the ire of Gwen's
father who is a captain on the police force and discovers Peter's
identity and requests he never get involve with his daughter.
The Lizard's alter-ego Curt Conner turns out to be a counterpart of
Parker's father at Oscorp who shares some of his knowledge of the
situation and further adds to Peter's push to find what happened to
his father. Curt Conner becomes mad/evil with his constant
injection of experimental drugs which he uses to replicate a missing
limb and eventually goes toe to toe with Spider-Man.
New effects and visuals are an upgrade from the original trilogy,
but overall the film was not as strong as the original film in 2002 and
the sequel in 2005. The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Iron Man
3 (2013)
The
successful Iron Man series continued in 2013 with Iron Man
3. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow reprised their
successful roles. This time around Iron Man faces a new threat
in the form of his arch nemesis from the comic books, the Mandarin
played by Guy Pearce.
All
are duped into thinking the Mandarin is a terrorist leader as
portrayed by Ben Kingsley who finds ways to slowly and devastatingly
destroy Tony Stark's life and those around him. Pepper Potts-Paltrow
will be kidnapped and has been transformed with the ability to
penetrate all forms of metal with her nuclear-like limbs. All
scenarios are devised at the hands of the real Mandarin who has been
seeking revenge against Tony Stark after having his early
experiments shunned by Stark years ago.
Tony
Stark will unleash his full arsenal of Iron Man armored units in the
film to help offset the Mandarin's attack forces of super
transformed beings including Pepper. The film has a dynamic
showdown finale with all of Stark's armor in full battle mode
against the Mandarin forces.
Although not as good as the first film, it does hold up well with
the second and has some great action sequences including Iron Man
saving several passengers off a crashing airliner and the
aforementioned finale. In addition there are some nice
charming scenes with Stark befriending a fatherless child who has
incredible ingenuity as a young Stark himself. The boy helps
rejuvenate and aid in Iron Man's return to thwart the Mandarin after
experiencing a low point as a result of Mandarin's earlier
degradation of Stark's world. The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Kiss Ass 2 (2013)
Kiss Ass 2 the sequel to the first film made its way to
theaters in 2013. Aaron Taylor-Johnson,
Chloe Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse returned to the
characters that made them famous in the original film. Jim Carey joined the cast
as another vigilante.
The
film continues from the previous film where Red Mist-Mintz-Plasse
decides to rise up as a new crime lord called Mother F**ker to
avenge his father's death. A crop of new vigilantes have been
inspired by Kick-Ass and are funded by Jim Carey's character-Colonel
Stars and Stripes. The new group is joined by Kick-Ass as they
team up to monitor the streets. Mother F**ker is bent on his
thugs to single handedly take out Kick-Ass' team and Kick-Ass
himself. Hit Girl-Grace Moretz re-emerges to aid Kick-Ass and
his team.
Although not as good and as funny as the first film, it's a nice
compliment in the series for these cult comic book heroes. The
film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
The
Wolverine (2013)
The
Wolverine in 2013 was the sequel to
the first film X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Hugh Jackman
returning as the most popular of the X-Men.
The
film picks up closed to where the original left off in that
Wolverine is in Japan. He is requested to aid a former
military officer from World War II who had Wolverine as a prisoner
at that time. Wolverine helped save the officer's life and
since that time the officer has become a multi-billionaire. He
is supposedly running out of time to live due to the atomic bomb
effects from the war and needs Wolverine's DNA in order to prolong
his life eternally.
Wolverine is granted by the billionaire to live like a normal human,
but was secretly duped and battles both the billionaire in his new
incarnation as the Silver Samurai and another mutant in order to
regain his powers. Classic Japanese Samurai fighting abounds
in this film as well as classic slashing by Wolverine's claws as
we've all seen in several X-Men and Wolverine movies. The film
is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray and highly recommended.
Thor 2: The Dark World (2013)
The
sequel to the first Thor movie made its way to theaters in 2013.
Thor 2: The Dark World returned Chris Hemsworth as the Mighty
Thor and Natalie Portman as Jane Foster.
An
ancient race the Malekith have re-surfaced and is determined to
throw the universe into darkness. He seeks an immense power
source in order to help him obtain his goals. Standing between
the Malekith and his forces are those of Asgard and Thor.
The
epic battles take place on Earth, Asgard and other realms with
Loki-Tom Hiddleston being tabbed by Thor to assist in defeating
Malekith. The fighting and action are superb, however some of
the trivial ways implemented by Jane Foster and her group on Earth
to help alter and negate the Malekith world destroying devices are a
bit unbelievable although this is a make believe world. The
film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Picking up where the key elements of the first Captain America film
left off comes
Captain America: The Winter Soldier in 2014. Steve Rogers
is in search of his long lost friend-Bucky Barnes-Sebastian Stan
who had apparently died in the first film. Rogers suspects
Bucky is still alive after encountering the Winter Soldier and
senses this might be his friend.
Bucky
had secretly become the Winter Soldier, a super soldier in his own
right at the hands of underground forces including those within our
own government.
Black
Widow-Scarlett Johansson teams up with Cap along with a new ally
the Falcon-Anthony Mackie. The trio take on the Winter Soldier
and his allies in some of the most incredible fighting sequences
ever. The film
is an improvement over the original and is amped up by the intrigue and
mystery surrounding the Winter Soldier. The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
The
Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The
last sequel to the reboot of the Spider-Man franchise came in 2014
with
The
Amazing Spider-Man 2. Andrew Garfield-Spider-Man and Emma
Stone-Gwen Stacy return with Jaime Foxx making his debut in the film
franchise as
Electro.
Spider-Man continues to search for the truth behind his father's
disappearance and has some tense moments with his friend Harry
Osborn-Dane DeHaan who has taken over Oscorp or at least he thinks
he has. Electro accidentally is transformed from nerdy
employee at Oscorp into a super-charged villain in the Oscorp labs.
He
feels somewhat disenfranchised by Spider-Man who he met earlier
before his transformation and decides to go after the web-slinger
since he apparently forgot his Electro's real name. His
twisted mind would eventually lead him to team up with the new Green
Goblin-Harry Osborn as they work to take down Spidey.
The
effects and sequences are of high quality especially the fateful
scenes of Gwen Stacy's fall. Spider-Man fans will enjoy this
film and is on par with the original rebooted first film, but not as
strong as the original Tobey Maguire films. The film is
available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
All of
the past X-Men actors from the original trilogy and the newest cast
members in the re-launched films combine forces in the classic X-Men storyline from the early
1980s comic books.
X-Men: Days of Future Past made its way to theaters in 2014.
Wolverine-Hugh Jackman from the future is sent back to the 1970s
before the fateful full on creation of the Sentinels-gigantic mutant
killers. Dr. Trask is working with the US Government on their
mutant crackdown and is determined to find the key links in order to
help develop the Sentinels.
Wolverine is tasked with preventing Trask from obtaining Mystique's
DNA-Jennifer Lawrence which he would eventually use to evolve the
Sentinels to becoming the ultimate mutant killing machines in the
future.
A plot
twist in that Mystique is out to kill Trask whose death is known in
the future by the X-Men to have triggered the full blown Sentinel
program. The race against time for Wolverine to reach the
younger version of Professor X-James McAvoy and convince him and his
team to stop Mystique before it is too late and ultimately
initiating the eventual destruction of the mutants in the future.
Fans
were so thrilled to see the combined talents of almost all of the
X-Men actors coming together in one film reprising their roles at
their given place in the mythology. The film is available on
DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
One of Marvel's lesser known super group who had been gaining
momentum in the comic books in recent years got their film debut in
2014. The Guardians of the Galaxy starring Chris Pratt,
Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and the voice talents of Bradley Cooper
and Vin Diesel brought to the big screen a new sense of humor and
some outlandish and outrageous scenes that typical Marvel movies
don't have.
The
film is about a ragtag group of characters who come together to save
the universe against ominous forces in their own style. The
film taps into the existing Marvel cinematic universe storylines to
keep continuity in the big picture and further enhances it with
bravado. Rocket Raccoon-Bradley Cooper, Groot-Vin Diesel and
Drax-Dave Bautista are the show-stealing supporting characters to
Pratt's Star-Lord and Saldana's Gamora. The film is available
on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
The eagerly awaited sequel to the most successful comic book movie
came in 2015. Avengers: Age of Ultron brings back all
of the principles-Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hulk
with new additions Quick Silver, Scarlet Witch and the Vision
joining the cast.
Ultron
is brought to life with a combination of Tony Stark and Bruce
Banner's initiation using the previous film's scepter's gem to
finish Stark's defense program and the takeover of Stark's
artificial intelligence system J.A.R.V.I.S. The long-time
Avengers villain comes to life and begins to evolve throughout the
film beyond measure and creates an army of Ultrons.
The
Avengers will not only be in deep battle with Ultron and his forces,
but the two mutants Quick Silver and Scarlet Witch. The Vision
is brought to life in connection with Ultron and Thor's hammer.
The Vision is a supreme being in his own right and will team with
the Avengers to help defeat Ultron. Both mutants eventually
come around to seeing the err in their ways of holding Tony Stark
responsible for the deaths of their parents and reconcile. All
out action and humor similar to the standard of the first movie, but
not quite on the same level will still have you wanting to see the
film a few times. The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Ant-Man (2015)
An original Avengers team member got his own film in 2015. Ant-Man
starring Paul Ruud, Evangeline Lilly and Michael Douglas brings
forth the smallest hero in the Marvel Universe to big screen.
Hank
Pym-Douglas is an inventor who created the ability to shrink
anything including himself and worked as a superhero earlier in his
day. He needs to the services of someone he can groom into the
new Ant-Man and convinces small-time criminal Scott Lang-Ruud to
take on the mantle to thwart his protege who has touted he has
created his own ability to shrink. Pym's protege must be
stopped. The two shrinking antagonists venture into the real
world as miniature dynamos battling it out. The view from
their level is astounding and the effects are incredible. The
humor in many scenes will have you laughing on end. The film
is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Fantastic Four (2015)
In an attempt to reboot the Fantastic Four film franchise, Twentieth
Century Fox released Fantastic Four in 2015 by assembling a
new cast in order to breathe life into the "World's Greatest Comic
Magazine".
Unfortunately fans stayed home and the film flopped at the box
office. The same premise of the original film where the heroes
first obtained their powers is told and Doctor Doom as the villain.
The cast was much younger than the original film and gain their
powers by traveling to another universe as opposed to within our own
universe. Doom remains tied to the four members as a former
friend and they work together as a group to stop him from destroying
Earth. The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Deadpool (2016)
A cult
fan favorite from the pages of New Mutants, X-Force comes
Deadpool in 2016. Ryan Reynolds resumes his role as the
mutant with the mouth. He first and last portrayed the
character sans costume in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
The
fast action sword play, weapons expert and stunts are what make
Deadpool such a cool character in addition to the smart alack
commentaries he is known to make at just about every opportunity.
His origin is retold in full and the storyline features Deadpool
going after the scientist who transformed him from a Special Forces
operative to a disfigured and genetically changed mercenary.
The film has the humor you come to expect from the character as seen
in the comics and Ryan Reynolds is certainly fitting in this role.
The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
The last in the trilogy of Captain America films maybe the best.
The popular storyline in the comic books is drawn upon for Captain America: Civil War
movie in 2016. All of the key principles from the
previous Cap films and Iron Man and Avengers films are cast for this
movie including the introduction of Spider-Man to the Marvel Studios
cinematic universe.
Spider-Man previously only appeared in the Sony Pictures films and
due to copyrights remained in that world until agreements were made
to cross-over the characters so each would have the opportunity to
use the characters in their own studio films.
The
premise of the movie is the government is increasingly concerned
about super-powered beings going unchecked and unregistered after a
recent incident that goes awry. They want to control the team
and demand they register themselves and stay under their
jurisdiction in the new accord. The team is split on that
initiative which divides the team and pits them against one another.
Furthering their divide it is revealed that the Winter Soldier-Bucky
Barnes previously had killed Tony Stark's parents as part of a
mission while under the Winter Soldier mind control. Captain
America is out to save his friend from the perpetrators who put
Bucky into that situation, but Stark is out for revenge.
We get
to see Spider-Man join the fray along with Ant-Man who previously
had not appeared outside of his own film. All heroes are on
two sides and duke it out in a huge superhero brawl the screen
hasn't seen before. The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
One of
the most prolific X-Men villain finally was used in a film.
X-Men: Apocalypse in 2016 made it a reality to bring to life a
key villain. New X-Men and new mutants were brought into the
film universe at a younger age. Cyclops, Phoenix, Jubilee,
Nightcrawler, Storm, Angel-Archangel, Psylocke all join the existing
X-Men First Class cast of Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Beast,
Havok and Quicksilver.
Apocalypse-the most powerful mutant of all-time goes into
hibernation for centuries since the ancient times and awakens to a
new world. He recruits four mutants to become his four
horsemen to begin his dominance of the world. Magneto is
recruited after the death of his wife and child. In their way
are the X-Men. Can the the young X-Men and existing X-Men be
enough to stop Apocalypse. It is exciting to see the X-Men
universe continue in this period and expanding it in various
directions. There are unlimited possibilities on where the
next films can go as the young X-Men grow. The film is
available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Doctor Strange
(2016)
One of
Marvel's oldest and coolest characters saw his theatrical debut in
2016. Doctor Strange
starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role featured Dr.
Stephen Strange a successful surgeon who tragically has an accident
and loses the ability to use his hands. He learns of a
potential cure for his injuries and desperately seeks a solution and
ends up learning the mystic arts and other dimensions in the
process. He becomes Doctor Strange and battles several evil
factions including the dreaded Dormmamu, the evil dark lord of the
Dark Dimension.
This
is not your typical superhero film, but fits in the Marvel Universe
very well as Doctor Strange has appeared in and alongside many
superheroes in his time. Marvel Studios always finds a way to
blend in their characters with one another and this is no exception
when viewing the end credits. The visual effects are stunning
and the performances are top rate. The
film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Logan (2017)
After
having performed as Wolverine for several X-Men and solo movies,
Hugh Jackman apparently has retired from the character that made him
a world wide celebrity. Logan
appeared in
2017 with Wolverine as an aging mutant. He lives an ordinary
life similar to the first Wolverine movie and encounters a nurse and
a young girl who eventually will be revealed as Wolverine's daughter
due to his DNA having been used to create her and others like her as
weapons.
The
film takes us through the course of Logan trying to aid the two
while dodging the creator and his minions. Ultimately we see
the deaths of both Professor X and Logan thus technically ending
their characters in film for now. The young girl-X-23
potentially may be used as a future film subject to expand on the
Wolverine legend. The
film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 continues the adventures of
our misfit super team. Star-Lord's father is revealed to be
that of Ego the living planet who had implemented a plan to
terra-form as many worlds as possible with his DNA constructs.
He requires the help of Star-Lord as it requires two high-powered
beings as themselves in order to active the seedlings.
Upon
learning that Ego had killed his mother, Star-Lord and his team
desperately challenge Ego to destroy his plans. Drax has some
wonderful scenes and essentially steals the show with his humor as
Rocket and Groot had done in the first film. The visual
effects are still high class and the introduction of Mantis adds to
the growing Guardians universe of characters. The
film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
The second phase of the re-booted Spider-Man franchise came in 2017.
After initially introducing the new Spider-Man in Captain
America: Civil War, young Tom Holland returns in the title role
in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Spider-Man and Tony Stark
discuss his potential membership in the Avengers, but eventually
Stark believes he's not ready-too young.
Peter
Parker returns to civilian life as a student and quickly gets back
into superhero life as well thwarting regular thugs. Along the
way he encounters associates involved with a businessman who would
become the Vulture-Michael Keaton.
Spider-Man tangles with the Vulture's associates, the Vulture and
one of the Vulture's henchmen who takes over the mantle as the
Shocker. A small bit of irony is Peter Parker having a crush
with one of his classmates who turns out to be the Vulture's
daughter. Putting things together the Vulture threatens Parker
if he attempts to interfere with his plans to commandeer weapons
from the Avengers.
A
fresh new look for the franchise and new supporting cast members
along with the latest in CGI effects makes Spider-Man: Homecoming a
new start in the re-launched series. The
film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Thor 3: Ragnorak (2017)
Thor is imprisoned on
the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds
himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop
Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian
civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the
ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial
contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the
Incredible Hulk. The film is available on DVD,
Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Black Panther (2018)
After tragedy forces
young Prince T'Challa to assume Wakanda's throne, he is faced with
the ultimate test, putting the fate of his country and the entire
world at risk. Pitted against his own family, the new king must
rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to
defeat his foes and embrace his future as an Avenger.
The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Avengers Infinity War (2018)
An unprecedented
cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire
Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War brings to the
screen the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time. As the Avengers
and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats
too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from
the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his
goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of
unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all
of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to
this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been
more uncertain. The film is available on DVD,
Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Foul-mouthed mutant
mercenary Wade Wilson (AKA. Deadpool), brings together a team of
fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy with supernatural
abilities from the brutal, time-traveling cyborg, Cable.
The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
As Scott Lang balances
being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym
present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting
alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.
The film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Venom (2018)
One of Marvel's greatest
and most complex characters takes center stage as Eddie Brock ( Tom
Hardy) becomes the host for the alien symbiote Venom. Upon
investigating one of Drake's experiments, the alien Venom merges
with Eddie's body, and he suddenly had incredible new superpowers,
as well as the chance to do just about whatever he wants. The
film is available on DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray.
Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel takes you
on a spectacular adventure from the 1990s, tracing the path of Carol
Danvers (Brie Larson) as she becomes one of the universe's most
powerful heroes. When a galactic war reaches Earth, she meets young
agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) at the center of a maelstrom,
leading to her ultimate destiny as an Avenger.
The film is available on DVD and Blu-Ray DVD.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The
final chapter of Marvel Studios' 10 year odyssey bringing to life
the Marvel Universe on the big screen comes to a conclusion in an
incredible motion picture pitting the forces of the Avengers and
their allies against the mighty Thanos. Fans of the entire
series have made this film the highest grossing comic book movie of
all-time. The film is available in various forms of media.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
(2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home
was the second installment in the revamped Spider-Man movie
series starring Tom Holland as Spider-Man/Peter Parker.
Spider-Man, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Mysterio (Jake
Gyllenhaal) team-up to combat elemental creatures (Earth, fire,
water and air).
Black
Widow Movie (2021)
Black Widow movie starring Scarlett Johansson is available on
various forms of media.
Venom: Let
there be Carnage (2021)
Venom: Let there be Carnage is
available on various forms of media. This
is the follow up sequel to the Marvel
Comics movie Venom starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams.
Spider-Man No Way Home (2022)
Spider-Man No Way Home
starring Tom Holland is available in various
forms of media.
This is the third installment of the new Spider-Man series.
Morbius
Movie (2022)
The Morbius Marvel movie is
available in various
forms of media. This is the film starring Jared Leto in the title role
of the well known Spider-Man villain.
Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
Thor: Love and Thunder is he latest Marvel Studios Thor movie stars Chris Hemsworth,
Natalie Portman and Christian Bale. Thor teams up with
King Valkyrie, Korg and the Mighty Thor Jane Foster to take on Gorr the God Butcher.
Black Panther Wakanda Forever (2023)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever movie is available in various forms of media.
It stars Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston
Duke, Angela Bassett. This is the 2022 sequel to the smash
hit Black Panther in 2018. T'Challa the Black Panther has
died and a new Black Panther takes his place to defend their
kingdom from a new threat in Namor.
Happy Collecting!!!
Johnson's Collectibles
