Review: The Almighties #0

Indie comic creator Sam Johnson collaborates with fellow writer Mike Gagnon for this latest offering, The lmighties #0. The book is Actuality Press' deranged answer to super-team comics and contains numerous fun moments although isn't without its flaws. As most zero issues are, this book is mostly concerned with set-up and introduction; we get to meet each of the key team members, learn about their origins and get a hint as to where the plot of this book may go in future issues. Johnson and Gagnon hit all their plot threads with efficiency, although admittedly there's little new about this approach of introducing team members one by one. Its been done many times before and is somewhat formulaic.

That being said the issue is engaging, and although the characters are mostly obvious parodies of well-known super-heroes they show promise to come into their own as this series progresses. The most compelling is probably Ms. F who seems more grounded than her wackier team-mates making her easier to connect with, and her current situation which sees her struggling to find a place in the world after leaving a long, unhappy marriage is something I'm sure many people could relate to. The relationship between her and retired super-hero The Kruncher is genuinely believable, making these two characters quite possibly the standouts of this debut.

The Almighties is as you would expect a comedy book and indeed there is some fun quipping to be had here and a bizarre final page reveal which is very much reflective of this book's tongue-in-cheek nature. That being said not all the jokes hit the mark and some don't land quite as well as they were intended, particularly those in the Wayne Winston segment of the issue. Winston is The Almighties answer to Deadpool and so naturally has the strangest origin story and scenes in this book. I felt like Johnson and Gagnon were really working hard to sell this character to me, but by the issue's end I still feel apprehensive about accepting yet another Deadpool parody. The market for Deadpool-esque characters just feels saturated at the moment, and I'm not sure if there's much here to set Winston apart from other eccentric mercenaries currently trying to make names for themselves.

Although Actuality's comic-book universe is very young, it does have a lived-in feel to it which is nice. Events and characters are referenced which help build a history for this world without making it feel bogged down in continuity. While I felt the Wayne Winston segment of this book was one of the weaker parts, I did like the idea of Subterrannea: the underground world which he and his family call home. The nature of the environment and its creepy inhabitants were a fun addition to the Actuality world, one that I hope develops and comes into play again further down the line as there's a lot of potential for cool stories to take place there.

The issue is illustrated by five different artists - Pablo Zambrano, Eleonora Kortsarz, Ron Gravelle, Fran Jung and Graham Pearce - with each doing a solid job even if some were stronger than others. The panel layouts weren't the most original I've ever seen however I'm aware that only so much can be done on an indie comic budget. Generally I enjoyed the art, and felt that the different styles were well-suited to their respective characters e.g. a more realistic style for the grounded Ms. F, a more cartoonish style for the insanity of Wayne Winston. It was a nice touch which helped establish separate identities for each of Johnson and Gagnon's characters.

Overall, The Almighties #0 was a solid debut for Actuality Press' new team of heroes. It wasn't a flawless opening chapter with some flat punchlines here and there, and some characters that require more fleshing out. That being said this series does have a lot of potential, and I'm interested to see where it goes next. You can check out some preview pages below.

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The Almighties #0 Wayne Winston Variant Edition is out now - along with a chance for newcomers to catch up on the team's debut adventure in The Almighties #1 2nd Printing – both available at www.almightiesamass.com

Preview: The Almighties #0

(click to enlarge)

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Superman: American Alien #1 - What The Critics Are Saying

Superman: American Alien #1 is the first issue in a seven-part mini-series written by screenwriter Max Landis, which explores who Clark Kent is at seven different points in his life. The series is to have a new artist for each installment, with Nick Dragotta fulfilling art duties for issue one and the likes of Jock, Francis Manapul and Jae Lee stepping in for future issues. The series has been surrounded by a significant level of hype due mainly to Landis' passionate opinions about Superman which he has voiced online in several YouTube videos. The first issue finally saw release last Wednesday and this is what critics around the Internet had to say:

The Writing

The first issue of American Alien centers on Clark's attempts to master his flying abilities, while exploring the emotional consequences of being so wildly different from those you're surrounded by. Generally, most critics agreed that this issue was executed engagingly in spite of the fact it takes place during a time in Clark's life which has been featured heavily in previous stories. This is summed up in a review by IGN's Jesse Schedeen who believes that Landis has found "another novel approach" to telling stories about Superman's formative years. Most frequently praised was Landis' characterization of staple figures from the Superman mythos, with Jordan Richards of Adventures in Poor Taste saying in his review that "the characterization is on point for everyone, even Johnathan Kent (who I was a bit worried about early on), and it leads to a lot of tenderness throughout the book, which feels genuine and believable." Multiversity Comics' Keith Dooley agrees claiming Landis, "makes iconic and very familiar characters like Clark, Martha and Johnathan his own by exploring their thoughts through dialogue, action and a particularly powerful final two pages."

Indeed, this story appears to be a character driven tale - something not wholly surprising when considered Landis made it clear in one of his Superman YouTube videos 'Regarding Clark' that, "plot has never really fascinated me, character does." However, this focus on character over story hasn't pleased everyone and there were some critics who felt dissatisfied by Landis' latest comic-book offering. Oz Longworth over at Black Nerd Problems claimed the story carried through this issue boils down to, "Clark is scared of flight and then he's not." Newsarama's Pierce Lydon also felt this issue left something to be desired describing the character moments as "cutesy fluff", and claiming the book suffered as so much has already been said about this part of Clark's life that there's little else new to bring to the table. Lydon goes on to say that, "There's no way for Landis to surprise us. We know he'll learn to fly, and Landis is only able to give us a poorly conceived conflict at a drive-in movie to inject some kind of stakes into the book." This point is countered by Comic Book Resources who claim that the book is "not about believing a boy can fly; it's about why he doesn't want to."


The Art

The artwork in this issue has been provided by Nick Dragotta and Alex Guimaraes, to a mixed response from critics. Many praised this art team for their work here with Dragotta singled out for packing his characters with emotion which made them easy to connect with. IGN explain in their review that he "perfectly captures Clark's early attempts at flying and the raw emotion at play as Johnathan and Martha struggle to keep their son safe and deal with his unusual condition." Multiversity Comics echoes this opinion, saying that "Dragotta wrings emotions from the characters that are visceral and oftentimes heartbreaking in their execution." In the same review Guimaraes' colors received acclaim, with writer Keith Dooley praising him for his decision not to "intrude on the art with gaudy colors," and instead highlight "the emotional symbolism and beats of the story." Comic Book Resources were also a fan of Guimaraes work, singling him out for immersing Smallville in "lush pastels for a timeless sense of idyllic Americana." Black Nerd Problems also praised the work of this art team as "unquestionably gorgeous."

However, the art was not to everyone's liking with Dragotta's style taking criticism from some review sites. Adventures in Poor Taste said in their review that, "his characters can look a bit too cartoonish and exaggerated for their own good," with Newsarama agreeing that the stylized nature of Dragotta's characters meant that when Clark has an emotional outburst it's, "that much harder to take him seriously."

General Consensus:
Superman: American Alien #1 is definitely worth trying for those interested in getting inside Clark Kent's head and attempting to understand the mind of a young Man of Steel. However, those who prefer a grand in scope story as opposed to a more intimate character study may find themselves disappointed by Max Landis' latest comic-book offering. The artwork by Nick Dragotta and Alex Guimaraes also proved to be divisive, with some fans taking issue with the stylized design choices made by this creative team. Although, it is worth noting that others were quite enamored with these changes and so ultimately your opinion on the look of this book may come down simply to personal preference.

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All-New All-Different Avengers #1: What The Critics Are Saying

Perhaps the most high profile book of the post-Secret Wars Marvel relaunch, All-New All-Different Avengers #1 teams superstar writer Mark Waid with artists Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar. The book revolves around a newly formed Avengers team that includes Thor, Captain America and Iron Man, alongside the younger more inexperienced heroes Nova, Ms Marvel and Miles Morales aka Spider-Man. With a strong creative team at the helm and a cast of popular characters, this book has a lot of potential to be a hit with readers: but what was the verdict when it hit shelves on Wednesday?

The Writing

All-New All-Different Avengers #1 is comprised of two stories, a main and a back-up. The main storyline centres on the new Avengers team as it begins to form, coming together in the wake of an attack by a Chitauri warlord. The main story drew some criticism for feeling somewhat formulaic especially for a book with the words "all-new" in the title. Indeed, Adventures in Poor Taste writer Jordan Richards said that the "only real problem with this story is that the entirety of the issue is pretty much just set up with little excitement." This was a verdict shared by some critics, with Newsarama's Justin Partridge agreeing that it was unfortunate that the book "adheres to the team-building trope of not bringing the team together just yet." Other critics expressed disappointment that some of the characters on Alex Ross' stunning cover don't end up making an appearance in this issue. The most volatile reaction to this decision may have come from Comic Book Revolution where the book received its most negative review, with writer Rokk showing dissatisfaction at the possibility of "one of those dull four to eight issue story arcs where we have to sit through the hackneyed opening story arc approach of assembling the team."

However, while some people did find the execution of this opening issue to be less than original, it should be stressed that this book received much praise in other areas - for example, its characterisation. Comicosity's Allen Thomas commended Mark Waid for understanding his characters "in a very deep, introspective way," and for "bringing out the unique aspects," of each member of his cast. Comic Book Resources' Jim Johnson agreed that "the consistency of characterization is a refreshing effort on Waid's part, as he respects the events of the characters' main titles while still bringing his own skill and style to the issue." This dedication to respecting plot threads from titles across the Marvel relaunch was brought up in a few reviews in a mostly positive context, however IGN writer Jeff Lake did raise the issue that as, "we're still in the infancy of this post Secret Wars world, not all of these plot threads line up quite as easily as others."

The light-hearted back-up story featuring Nova and Ms. Marvel titled "You're A Jerk," received a warm reception from many critics - in some cases, warmer than that which the main story received. Indeed, Multiversity Comics writer Stephenson Ardern-Sodje wrote in his review that the back-up story, "definitely interested me more, even though the story seems largely detached from the main narrative." Waid was widely praised for making the awkward first meeting of Sam Alexander and Kamala Khan feel genuine, and filling it with humorous and relatable moments. Comic Book Resources explained that this "hilariously painful dynamic" made the story a "wonderful" read, while IGN declared that it was "social awkwardness at its finest." That being said, as has already been mentioned the story has relatively little to do with the main plot of this book, and this led some to wonder whether it was the best decision to include it here. Multiversity Comics said "its inclusion feels as though it's stealing pages from the 'main' narrative," an opinion shared by IGN who claimed that the addition of this back-up left the main story "feeling surprisingly brisk for such a marquee launch."

The Art

The art in this book is completed by two separate creative teams, with the main story by Adam Kubert and Sonia Obak and the back-up by Mahmud Asrar and Dave McCaig. Both teams were given much praise in reviews for this opening issue. Adventures in Poor Taste said in their review that Kubert's "layouts are easy to read and flow well," with the artist being called out most for his work on an opening sequence in which Captain America saves a family whose vehicle was plummeting off the Queensboro Bridge. Comicosity described these panels as "incredibly dynamic" while Comic Book Resources thought Kubert's work gave the "opening sequence a cinematic quality." But Kubert seemingly kept a high level of quality even when the action died down, as Multiversity Comics explain that "his panelling is inventive enough to flit between conversations in cars and high-impact laser assaults and switch gears accordingly."

Asrar also garnered much acclaim for his work in the back-up story, with Adventures in Poor Taste going as far to say that Asrar's art was "even better" than Kubert's. Critics were most fond of Asrar's portrayal of Nova and Ms Marvel's more subtle expressions and body language, with IGN saying that his "pitch perfect facial cues align wonderfully with Waid's increasingly awkward introspection." Meanwhile, Multiversity Comics also praised this aspect of Asrar's art, pointing out that "the deftness of his micro-expressions makes for a truly awkward exchange between Sam and Kamala that is funny and tense in equal measure."

General Consensus:

While anchored by some strong character moments, the story in All-New All-Different Avengers #1 feels somewhat by-the numbers and could perhaps have used more space to develop - space taken up in this issue by a fun if inconsequential back-up story featuring Nova and Ms. Marvel. However, most critics saw potential for this series to come into its own in future issues, and the artwork by Adam Kubert and Mahmud Asrar was met with universal acclaim.

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Review: Supergirl - S1E01 (Pilot)

Comic-book fans have been crying out for a female-led super-hero franchise for some time with Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, and Black Widow among the names being thrown around for promotion to a starring role. While each and every one of those potential films have faced struggles and delays during their journey to the screen, CBS's new TV series Supergirl has come together relatively quickly. Beginning development in September of 2014, the show is now airing on screens around the world just over a year later: but is it worth your time? Having made it's debut with a trailer reminiscent to an SNL sketch about the misinterpretation of female super heroes, many assumed the show would be terrible - perhaps only marginally better than the much maligned 1984 film starring Faye Dunaway. With that in mind it's quite a pleasant surprise that Supergirl has started off relatively strong, with a pilot episode arguably better than recent episodes of the CW's Arrow in terms of entertainment value.

This episode sets up what this series is going to be very efficiently setting up both a likeable main cast and an overarching antagonist. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about this pilot was that it was a little formulaic and didn't really break any new ground in terms of what these DC super-hero shows are doing. Sure, the protagonist is a woman instead of a man but outside of that the same procedural 'monster of the week' structure that's been the norm since Smallville began in 2001 is still in use here, while the CW-esque melodrama also remains a prominent device. I don't criticize Supergirl too heavily for using these familiar practices as this is network television after all, so to expect anything too edgy would be foolish. However, it does have me wondering just how many more shows can be launched adopting this same formula which audiences will surely grow tired of at some point.

Fortunately, Melissa Benoist brings a lot of fun to the titular role and her charismatic performance immediately had me on the side of Kara Danvers and her mission to help the people of National City (side note: is National City the most generic name for a city in the history of fiction? Yes. Yes, it is.) Jeremy Jordan's character Winslow "Winn" Schott is probably the most loveable member of the supporting cast at this point, although admittedly he seems to be doing little more than filling the role taken by Felicity Smoak on Arrow and Cisco Ramone on The Flash. Chyler Leigh's Alex Danvers comes a close second as her relationship with Kara is well-defined in this opening chapter, while her admission that she felt jealous of Kara's abilities felt like a very understandable human response to your parents adopting a super-powered alien.

Less memorable were the characters of James Olsen, Cat Grant and Hank Henshaw who by this episode's end still feel little more developed than the basic archetypes of helpful friend, bitchy boss and stern government man - although it will be interesting to see if this show draws at all on the latter's troubled comic-book history. That could be a cool arc to watch unfold in live-action. I don't judge Supergirl too harshly for having a few undeveloped characters as it is tough to fit everything in to one pilot, and it's likely this series will have twenty or so episodes to add some interesting elements to those characters currently lacking depth.

One thing I must praise Supergirl for is its action sequences. It's immediately clear that CBS have invested a sizeable amount of money into this show. The airplane rescue looked surprisingly convincing as did Kara's numerous leaps into flight - thank goodness special effects have progressed since the days of Smallville, or we may have had ten years of Kara running in front of a green screen instead. Additionally, the fight with Owain Yeoman's Vartox was also well choreographed even if the villain himself was rather one dimensional. Sadly, that's the case with most of the villains on these shows. The fact of the matter is that the writers on these series' have less than forty minutes to give a villain their powers, establish there goals and chronicle their demise and it simply isn't enough time to do anything truly compelling.

Still, in spite of its flaws Supergirl has already gone above and beyond my expectations. This pilot undoubtedly has problems - some of them it shares with fellow DC shows Arrow and The Flash - but there is real promise here for this series to improve over time. The supporting cast has potential although admittedly could use some development, but Benoist is a genuinely impressive lead whose fun performance will draw me back for a few weeks at least to see if this show's weaker elements can be righted. Could it be that the first successful live-action female super-hero franchise could originate from the small screen as opposed to a bigger budget film franchise? This solid pilot ensures that it's far from out of the question.

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Review: Crimson Peak

Crimson Peak has been far from a success story for Guillermo Del Toro, struggling at the US Box Office while also disappointing some of the director's most loyal fans. This whole situation is surprising to me however, as I found the film to be a very strong addition to the director's filmography: a rich, atmospheric romantic-horror which perhaps suffered from it's relative uniqueness in a market dominated by low-budget found-footage movies. Indeed, going into this film I had purposefully avoided trailers in an attempt to keep my expectations reasonable, however in interviews with the prolific director I had discovered that romance was as big a part of this film as the horror elements. This is something that I believe most mainstream movie-goers were not expecting as the first act of the film - which is essentially just a romantic drama - was not spotlighted in the trailers very heavily. Indeed, were you to arrive at the movie theater expecting non-stop scares in a house riddled with ghosts then I could perhaps understand you'd be disappointed, if only because what you got wasn't what you thought you'd be getting.

That being said, it would be unfair to criticize Crimson Peak too heavily just because the trailer was misleading, and I would encourage those people who found themselves in the situation outlined above to give the film another chance now that they know exactly what they're getting into. If you take Crimson Peak for what it is - a Gothic romance first and a horror film second - then you may well get more out of the film than you did upon first viewing. But I digress. This is supposed to be a review, not a sales pitch after all.

Crimson Peak tells the compelling story of Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska), a woman struck by tragedy at a young age and literally haunted by it for many years afterwards. Struggling to make her own path in life in a world which seems poised against her, things begin looking up for Edith when the dashing Sir Thomas Sharpe enters her life and offers her all the love and support she's failed to find elsewhere. Of course, things aren't as they seem and the menacing presence of Sharpe's sister Lucille (wonderfully portrayed by Jessica Chastain), brings an uneasy feeling to the largely horror-less first act. Indeed, while I'll admit that during these scenes I was eager for the action to move to the ominous mansion this film takes its name from, this opening act was an effective way of getting the audience to invest in the film's main cast - particularly the naive Edith who is instantly easy to sympathise with, thanks in large part to Wasikowska's innocent performance. Innocent at first that is, but as the film progresses each and every character comprising the main cast goes to interesting and unexpected places, a welcome sight given that the character's in Del Toro's previous feature Pacific Rim left something to be desired.

Although the character work on display here is impressive, it could be argued that the greatest character in the film is the mansion that sits atop Crimson Peak. Much of the house was actually built for the movie, a refreshing change of pace from the CGI practices usually found in Hollywood productions today. Thanks to the absence of a computer and the presence of some truly gifted designers, the house has a very lived-in feel to it; watching the characters walk its creaky corridors you get a real idea that the house has history. It's very easy to believe that generations of people have lived and died there and that there are likely secrets held within its wall that not even Thomas and Lucille are aware of. All this creates a film that is less scary than it is consistently atmospheric, something which ultimately I find more interesting and engaging.

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Review: Spectre

This review contains minor spoilers for 007: Spectre.

It's a shameful secret of mine that - despite being a film blogger, a british film blogger at that - I've only ever seen one James Bond film: 2012's Skyfall. As Spectre is only my second, my thoughts on this new outing for the world famous super-spy may be different to those from long-term fans of the series. Indeed, while my expectations were somewhat high following Skyfall, which was one of my favourite films of 2012, I found myself quite disappointed by this new installment. That's not to say that Spectre is bad, in fact there were many enjoyable moments, but there were simply too many flaws for the film to be considered one of the stronger entries in this long-running franchise.

For starters, let's talk about the villain played here by Christoph Waltz. Details on both himself and the criminal organisation this film is named after have been sought by fans, as both were rumored to be closely intertwined with James Bond's life. This film reveals that this is indeed the case however it simply isn't enough to turn Waltz's character into a memorable villain. In fact, I'd argue he is quite the opposite coming across as rather underdeveloped even when the credits start rolling. Perhaps this is particularly clear in the wake of Javier Bardem's turn as Raoul Silva, one of the most menacing villains I've seen in a blockbuster film in the past decade at least. Not only did Waltz come across inferior in comparison but additionally never seemed to pose a great challenge to Bond, whilst the grand plan of evil organisation Spectre never seemed to be explained in depth. Indeed, upon leaving the cinema with my friends the first thing I said was, "So what were the bad guys planning again?" They knew no better than I did. Needless to say, it's difficult to be engaged in the conflict between Bond and his antagonist when the audience is given little indication of the stakes involved.

In spite of these problems, Spectre does hold some entertainment value. Daniel Craig puts in a great performance as a weary-looking Bond (perhaps a reflection of Craig's own exhaustion with the role), and the return of well-executed one-liners and comedic moments offer some much-appreciated relief amidst a relatively gloomy atmosphere. Craig has expressed a desire to leave the Bond franchise behind, and although he is contractually obligated to do one more installment, Spectre does feel like the natural end to his run given how it pulls together plot threads from Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. Waltz does the best he can with what he's given although as we've already discussed his character Franz Oberhauser leaves something to be desired, and the rest of the cast particularly Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Whishaw are all on top form as Bond staples Moneypenny, M and Q. Former wrestler and Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista is perhaps the weakest member of the ensemble, given little to do besides look angry and punch Daniel Craig. I understand that silent muscly henchman are a Bond tradition but the lack of substance and charisma to Bautista's character made his scenes less engaging than others, and I wonder if it would have been wise to reduce the character's role to allow more time to develop Waltz's main villain.

Of course another trademark of the Bond franchise is the casting of beautiful woman for the titular character to seduce. In this movie however, things on this front came across very dated. Indeed, this film pulls the audience in with the illusion of progression. The first woman Bond seduces is one his own age which is a turn-up for the books and indeed Monica Bellucci's character shows much potential as the events of the opening scene leave her life in grave danger. It is a great shame then that she is soon abandoned for a younger model (twenty years younger to be specific), in the form of Lea Seydoux's Madeleine Swann. Although all hope is not lost immediately as after being forced to join Bond, Swann quickly makes it clear she has no intention of sleeping with the spy and can handle herself without his slightly patronising lessons. This too is a refreshing level of competence for a female character in the Bond franchise, but again this too is soon thrown out as by the end of the film Swann does indeed succumb to Bond's charms and becomes little more than a damsel in distress in the film's final act. This not only contradicts the character traits the film itself established in Swann's first appearance, but also seems to highlight the outdated views this franchise holds when it comes to female characters.

However, the aforementioned strong performances and effective comedy moments do strengthen this film's weaker aspects, while the action sequences are as grand as you would expect from the 007 series. Indeed, from the beginning Bond is involved in some of the most ambitious action scenes I've seen this year, and so fans who may have felt Skyfall was somewhat light on action will be surely better served here. Ultimately, I didn't dislike Spectre, but likewise I didn't find myself overly enamored by it. The antagonists were forgettable and their plan unclear, while the series has begun to show its age in some places. That being said, there are just enough entertaining moments to fill the film's lengthy two and a half hour runtime, although its true that you may occasionally be looking at your watch and wondering how long is left until the credits start rolling.

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Box Office: Jem, Kasbah and Witch Hunter (Everything Flops)

It was a terrible week at the US box office, as not a single one of the four new releases were able to make an impact on audiences. This lack of competition allowed Ridley Scott and Matt Damon's science fiction drama The Martian to regain the number one spot, after it was dethroned last week by Jack Black's Goosebumps (which this week slips to number two). The closest any newcomer came to threatening the top three was Vin Diesel's The Last Witch Hunter, that being said it was still some way away. Coming in at number four, the critically panned fantasy action film managed to make just $10.8 million over the weekend, a figure less impressive than even the harshest of estimates. It seems that Diesel simply isn't a box office draw outside of the Fast and Furious franchise, although perhaps further involvement in Marvel Studios projects (he is rumored to have a role in the upcoming Inhumans movie, along with his CGI role in Guardians of the Galaxy) could work to boost his profile among audiences.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension also under-performed bringing in far less than the previous installment, however that is due to the experimental method of distribution Paramount has used to bring this film to the screen. Indeed, the film studio has made an agreement with movie theaters that when the film is playing in less than 300 locations it will be made available on VOD services. A portion of the profits of any VOD sales made within ninety days of the film's theatrical release will be shared with participating venues, however this plan is already showing some growing pains as Paramount likely didn't expect the film to open in so few theaters to begin with. Potentially, this means a wider space of time where Paramount's VOD profits will be eaten into by theaters wanting their share, something which could hurt Paranormal Activity's overall takings. Although it should be remembered that the film has a miniscule budget and so should be able to turn a profit nonetheless, it may just mean that this franchise goes out with a whimper rather than a bang as The Ghost Dimension is allegedly the final entry in the series.

Was this the trailer that killed Jem and the Holograms?

If it was a bad week for Vin Diesel and the Paranormal Activity franchise, the it was a truly awful week for Bill Murray and Jem and the Holograms fans. Rock the Kasbah and Jem and the Holograms had similarly terrible debuts bringing in $1.4 million and $1.3 million respectively. This makes them two of the worst openings of all time for a studio picture opening in more than 2,000 theaters. What was the cause of this embarrassment? Well, Jem and the Holograms was surrounded by bad press from the start with the first trailer being utterly ripped apart by fans of the of the original Holograms series. A large number of negative reviews would have done nothing to change people's minds, meaning this debut is perhaps not surprising. Presumably it was negative reviews that also took down Bill Murray's Rock the Kasbah as the actor's previous starring role seemed to suggest he still had some box office prowess (2014's St. Vincent which performed relatively well). Perhaps the only comfort here is that neither film had a particularly large budget and so even with these paltry debuts, likely won't put too much financial strain on their respective studios.

Here's this week's top ten in full:

1. (2) The Martian - $15.7 million

2. (1) Goosebumps - $15.5 million

3. (3) Bridge of Spies - $11.3 million

4. (-) The Last Witch Hunter - $10.8 million

5. (5) Hotel Transylvania 2 - $8.8 million

6. (-) Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension - $8 million

7. (11) Steve Jobs - $7.1 million

8. (4) Crimson Peak - $5.6 million

9. (7) The Intern - $3.7 million

10. (8) Sicario - $2.8 million

Source

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Watch: Star Wars: The Force Awakens - The Final Trailer

The hype surrounding Star Wars: The Force Awakens is reaching insane levels, leading me to believe that if this movie ends up disappointing fans, there may be genuine risk of riots in the street. Fortunately, the film currently looks set to deliver with accomplished sci-fi director JJ Abrams at the helm and Return of the Jedi screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan reprising his duties once again. The final trailer for the film was released yesterday and shows once again the impressive mix of old and new that The Force Awakens has to offer. Fans can see more of original trilogy favourites Han Solo, Chewbacca and even a short glimpse of Carrie Fisher's Princess Leia. But it's the new cast members that really take center stage here, with Daisy Ridley and John Boyega getting the most screen-time.


The film is set to open on the 18th December 2015, with tickets now on sale for the first screenings.

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Box Office: Why Crimson Peak Just Flopped

In spite of a loyal fanbase that follows him from project-to-project and avidly defends even his weakest work, Guillermo Del Toro seems to be a director who simply can't strike a chord with mainstream audiences. This unfortunate fact really hits home when you take a look at the opening numbers of Del Toro's new release Crimson Peak, as the $55 million film brought in a meagre $12.8 million over the weekend. This of course isn't hugely surprising, given that Del Toro's recent directing gigs Pacific Rim and Hellboy II also underperformed at the box office in such a way that has left both franchises in dangerous territory.

Indeed, to the relief of fans across the world a sequel to Pacific Rim was greenlit back in 2014, however just last month the film was pulled from Universal's release calendar with many speculating that the project is shaping up to be too expensive after the first film only barely turned a profit. Meanwhile, star Ron Perlman has been aggressively campaigning for a third Hellboy film for some time now, but after the underwhelming haul of the second instalment combined with Crimson Peak adding another box office disappointment to Del Toro's filmography, Perlman's much-desired sequel seems further away than ever before.

There were other indicators that Crimson Peak might not have been the box office win that Del Toro arguably needs to keep himself credible to studio executives. Most notably, Del Toro himself admitted that the film is 'harder to market' than other recent horror features and it was because of this that the director took a 30% pay cut in order to get the film made. Speaking of the largely dormant gothic romance genre that Peak falls into, Del Toro told Little White Lies magazine:

It's a very cagey genre because if you go expecting pure romance, there's a lot of human and emotional darkness in it. But if you go expecting a straight horror movie, it's more atmospheric than it is purely scary. It's a genre that is harder to market.

The 'cagey' nature of the gothic romance genre may have played havoc with audience expectations, and could have been the reason for the film's B- CinemaScore - for those unaware, the strange grading system used by the polling service essentially deems anything lower than an A as poor.

Then there was the competition: namely Goosebumps. While seemingly a film for younger audiences, the Jack Black horror comedy could have drawn people away from Del Toro's darker offering as many adults grew up reading R. L. Stine's popular series of horror stories. Perhaps this is also an indication that after hitting a slump with the critical and commercial flops Gulliver's Travels and The Big Year, audiences are finally ready to once again embrace Jack Black, who not only bested Peak stars Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska but also one of Hollywood's brightest stars as Tom Hanks' Bridge of Spies settled for number three.

Things look bleak for the gothic horror moving forward, with competition from Vin Diesel's The Last Witch Hunter and the final Paranormal Activity film just a week away. Perhaps international sales could give the film a boost as was the case with Del Toro's last film Pacific Rim, but that is far from a sure bet.

Elsewhere at the box office, the aforementioned Goosebumps took the top spot with $23.5 million in ticket sales knocking Ridley Scott's The Martian to number two after a fortnight in the top spot. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks latest collaboration Bridge of Spies debuted slightly lower than expected but due to it's likelihood of awards recognition should turnover a solid profit by the end of its run. In its second week, Pan saw a drop of 61% all but confirming its 'box office flop' status. The Steve Jobs biopic simply titled Steve Jobs expanded to 60 locations sending it surging up the chart to number eleven with a solid per theater average of $25,833. In comparison, the debut of Idris Elba's controversial drama Beasts of No Nation seems underwhelming as the film's per theater average was a mere $1,635; however its worth remembering that having been simultaneously released on Netflix the film may have been seen by more people than these figures would suggest.

Here's the top ten in full:

1. (-) Goosebumps - $23.5 million
2. (1) The Martian - $21.5 million
3. (-) Bridge of Spies - $15.3 million
4. (-) Crimson Peak - $12.8 million
5. (2) Hotel Transylvania 2 - $12.2 million
6. (3) Pan - $5.8 million
7. (4) The Intern - $5.4 million
8. (5) Sicario - $4.5 million
9. (-) Woodlawn - $4.1 million
10. (6) The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials - $2.7 million

Source

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The Complete Guide to 2016 Movies: Release Date Set for TEN Book

Twenty six thousand words later, The Entertainment Network's first book is finally on its way to release. Written by TEN founder David Craig, the book is currently expected to be made available on Amazon and other online retailers on the 26th October. Release in brick and mortar stores may follow. The official description of The Complete Guide to 2016 Movies can be found below:

The Complete Guide to 2016 Movies: Volume 1 is the ultimate resource for film fans. Within its pages are details on every major studio film hitting cinemas between January 2016 and June 2016, with speculation as to whether each movie should be on your radar or approached with caution. But that's not all: the guide also offers fascinating details on the production of these movies, and their likelihood of box office success. Laid out in chronological order of release, the guide will be your go-to source for information before heading to the cinema to see the latest features.

 The book has been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun to produce and we're hoping that people enjoy learning about the movies that 2016 has to offer. As the description reveals, volume one covers every major studio release hitting theaters between January 2016 and June 2016, with a second volume covering the movies heading to cinemas from July 2016 to December coming in the Spring.

The Complete Guide to 2016 Movies: Volume 1

Format: Paperback

Size: 5.25" x 8"

Pagecount: 108

Author: David Craig

Price: £4.99 (UK), €6.50 (EUR), $7.50 (USA)

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Indie Comic Spotlight: Our Friend Satan

When I first heard about Our Friend Satan I was a little sceptical. The upcoming graphic novel, which follows a downtrodden Satan as he attempts to turn his life around by suing the Pope for defamation, seemed like a hard sell at first. After all, many creators have tried to put a new spin on the Devil and many have fallen short; however, this project currently being put together by a group of comic creators led by Dominik L. Marzec looks like it may well end up succeeding where so many others have failed. While the subject matter is potentially inflammatory - exploring a world where the Pope is something of an evil mastermind who has been spreading negative propaganda about Satan for many years - a quick glance at the seventeen page preview currently available on the book's website makes it abundantly clear that this story is being told in a wholly tongue-in-cheek manner. Indeed, Our Friend Satan looks like it could be a lot of fun, successfully adopting the same comedic techniques as recent mainstream comics such as Superior Foes of Spider-Man and Howard the Duck to great effect.

Additionally, judging from the aforementioned preview Marzec and co. could well succeed in making Satan - dare I say it - likeable?!  Reading the first few pages of this graphic novel left me fondly recalling a TV show I used to watch made by the CW, titled Reaper. For those unaware, the show followed the adventures of young slacker Sam Oliver who finds out on his 21st birthday that his parents sold his soul to the devil. Sam then is forced to become a reaper, tracking down escaped souls and taking them back to hell. What does all this have to do with Our Friend Satan? Well, in Reaper the Devil is played by Twin Peaks star Ray Wise in what is quite possibly the best performance of his career. As wrong as it seems to say this, Wise really does bring a certain charisma and humour to Satan which does make him strangely likeable. Reaper was sadly cancelled quite prematurely after just two short seasons, but I see remnants of that fantastic show in projects such as this one which makes me optimistic that this book could well end up being a gem.

It's clear that a great amount of effort and passion has been channelled into the creation of this graphic novel, which is evident in the fascinatingly distorted world that has been created wherein a sinister pope lives on a Vatican-themed space station, and the Anti-Christ simply wants to eat spaghetti and watch the Germany game in his slippers. The artwork is also very impressive; the detailed pages put together by Marzec and artists Lukas Lalko and Michael Murawski are a treat to look at, effectively creating comedic scenes whilst also being able to take a more sinister direction when the narrative requires it.

Our Friend Satan is at the time of writing reaching the end of it's Kickstarter campaign, and has fortunately reached its goal. However, with four days left to contribute you may still want to show your support for this project if it sounds like something you'd be interested in. The folks behind this book have a number of stretch goals that I'm sure they'd love to reach, including producing a hardcover edition and even starting work on a second and third instalment in Satan's story. There are also a number of awesome rewards for contributors such as T-Shirts, some (hilarious) posters, and even the chance to be drawn into the comic! The indie comics scene continues to grow from strength to strength, and it's thanks to original ideas such as Our Friend Satan that more and more people are choosing to take a chance on smaller books. We'll be watching this title very closely in the coming months, and if you like fun (if slightly insane) comics, then you should do too!

My favourite poster by the folks at Our Friend Satan

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TEN to Publish First Book

We'd like to take this moment to apologise to any followers for the lack of updates to our site recently, but rest assured it's for good reason. I'm David Craig writer for The Entertainment Network, and I'm excited to announce that we intend to publish our first book before the end of the year. It's hard to give concrete details, because as my Politics teacher once told me there are no certainties in life, but if all goes to plan our first book will be published no later than this October.

10,000 words in, and still nowhere near close to finishing. All I can say is that the book is (unsurprisingly) about films. For further details keep your eyes peeled on TEN's Facebook page and Twitter account as more announcements are on the way.

-- David Craig
Founder of The Entertainment Network

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Vacation Flops Hard, Mission: Impossible Wins Big | Box Office Report

On this week's Box Office Report, David discusses Ed Helms new Vacation film and just how badly it flopped! Also, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation becomes a much-needed win for Tom Cruise, while Paper Towns, Terminator Genisys and Adam Sandler's Pixels continue to underwhelm.

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Jena Malone is Batgirl in Batman v Superman?!

The upcoming Batman v Superman film is already one of the most anticipated of next year, but the folks over at Latino Review may have just ramped up the hype even further. This is thanks to a rumour they published which claims that Jena Malone, whose character in Batman v Superman has not been officially revealed, will be portraying Barbara Gordon aka Batgirl.

The actress, best known for her role in the Hunger Games films, has previously been rumoured to be playing the Robin to Ben Affleck's Batman, however this rumour seems to suggest that isn't the case. The character of Barbara Gordon has a very rich history; she takes to the streets as Batgirl for many years, and then after she is tragically paralysed by the Joker in the Killing Joke storyline, takes on the mantle of Oracle (a genius computer hacker). This is a story arc that we could potentially see translated onto the big screen in DC's new cinematic universe.

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What are your thoughts on this news? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Channing Tatum Leaves Gambit?! Night Nurse in Doctor Strange?! Jurassic World 2 First Details

In the second episode of TEN's Weekly Round-Up, our top stories are: Jurassic World 2 has been officially announced with first details being whose on-board for the sequel! Also, a heck of a lot of comic-book movie news including Channing Tatum leaving Gambit, Chris Pine joining Wonder Woman and Night Nurse popping up in Doctor Strange?! Plus, this week's new releases Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Vacation starring Ed Helms! It's been a busy week!

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Chris Pine Officially Joins Wonder Woman

After being in negotiations for some time, the news broke earlier today that Chris Pine has officially joined the upcoming Wonder Woman solo movie in the role of Steve Trevor. Trevor has been a big part of many Wonder Woman stories since the Amazonian character debuted back in 1941, however recently the character was given a new lease of life in DC's rebooted New 52 comic-book universe.

In the New 52, Trevor was given a much more integral role than he'd seen in some time and the movie interpretation of the character will likely be based on this incarnation. This casting is fantastic news for Chris Pine, who is coming off a string of box office disappointments that includes Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Horrible Bosses 2 and even Star Trek Into Darkness to some extent. A role in this high profile property should help Pine get his career back on track, while also acting as a safety net for him as the role of Steve Trevor will likely land him parts in multiple DC movies.

Wonder Woman is being directed by Patty Jenkins, who also directed the Oscar-winning film Monster starring Charlize Theron, and will be released in 2017.

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Rumour: Channing Tatum to Leave Gambit?!

A shocking rumour surfaced earlier today as a report published on TheWrap suggested that Channing Tatum was planning to leave the upcoming Gambit movie that he has been attached to for many months now. While it should be stressed that this is a rumour and has not been confirmed by any credible source at the time of writing, if this is true it could be a damning loss for the upcoming spin-off film.

Gambit was planning to start shooting this October and so Tatum's potential drop-out is coming very late in the game. Additionally, if this rumour is to be believed it's a rather surprising decision for the actor to make after he has publicly displayed much enthusiasm for playing the character since being confirmed for the role. At the time of writing, neither 20th Century Fox, nor Tatum's representatives have given comment.

Tatum's casting received a mixed reaction from fans, with this reporter being undecided as to whether or not he's a good fit for the role. TEN will update this story as it develops.

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Rosario Dawson Isn't Night Nurse, Character May Debut in Doctor Strange

At this year's Television Critics Association, Daredevil showrunner Steven DeKnight revealed some arguably quite disappointing news about Rosario Dawson's character in the popular Netflix series. While it had been assumed by many fans that Dawson was playing the Marvel Cinematic Universe interpretation of comic-book character Night Nurse, this appears not to be the case.

Indeed, DeKnight revealed that while Dawson's character Claire Temple was originally intended to be Night Nurse, this decision was blocked by Marvel's feature film branch who DeKnight explains, "had plans for her down the road." This has led many to speculate that the character may appear in the upcoming Doctor Strange film starring Benedict Cumberbatch, as Strange and Night Nurse have crossed paths on numerous occasions in the comics.

Meanwhile, it is no secret that Marvel Studios have been in talks with Rachel McAdams in recent weeks as they wish for her to take the female lead in Strange's cinematic debut. Could it be that McAdams will be playing the Night Nurse role originally intended for Rosario Dawson?

Personally, I find this news a little disappointing. In my opinion, Rosario Dawson is a superior actor to McAdams, and I would have loved to see her crossover into the Marvel movies. Not only would this lead to her character getting more exposure, but also it would be a clear sign of Marvel trying to integrate their Netflix series' into the wider universe they have created. With this reveal, it seems like quite the opposite has happened and that Dawson has effectively been sidelined.

Still, it is important to remember that this is all rumour and speculation at the moment, and there's still a good chance that Night Nurse won't appear in the upcoming Doctor Strange film. Plus, there is some good news for Daredevil fans as Rosario Dawson has been confirmed to be returning for Daredevil: Season 2, which will première sometime next year. Meanwhile, Doctor Strange will hit theatres on November 4th 2016; the film will be directed by Sinister's Scott Derrickson and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tilda Swinton.

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Box Office Report: Pixels Bombs, Ant-Man Stands Tall

The long-awaited second season of The Entertainment Network's Box Office Report is finally here, and the season première can be watched right now! Embedded below is the latest episode which talks all about Ant-Man's second week at number one, Pixels being a box office flop, and Paper Towns and Terminator Genisys being big disappointments...

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Jurassic World 2 Announced: Pratt and Howard to Return

On Thursday, to the surprise of literally no one, Universal Studios announced that they were working on a sequel to this summer's mega-hit Jurassic World. The film as now made over $1.5 billion worldwide making it the third highest-grossing film of all time, recently surpassing 2012's The Avengers.

No plot details have been released as of yet, but both Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have been confirmed as returning for the fifth instalment of the franchise. Colin Trevorrow, who directed Jurassic World has said on numerous occasions that he would not direct a sequel and so far he seems to be sticking to his word. However, Trevorrow will still be involved in the production of the new film, as he is currently penning the script with writing partner Derek Connolly.

The Jurassic World sequel has been slated for release on June 22nd 2018, meaning it could face opposition from similar monster flick Godzilla 2 which will be released two weeks before.

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What are your thoughts on Jurassic World and its upcoming sequel? Let us know in the comments section!

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Weekly Round-Up: Ant-Man/Jurassic World Box Office, Pixels Sucks

This week, The Entertainment Network debuts its latest web-show: The Weekly Round-Up. This show, which will be produced every Friday will be a quick catch-up on the biggest news stories of the week in the world of entertainment.

This week, Ant-Man's reviews and box office performance are discussed. Also on this week's episode you can find the latest news about Jurassic World's record breaking box office run, and find out just how bad Adam Sandler's Pixels really is.

The video is embedded below if you want to give it a try (we hope you do!), also below is a transcription of the episode.

Let us know any feedback you have on our new show in the comments section!
TRANSCRIPTION:

What’s up folks, it’s me David and this is The Entertainment Network’s weekly round-up, a place for you to catch-up on the week in entertainment.

Let’s kick things off this week with Ant-Man, the Marvel film that was in development hell for years finally saw a release this week, and according to review aggregate site Metacritic has had generally positive reviews. Thank. Goodness.

The film had been the subject of much concern ever since fan-favourite director Edgar Wright – the man behind such films as Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – left Marvel Studios and the Ant-Man project after working on it for eleven years blaming “differences in their vision of the film.” This led to many assuming that corporate interference was going to ruin Ant-Man in the same way it ruined Spider-Man 3, the Amazing Spider-Man 2, and many other projects that don’t feature Spider-Man in the title role.

Fortunately, this appears not to be the case; while the film hasn’t pleased everyone and certainly has its critics, the majority of fans seem to agree that it’s a solid super-hero movie, myself included. In fact, last week on The Entertainment Network’s website I wrote a review of Ant-Man and assigned it a score of 8.2/10. I’ll put a link to my review in the video description if you have any interest in reading what I have to say, which quite frankly you may well not and I don’t blame you for a second.

Despite a reasonable amount of good press, Ant-Man’s box office performance was considered sub-par for a Marvel Studios film. Opening with a domestic weekend haul of $58 million, Ant-Man was Marvel’s lowest opening since The Incredible Hulk came out in 2008. But, that’s not to say that the film flopped; in fact, with international totals factored in it’s already made much of its budget back and will almost definitely turn a profit – the real question is just how much profit the film will make, and will that be enough to warrant the sequel that many fans are already crying out for?

In-keeping with the film finance theme, earlier this week Jurassic World became the third highest grossing film of all time taking the place that had previously been held by the first Avengers film. Jurassic World has now made over $1.5 billion, and is outdone only by the two James Cameron juggernauts Titanic and Avatar. It seems very unlikely that Jurassic World will come close to dethroning either of Cameron’s epics, but in this case third place is still a huge achievement. Jurassic World has had a generally positive reception from fans, however it has polarised some people with the film’s critics pointing to its dodgy CGI, unbelievably illogical plot developments, and sexist undertones. However, judging from these numbers it appears the majority of fans were pleased by Jurassic World and I’d be very surprised if we don’t see a sequel fast-tracked very soon.

This continues what has been a fantastic year for Universal. This is the film studio’s second billion-dollar film of the year after Furious 7 crossed the billion-dollar mark back in April.

Hitting cinemas in the United States this week, we have Paper Towns – the adaptation of John Green’s young adult novel. The last John Green adaptation, 2014’s the Fault in Our Stars was a big box office performer, and the folks at Fox 2000 will be watching closely to see if Green’s fans can create another success as they just signed a “first look” deal with the high-profile author.

Also out this week is boxing feature Southpaw; hot off the critical acclaim received by his last film Nightcrawler, Jake Gyllenhaal takes the lead role here as a successful boxer struck by misfortune who makes it his mission to redeem himself in the eyes of his loved ones. Having received mixed reviews so far it’s tough to say whether Southpaw will please anyone but Gyllenhaal’s most-dedicated fans.

Finally, the only other wide release of the week is Adam Sandler’s Pixels. I foolishly believed the film could be a return to form for the actor, given that it’s coming from the director of the first two Harry Potter films, it stars some good actors in the form of Peter Dinklage, Brian Cox and Jane Krakowski, and the trailer generated some serious buzz earlier this year. Sadly, it seems I was wrong; the reviews that have come in so far have been almost universally negative, landing the film with a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 19% at the time of writing.

That’s your round-up for this week, thank you so much for watching. I hope you’ll come back next week for another round-up and also be sure to like the video, subscribe to this channel and let me know your thoughts on this week’s top stories in the comments section below!

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Review: Ant-Man

After years in development hell, Ant-Man finally hit cinema screens across the world last week. Not without its fair share of behind-the-scenes dramas, expectations were relatively low across the board for the film that is arguably Marvel Studios' biggest gamble to date. With that in mind, I think things turned out remarkably well; while Ant-Man is by no means perfect, it is a very enjoyable blockbuster flick and one that I'd love to see a sequel to before Avengers: Infinity War Part I hits in 2018.

Ant-Man follows the story of the (kind of) reformed criminal Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who is attempting to rebuild his life after being released from prison. This proves to be harder than first thought after he is dragged into an astonishing conflict by genius inventor Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his estranged daughter Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly). Together they must stop the villainous Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) from putting the dangerous Ant-Man technology into the hands of the evil organisation, Hydra!

The plot is by no means complex but it is very entertaining to watch play out. This is in part due to a fun script that was re-written by Rudd and his long-time writing partner Adam McKay, and is unsurprisingly full of funny moments as a result. Of course some of the jokes do fall a bit flat, but the majority of them land well - particularly the punchlines delivered by Michael Pena who puts in a charming and energetic performance.

In the run-up to the film's release, those involved in making Ant-Man had said that father-daughter relationships play a large role in the film, and I'm relieved to say they are handled relatively well. There are occasional moments of awkwardness, seemingly due to the fact that this film is only truly comfortable when focusing on comedy, and as a result doesn't let things get serious for very long. This isn't a terrible trait to have, but it does lead to some jarring transitions from drama back to comedy, and prevents the emotional stakes from getting too high.

On the upside, one of my biggest concerns about this film - the ageing-down of Scott Lang's daughter Cassie - who in the comics is a teenager and super-hero in her own right - was fortunately unfounded; the seven year-old Abby Ryder Fortson puts in a surprisingly strong performance. During a time when genuinely good child actors seem to be in short supply, it's always a nice surprise when a talented and charismatic young actor comes along.

That charisma also extends to the adult cast with Rudd, Lilly and Douglas all putting in memorable performances and the aforementioned Michael Pena very nearly stealing the show as Luis, the crook with a heart of gold. Corey Stoll puts in a solid performance as Darren Cross; while the character does seem a little two-dimensional, he is far more memorable than other recent Marvel villains Ronan the Accuser and Thor: the Dark World's Malekith.


Peyton Reed had some big shoes to fill after fan-favourite director Edgar Wright left the Ant-Man project in one of Marvel's biggest controversies to date. Fortunately, I feel Reed has succeeded in pulling Ant-Man back from the brink of disaster. While Reed lacks the distinctive style of Edgar Wright, he still constructs a memorable film in Ant Man, with the several Wright-esque moments paying tribute to the man who spent so many years developing this film.

Ultimately, I found Ant-Man to be a very enjoyable palate cleanser between the action-heavy Avengers: Age of Ultron and the upcoming all-star Captain America: Civil War. The smaller scale of the story helps make things more character driven, with the script finding time to establish both the main cast and supporting players, while leaving doors open for future movies in classic Marvel Studios style. Upon leaving the cinema after seeing Ant-Man, all I could think about was how I wanted to see these characters in action again - a sign that in spite of its flaws, Ant-Man has successfully established one of Marvel's stranger characters in their ever-growing cinematic universe.

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Ant Man Post-Credits Scenes: Explanation and Speculation (Spoilers)

After many years in development, Ant-Man finally hit cinema screens last week, and with it came not one but two after credits scenes. Both scenes are exciting glimpses into the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and definitely worth sticking around for...

The Mid-Credits Scene

The mid-credits scene was essentially spoiled by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige in the lead-up to the release of Ant-Man, and so as a result it may have lost some of the impact it could have had. That being said, it's still a very exciting first look at one of Marvel's most important characters finally getting her big screen debut: the Wasp. We saw a brief look at the original Wasp, Janet van Dyne about mid-way through the movie. But the Wasp costume revealed in this scene seems to be the one Marvel will be running with going forward.

The scene sees Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) explaining to daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly), that the suit is a yet-to-be perfected prototype that was originally made with her mother in mind. When considered that Hope had been pleading to be let loose in the Ant-suit for almost the entire movie, it only makes sense that the Wasp mantle should be passed to her. The new and improved Wasp suit looked very faithful to the comic-book character, and upon seeing it Hope smiles and says, "It's about damn time." I share her sentiment exactly, and I'm sure many other Marvel fans do as well. It would have been awesome to see Hope in the Wasp suit in this film, and it's a great shame that we likely won't see the Wasp in action now for quite some time - Feige recently explained that the character doesn't appear in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War.

When we will see Lilly as the Wasp is hard to guess, but Evangeline Lilly has signed a multi-picture deal (as is standard for all stars of a Marvel movie), and so you can assume that we'll see her by the time Infinity War Part I rolls round at the very latest.

The Post-Credits Scene

The post-credits scene was actually taken directly from Captain America: Civil War, rather than being made specifically for Ant-Man. The scene sees Captain America and Falcon in an abandoned warehouse, where they have found Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier stuck in some kind of vice. They discuss what to do with him, at which point "the accords" are brought up but left suitably ambiguous. Finally, in the last seconds of the scene Falcon says: "I know a guy." The guy being referenced is presumably Paul Rudd's Ant-Man as we know the character has a role in Civil War, not to mention that Ant-Man and Falcon had a pretty awesome first encounter during the Ant-Man film.

From this scene we can assume that Ant-Man will probably be taking Cap's side during the Civil War conflict. Hank Pym shows disdain for Tony Stark multiple times during Ant-Man, and so may well advise Scott to side with Steve Rogers instead. Additionally, Cap and Falcon mention in the post-credits scene that they "can't go to Tony," suggesting that by this point in the film the team has already split in two.

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Let us know what your thoughts were on these after credits scenes, as well as the Ant-Man movie as a whole in the comments section below!

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Suicide Squad Trailer Officially Released

For a while there it seemed like Warner Bros. weren't going to release their SDCC Suicide Squad trailer to the general public, especially when considered that at last year's convention they didn't give us a look at the Batman v Superman trailer they showed until many months later. This year however, the company seems to be using a different strategy and have officially released the trailer on their YouTube page.

I put this down to two reasons; the first is the almost universally positive response to the new Batman v Superman trailer may have spurred DC to strike while the iron's hot. Additionally, there were so many low-quality leaks of the Suicide Squad trailer flying around the Internet, that Warner Bros. probably thought if people are going to watch this trailer, it may as well be in HD.

The trailer - embedded below - is in my opinion not quite as exciting as the Batman v Superman trailer, but the film does look solid nonetheless. Featuring our first glimpse of Jared Leto's Joker, and the rest of the squad in action this trailer is sure to get people talking. Having already hit nine million views in less than 24 hours, the fan interest in this property seems undeniably strong, and has led to many claiming that Warner Bros have 'won' this year's convention.


Now I'm left hoping that the Deadpool trailer will also be released because I hear that was meant to be pretty darn impressive as well.
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Let us know your thoughts on the Suicide Squad trailer in the comments section below!

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Watch: Batman v Superman - San Diego Comic-Con Trailer

It's quite likely that you've already seen this trailer multiple times, but I wanted to post it here on The Entertainment Network anyway as I find myself genuinely impressed by it. When it comes to the Marvel vs DC debate I tend not to pick a side, preferring to enjoy the fruits of both publisher. That being said, I have to say I have enjoyed the Marvel movies of the past few years much more so than I have any of DC's offerings. Judging from this trailer though, that could very well change.

While I though Man of Steel was a solid if unremarkable movie, my faith in Zack Snyder is somewhat minimal due to his past disappointments (most notable among them for me being Watchmen). This trailer doesn't necessarily change that. After all, the reason Man of Steel became so divisive is because hype levels became unreasonably high after seeing the trailers. But, this trailer does make me optimistic that this could well be Snyder's best film to date.

Featuring our first glimpse of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, as well as looks at the new Batmobile and Jesse Eisenberg in action as Lex Luthor, this trailer has satisfied comic-book fans the world over - something reflected in the way it's passed 20 million YouTube hits in just two days. My only concern is that we may well have seen everything from the movie by the time it's actually released. Keep in mind, Batman v Superman is still over eight months away and yet already we've seen two trailers from the upcoming flick. By March, I worry we'll have seen perhaps too many trailers (although I'm sure some would argue there is no such thing).

Be sure to check out the trailer that everyone is talking about (embedded below for your viewing pleasure), and let us know your thoughts on the upcoming movie in the comments section below:

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