Well before the wide release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, early preview reviews started rolling out and proclaiming the film to be fantastic. I was a little worried that much of the hype was overblown; that the reviewers were overlooking the movie’s flaws just because they were happy to have Spider-Man as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Granted, I had no reason to feel this way having not seen the movie, but that’s just the anxiety in me. After seeing Spider-Man: Homecoming, however, I realize just how silly this notion was.
For starters, Homecoming doesn’t get bogged down in an origin story. One of movie-goers’ biggest complaints is that the first film in every super hero series is an origin. Most often, it’s necessary to establish where the character comes from. Sometimes, a movie is directed well enough that the audience doesn’t realize they’re watching an origin. For Spider-Man: Homecoming, there’s a quick scene recapping Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) experiences in Berlin prior to his debut in Captain America: Civil War and how Tony Stark (do I even need to put “Robert Downey Jr.” here?) gave him his suit but that’s it. They make references to the spider that bit him but we never see it happen. Thankfully Marvel and Sony understood that audiences know how Peter became Spider-Man.
As a character, Spider-Man has always been about dichotomy, and Homecoming recognized that. Peter Parker is the timid, nerdy, powerless kid but he’s also the strong super hero who can do amazing things. In the movie, though, we see this power divide almost everywhere. Spider-Man wants t do more and help people on a grander scale but Tony Stark limits his abilities and keeps him grounded. Adrian Toomes, the villainous Vulture played by Michael Keaton, is a hard-working, blue-collar salvage worker whose life is threatened when a powerful government organization comes in and claims authority over his jobsite. We can understand his fear and need to do whatever he has to in order to provide for his family. (This was also a nice way to tie Homecoming into the MCU and the events that transpired in Avengers.)
Spider-Man: Homecoming also places a lot of focus on Spidey’s supporting characters. Peter’s best friend, Ned (played by Jacob Batalon, who looks more like Ganke than Ned Leeds but I digress), gets almost as much screen time as Peter himself. School bully Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) shows up often and is much more than a one-note trick than previous portrayed in the other movies. Even a character like Michelle has an abundance of screen time, but that’s to be expected when they put someone like Zendaya in that role.
All of this works to make Spider-Man: Homecoming feel like a true Spider-Man movie. Spider-Man has always been about the people around him. Seventy plus years of comics show us that Spider-Man became the hero he is because of his affection for his friends, and even his tormentors. Previous cinematic versions of Spidey never really got that ideal, or at least never expressed it as well as Homecoming did.
One of my biggest complaints about Homecoming is the way it handled Peter Parker. As the quiet, nerdy kid, Peter either gets picked on or ignored. He lives with his elderly Aunt May, who no doubt maintains her household while living on a fixed income. Peter feels that financial crisis and decides to help carry the burden. However, in Homecoming, Peter isn’t like that. Sure, he gets picked on by Flash Thompson, but overall he has a few close friendships. His peers find value in his intelligence and every time they’re disappointed by him it’s through his own actions. Even Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) is younger and prettier than her other incarnations (which the movie doesn’t hesitate to joke about), which allows her to continue to provide for herself and her teenage nephew. Peter’s life in Homecoming isn’t that bad.
Being Spider-Man, however, sure as hell seems like it. Homecoming manages to show audiences just how much it sucks to be Spider-Man. He gets yelled at by the public for making mistakes. His actions cause massive damage to the neighborhood he lives in. He puts his life on the line to take down a threat when no one else will listen to him. Why?
Clearly because “with great power comes great responsibility.” The beauty of Spider-Man: Homecoming is that we have a Spider-Man who understands Uncle Ben’s powerful message without having to beat audiences over the head with the phrase. Not once are those words uttered, but we see how much Peter values them. This all goes back to the lack of an origin story. Spider-Man knows when it’s time to do the right thing; whether it’s from the life lesson he learned off-screen from his Uncle Ben or from being mentored by Iron Man himself is irrelevant. It’s a notion that’s inherent in this version of Spider-Man.
There’s lots of things to enjoy about Spider-Man: Homecoming; all of the excellent performances of the cast, most notably by Holland and Keaton, the return of Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan in a true supporting role, and all of the small throwbacks and references the filmmakers added. Overall, what I liked about Homecoming is that this is the closest a movie version of Spider-Man has ever gotten to its comic book roots. The young Peter Parker/Spider-Man has a lot to learn, not just about being a hero but about life in general. They’re not fast forwarding through his growth but allowing audiences to experience it first-hand, which is the most exciting part of the story.
Grade: A
We’ve got a sweet mega-review for Ant-Man, Marvel’s opening act for Phase 3 of it’s Cinematic Universe and the debut adventure for Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) in the Ant-Man costume.
The basic story is that Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), the original Ant-Man, has grown old and has discovered that his former pupil, Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), is very close to replicating his secret shrinking technology. Pym then recruits former criminal Scott Lang, masterfully played by the unaging Paul Rudd, to use the Ant-Man suit to thwart Cross with the help of his estranged daughter, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly).
Read on to see how four members of the Sub-Cultured team break down the film as well as their feelings on how this stands against previous films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
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To say I entered Ant-Man with minimal expectations is putting it lightly. I wasn’t quite sure how the whole Hank Pym/Scott Lang story was going to fit in the MCU. Since announcements that Ultron would be Iron Man-created instead of the brain child of Pym, I had been feeling bitter; production issues added to the sour taste in my mouth. Luckily, Marvel has churned out another hit with the charmingly handsome Paul Rudd in the title role. Although the villain is laughably cheesy (seriously, Marvel, write your villains better), and the one female lead is frustratingly sidelined (but there’s Hope for the future), there’s still a lot of really good heart in the film.
Toss in a few cameos, and a scene stealing side character, and I was entertained enough to leave the theater grinning. Also, minus the handful of swear words, Ant-Man is definitely friendly for the whole family. But be warned, all viewers may leave with a soft spot for the ants themselves!
Leia Calderon
Editor
@ladyvader99
There were quite a few things I enjoyed about Ant-Man. The biggest feature is the focus on humor, perhaps borrowing a note from Guardians of the Galaxy and moving away from the intensity of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While I can appreciate the darker nature of Winter Soldier, I don’t believe it would’ve been a good fit for Ant-Man. I am a firm believer that humor is a better way to attract audiences and since we’re so unfamiliar with Scott Lang, it’s a wise approach to get us invested because Lang is so new to viewers.
The second most prominent feature would is been the fight scene with the Falcon. It sort of felt stuck in, but it was used quite effectively when Hydra became involved in the story and of course in the second post credits scene showing how Ant-Man is going to be drawn into Captain America: Civil War. Not only did that fight give Ant-Man an informal introduction to the rest of the Marvel franchise, it was a great demonstration for how powerful the Ant-Man suit is and helped develop another point in the plot: Hydra is coming back.
There were two things that did annoy me in Ant-Man, not that I’d refuse to see it again, but are big enough for me to mention them as problem areas. The first would be that the humor I appreciated so much during the film sometimes made characters into unflattering caricatures. I am talking mostly about the side characters Lang works with for the heist scenes and to a lesser degree Darren Cross as a villain. It’s tough to create minor or opposing characters that aren’t punch lines in some way, but it might have been nice to give them some depth beyond their respective skill sets and roles. The other, which is more pressing, is a huge lack of Hope. Aside from the generic training montage, we don’t actually get to see much of her in action and that’s disappointing. Throughout the movie we are given a first rate education on how she’s so much better at controlling ants and being in charge of the suit than Lang. It’s even a huge part in the dialogue that she’s more qualified in every way to stop Cross than Lang, but the plot and Hank Pym prevent Hope from doing so. Alas all we get is a post credits scene and the vague promise she’ll be in a future film; not even her own film.
I liked Ant-Man. I liked Paul Rudd, especially when he was wearing his hoodie. I think the cinematography was the best part of the movie. I haven’t read any Ant-Man books, but I thought that this fit well into the MCU. I wish that there had been more for Hope to do, or that she had actually been trained after her fight with Hank, instead of just agreeing to train Scott. It felt like a strong attempt for a feminist hero, but ultimately a failed one. I hope that the final scene means that the next movie will be called “Wasp” –but realistically that’s not going to happen.
Sam Wilson’s extended cameo was fan-fucking-tastic. The post-end credits scene certainly wasn’t long enough–I miss me some Bucky on the big screen. In conclusion, Bucky.
Jen Schiller
Staff Writer
@jenisaur
While Ant-Man was an enjoyable movie, in my opinion it was the worst Marvel movie to date. Hank Pym was a weaker character and not at all like the Hank Pym from the comics that I know. I would have like to see them push the envelope and show a bit more of his aggression/ego issues. Especially since he isn’t the main character. Darren Cross was incredibly flat as a character, which made him a super one dimensional villain which annoyed me and felt he could have been done significantly better.
Jeremy Harris
Contributor
Images and video courtesy of Marvel.com
I was excited to tune in to this week’s Fangasm, but would the impending drama stop me and others from continuing with the show? I thoroughly enjoyed the premiere, but in case you missed it, the show revolves around seven super fans who move to LA and intern for Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo. One of the best things about the show is that it’s non-elimination, so these seven are here to stay:
Molly McIsaac: Red-headed cosplayer with a husky voice
Paul Perkins: Adorable dude that lives in parent’s basement
Sal Fringo: Curly haired comic book enthusiast
Andrew Duvall: Tall, lanky guy who just wants to captain the Enterprise
Kristen Hackett: Blonde fashion designer from New York
Mike Reed: Relatively normal looking guy who digs everything
Dani Bullis: Petite red-head and special effects make-up artist
The goofy interns return this week and their challenge is one that would make me freak out: create a series of 30-60 second promotional videos for Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo. Andrew is also sent on a coffee run and I can’t help but feel for the guy, as his nervousness definitely strikes a chord within me. As the group reconvenes, and comes up with some solid ideas, Sal and Andrew quickly decide to break off and film several videos, ditching the others to complete the more ambitious ones in favor of a trip to the comic store. As expected, Regina was not entertained by their videos and instead dug the hilarious ones from Paul.
Back at the house, everyone feels like unwinding so Molly suggest going clubbing. The first notes of romantic interest are shown here between several of the housemates and after a bit of back and forth, a very reluctant Andrew and Sal agree to go out. Mike seems to be in his element and wastes no time in hitting the dance floor. Hilarity ensues when a glowstick/lightsaber battle breaks out and Kristen watches Paul flounder at hitting on the ladies. There is a very noticeable tension between Molly and Mike and even after he is upfront with his like for her, she seems to disregard it completely, sending him a bit of mixed signal. Morning comes and with it…a healthy dose of awkwardness. The girls are preparing for their mini podcast interview with Adrianne Curry and Molly suggests discussing how cosplay does not equal consent. Mike begins to speak up about his experiences with the topic in general as well as a male cosplayer, but Molly shuts him down quickly, even though the issue is one that effects all genders. An argument quickly breaks out, but Mike maturely apologizes.
Adrianne’s arrival has the interns nervous, except for Molly who has met the celebrity several times, yet the boys don’t believe that she knows her for some asinine reason. This idea is quickly shattered when Adrianne warmly greets Molly and the podcast gets under way. Among the cosplay questions, the girls ask Adrianne to give tips to the boys about dating and she invites Sal and Paul out on the town so she can see them in action. Her coaching encourages Sal to ‘fess up to Dani and he successfully asks her on a date.
I found the episode equally interesting as the first, and again, appreciate the attention the show gives to topics that are hot in the geek community. The fact that differing viewpoints are explored is a breath of fresh air, especially since Fangasm is technically reality television. I do wish there was less focus on the awkward and more focus on the convention and interning, but we can’t have everything can we?
Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo is November 1-3 and tickets are available here. (Psst, get 10% off by using promo code: FANGASM)
Fangasm airs Tuesdays 9c/10e and you can catch the first episode right on Syfy!
What did you think about the second episode? Tweet me your thoughts @ladyvader99 and you know what, you can tweet them to Regina herself @dialrforreggie AND at Comikaze too @stanleecomikaze.
Hot on the heels of Syfy’s Heroes of Cosplay comes a new show titled Fangasm, which follows seven super fans who move to LA and intern for Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo. One of the best things about the show is that it’s non-elimination, so these seven are here to stay (gods willing of course!).
I was hesitant to watch it, even though I adore Regina Carpinelli, one of the brains behind the convention, simply because I was worried it would be drama filled and exploitative of geek culture. Hell, it’s even marketed as “From the minds behind Jersey Shore,” and if that doesn’t scream trainwreck, well, I’m unsure what does. Anyway, the first episode brought in a staggering amount of opinions, but fan response seems to be fairly positive, with #Fangasm becoming the top trending topic on Twitter and fan response caused the Comikaze Expo website to completely crash for a few minutes!
The first episode, “Beam Me Up, Stan,” introduced us to the seven ridiculously geeky interns:
Molly McIsaac: Red-headed cosplayer with a husky voice
Paul Perkins: Adorable dude that lives in parent’s basement
Sal Fringo: Curly haired comic book enthusiast
Andrew Duvall: Tall, lanky guy who just wants to captain the Enterprise
Kristen Hackett: Blonde fashion designer from New York
Mike Reed: Relatively normal looking guy who digs everything
Dani Bullis: Petite red-head and special effects make-up artist
So who is the favorite intern? Regina says:
“They are all great kids, but Andrew has made me cry like 10 times already. However, I never play favorites; I abuse them all equally.”
Immediately, a conversation revolving around who publishes better comics, Marvel or DC, smashes geek myth that we’re quiet, timid creatures of old before Regina Skypes in a call from our Lord and Savior, Stan Lee. Each intern immediately squees and immediately sobers up with the first test from Regina for the following day: gather as many signatures as possible to establish an official holiday, Geek Pride Day. The interns retire to their swanky new digs, experience a challenge in lighting a grill, and start getting to know each other with relative ease. The next day, Dani locates a Geek Pride Party at a local bar and the group invites all their friends to the event in the hopes of snagging an ass ton of signatures. I felt my heart warm at the sight of my fellow geeks in full costume. Once the work was done and the group settled down at the bar for the cosplay show and dinner, the faces of the girls went from excited to complete disgust/disinterest as the cosplay show featured scantily clad woman dancing. Molly was particularly vocal about the performance not focusing on a celebration of geekiness, but instead exploitative of it. Andrew pointed out Molly was in a tight outfit, in essence doing the same thing, but missed the point of her frustration. Black Widow is drawn to have a skin-tight suit, so if she is to be cosplayed accurately, we’d have to don that same skin-tight suit. Iron Man doesn’t have his perfect ass cheeks hanging out, but I definitely felt that the girls got their point across effectively without sparking a huge debate or slut shaming as this is a big issue in the geek world at the moment.
I asked Regina what she thought about it and she had this to say:
“As a woman who is an executive in a male dominated world, I know a lot about being a tough chick. With that being said, there was NOTHING wrong with those dancers. Unless you can read minds, you can’t judge someones geekiness by looks and high kicks alone. That’s wrong. Anyone can be a fan, and even if those girls are not real fans, who cares. They were not saying they were some geek dance troupe, they were just girls dancing trying to make a living.”
Back at the apartment, Kristen suggest the group record a no holds barred podcast which devolved into a state of giggling and fun times, before they decide to try out the hot tub. The interns have another run in with technology as they struggle to get it working before calling it an early night. Regina is not thrilled with how the signatures are turned in but congratulated them on their effort before delegating several menial tasks for the group to complete, one of which brings them upon a flyer for a contest to meet George Takei (you guys, it’s pronounced Ta-kay). I found myself cheering for Andrew, possibly the geekiest of them all, as he fails the endurance test in order to meet one of his idols. In a surprise twist, George Takei asks to meet his roommates and I can honestly say this is the first time I’ve cried openly because of reality television. Andrew’s story was so honest and heart touching, and his reaction was so GENUINE…I wasn’t even jealous he got to meet him. I’m definitely glad this show is representing us pretty honestly so far and I don’t doubt there’ll be drama here and there, but I’m hopeful in its potential.
Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo is November 1-3 and tickets are available here. (Psst, get 10% off by using promo code: FANGASM)
Fangasm airs Tuesdays 9c/10e and you can catch the first episode right on Syfy!
What did you think about the first episode? Tweet me your thoughts @ladyvader99 and you know what, you can tweet them to Regina herself @dialrforreggie AND at Comikaze too @stanleecomikaze.
EUREKA! A word that elicits different imagery in the mind of each person that hears it spoken, the joy of discovery, the excitement in knowledge, and to a few of us geeks, a show on SciFi (I refuse to call it SyFy, That is not a thing!). This last July this show was cancelled. Oh how we raised our voices and made them heard, but alas it was not enough. A show that survived 5 seasons, too many black holes and quantum singularities to count in the end couldn’t survive the basic tenets of television dynamics. It just didn’t have the numbers. But I still miss Eureka, and if you should ever get a chance to grab a Blu ray or DVD pop that sucker in and give it a watch, here’s why.
1) There is a sense of whimsy that imbued the show with the feeling that no matter who was working on it, there was a glorification of the absurdity. While there is another show on SyFy (fine, I give in for now) Warehouse 13 that builds from a similar premise, Eureka has a sense of odd purity that not a lot of other shows had at the time. This gives almost every scene a feeling of willingness to accept the unacceptable. Stretching the bounds of the imagination each week and giving me my favorite reason to watch.
2) Another thing that drew me to the show and kept my interest for all 5 seasons was the fact that the show runners found great joy in realistic science, while many science fiction television seems at times to border on the ridiculous edges of the genre Eureka did something not many other shows were doing at the time. They kept the science fantastical but grounded in reality, sure the possibility of the things in the show actually occurring are infinitesimal but still within the realm of real science. This made the show not only fun to watch but also rather informative at times.
3) Sheriff Jack Carter: Colin Ferguson plays one of the best “Straight” characters on television, a foil to everything going on around him. Jack Carter reacts the way we would expect a rational human being to in the situations he was thrown into, with amazement and incredulity. Which you would suppose after 5 or so seasons would get a little old but when you live and work in a town like Eureka, everyone is just a time travel mishap away from a universal rewrite.
4) Eureka kept the geek in everyone satisfied Guest Stars: Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton, Stan Lee, Aaron Douglas (Chief on BSG), Some of these people got to be in the best story lines of the final few seasons. Which made Eureka something special, when the announcement that the show was going to be cancelled came down the line surprising not only those watching the show but those working on it as well. Stars like Wil Wheaton took to their favorite social networks to express their disappointment and love for the show. While this wasn’t enough to save a show that shone bright for a time and was dimmed just as quickly it gives me hope for genre specific television.
So this, all of the reasons why I miss Eureka, all of the reasons why this show was possibly too crazy to exist on television and what should you take away from it? Go watch Eureka, go watch BSG, support good genre television, there just isn’t enough of it on our TVs today.
Sam Smith
Staff Writer
samuel@ihogeek.com