Connor Macgregor Reviews...Marvel Television

Registered User

12-20-21

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Loki

Episode Two

INTRO: The mystery continues to develop as Loki faces off with his variant.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

Loki joins a Time Variance Authority (TVA) mission to the site of an attack by the fugitive variant of him in 1985 Oshkosh, Wisconsin. They find that TVA Hunter C-20 has been kidnapped, but Loki derails the mission by stalling and attempting to bargain his way into immediately meeting the Time-Keepers, who supposedly created the TVA and the Sacred Timeline. He also requests assurances that he will not be killed after the Variant is caught. TVA analyst Mobius M. Mobius realizes that Loki is lying about the Variant being nearby, so the TVA resets this branched timeline.

Back at TVA headquarters, TVA judge Ravonna Renslayer objects to Loki's involvement, but Mobius convinces her to give Loki another chance. After researching TVA files and learning of Asgard's Ragnarok,Loki theorizes that the Variant is hiding near apocalyptic events where they can go undetected by the TVA because nothing they do can change the timeline there. Loki and Mobius prove this possibility by visiting Pompeii in 79 AD, where Loki warns locals about the coming eruption of Mount Vesuvius without changing the timeline. Using a clue previously garnered from 1549 Aix-en-Provence following one of the Variant's attacks, Loki and Mobius deduce that the Variant is hiding during a hurricane in 2050 Alabama. At superstore Roxxcart's hurricane shelter, Loki, Mobius, and TVA agents are ambushed by the Variant, who uses enchantment to possess the bodies of Hunter B-15 and other locals.

While Loki engages the Variant, the other agents find a distressed C-20, who reveals she had disclosed the Time-Keepers' location. The Variant reveals themself as a female incarnation of Loki and rejects his offer to overthrow the Time-Keepers together. Instead, she activates and sends several stolen time reset charges to various locations and points along the Sacred Timeline, creating numerous new branched timelines and throwing the TVA into disarray. She teleports away, with Loki following her.

REVIEW: Episode Two begins at a renaissance fair in which events sprial out of control which call in the TVA, continuing to set up the mystery established in Episode One. Aside from that, the episode itself is pretty dull, with a lot of mundane talking scenes. That being said, the Variant out within time is laying out a big plan in motion, which attracts the TVA and Loki to arrive in apocalyptic 2050 to investigate. It is there that Loki comes face to face with his variant - A Woman! However the exchange she has with Loki makes her intentions more murky, so is she really evil? The episode ends on a cliffhanger and sets up wild shennigans to come.

RATING: 65% - B

MovieMad16

Registered User

12-20-21

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Loki

Episode Three

INTRO: Loki, meet Sylvie. Sylvie, meet Loki. There's an Apocalype on this planet. Get off. Together.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

Before Loki and the Time Variance Authority (TVA) arrive in 2050 Alabama to apprehend her, the Variant, also known as Sylvie, projects an emulated memory into her captive TVA agent, Hunter C-20, to collect information about the location of the Time-Keepers, the TVA's supposed creators. Sylvie and Loki arrive at the TVA from Alabama. She attempts to visit the Time-Keepers while he tries to apprehend her. However, TVA Judge Ravonna Renslayer appears and attacks them both. Loki uses a TemPad to teleport himself and Sylvie away.

They arrive at 2077 Lamentis-1, a moon that is about to be crushed by a planet, but neither can escape due to the TemPad having run out of power. They agree to work together because Loki has magically hidden the TemPad while only Sylvie knows how to recharge it. The two surreptitiously travel on a train bound for the ark, an evacuation spaceship, intending to use it to recharge the TemPad. However, Loki gets drunk and draws attention to himself, leading to guards fighting him and Sylvie. She follows him when he is thrown off the train and both discover that the TemPad was broken as a result. The two change their plan, traveling on foot in hopes of commandeering the ark to escape.

During the journey, Sylvie tells Loki that the TVA employees are all variants. Loki realizes that the TVA employees do not know this, as he was previously told that they were creations of the Time-Keepers. Loki and Sylvie fight their way through guards while avoiding a meteor shower trying to board the ark, but it is destroyed by a meteor before they can board it, leaving them stranded.

REVIEW: Loki and Sylvie get acquainted during an apocalypse on another planet. Its wild. Very marvel. They bond as they try to find a way to escape and return somewhat to the TVA. They board a train and they end up learning about each other, both their positives and negatives. A fight scene between the two lokis and the train crew endures which sees them fall out of the train. So they attempt to board a rocket which sets up quite a nice tracking shot at the end, with a sudden anticlimax at the end. It's another somewhat weak episode for me, as I'm still not feeling the premise and a concept I'm still struggling to engage with.

RATING: 68% - B

MovieMad16

Registered User

12-20-21

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Loki

Episode Four

INTRO: The episode takes a significant new direction as Loki & Sylvie return to the TVA.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

Many years earlier, Hunter Ravonna Renslayer of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) arrests a young Sylvie for "crimes against the Sacred Timeline" and erases her timeline from existence, but Sylvie steals Renslayer's TemPad during her trial and escapes into the timeline.

In the present, TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius asks Renslayer to see Hunter C-20, but Renslayer claims C-20 died from a mental breakdown caused by Sylvie's enchantment. In 2077, amidst the destruction of the moon Lamentis-1, a stranded Sylvie and Loki form a romantic connection, creating a unique branched timeline, a "Nexus Event" perpendicular to the Sacred Timeline, alerting the TVA, who come to rescue and arrest the pair.

Returning to headquarters, Mobius has Loki imprisoned in a time loop of a moment from his past on Asgard with Sif, wherein she attacks him and says he will always be alone. Mobius pulls Loki out to interrogate him about how the Nexus Event occurred, then mocks Loki's narcissism and falling in love with Sylvie. After Loki reveals that the TVA employees are time variants, Mobius sends him back into the time loop. Mobius later steals Renslayer's TemPad, on which he finds a recording of her interviewing a mentally sound C-20, who confirms Loki's statement. Meanwhile, a distraught Hunter B-15 brings Sylvie to 2050 Alabama and asks the latter to show her memories of her past life, having glimpsed them when Sylvie previously enchanted her, learning her own true variant nature in the process.

Mobius frees Loki, but they are confronted by Renslayer and TVA troopers. Mobius acknowledges his betrayal and variant status, leading to Renslayer ordering him to be "pruned", seemingly killing him. Renslayer takes Loki and Sylvie to the Time-Keepers, during which Sylvie asks Renslayer why she was first arrested, though Renslayer claims not to remember. The Time-Keepers order Loki and Sylvie to be deleted, but B-15 frees the pair of their restraints. Loki and Sylvie team up to fight and defeat Renslayer and the Time-Keepers' guards, though B-15 is knocked unconscious. Sylvie beheads a Time-Keeper, only to learn they are all androids. As Loki attempts to tell Sylvie about his feelings, Renslayer recovers and prunes him. Angered, Sylvie overpowers her and demands the truth about the TVA.

In a mid-credits scene, Loki awakens in another dimension and meets four other Loki variants, who ask him to join them in order to survive.

REVIEW: When sharing a romantic connection, Loki & Sylvie accidentally save themselves and end up back in the TVA. It is there that Loki tries to convince Morbius the truth of what is going on with the TVA, which does work, albeit sets upon a chain of distrust that spirals throughout the entire episode. It also somewhat confirms whether Ramona is evil or not, though not completely. Whilst the episode is slow, it does build upon the information and thus it's more engaging. There are good performances throughout, especially from Owen Wilson and Wunmi Mosaku. The final sequence is also good, with fun fights and a significant amount of character development. There's also a somewhat surprising twist ending, but a good juicy cliffhanger which makes it the best episode thus far.

RATING: 81% - A-

MovieMad16

Registered User

12-22-21

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Loki

Episode Five

INTRO: The story of Loki gets thrown upside down when Loki meets other versions of...well...Loki!

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

Time Variance Authority (TVA) Judge Ravonna Renslayer tells Sylvie that she does not know who created the TVA and that Loki was teleported to the Void, a dimension at the end of Time where everything the TVA prunes is dumped into and from which nothing has returned. They also deduce that the TVA's creator is hiding in the timeline beyond the Void, where they cannot be detected. TVA mascot Miss Minutes and Renslayer stall for time until TVA Minutemen arrive. Facing capture, Sylvie prunes herself. After interrogating an imprisoned Hunter B-15, Renslayer instructs Miss Minutes to help her find the TVA's creator.

Meanwhile, Loki learns from four time variants of himself � Alligator Loki, Boastful Loki, Classic Loki, and Kid Loki � that Alioth, a massive cloud-like creature, hunts and kills all life in the Void. Upon arriving, Sylvie briefly enchants Alioth before receiving help from former TVA member Mobius M. Mobius in escaping the creature.

Intending to rule, Boastful Loki betrays the other Lokis for a second Loki group led by President Loki. However, the Lokis betray each other, sparking a fight. Classic Loki helps Alligator Loki, Kid Loki, and Loki escape and eventually find Sylvie and Mobius. Using a TemPad Sylvie stole from Renslayer, Mobius chooses to return to the TVA and reveal the truth about the organization to its employees. He asks the Loki variants to come with him, but they stay behind.

After the variants escape, Loki attempts to distract Alioth so Sylvie can enchant it, but both fail until Classic Loki returns and creates a life size illusion of Asgard to distract Alioth, saving Sylvie and sacrificing himself in the process. Working together, Sylvie and Loki enchant Alioth, revealing a citadel beyond the Void, which they walk towards.

REVIEW: Loki is in another realm, one that exists at the end of the timeline. It really throws the series into a left field, which makes it all the more surprising. Whilst Sylvie and Ramona square off in the TVA as Sylvie presses for information on where Loki is. Sylvie then goes to formulate a plan and follows where Loki has gone. It is there that Sylvie reunites with Mobius and together they team up to find Loki. Then there are all the Loki variants. My favourites are President Loki and Alligator Loki if you're curious. Both are just so great. Then the finale of the episode deals with Alioth with Sylvie and Loki both planning to fight it. As a result, the sequence is good fun with the result seeing Sylvie open up a portal to what Alioth is protecting, which sets the stage for the final battle in the finale episode.

RATING: 83% - A-

MovieMad16

Registered User

12-23-21

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Loki

Episode Six

INTRO: The finale of Loki puts characters to the test, and sets up a chain of mishaps that spill out into the rest of Phase Four.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

Loki and Sylvie enter the Citadel at the End of Time where they are greeted by Miss Minutes. She relays an offer from her master, "He Who Remains", to return them to the Sacred Timeline, while offering him sovereignty and her happiness. However, the duo reject the offer. At the Time Variance Authority (TVA) headquarters, Judge Ravonna Renslayer receives information sent by He Who Remains via Miss Minutes. Mobius M. Mobius confronts Renslayer and both accuse each other of betrayal. Renslayer leaves to search for "free will" after overcoming Mobius' attempt at pruning her. In 2018 Fremont, Ohio, Hunter B-15 is pursued by other TVA Minutemen until she reveals a variant of Renslayer, a school vice-principal, to prove that the TVA employees are variants.

Meanwhile, He Who Remains greets Loki and Sylvie, who are both surprised that he is "just a man". Using a TemPad to avoid Sylvie's attacks, He Who Remains reveals he can anticipate their actions because he has foreseen the past, present, and future and that he guided them to him. He also reveals that he created the TVA after several variants of himself discovered alternative universes and contacted each other in the 31st century. Several of them tried to conquer other universes, leading to a multiversal war. He Who Remains harnessed the creature Alioth to end it, isolate his timeline, and create the TVA to prevent further branches. As he has grown weary, he offers Loki and Sylvie a choice � kill him, end the singular timeline, and risk another multiversal war sparked by his variants, or succeed him in leading the TVA and managing the timeline.

As the timeline begins to diverge, He Who Remains finds he can no longer anticipate the future and Sylvie tries to kill him. Loki fights her, fearing He Who Remains might be right and pleading that he wants to keep her safe. They kiss, but Sylvie uses the TemPad to send Loki back to the TVA headquarters and kills a surrendering He Who Remains, unleashing a multiverse with timelines that cannot be pruned. Loki tries to warn B-15 and Mobius about He Who Remains' variants, but they do not recognize him. Loki then discovers that a statue of one of the variants has replaced those of the Time-Keepers.

REVIEW: We met He Who Remains, a variant of an upcoming MCU villain: Kang The Conqueror. I'm sure we will see more of him soon, but right now this is our introduction to Johnathan Majors, potraying a hell of a lot of variants. This episode sadly is mostly exposition throughout the entire episode in which Loki & Sylvie's loyalty to one another is tested. A fight scene ensures with Sylvie winning, sending Loki through a timelne and killing He Who Remains, leaving her story on a cliffhanger. The cliffhanger of the series sees Loki back in TVA, but with no one having any memory of who he is, with a final shot paying homage somewhat to Planet Of The Apes. I'd overall say that the series has been somewhat of a mixed bag for me. Good, but not great as have been the other MCU shows with some episodes falling low on standards. The second half serves better, but ultimately, I would call this the weakest of the MCU shows I have seen thus far.

RATING: 73% - B+

SERIES RATING - 73% - B+

Last edited by MovieMad16; 12-23-21 at 08:35 AM. Reason: Added Series Rating

MovieMad16

Registered User

12-27-21

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Hawkeye

Episode One

INTRO: One last MCU series for Disney+ coming from 2021 and this time, Jeremy Renner takes the stage to introduce a new archer for the MCU. Enter: Kate Bishop.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

In 2012, during the Battle of New York,[a] a young Kate Bishop witnesses Clint Barton battling the Chitauri and aspires to become a hero like him after he inadvertently saves her life. In the present, Barton spends time with his children in New York for Christmas. Meanwhile, Bishop attends a charity auction gala with her mother Eleanor and learns that her mother is engaged to Jack Duquesne. Underneath the gala, Bishop stumbles onto a black market auction featuring items recovered from the remains of the Avengers Compound,[b] finding Duquesne and his uncle Armand III among the attendees. The auction is interrupted by the Tracksuit Mafia, a Russian street gang, who attempt to recover a watch among the items. As Duquesne steals Barton's Ronin sword, Bishop recovers Barton's Ronin suit and defeats the mafia members while wearing it. After rescuing a stray dog she later names "Lucky", she escapes to her apartment before tracking down Armand to investigate further, but discovers that Armand has been murdered in his home and is cornered by the Tracksuit Mafia after fleeing the crime scene. Barton, who saw a news report of the Ronin's return, rescues Bishop from the gangsters.

REVIEW: The show begins with life after Endgame for Clint Barton. Still recovering both physically and emotionally from what he went through in the last Avengers game. Jeremy Renner captures this very well. Despite surviving and still being with her family, you can tell the struggle to really shake it off despite going to New York with her children and trying to really embrace the Christmas spirit. Then, on the other side, you have Kate Bishop, a fresh new character for the MCU. The opening of this episode shows a young version for the character witness the 2012 attack of New York from her penthouse apartment. A fun, bubbly, mischievous character who at the start of the story is slightly aimless and kicked out of school following an incident with a church bell and an arrow. Both these stories in the first episode begin to slowly intertwine by the end, culminating in an excellent final shot between the two. We follow Kate Bishop as she comes across some hidden secrets regarding Ronin, as well as her mother and her business dealings. Kate investigates and with twists and turns, leads Kate Bishop to don the Ronin suit almost by accident. Hailee Steinfeld is very good in this episode, and instantly comes off very likable and fun to watch. I also found the Christmas setting great too, especially with New York. It definitely feels festive and almost perfect for the time. The only thing I wasn�t fond of was the dog. Early days yet but not won over, especially with the one eye. But for a first episode, It�s solid and definitely left me eager for the rest of the story to come.

RATING: 88% - A-

MovieMad16

Registered User

12-27-21

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Hawkeye

Episode Two

INTRO: Clint Barton & Kate Bishop meet at long last and form the team-up we've all been waiting for.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

Bishop takes Barton back to her apartment, but they are attacked by the Tracksuit Mafia and forced to evacuate, leaving the Ronin suit behind. After relocating to the apartment of Bishop's vacationing aunt, Barton sends his children back home, promising to rejoin them by Christmas Day. He escorts Bishop to her workplace, then recovers the Ronin suit from a FDNY Grills at a LARP event. Later, Bishop fails to convince Eleanor of Duquesne's involvement in Armand's death. After challenging Duquesne to a fencing duel, she tries to contact Barton, not knowing that he has allowed himself to be captured by the Tracksuit Mafia. She tracks down Barton's location, but ends up being captured herself, and the gang informs their boss, Maya Lopez of what happened.

REVIEW: So, Clint & Katie now meet and are now forced to team up to solve this issue regarding the Ronin suit. Clint is just eager to get this done and get home with her children, whilst Kate is just relishing the situation of working with Hawkeye. Returning to their flat, a fire ends up engulfing the entire place, leading them to retreat and leave the suit behind. They head to a new apartment where Kate�s aunt lives, and in the situation, Clint is forced to send the kids home on their own for Christmas. Following that, Clint ends up tracking the suit to a LARP event, which results in some funny fight scenes with another LARP performer called Grills, who will pop up again in the series later. Kate Bishop returns to her penthouse and ends up having a stagey swordfight with her mother�s partner Jack, which is quite fun to watch, with Jack twirling his mustache in a very �he�s-trying-to-be-evil-but-it�s-clearly-a-false-flag� kind of way. The episode�s end sees both Clint & Katie caught by The Tracksuit Mafia, with the final shot being the debut of Echo. This episode is better and well-paced. A really fun one where the rhythm of the story is clicking into place, and you just feel like this is the MCU at its best.

RATING: 91% - A

MovieMad16

Registered User

01-01-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Hawkeye

Episode Three

INTRO: Moving along the story with new characters and more character development for Hawkeye.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

Lopez interrogates Barton and Bishop about Ronin, who killed her father years prior. Barton manages to free himself and fend off the Tracksuit Mafia, though Lopez breaks his hearing aid in the process. After Bishop is freed, the pair escape using Barton's trick arrows and get his hearing aid fixed. While moving to another location, Lopez's lieutenant Kazi advises her not to get into trouble with her "uncle". Intending to learn more about the Tracksuit Mafia as well as Duquesne, Bishop convinces Barton to infiltrate Eleanor's penthouse and use her company account to access Bishop Security's criminal database. However, Bishop is locked out of the system while attempting to bypass security while Barton encounters Duquesne, who threatens him with Ronin's sword.

REVIEW: In this episode, Echo is introduced, with a strong backstory at the start of the episode, which leaves the viewer sympathetic as well as eager for a further spin off to explore her character further. But back in the present, Clint & Kate eventually escape in a fun action scene, which then has with it a fun car chase. In that chase sequence, we see a vast variety of arrows being displayed with a lot of fun powers attached and a fun climatic end on the bridge. There is also a tease of who Echo may beb working for, as well as the establishment of a higher chain involved in the story. Regarding Clint, the focus goes back on his hearing and its struggle that he grapples with regarding the situation he's in. It's also interesting to see how he doesn't view himself as a role model, as well as his strong desire to return to his children for Christmas. There's also a possible mentorship explored that Clint suggests for Kate, showcasing their developed relationship. The episode ends with Clint & Kate returning to her penthouse, only for Jack, Eleanor's fiance, to hold Clint hostage with a sword to his throat. I liked this episode a lot. Whilst it's not as spectacular or fun as the last episode, but does indeed move the story along quite well.

RATING: 83% - A-

Last edited by MovieMad16; 01-01-22 at 07:40 PM.

MovieMad16

Registered User

01-02-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Hawkeye

Episode Four

INTRO: Clint & Kate come across an overflow of villains, as well as the return of another fresh marvel name that may soon make waves.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

Barton defuses the situation after Eleanor and Duquesne recognize him as an Avenger. Eleanor asks him to keep Bishop out of his investigation and later contacts an unknown person to inform them of the situation. With the help of his wife Laura, Barton secretly recovers his sword and discovers that Duquesne is the CEO of Sloan Limited, a shell corporation that launders money for the Tracksuit Mafia, while Bishop deduces that Barton was Ronin. Barton locates Kazi and asks him to talk Lopez out of her vendetta against Ronin while Bishop enlists a group of LARPers in retrieving Barton's trick arrows. Afterwards, Laura informs Barton that the watch the Tracksuit Mafia stole is sending out tracking signals from an apartment building. Barton and Bishop go to retrieve it, but find it in Lopez's apartment, where she also keeps notes on Barton and his family. Lopez attacks Bishop while Barton is ambushed by a masked assassin. A fight ensues between the four combatants, with Bishop injuring Lopez, forcing her to retreat, while Barton unmasks his assailant, Yelena Belova, who also escapes. Barton decides that he cannot keep putting Bishop in danger and breaks off their partnership.

REVIEW: The episode begins with a really fun conversation between Clint, Kate, Eleanor & Jack. It has that cute awkward vibe to it, but still good and a lot of fun to watch. It is here that Clint swipes the Ronin sword for himself. I found this episode to be more character based for Clint than other episodes, as he shares his regrets and overall sadness Post-Endgame. It is here also that Kate discovers that he was Ronin all along. We also see the LARPS return in a fun way as we learn more about them, and tease a potential role in the run's end. There is a terrific action sequence at the end of the episode which sees Kate fight off against Echo, as well as a masked figure square off against Clint. It is there that it's revealed to be Yelena, Natasha Romanoff's sister from Black Widow. Realising how serious this is, Clint breaks off his partnership with Kate as a result. This is another strong episode, with more fun character moments attached, though isn't as roundly solid as the last three episodes.

RATING: 81% - A-

MovieMad16

Registered User

01-02-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Hawkeye

Episode Five

INTRO: Yelena enters Hawkeye & Kate Bishop's aura, Echo begins questioning things, and we finally find out who the big bad of this series is.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

In 2018, Belova and fellow Black Widow Sonya, who have been helping deprogrammed Black Widows, reunite with another former Widow, Ana, and Belova becomes a victim of the Blip. In the present, Bishop returns to Eleanor's house and tells her about Duquesne's shell corporation, leading Eleanor to call the NYPD and have him arrested. Bishop returns to her apartment, where she finds Belova waiting for her before the latter reveals her past and mission to kill Barton.[c] Meanwhile, after recovering at Grills' apartment, Barton dons the Ronin suit and confronts Lopez at the auto shop where he killed her father. During the fight, he unmasks himself and attempts to convince her to let go of her vendetta and leave his family alone. He reveals that an informant working for Lopez's boss wanted her father dead, but Lopez initially disbelieves him. Bishop arrives to help Barton escape, while Lopez becomes suspicious of Kazi, who was absent on the night of her father's death. The next day, Belova texts Bishop, revealing that she was hired by Eleanor to kill Barton and that Eleanor is working with Lopez's "uncle", whom Barton identifies as Kingpin.

REVIEW: We get an update on Yelena following Black Widow, with a fun little new take on the snap. Because of this, Yelena now feels very lost and directionless. Flash back to present day New York, and Kate is still in denial over Clint ending the partnership. She is still very eager to fight, and decides to go out and be resourceful. We get another fight between Clint & Maya, with Maya soon after beginning to question things and where her true loyalty is and who was really involved in her father's death. Kate & Yelena also have a fun exchange, and the performances of both Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh are solid, with very good chemistry as well as building the idea that Yelena is a very serious threat. At the end of the episode, we get the reveal of who the true villains are in this story: Eleanor Bishop and Kingpin, which makes for a very interesting and good cliffhanger.

RATING: 80% - B+

MovieMad16

Registered User

01-02-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Hawkeye

Episode Six

INTRO: The big finale of Hawkeye with fights, set ups and a new peace for Clint Barton.

SUMMARY:

WARNING: "Summary" spoilers below

As Eleanor meets with Kingpin to break off their partnership, Barton and Bishop watch a recording of them and learn that Eleanor killed Armand and framed Duquesne. On Christmas Eve, Barton and Bishop attend Eleanor's holiday party, where Bishop confronts her mother and learns her father owed money to Kingpin, leading to Eleanor working with him. Kazi attempts to assassinate Eleanor on Kingpin's orders, but targets Barton instead. Barton enlists help from Grills, the LARPers, and Duquesne to evacuate the party before rejoining Bishop to defeat the Tracksuit Mafia. After Lopez incapacitates Kazi, Bishop attempts to look for Eleanor while Barton is confronted by Belova, who demands the truth of Natasha Romanoff's death. They fight, but he reminds her of his friendship with Romanoff and her sacrifice to save the universe.[b] Belova spares him and leaves. Kingpin tries to stop Eleanor from escaping, but Bishop arrives and incapacitates him with Barton's trick arrows. Afterwards, Eleanor is arrested by the police for Armand's murder. Kingpin escapes, but is confronted by Lopez as a gunshot is heard. The next day, Barton returns to his family with Bishop and Lucky, returns the watch to Laura, and burns the Ronin suit.

REVIEW: Most of the finale is just one big battle in Rockafeller centre. All sides are ready and prepared and you feel the tension building very quickly. We establish Kingpin as the main villain here, and he comes off very intimidating but still at times cartoony with his outfits. The party sequence is also good, with all the LARPers pretending to be waiters which was quite clever. You get more fun scenes between Yelena and Kate and their chemistry continues to shine in this series. You then get three battles intercutting with one another: Kate & Kingpin battling in a toyshop, Yelena & Clint on the icerink, and Maya & Kazi above in the walking area. All of these are great fun to watch and make the finale spectacular to watch. You also have Jack reveal to be an ally and assist with Kate against The Tracksuit Mafia. He may be a key character to watch in the future. We also get a bigger tease with Echo, as she ends up shooting Kingpin, but it is not known whether Kingpin is dead or not. By the end of the episode, Clint & Kate are established partners with Clint bringing Kate back for Christmas. The final scene sees the end of Ronin, the suit burning at the Barton household as Kate Bishop begins her journey as Hawkeye's apprentice.

RATING: 93% - A

SERIES RATING - 86% - A-

MovieMad16

Registered User

05-20-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Moon Knight

Episode 1 - The Goldfish Problem

INTRO: The Marvel Cinematic Universe enters the realm of the supernatural and egyptian gods. Welcome to Moon Knight.

SUMMARY: Steven Grant works at the British Museum in London where he hopes to become a tour guide using his knowledge of Ancient Egypt. After going to sleep one night, he wakes up in the Austrian Alps and witnesses a cult meeting led by Arthur Harrow, who demands a scarab Grant unknowingly has in his possession. As he attempts to escape, he has several blackouts and hears a mysterious voice in his head before waking up in his home. Grant realizes that two days have passed since he went to sleep. He finds a hidden phone and keycard in his apartment and receives a call from the most frequent number in the phone's call log, a woman named Layla who addresses him as Marc. The next day at work, Grant is confronted by Harrow who reveals that he is a servant of the Egyptian goddess Ammit. Grant escapes from Harrow but is forced to remain at work that night on his own to make up for being late. Harrow summons a jackal-like creature to attack Grant, but his "reflection" asks to take control of their body. Grant agrees, transforming into a cloaked warrior who kills the jackal.

REVIEW: The episode gives us a great introduction to Steven Grant, a bumbling and geeky man who works in a museum, with the sense that nothing has been going right in his life. The Split Personality angle isn�t properly realised until the end of the episode, but teased throughout with blackouts which cause chaos in his wake. The villain is Arthur Harrow, running a secret cult within London with links around the world. He quickly takes an interest in Steven and pursues him back to London. It�s also teased with recurring voices in Steven�s head, which maybe due to something more, perhaps supernatural, backed up by frequent time jumps which Steven does not react well too. The episode then shifts to night time in its final act, in which Steven is hunted by a Jackal through the museum after closing. But then there comes the reveal of Marc Spector and therefore Moon Knight, which in itself is a cool reveal which sets up the next episode. Overall, it�s a good opener, which plays really well with perspective, as well as being mysterious and exciting with a good tease that what could come next is bound to be good.

RATING: 83% - A-

Last edited by MovieMad16; 06-04-22 at 08:05 AM.

MovieMad16

Registered User

06-04-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Moon Knight

Episode 2 - Summon The Suit

INTRO: We continue to explore the complex situation of Marc Spector and his alter egos with this intriguing MCU series.

SUMMARY: Grant is blamed for the damage caused by the jackal creature, due to it not appearing on the museum's security cameras, and is fired. He uses the keycard to access a storage locker where he finds the scarab. He speaks with his "reflection", another identity in Grant's body that introduces himself as American mercenary Marc Spector, the current avatar of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Grant is confronted by Layla, Spector's wife, who is unaware of Grant's existence, before being arrested by police officers working for Harrow. Harrow reveals that he was Khonshu's previous avatar until he chose instead to follow Ammit. He explains that he wants to use the scarab to find Ammit's tomb and resurrect her so she can purge humanity of evil by wiping out everyone who has or will commit evil deeds. Layla rescues Grant, but Harrow summons another jackal creature. Grant manages to summon a suit of his own to fight the jackal, but is overpowered and allows Spector to take control. Spector kills the jackal but loses the scarab to Harrow. Khonshu threatens to claim Layla as his next avatar if Spector fails to stop Harrow.

REVIEW: Overall, it�s a weaker episode than the first, with a lot of the mystery beginning to fade away now that Marc Spector has been revealed. As the episode begins, Steven Grant assumes it is all a dream and gets on with his life. However, when arriving to work, CCTV confirm that its not the case and he is sacked as a result. However, he is given a storage key that he takes to a storage unit finding all of Marc Spector�s belongings. Steven then speaks to Marc through a mirror and they do not click with one another. Khonsu then intervenes providing quite a scary chase sequence. We then next meet Leila who is revealed to be Marc�s wife. Leila and Steven mingle in the flat where Leila reveals that they are in the process of divorcing. All that however is thrown out of the window when Cult members of Arthur Harrow posing as police arrive to arrest him, taking him to Arthur himself. It is there in Arthur�s lair that he tries to manipulate Steven into handing over the scarab, but to no avail as Steven escapes, becoming Mr Knight in the process and defeating The Jackal. Finally, reverting back to Marc, he becomes Moon Knight again to kill The Jackal completely. Whilst all that happens, Arthur seizes the scarab for himself and sets off to Egypt. Again, good episode, but lacking from Episode One, yet still has an interesting premise and theme to it that distinguishes it from the rest of the MCU.

RATING: 78% - B+

MovieMad16

Registered User

06-04-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Moon Knight

Episode 3 - The Friendly Type

INTRO: We move the location to Egypt and Moon Knight faces off against more adversaries.

SUMMARY: Harrow and his followers discover the location of Ammit's tomb in the Egyptian desert. In Cairo, Spector and Grant both experience blackouts while tracking a lead to Harrow's location. After failing to gain information, Khonshu calls a council between his fellow Egyptian gods and their avatars to warn them of Harrow's plans, but Harrow successfully denies the accusation. Hathor's avatar, Yatzil, tells Spector to find the sarcophagus of a medjay who knew of the location of Ammit's tomb. Layla finds Spector and takes him to meet with Anton Mogart, an acquaintance who owns the sarcophagus. Harrow arrives and destroys it, forcing Spector, Grant, and Layla to fight off Mogart's men and escape into the desert. Grant assembles some of the sarcophagus fragments into a star map, but it is two thousand years out of date. Khonshu uses his powers to briefly turn back the night sky to the correct night, allowing Grant and Layla to find Ammit's tomb. The other gods imprison Khonshu in an ushabti for this, leaving Grant and Spector's body without Khonshu's powers.

REVIEW: Harrow in Egypt comes across the Tomb he�s been searching for. Yet Marc is also in Egypt and not far behind him. Marc attempts to speak with the avatars regarding Arthur Harrow, but it fails when Harrow arrives to manipulate the situation in which all but one of the avatars turn on Marc. Given the tip off by another avatar, Marc sets off to try and unravel Arthur Harrow�s plan. He reunites with Layla and together they meet with the collector in his quite niche house in Egypt. A battle ultimately ensures when Arthur Harrow arrives, and Moon Knight is again unleashed in which the battle ends quickly with Moon Knight victorious over the security guards in what is a fun sequence. Finding a map at the mansion, both Marc & Layla decode it to be a map that leads them into the desert and to confront Khonsu head on. He agrees to use his powers to help find the coordinates, but at a cost. Khonsu is then imprisoned by the other avatars and Marc drained of his powers as Moon Knight. Another good episode here, with strong acting and the slow makings of Arthur Harrow being a great MCU villain as well as Oscar Isaac being a great lead as Moon Knight.

RATING: 79% - B+

MovieMad16

Registered User

06-18-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Moon Knight

Episode Four - The Tomb

INTRO: The stakes are raised higher as Steven Grant and Marc Spector are thrown into dangerous territory.

SUMMARY: Grant and Layla find a deserted campsite at the location of Ammit's tomb, which is a maze in the shape of the Eye of Horus. They discover that some of Harrow's men have been killed by undead Egyptian priests, who then attack Grant and Layla. Layla defeats the priests but encounters Harrow, who claims that Spector was one of the mercenaries who murdered her archaeologist father, Abdallah El-Faouly. Grant finds the tomb and discovers that Ammit's last avatar was Alexander the Great; he retrieves Ammit's ushabti from inside Alexander's body. Layla angrily confronts Spector, who reveals that his partner killed Layla's father and Spector himself before Khonshu revived Spector as his avatar. Harrow arrives and shoots Spector, who wakes up in a psychiatric hospital populated by people from his life. After escaping from Harrow, who appears as a therapist at the hospital, Spector finds Grant in a separate body trapped in a sarcophagus. They also see a second sarcophagus with someone else trapped inside before being greeted by a female hippopotamus-headed figure.

REVIEW: Khonsu is imprisoned and Steven is isolated in the desert. However, Layla manages to save him in time and together, they both plan to intercept Harrow�s plan before it creates disaster around the world. This involves raiding a tomb before Harrow�s team get there first. Whilst there, both Layla & Steven encounter monsters and several battles take place in order for Steven & Layla to survive and get to the end. They�re fun and at times scary particularly with Layla�s encounter. It is then that a significant twist comes that affects Layla & Steven�s relationship: The reveal of Marc killing Layla�s dad. A confrontation is had, and Harrow ends up shooting Steven dead. However, the episode�s end sees Marc in a mental hospital, run seemingly by Harrow. Reality? A Dream? A mirage? All of it seems very unusual and suspicious, and the episodes end only invites more questions. This episode is good, strong in moments and providing new exciting twists to the series. Layla stands out very well in this episode, as well as Arthur Harrow slowly becoming a really good villain, with his twisty manipulative style really coming into effect. My excitement for the next two episodes is high.

RATING: 81% - A-

Last edited by MovieMad16; 06-18-22 at 09:00 AM.

MovieMad16

Registered User

06-18-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Moon Knight

Episode 5 - The Aslyum

INTRO: We move onto arguably the best episode of Moon Knight with the most development, depth and danger.

SUMMARY: The hippopotamus-headed woman is the Egyptian goddess Taweret, who explains that Spector and Grant are dead and the "psychiatric hospital" is a boat sailing through the Duat, the Egyptian afterlife. She weighs their hearts on the Scales of Justice to determine whether they can enter the Field of Reeds, but the hearts are imbalanced by hidden memories that she suggests they explore together. Grant sees a memory of Spector's younger brother Randall drowning and Spector's mother blaming him for it, while Spector shows Grant how he became Khonshu's avatar while on a mission with his partner Bushman, who murdered Layla's father. Spector and Grant convince Taweret to help them return to the living world so they can stop Harrow, and she steers the boat towards the Gates of Osiris. Spector reluctantly explains that he unknowingly created Grant as a result of their mother's abuse. Grant and Spector reconcile with each other, but their scales fail to balance and hostile spirits attack them, dragging Grant into the Duat where he turns to sand. The scales balance and Spector finds himself in the Field of Reeds.

REVIEW: There is a blur with this episode between realities. One is set in a mental facility, with Arthur Harrow taking on the role as a therapist and manipulating Marc in his reality. Whilst Marc swaps realities to travel with Steven as a separate entity through his memories over the years. It is here that we learn of Marc�s family as a child, and the discovery of the trauma of his younger brother�s death. This turns Marc�s mother into a mentally deranged abusive woman, which ultimately creates the personality of Steven Grant. We also get a flashback to how Khonsu finds a dying Marc and gives him the powers of Moon Knight. A sequence from the afterlife sees both Marc & Steven make a race to return to reality. This involves having all of the previous victims return to life to fight him. Ultimately, it is Steven�s sacrifice that enables Marc to return, but he is plagued with a choice of returning to save Steven or go on and kill him forever.

Never the less, this episode is great. The best of the series. You have Oscar Isaac delivering a fantastic performance which is worthy of Emmy recognition. Ethan Hawke is brilliant also, and good be in contention too. It provides a very good set up for the finale.

RATING: 92% - A

MovieMad16

Registered User

06-18-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Moon Knight

Episode 6 - Gods & Monsters

INTRO: The finale of Moon Knight sadly is a let down from the spectacular brilliant episode. Though, not a complete dud.

SUMMARY: arrow kills the avatars of the other Egyptian gods and frees Ammit. Layla finds Khonshu's ushabti and releases him. Spector refuses to stay in the Field of Reeds and returns to the Duat to rescue Grant. With Taweret's help, they escape through the Gates of Osiris and awaken in their body. Khonshu re-bonds with them, restoring their powers. Layla discovers that Ammit can be re-bound by multiple avatars and agrees to become the temporary avatar of Taweret. They join Spector, Grant, and Khonshu in fighting Harrow and Ammit. Harrow overpowers Spector and Grant, but they experience a blackout during which time they somehow defeat Harrow. Spector and Layla seal Ammit in Harrow's body, imprisoning her, and Khonshu urges Spector to execute Harrow and Ammit. Spector refuses and orders Khonshu to release him and Grant from their service. The pair find themselves in the "hospital", where they reject the vision and choose to continue their new life protecting the world. In a mid-credits scene, Harrow (and by extension, Ammit) is killed by Jake Lockley, Spector's third alter, who is still working with Khonshu.

REVIEW: Sadly, this is an underwhelming finale. Very rushed and honestly it lacked the real awe and wonder that the rest of the series built very well, particularly the brilliant previous episode. Picking up from Episode 5, Marc decides to save Steven and they end up both returning to reality. In our reality, Layla has reluctantly token up the avatar from another god to battle Harrow, who summons a crocodile god of sorts onto Earth. What commences for the majority of the episode is a battle with these gods. You see that Marc & Layla both embrace their avatars and their powers respectively. They win the battle, even if the fight itself is slightly anticlimactic as Marc has another mystery blackout. Arthur Harrow is caught, closing the chapter of a great MCU villain. I found the ending of the episode rushed, with no real time to close off relationships set up. The end scene however is great as it debuts the third personality which is Jake Lockley, arguably a darker deadlier persona than the other two. It leaves open for more stories as a result. Moon Knight is overall a good solid MCU series that sets up the supernatural wing of the universe, and I hopefully get plenty more from Marc Spector to look forward to.

RATING: 80% - B+

SERIES RATING: 82% - A-

MovieMad16

Registered User

06-24-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Ms Marvel

1x01 - Generation Why

INTRO: A show that I have been eagerly awaiting for some time now, and finalyl it explodes onto screens. And boy, what an incredible startt.

SUMMARY: Kamala Khan is a 16-year-old high schooler and fangirl of the Avengers, particularly Captain Marvel. After failing another driving test and meeting with school counselor Gabe Wilson, Kamala and her best friend Bruno Carrelli finish her Captain Marvel cosplay for "AvengerCon" while avoiding her strict parents, Yusuf and Muneeba. Kamala receives a package of items from her grandmother Sana, including a golden bangle, but Muneeba sees it as junk. After failing to convince her parents to let her go to AvengerCon, Kamala sneaks out with Bruno to attend anyway, taking the bangle as part of her cosplay. After getting there and dressing up, she puts it on, but it causes her to project constructs of cosmic energy that inadvertently cause havoc. Amidst the chaos, Kamala uses her powers to save her classmate Zoe Zimmer. Bruno rushes Kamala home, where a distraught Muneeba pleads with her to focus on her own story. In a mid-credits scene, Department of Damage Control (DODC) agents P. Cleary and Sadie Deever watch a video of Kamala's incident at AvengerCon and head to New Jersey to find and detain her.

REVIEW: The opening of this episode is golden. A voiceover by Kamala with animations of her love for all things Marvel. It�s absolutely bubbling with personality, as we get a first look into the world and perspective of Kamala Khan. It�s very stylized, very trippy, with a style of cinematography that is unique and fancy to the eye. We�re introduced to this episode to Kamala�s inner conflicts, battling the pressures of high school, her family and religion. But all of that can be escaped by her sheer love for The Avengers which is showcased wonderfully throughout this episode. Bruno, her IT best friend is fun to watch, as together they conduct a plan to sneak out to go to AvengerCon. The dreamed up sequence is in some way a tribute to Edgar Wright and his style of editing: fast rapid cuts that are yet humorous and quirky. Kamala manages to make the convention, in which a family heirloom in the form of a bracelet unlocks secret super powers for Kamala and creates havoc.

For me, this is such a unique series for the MCU, with a lot of colour and whimsical feeling attached, as well as a lot of personality. Iman Valani is absolutely fantastic, with her real life personality shining through on screen with a character that is very much the spitting image of her. The series is well written, with crafty dialogue and a healthy representation of Islamic culture and community which comes across as normal to the average viewer. It does borrow very much from Bollywood culture, but is a very very strong opening episode to this beautiful wonderful show.

RATING: 98% - A

MovieMad16

Registered User

07-04-22

Connor Macgregor Reviews...Ms Marvel

1x02 - Crushed

INTRO: Ms Marvel continues to excel above all othr MCU shows right now. The buzz immense, the cast strong and the celebration of islam community wonderful to watch.

SUMMARY: Kamala begins training to control her powers with Bruno, who deduces that the bangle activated her own superpowers. Kamala, Bruno, and Nakia Bahadir attend a party organized by Zimmer, where they meet new senior Kamran. Kamala befriends Kamran, but Bruno becomes frustrated when she chooses to spend time with Kamran instead of training. After seeing a vision of a mysterious woman, Kamala asks Sana and Muneeba about her great-grandmother Aisha, the bangle's original owner, but both dismiss her. Yusuf says young Sana lost her way during the partition of India, but was mysteriously able to find her father again. After questioning Zimmer about her savior at AvengerCon, Cleary and Deever order a sweep of the tri-state area, targeting South Asian communities. At an Eid celebration, a young boy slips from a mosque balcony and almost falls before Kamala saves him with her powers. Kamala is chased by DODC agents led by Deever but is saved by Kamran, who introduces her to his mother Najma, the woman from Kamala's vision.

REVIEW: This episode builds from the strong streak on the first episode and goes further. And like before, the personality of islam culture shines wonderfully through the show, with Kamala Khan beginning the episode doing that cool walk through school like most people do after getting laid, except she got super powers which is very much an MCU equivilant so to speak. A training montage with Bruno follows which is cute and fun, as Kamala keeps investigating the bracelet as well as the brewing family mystery behind the amulet. We're also introduced to Kamran who Kamala has a crush on, and becomes hillarious to watch as she tries to grapple with him. There's a brilliant Be My Baby scene when she returns home which is both adorable and well executed. I also really loved the mosque sequence as it was a nice eye opening experience to all the little things with what goes in a mosque. It's very relatable and fun to watch. You also get introduced to all the little antedotes and side stories such as Nakia trying to get onto the board to make progressive change within the community, whilst tying to win the support of all the different cliques within the islam community. The climax is great too, with Kamala in costume using her new powers to save a boy from falling to his death. But that and her previous experience at Avenger-Con has alerted the Department Of Damage Control, who much like in No Way Home, manipulates Zoe into giving away more information than she should. They chase Kamala through the alleyway, but in a final twist in the episode, Kamran saves her and drives her away to safety, where a mysterious woman greets Kamala, promising to reveal the truth to her soon. This here is a fantastic second episode, full of life and energy, with Iman Vellani still being brilliant as ever. You also have Bruno developing his own little arc also which is interesting. With the strongest of strong starts, it makes me very eager for the story still to come.

RATING: 100% - A+

MovieMad16