Matt Zimmer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
matt_zimmer) wrote2023-06-21 11:12 am
matt_zimmer) wrote2023-06-21 11:12 am
Secret Invasion "Resurrection" Series Premiere Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Superman & Lois, and Gotham Knights, as well as the comic book miniseries The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins.
Secret Invasion "Resurrection"
I think it was equally good and bad. I am ultimately reserving judgment, but it was certainly an unusual opener for a Marvel Studios TV show. Generally for most of the TV output, the first episode is amazing and it quickly goes downhill in the ensuing weeks, until it's dreck. This was just so-so. And I also got the distinct feeling that like The Book Of Boba Fett, weekly episode drops are going to hurt it. This show strikes me as something that would be better received it it were able to be binged. As polarizing as The Book Of Boba Fett was, there is no doubt in my mind the entire thing would have been MUCH better received if all the episodes had been released at once. I think the same deal will probably be true for this show.
Let me offer a perspective you might not hear too much. The death of Maria Hill was not devastating or a way to raise the stakes. It was annoying. It was annoying how rarely that character has been used and how the show just wasted her as the cautionary tale. And here is where I differ from most of fiction. I do not believe killing off major characters for either shock value or to raise the stakes is a legitimate storytelling tactic. If you find yourself needing to do that to hold the viewer's interest, you literally have nothing else going on.
All these complaints being said, I imagine Marvel purists are unhappy about how Marvel Studios has portrayed the Skrulls in the Captain Marvel movie and here. Honestly? I don't like the comic book Skrulls. They are cheesy and their conquest jag is just pointless and stupid. Here, not only do the Skrulls have legitimate grievances, there are good Skrulls working for the heroes. I like Talos. I like him telling Gaia she has no business throwing bad judgment accusations at him while she was working for the people who killed her mother. He thought that would turn her but I think she's a lost cause.
I'll probably have a more solid opinion when the season is over. For now I can take it or leave it. ***.
Superman & Lois "Injustice"
Renewed for season 4! Yay!
I love this Lex Luthor. Why? He's laconic. Totally refreshing after Jon Cryer's constant chatterbox whining turned him into the worst Lex Luthor screen actor in history. This Luthor also super scary. I liked all of the power moves he pulled at the prison. Well, except for one.
I taking a star off the episode for him sitting on a prisoner as a chair. It's meant to be hardcore and scary. Instead it's stupid and ridiculous. It's something Cryer's Luthor would do which is why I hated it.
Honestly, if this was all it was, were I Lois, I'd retire. The problem is this is NOT gonna be all it is. I think Luthor would have every right to demand that of her. If that was the end of it. But him seeking out Bizarro in the sewer means it wouldn't have been.
Bizarro eating rats. Now I've seen everything. Dear God.
A lesser superhero show would have let Jordan's bragging on behalf of the masked hero go with no more notice than rolled eyes from people in on the secret. Sarah is legit pissed instead, goes to Lana, who goes to Lois and Clark, who are justifiably furious.
Honestly, Jordan has completely lost me this season. The wrong kid got the superpowers.
Take note. Clark did wrong by Jonathan. But he takes his lumps from Kyle like a man instead of a whiny brat.
For the record, I think Kyle was being an ass. And if it wasn't about this Clark would have had to tell him to tone it down about something else. That being said, Kyle has a point that he would have preferred John went to him. And the reason is pretty clear. It was embarrassing to essentially have Superman call his job performance into question like that. And yet, Jonathan is simply annoyed and moves on.
Tyler Hoechlin is great because he does something no other Clark does. He can make Clark legitimate scary. Like him telling Jordan never to physically lash out at him would never work if he wasn't so theatenning when saying it. Really the only REAL way he can stop Jordan from doing that is beating up his own aon. The seriously frightening look he gave Jordan was enough to worry the kid that was an actual possibility, so he goes to his room instead, as ordered. Good for Clark.
The other good hairy eyeball he gave was to Luthor on the porch. I think Michael Cudlitz is a badass for standing up to it. For some reason I feel like Jon Cryer would wilt under that gaze. Hoechlin was never asked to play Clark or Superman like this on Supergirl or the Arrowverse crossovers. It's a fun and new facet to Clark I'm delighted he brings to this otherwise unconnected version of the character.
It's interesting Lex' beef is entirely with Lois and Superman, and NOT Clark. VERY.
Jordan tells Sarah not everything is about her. She corrects him. This is. This is her life and he's messing it up. And this is me punching the air. Go, girl!
It was a good week, especially knowing there IS a season four and this great Luthor stuff won't wind up the world's most regrettable case of "What Might Have Been." The show's been renewed! Yay! ****.
Gotham Knights "City Of Owls"
Brody not being able to die makes him useful. I would have loved a Season 2 and him having a bunch of gag deaths the way Chaz always died on Constantine.
I expect a big cliffhanger next week, but whether my judgment of that is negative or not is still up for debate. Pennyworth's cliffhanger ending was maddening because it was great. Naomi's was maddening because it sucked and ruined the show. We'll see what happens here, but while this show is nowhere NEAR as steady as Pennyworth was at its best, it's also on a LOT firmer footing than Naomi ever was. I predict a cliffhanger on the level of Krypton: I'll be mad, but I'll live with it.
Rebecca is pretty freaking evil on every level. Almost cartoonishly so.
Carrie's mother asking about HER potential grief is a good question. I mean she IS in the line of work that got BATMAN of all people killed. Her "not going letting that happen" isn't really up to her.
They've spent the entire episode saying that Duela's Mom is actually all right. And then suddenly she isn't. That was the one thing in the episode I didn't like.
Solid penultimate episode with the proper "Whuh oh!" closing shot. ****.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 1 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 1
The dizziness is a great callback to the time loop at the end of the final novel.
I also like the twist that the person we were following at the beginning of The Gunslinger Born turned out to have been The Man In Black after all.
Great cliffhanger with Aileen too. ****.
The Journey Continues
Robin Furth Essay about the challenges of writing this unknown era of Roland's life. ****.
Issue Overall: ****.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 2 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 2
Never dug the idea of the ghost of Hax being in the story.
Roland's monologue over Aileen's dead body was beautiful. Say what you will about Roland, he is a romantic and secretly has the soul of a poet.
A billy-bumbler? Not-Men? WHAT?!
Pretty gross versions of Slow Mutants too.
Cool. ****.
The Journey Continues
Furth discusses the liberties she took in the issue. When she's describing that whatever the fans believe should have happened exists on a different level of the Tower, she is describing Headcanon. I love writers who allow us to make up our own damn minds about stuff like that. ***1/2.
Issue Overall: ****.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 3 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 3
It amazes me we hadn't gotten to the story of Hax yet.
The ghost stuff with "Present Day" Roland is weird, but Hax expressing "Rigret" at the end it interesting and unexpected too.
Interesting issue in general. ***1/2.
The Journey Continues
I wish Furth and Peter David has been able to put Roland declaring the hanging "Not such of a much" in the comic itself. It's a great phrase. ***1/2.
Issue Overall: ***1/2.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 4 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 4:
It's weirdly fun, but it also feels like we've gotten on a bit of a tangent. ***1/2.
A Talking Billy-What???
About Billy-Bumblers / Throcken.
King Connections: Type One Vampires are mentioned. These horrible creature were introduced in "'Salem's Lot", with Kurt Barlow as the first and most horrible example.
The notion of the Grandfather Fleas was always wild to me and one of the most cool notions of the final three Dark Tower books.
Neat-O. ****.
Issue Overall:: ****.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 5 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 5
It's kind of cool Roland is allowed to sleep with Susan Black and she doesn't die. I like that.
I thought the climax is the Dogan with the Not-Men was tight. Roland telling a dying Billy Aileen would take care of him puts a lump in the old throat.
I love the Narrator pointing out Roland isn't great at clever quips. Still effective though, don't you think? Totally works.
My favorite of the five parts. ****1/2.
The Wheel Of Ka...
Furth discusses Ka while trying to avoid spoiling the time loop ending of the last book. Not very effectively, I might add.
King Connections Of Note: Twinners from "The Talisman" are mentioned again. Hell, the BOOK "The Talisman" is mentioned by name when they are. ***1/2.
Issue Overall: ****`1/2.
Secret Invasion "Resurrection"
I think it was equally good and bad. I am ultimately reserving judgment, but it was certainly an unusual opener for a Marvel Studios TV show. Generally for most of the TV output, the first episode is amazing and it quickly goes downhill in the ensuing weeks, until it's dreck. This was just so-so. And I also got the distinct feeling that like The Book Of Boba Fett, weekly episode drops are going to hurt it. This show strikes me as something that would be better received it it were able to be binged. As polarizing as The Book Of Boba Fett was, there is no doubt in my mind the entire thing would have been MUCH better received if all the episodes had been released at once. I think the same deal will probably be true for this show.
Let me offer a perspective you might not hear too much. The death of Maria Hill was not devastating or a way to raise the stakes. It was annoying. It was annoying how rarely that character has been used and how the show just wasted her as the cautionary tale. And here is where I differ from most of fiction. I do not believe killing off major characters for either shock value or to raise the stakes is a legitimate storytelling tactic. If you find yourself needing to do that to hold the viewer's interest, you literally have nothing else going on.
All these complaints being said, I imagine Marvel purists are unhappy about how Marvel Studios has portrayed the Skrulls in the Captain Marvel movie and here. Honestly? I don't like the comic book Skrulls. They are cheesy and their conquest jag is just pointless and stupid. Here, not only do the Skrulls have legitimate grievances, there are good Skrulls working for the heroes. I like Talos. I like him telling Gaia she has no business throwing bad judgment accusations at him while she was working for the people who killed her mother. He thought that would turn her but I think she's a lost cause.
I'll probably have a more solid opinion when the season is over. For now I can take it or leave it. ***.
Superman & Lois "Injustice"
Renewed for season 4! Yay!
I love this Lex Luthor. Why? He's laconic. Totally refreshing after Jon Cryer's constant chatterbox whining turned him into the worst Lex Luthor screen actor in history. This Luthor also super scary. I liked all of the power moves he pulled at the prison. Well, except for one.
I taking a star off the episode for him sitting on a prisoner as a chair. It's meant to be hardcore and scary. Instead it's stupid and ridiculous. It's something Cryer's Luthor would do which is why I hated it.
Honestly, if this was all it was, were I Lois, I'd retire. The problem is this is NOT gonna be all it is. I think Luthor would have every right to demand that of her. If that was the end of it. But him seeking out Bizarro in the sewer means it wouldn't have been.
Bizarro eating rats. Now I've seen everything. Dear God.
A lesser superhero show would have let Jordan's bragging on behalf of the masked hero go with no more notice than rolled eyes from people in on the secret. Sarah is legit pissed instead, goes to Lana, who goes to Lois and Clark, who are justifiably furious.
Honestly, Jordan has completely lost me this season. The wrong kid got the superpowers.
Take note. Clark did wrong by Jonathan. But he takes his lumps from Kyle like a man instead of a whiny brat.
For the record, I think Kyle was being an ass. And if it wasn't about this Clark would have had to tell him to tone it down about something else. That being said, Kyle has a point that he would have preferred John went to him. And the reason is pretty clear. It was embarrassing to essentially have Superman call his job performance into question like that. And yet, Jonathan is simply annoyed and moves on.
Tyler Hoechlin is great because he does something no other Clark does. He can make Clark legitimate scary. Like him telling Jordan never to physically lash out at him would never work if he wasn't so theatenning when saying it. Really the only REAL way he can stop Jordan from doing that is beating up his own aon. The seriously frightening look he gave Jordan was enough to worry the kid that was an actual possibility, so he goes to his room instead, as ordered. Good for Clark.
The other good hairy eyeball he gave was to Luthor on the porch. I think Michael Cudlitz is a badass for standing up to it. For some reason I feel like Jon Cryer would wilt under that gaze. Hoechlin was never asked to play Clark or Superman like this on Supergirl or the Arrowverse crossovers. It's a fun and new facet to Clark I'm delighted he brings to this otherwise unconnected version of the character.
It's interesting Lex' beef is entirely with Lois and Superman, and NOT Clark. VERY.
Jordan tells Sarah not everything is about her. She corrects him. This is. This is her life and he's messing it up. And this is me punching the air. Go, girl!
It was a good week, especially knowing there IS a season four and this great Luthor stuff won't wind up the world's most regrettable case of "What Might Have Been." The show's been renewed! Yay! ****.
Gotham Knights "City Of Owls"
Brody not being able to die makes him useful. I would have loved a Season 2 and him having a bunch of gag deaths the way Chaz always died on Constantine.
I expect a big cliffhanger next week, but whether my judgment of that is negative or not is still up for debate. Pennyworth's cliffhanger ending was maddening because it was great. Naomi's was maddening because it sucked and ruined the show. We'll see what happens here, but while this show is nowhere NEAR as steady as Pennyworth was at its best, it's also on a LOT firmer footing than Naomi ever was. I predict a cliffhanger on the level of Krypton: I'll be mad, but I'll live with it.
Rebecca is pretty freaking evil on every level. Almost cartoonishly so.
Carrie's mother asking about HER potential grief is a good question. I mean she IS in the line of work that got BATMAN of all people killed. Her "not going letting that happen" isn't really up to her.
They've spent the entire episode saying that Duela's Mom is actually all right. And then suddenly she isn't. That was the one thing in the episode I didn't like.
Solid penultimate episode with the proper "Whuh oh!" closing shot. ****.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 1 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 1
The dizziness is a great callback to the time loop at the end of the final novel.
I also like the twist that the person we were following at the beginning of The Gunslinger Born turned out to have been The Man In Black after all.
Great cliffhanger with Aileen too. ****.
The Journey Continues
Robin Furth Essay about the challenges of writing this unknown era of Roland's life. ****.
Issue Overall: ****.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 2 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 2
Never dug the idea of the ghost of Hax being in the story.
Roland's monologue over Aileen's dead body was beautiful. Say what you will about Roland, he is a romantic and secretly has the soul of a poet.
A billy-bumbler? Not-Men? WHAT?!
Pretty gross versions of Slow Mutants too.
Cool. ****.
The Journey Continues
Furth discusses the liberties she took in the issue. When she's describing that whatever the fans believe should have happened exists on a different level of the Tower, she is describing Headcanon. I love writers who allow us to make up our own damn minds about stuff like that. ***1/2.
Issue Overall: ****.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 3 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 3
It amazes me we hadn't gotten to the story of Hax yet.
The ghost stuff with "Present Day" Roland is weird, but Hax expressing "Rigret" at the end it interesting and unexpected too.
Interesting issue in general. ***1/2.
The Journey Continues
I wish Furth and Peter David has been able to put Roland declaring the hanging "Not such of a much" in the comic itself. It's a great phrase. ***1/2.
Issue Overall: ***1/2.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 4 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 4:
It's weirdly fun, but it also feels like we've gotten on a bit of a tangent. ***1/2.
A Talking Billy-What???
About Billy-Bumblers / Throcken.
King Connections: Type One Vampires are mentioned. These horrible creature were introduced in "'Salem's Lot", with Kurt Barlow as the first and most horrible example.
The notion of the Grandfather Fleas was always wild to me and one of the most cool notions of the final three Dark Tower books.
Neat-O. ****.
Issue Overall:: ****.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger: The Journey Begins 5 (Marvel Comics)
The Journey Begins: Part 5
It's kind of cool Roland is allowed to sleep with Susan Black and she doesn't die. I like that.
I thought the climax is the Dogan with the Not-Men was tight. Roland telling a dying Billy Aileen would take care of him puts a lump in the old throat.
I love the Narrator pointing out Roland isn't great at clever quips. Still effective though, don't you think? Totally works.
My favorite of the five parts. ****1/2.
The Wheel Of Ka...
Furth discusses Ka while trying to avoid spoiling the time loop ending of the last book. Not very effectively, I might add.
King Connections Of Note: Twinners from "The Talisman" are mentioned again. Hell, the BOOK "The Talisman" is mentioned by name when they are. ***1/2.
Issue Overall: ****`1/2.