In what might be my favorite game of the year, Spider-Man (2018) excelled in almost every way that a game can excel. It provided a satisfying combat system, impressed me with stellar writing quality, and introduced a traversal system so fun that it made their fast travel option redundant. Insomniac Games’s release stands at the zenith of video games, superhero stories, and the Spider-Man canon, and anyone who can play it definitely should.
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Is anyone else finding it strange that the silly, irreverent version of the superhero idea seems to be the best thing Marvel Entertainment (the one that used to be owned by Fox before Disney pulled a Galactus and just ate the company)? Probably not, because Logan was such a phenomenal hit, but it does speak to how well a superhero movie can perform when a creative team has an idea and sticks to it. Deadpool 2‘s idea was to sneak subtle messages about depression, grief, leading a purposeful life, and believing victims of abuse into a story with a character who pokes fun at Batman. It’s a good watch!
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The best of the Defenders quartet (quintet if you count the guy who worked best as a moral foil for Dardevil — I do not) returns for a second season, and the skill is clear on the screen. I was impressed by how the show cast its gaze upward and outward, seeing a system of exploitation rather than just one abusive man. It made the thematically interconnected stories all the more amusing to untangle, even when compared to its straightforward predecessor. Incredible acting, tense interpersonal drama, and a wildly talented team behind it all; Jessica Jones, Season 2 is powerful television.
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Was it a great decision to put the narrative weight of an entire Marvel Netflix project on the back of the most sloppily made version of The Defenders’ premise? If you ask me, no. Not a bit. Thankfully, you don’t have to leave your home to watch Iron Fist (no doubt the series’s only saving grace). I am not sure it’s exactly as bad as some of the staunchest critics insist, but it’s still an unbelievable drop in quality compared to the previous three.
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The movie that stands tall over its DCEU counterparts and can rub elbows with the best of Marvel, Wonder Woman (2017) is damn inspirational. Patty Jenkins put together a movie that reminds audiences why these heroes are so super.
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I am late to the party and acting surprised at how much these Marvel 13-episode Defenders build-ups are succeeding. Seriously, these superhero projects are better at crime drama than actual crime drama.
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“Brutal parody” is a phrase that describes this movie on multiple levels: brutal in its ideas, execution and executions. With both comedy and genuinely heartfelt moments, this is a very good movie.
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I wrote a review about the big multiverse spanning Marvel fantasy movie. This movie is a visual masterpiece that should be lauded for its imagination, even if that same imagination ran dry when it came time for writing.
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The Culture HUD 