Written by Jonathan Strickland

Say it with me… it’s morphin’ time! Yes, we finally get a live action Power Rangers movie with a real budget and fresh new cast. With the movie releasing two weeks from now, I wanted to share a few reasons why I’m excited for the new Power Rangers movie.

DIVERSITY

When Saban first announced the cast, I was overwhelmed, but in a good way. Though I had never heard of any of the Ranger actors, I was relieved to see a diverse group of people with different races and backgrounds. Dacre Montgomery (Red Ranger), from Australia, and RJ Cyler (Blue Ranger), from Florida, both landed their first major acting jobs with these roles. Naomi Scott (Pink Ranger) is a British pop star. Ludi Lin (Black Ranger) is from China, and is one of the fastest rising stars in the Asian movie scene. Becky G. (Yellow Ranger) is a Mexican-American YouTube star, most famous for her videos of dancing and singing. In many interviews I’ve heard our new Rangers express how blessed they feel to all work together. Not only are they taking on the mantle of the Power Rangers, they are also representing different parts of their culture and the world; which is way bigger than a movie.

NOSTALGIA

Okay, we would all be lying if we said the nostalgia-factor wasn’t in play here. If you’re a 90’s kid, then you likely grew up on Mighty Morphin’ with me. That is actually what the movie Rangers are based off. There’s nothing like getting to relive memories from childhood. I can remember my mom buying my first Zord for me. At the time she was a single mother, and she spent all of her Christmas bonus on it because she knew how much I loved the show. When I see the new movie, of course that memory will come to mind. Nostalgia is a crazy thing. I was talking with my fellow Pop Culture Philosopher Rockin’ Robbie the other day about how bad the acting was in the original show. If you go back and watch the series, you have to watch it in intervals because it’s that unbearable. But even still, you can’t deny how awesome it was when Tommy Oliver showed up as the Green Ranger, or how every dude in the world had a crush on Kimberly.

VETERANS

Can we just give a round of applause to Saban right now? They casted Walter freaking White as Zordon. How insane is that? Elizabeth Banks and Bill Hader are some of the most versatile actors in the industry. I’ve never seen any of them do the same role twice. Just a few name drops, in case of you didn’t already know: Bryan Cranston (Zordon) known from his outstanding performance in Breaking Bad, Elizabeth Banks (Rita Repulsa) known from Hunger Games, The Lego Movie, and Pitch Perfect (which she actually directed), Bill Hader (Alpha 5) from Saturday Night Live, Superbad, and even a few voice-overs for BB-8 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A strong group of already-loved veterans to back up the younger and newer Power Rangers cast seems, to me, like a great setup for success!

EARLY REVIEWS

Obviously no spoilers here, but the early reviews from critics have been great! They are saying that the film is fun and enjoyable. While it is different from original series, there are plenty of nods to the old show, and that excites me. I didn’t want a carbon copy of the original show, because that would be extremely corny and, as I said earlier, probably unbearable. A fresh look is never a bad thing, especially when it seems like every superhero movie is the same these days.

POTENTIAL SET-UPS

Saban has gone on record saying that, if this movie is successful, the sky is the limit for Power Ranger movies. How cool would it be to have a Green Ranger solo movie, or even incorporating what they have done in the comics lately with Rangers from different worlds? I would pay so much money to see that! Saban has also mentioned wanting to tie in the Zeo crystal somehow; so be on the lookout for that.

Those are just a few of the reasons that I am excited to see the new Power Rangers movie. Comment below to let us know what you’re pumped about for this new movie. And, as always, for more information on pop culture you can subscribe to us on YouTube, or like our Facebook page at Pop Culture Philosophers.

Signing off,

Jonathan “J-Strick” Strickland

Related Posts

Autumn is without a doubt my favorite part of the year. As the heat of Summer gives way to nature’s cooling breeze, pop culture transforms into a darkly splendid amalgam of pumpkin spice, horror and tranquility. The fever-induced outrages of a polarized culture shift into more congenial rivalries focused on the athleticism of college kids, aiming for that one shot at NFL glory. The overwrought cinematic blockbuster offerings of Hollywood morph into the tried and tested horror masterpieces of years past. The sweltering torridness of long, lazy days gives in to lengthening and chilling nights that run rampant with hope, reflection and serenity.

Pumpkin and other Fall-inspired flavors begin to command attention over the lighter fare of Summer. Crisp salads and grilled skewers become hearty chili and fulfilling stews. Pale and lemon-washed beers fall away with the rise of darker, more complex brews that tantalize drained taste buds. Gone are the citrus pastries that puzzle my palate with ostentatious saccharinity, as the days of zestful spices and bittersweet produce return in all of their elegant nobility. And though it may be hip today to complain of pumpkin spice overload, as well as expressing annoyance at the supposed white women who demand this oppressive burden, I adore all things pumpkin-flavored, from pies and candy to ale and coffee.

There is no better time than Fall for a sports fan. As the air becomes more frigid, Major League Baseball heats up with intense playoff races, each game now imprinted with the significance of an entire season. Football begins each Autumn with life or death games on every level, from high school to the NFL, bringing with it tailgating, marching bands and a comradery that is rarely matched in most sports. The NBA and the NHL return with fast-paced and thrilling games, dominating the airwaves with slam dunks and hat tricks.

After a Summer of theatrical offerings aimed at the lowest common denominator, the studios release smaller, more personal films. Films that don’t quite fit in with the Oscar bait contributions of Winter or the multitude of spectacle and flash in the Summer. Trips to the theater are replaced with nights of staying in with friends, watching the classic horror films of yesterday. Films from maestros such as John Carpenter, Dario Argento and George A. Romero replace the weary films of Michael Bay, Gore Verbinski and Roland Emmerich. The Jason Bournes are replaced by Freddy Kruegers and the Fast and the Furious make way for the House of Frankenstein.

Autumn is a time of rebirth. While Spring is the obvious season of renewal, Fall brings with it new hopes and refreshment. Harvest is coming and it is time to enjoy the fruits of our labor, with one last reprieve before the harsh winds of Winter arrive. There is nothing that I love more in this life than grabbing a rich, malty beer on a chilly night, surrounded by friends and loved ones. Whether it’s watching modern gladiators battling on the football field, or watching an atmospheric and horrific work of art with an impeccable score, these times spent with the most important people in my life are the most important times of my life.

And then there is Halloween… which truly makes Fall the most wonderful time of the year.

-Rockin’ Robbie Billups

Related Posts

Written by Drew Madsen

To start things off, I’d like to address the elephant in the room, and that’s the controversy surrounding the casting of a white actor to play the Iron Fist.  I honestly had no problem with it, despite there being several major outlets pushing for an Asian-American or female Iron Fist.  Other than Tilda Swinton as (sigh) the Ancient One, Marvel generally tries to stay true to what their characters look like in the comics and it’s just about always worked out, so why change?  As long as those movies and shows are critical darlings and make billions of dollars, they have very little impetus to change, despite how much clamoring there might be for a Black Widow movie.  Well, that might have changed due to the dumpster fire that was Iron Fist.

In several ways, this series feels less a story about the Iron Fist, but a bridge to the eventual conflict between the Hand and the Defenders in the next Netflix Marvel series.  Throughout the show, it seems that the writers (and thus the characters) do not trust the audience, because there are several times where something happens and they immediately have to explain what just happened.  It’s almost like they knew that people would have to stop watching and walk away from some of the dumb things that happen in the show.  Danny Rand seems to have two sides to one character page, spoiled rich kid, or warrior monk who defeated a dragon with his bare hands.  The character is never a convincing mix of those two, a child of means who grew up into an adult with the discipline of some of the greatest warriors possible.  He flies off the handle at the slightest provocation, never displaying the zen of a master, which negatively impacts his chi and provides very little chance to use the actual Iron Fist ability.  Almost every time he uses it, it serves just to move the plot or the VERY poor fight scenes forward.

Based on the previous success of the Netflix Marvel series, I expected the combat to take another step by taking a character that was a living weapon, a master of Kung Fu that was rarely seen out of the hidden city of K’un-Lun.  Based on his fight scenes, this dude needed another 15 years of Lei Kung the Thunderer beating him up before he was ever ready for a crack at Shou-Lao the Undying.   I hate to place all of the blame on Finn Jones for this, because he has since talked about how some fight scenes were learned just ten minutes prior to being filmed, which explains a lot.  Fight scenes are another way of storytelling, and Iron Fist’s were too stiff and obviously simplified because more often than not they turned into brawls.  Now brawls can be entertaining, just look at Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, but those characters haven’t been studying Kung Fu for more than half their lives!  The two best fight scenes in the show involved a cage fight with Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick) and one between another actor who actually read for the part, Lewis Tan.  Bruce Lee once famously said, “Be like water,” and in this fight scene, Tan’s drunken boxing was water and Finn Jones’s Kung Fu was heavy cream.

The villains of the previous series have been just as important for the success of the show as the heroes,  Kingpin in Daredevil, Kilgrave is Jessica Jones, and Cottonmouth in Luke Cage (for the first half at least).  Unfortunately, we don’t have that in Iron Fist for the most part.  Madame Gao, previously of Daredevil, provides the major threat for the most of the show before being taken out of the picture and never being heard from again.  Wai Ching Ho chews the scenery and provides an aura of menace as she always seems to be one step ahead, revealing just enough to drive the plot forward as you learn about her history and her connections to Danny’s family and the Rand Corporation.  If she had been the utter focus of the show it might have turned out better, but, we have the Meachums to deal with.  Harold, Joy, and Ward seemed at times like caricatures of every shady boardroom warrior that has ever come into being in fiction.  Harold (David Wenham) is erratic but never truly terrifying (or entertaining) throughout the show, and gets even more so in the second half and is the victim of the least surprising plot twist in the MCU.  Ward (Tom Pelphrey) is the young businessman who has always been a jerk (*GASP* He cheats at Monopoly!) with a drug problem and really doesn’t show much to scare us or in the later episodes, empathize with him.  Joy (Jessica Stroup) has some redeeming qualities, as the show goes to great lengths to show that she is the smartest person in the entire company and is the first to realize that this hipster homeless man might actually be Danny Rand.  Unfortunately, we never get the chance to get a real sense of her as she is jumping from good to bad and back throughout the entire show.  If they were treated as minor characters they would not have been as large an issue as they were, but it felt (I don’t have an actual breakdown) that they got about half the screen time in the show and dragged down the pace whenever they showed up.

At this point you may be asking, well damn Drew, what did you like about Iron Fist?  Well, some of the characters were cool!  Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) is great as always, and in this series especially she feels and acts like she were the audience brought into the show.  There are several great moments where she remarks on the absurdity of the situations and the decisions the cast makes that actually made me laugh out loud.  Colleen Wing, unfortunately limited in screen time as a love interest, is shown to be tough in her fight scenes and a convincing sensei to underprivileged youth.  Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss) is just as tough a lawyer as she’s always been, but shows a soft spot for Danny, who she knew as an intern.  Davos (Sacha Dhawan) is the villain that I was waiting for the entire show, though that will have to wait for Season 2, and had my favorite line in the entire show.  His fight scenes (of course, there were less of them) felt more convincing and his underlying rage about Danny earning the Iron Fist at all and then having the audacity to leave K’un-Lun defenseless was my favorite part in the second half of the series.

All in all, this was a bad show, and the worst Marvel production (movie or TV) thus far.  The main characters weren’t compelling enough to carry throughout what felt like a very rushed production just so we could get to the Defenders.  The Kung Fu was insulting to the character of the Iron Fist, as we all had to think there was no way this guy would ever defeat a dragon, let alone a dragon powerful enough to fuel a mystical city.  The villains were underwhelming and the only ones I hope to see more of are Madame Gao and Davos.  I think I feel so strongly about this show because I like Danny Rand in the comics, but about 12 (of 13) episodes in I could not remember liking an episode of the show and I started thinking about everything that had gone wrong up to that point.  If you feel like watching something with Iron Fist in the name and at least getting some good fight scenes that are worth your time, look up RZA’s The Man with the Iron Fists.

Related Posts

In the 1960s, creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee revolutionized the comic book industry with the creation of Marvel Comics. Although Marvel had existed, in one form or another, since the 1930s, the company didn’t officially become Marvel or define their distinct style until the turbulent and radical 1960s. America was going through rapid social change, and that was reflected in the pop culture of the time, including juvenile comic books. Kirby and Lee nurtured a more intelligent and socially conscious fan base that led to a revolution in superhero fiction, bringing the heroes closer to home and a bit more relatable.

Inspired by a question posed by our good friend Brett Murph and a discussion with an old school comics fan who frequents the shop I work at, I will take the time to celebrate Marvel Comics and some of their best characters. These are my personal favorites, and yes, I know Spider-Man, Wolverine and the Hulk are probably the most iconic and recognizable characters from the Marvel pantheon, but these five characters have had the most lasting impression on my mind and character. So, in honor of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, I present to you my Top 5 Favorite Marvel Comics Heroes!

5. Iron Man

First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #39 (1963)
Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck and Jack Kirby

Anthony Stark is a billionaire playboy who runs an industry-leading company and also happens to wear a suit of incredible armor and saves the world on numerous occasions. Much like DC’s Batman, he is a self-made superhero on par with actual gods. This self-actualization aspect has always resonated within me, the idea that our greatest strength as humans is our ability to think and problem-solve on a high level. The inspiration to make yourself into what you truly are and stand tall after conquering your demons; and Tony Stark has his demons. The exploration of addiction and narcissism in Iron Man are just a couple of the deep, life-enriching themes permeated throughout his complex story. Plus, who doesn’t want to be rich with an awesome suit of armor?

4. Blade

First Appearance: The Tomb of Dracula #10 (1973)
Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan

Eric Brooks was born while a vampire was feeding on his mother. This passed on certain traits and abilities that later came to be defined as being a Daywalker, a being with all of a vampire’s strengths, yet none of their weaknesses. He then became a vampire hunter, seeking out those that prey upon humans like his mother. My first encounter with Blade was the Spider-Man cartoon produced in the 1990s, although I have become enchanted with Wolfman and Colan’s The Tomb of Dracula since. Blade was such a cool character to me, and that was perfectly portrayed in New Line Cinema’s 1998 film starring Wesley Snipes. Oddly enough, since the movie was released, Blade has rarely been handled well in the comics. However, Blade tells us about the monster inside all of us and how we can tame our demons, and use them for good and not evil. Remember, there are worse things out tonight than vampires…

3. The Thing

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #1 (1961)
Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

Benjamin J. Grimm is a Jewish test pilot from New York City’s Lower East Side. After being bombarded by cosmic radiation on a doomed trip to space, he became the orange and rocky superhero called The Thing. The Thing is indeed truly monstrous in appearance, yet no other member of the Fantastic Four teaches us as much about humanity as Ben Grimm. Ben represents the toughness inherent in the human condition, the ability to struggle through adversity and hardship. Ben is the heart of the Fantastic Four and grounds the team throughout their unbelievable adventures. The Thing is loyal, wise, courageous and he will never hesitate when “it’s clobberin’ time!”

2. Black Panther

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #52 (1966)
Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

T’Challa is the leader of the highly advanced African nation of Wakanda and the holder of the ceremonial title of the Black Panther. Gifted with enhanced physical abilities and an ingenious mind, he fights for justice among his own tribes and the world as a whole. If there is a comic book superhero more prepared than Batman, it’s the Black Panther. T’Challa has always represented to me the genius and endurance in humanity. He is a master tactician with superb fighting skill, that can even best Captain America. He even single-handedly beat the Fantastic Four in his first appearance! He is loyal to his people, but most importantly, he is loyal to his heart and will do whatever is necessary to see that justice is met.

1. Mr. Fantastic

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #1 (1961)
Created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

Reed Richards is a brilliant scientist and explorer who, along with his closest friends, embarks on a perilous journey into space, changing them forever. He then became Mr. Fantastic, the super-stretchy leader of the Fantastic Four. Superheroes are often strong and muscular, but not very bright at times. Reed Richards goes against this stereotype and shows us that brains and ingenuity can outmatch any amount of muscle and athleticism. Reed is an example of progression, always striving to move humanity forward. He is also a paragon of emotional control, showing us how we can balance our feelings with our thoughts. He is dedicated to his family and humanity as a whole, and will never stop trying to educate and solve the problems of our world. He’s Bill Nye as a superhero!

Marvel has given us some amazing characters that entertain us, all the while teaching us about ourselves. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created an entire universe of these characters that have, once again, become pop culture icons. There are so many that it is hard to narrow it down to just five. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to write this one article for the rest of my life. So, here’s to all of them!

And remember… with great power comes… a high utility bill.

–Rockin’ Robbie Billups

Related Posts

Villains.
You cannot have a great story without a diabolically fascinating villain. What use is a hero without a fantastically fiendish foe to overcome? Comic books have given us some of the most marvelous and distinguished evildoers in popular culture. In celebration of these deviant rapscallions, and the heroes who triumph over them, I present to you, my fellow miscreants, my personal Top 5 Favorite Comic Book Rogues Galleries!

5. X-Men

The X-Men have a very impressive assortment of mischief-makers, led by the indomitable Magneto. The master of magnetism has a complex history and enriching story development that goes beyond many villains in cinema. The ancient Apocalypse is a fierce and unstoppable force of nature, representing unforgiving Darwinism. Mystique, Sabretooth, Juggernaut, Shadow King and Mr. Sinister are but a few more of the captivating offenders that the X-Men boast as their greatest villains. The X-Men even had one of their own become one of their most fearsome villains when Jean Grey became the all-powerful Dark Phoenix!

4. Superman

Superman may not always be able to resonate with an audience, but I guarantee you his villains can. If Hollywood will finally release these powerful wretches onto the big screen, and it seems like Warner Brothers is about to, audiences and studios alike will benefit immensely. Doomsday, Darkseid, Parasite, Brainiac, Metallo and even Mister Mxyzptlk can astound fans with their brute force and Machiavellian machinations. The pertinacious Lex Luthor proudly stands as the greatest of the bunch, representing humanity’s fear against foreign ideologies.

3. Fantastic Four

The Fantastic Four may no longer be the most popular superhero-fiction concept, but their greatest antagonists are some of comics’ finest! Doctor Doom is one of Marvel’s all-time greatest creations, as well as the planet-devouring Galactus. Doom emblematizes arrogant ego left unchecked, while Galactus symbolizes our fear of the uncontrollable unknown. The Frightful Four, Super Skrull, Mole Man, Diablo and Annihilus are but a small sampling of the other fantastic creations from Jack Kirby and Stan Lee.

2. Spider-Man

Spider-Man may be Marvel’s greatest creation, and his villains are just as fascinating and enchanting. Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin is an uncontainable obstacle in the Web-Slingers life, both in and out of costume. The monstrous Venom and the egregious Carnage have delighted fans for years with their heinous efforts. The Doctor Octopus-led Sinister Six, including Mysterio, Electro, Kraven, Vulture and Sandman, has proven to be an endurable concept through the decades, resulting in many different incarnations of the team. It is impossible to name each amazing villain here, but the list continues to grow even today!

1. Batman

It would be difficult to argue that Batman does not have the most recognizable and anomalous villains of any comic book hero. Each rogue is a fractured reflection of the Dark Knight himself. Catwoman embodies moral ambiguity, while Two-Face exemplifies unhinged duality. Poison Ivy shows us the cost of an uncompromising worldview and Mr. Freeze displays the perils of loneliness and loss without hope. The Joker, dressed as a clown, is the ideal mirror-image of the Caped Crusader, who dresses as a vampiric bat. The Joker has stimulated audiences for years with his nihilistic perspective and psychotic atrocities. Batman’s rogues gallery includes many more intriguing foes, such as Bane, Scarecrow, Ra’s Al Ghul and the Riddler.

Villains epitomize our darkest actions and our deepest thoughts. They are emotion left abandoned and undisciplined. The hero’s journey includes overcoming these foes, just as we must conquer our own demons and limited understanding. We relate to these wickedly vicious adversaries because they represent a part inside all of us that needs attention and reflection. We can learn just as much from our favorite villains as we can our greatest heroes.

And remember, sometimes the difference between a hero and a villain is just a matter of perspective.

–Rockin’ Robbie Billups

Related Posts

Top 5 Green Lanterns by Jonathan Strickland

My love for Green Lantern started in childhood. I remember going to my local comic shop and digging through the dollar books to find various Green Lantern titles. The book wasn’t very popular when I was growing up, and as I started middle school my love for the book faded away. I was too busy chasing girls and popularity; which was a waste of time, by the way. It wasn’t till I was 20 and started dating my girlfriend at the time (who is now my wife! Ayyy!) that I got back into comic books. She always encouraged me to like what I liked and do what I wanted, as long as it wasn’t unhealthy. So, with those fighting words always in the back of my head, I went to my local comic book shop, The DeeP Comics & Games, where I now work. I picked up a trade paperback called “Green Lantern: Rebirth,” written by Geoff Johns. I was told this is where you needed start if you are a fan of Green Lantern; and it seems to have been good advice. The plot hooked me. The Green Lantern’s constructs had such detail, and the return of Hal Jordan was amazing! I finished Johns’ run of Green Lantern in less than a week to catch up to the start of the new 52. It’s safe to say that my love for Green Lantern was renewed. These days I don’t care too much about the ongoing titles. Johns left Green Lantern about a year ago to focus on producing D.C. films; but says he will return to the book someday. Until that day comes, I hope my list inspires you to pick up your favorite comic book and give it a second go!

5. KILOWOG

 
The ultimate drill instructor! Tough and gritty. Founder of the word “poozer,” which means “useless rookie.” Kilowog is so important to the Green Lantern Corps, because he’s trained most of them. Instructing new recruits on how to handle and utilize their power rings is one of the highest callings! Kilowog’s power ring is the only one that Hal Jordan knows of that can actually make sound when being used. Besides his power ring, Kilowog posesses the natural super-strength and durability of his species. Combined with these things, Kilowog once even held his own fighting against Superman.

4. MOGO

 
Okay, do I even have to say it? How freaking cool is it that a planet is a Green Lantern? Mogo is a living planet that has a green band circling the body with the standard Green Lantern symbol . Mogo, in charge of guiding the Green Lantern rings to new beings after their host dies. Mogo, with the ability to manipulate the weather and interstellar travel. Abin Sur prophesied that Mogo would be the last Green Lantern; but only time will tell.

3. KYLE RAYNER

 
One of the highest-ranking members in the Green Lantern Corps, Kyle Rayner changed the game for us Green Lantern fans with the uses of his constructs. You see Kyle before he was a Lantern as a freelance graphic artist. He took the Lanterns to new depths of creativity with his constructs. I always felt like whatever he made just jumped off the page. From a member of the Justice League, to becoming the one and only white Lantern, Kyle has persevered through a lot.

2. THAAL SINESTRO

 
When you think Sinestro, you think OG; I know you do. He was the go-to guy before Hal Jordan came a long. He was considered the greatest of all Green Lanterns at his height; his powers were so great that he was assigned to mentor rookie Lanterns showing the same level of promise. One of those was our Hal Jordan. Intimidation, leadership, hand-to-combat, and genius-level intellect is what Sinestro has going on. Ion once said that Sinestro has the single most indomitable will in all of creation. But, like all good anti-heros, Sinestro eventually became corrupted by power, and was eventually exiled for crimes against his own people. I flirted with him getting the number one spot, but he stays at two for me.

1. HAL JORDAN

 
First human ever to be inducted to the Green Lantern Corps. Founding member of the Justice League of America. Overcame being processed by Parallax and The Spectre. Do I need to keep going? How could I give anyone else the number one spot? Hal Jordan, to me, is the embodiment of what a Green Lantern should be. Maybe he doesn’t always do the right thing, but he always has the will to overcome any obstacle. His accomplishments as a Green Lantern speak for themselves. Jordan’s constructs are among the most powerful. Hal Jordan is, of course, my number one Green Lantern of all time. I’ll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from John Stewart speaking about what kind of guy Hal is. “Our rings could be out of power, we could be trapped on the edge of a black hole facing off against Evil Star but if I looked Hal in the eyes, if he told me we’re going to get out of it, I always believed him.”

Like always, make sure you subscribe for more content! Also, make sure you comment below. This was just my personal ranking, but what is yours? Do you think I left out anyone?

Signing off, Jonathan Strickland

Related Posts

Top 5 Marvel Cinematic Universe Fight Scenes

Written by Drew Madsen

In my previous Iron Fist review, my harshest criticism was on the lack of good or even acceptable fight scenes for a show about a Kung Fu master.  Fight scenes are an expression of storytelling that best encapsulates the struggle of one human against another, often sacrificing everything for the slightest chance of victory. David vs Goliath, Arthur vs Mordred, and Hector vs Achilles are some of the prime examples from history, but because less and less people actually decide to read those “ancient texts”, they want to be able to experience these struggles with their very own eyes.  The Marvel Cinematic Universe is already one of the greatest franchises of all time, putting decades old comics characters onto screens, both large and small, so a whole new generation can love these characters.  With Captain America, Daredevil, Iron Man, etc. they had a huge roster to pull from to show off their skills as martial artists and they definitely succeeded in doing just that.

Here are my top 5 fight scenes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although I will say that I give more credit to actual fight choreography with as little CGI as possible, so you won’t be seeing the Incredible Hulk or Thor on here.

5. Daredevil Season 2 – Punisher Jail Hallway

Ah, yes, the Punisher, everyone’s favorite “I’m killing everyone and everything” character.  We’d seen Frank Castle be deadly with his guns and explosives, but this scene inside a prison hallway (you’ll notice that the Netflix series love themselves some hallways) shows off his incredible hand to hand combat skills.  After performing a hit for Wilson Fisk, he betrays Castle to a hall of inmates hell bent on using whatever they have to put him down.  The action is fast and brutal, as unlike some of the other heroes, The Punisher goes to kill right off the bat.  There is no honorable combat, he uses their own shivs and homemade weapons to kill them, eventually being showered in the final goon’s blood as he stabs him in the neck.

4. Captain America: Civil War – Winter Soldier and Captain America vs. Iron Man

Emotions were high going into this, as Tony had just found out that Bucky had killed his mother (previously uncast in three movies) and father, which made him lash out in anger to try and kill their murderer and the man trying to protect him.  Captain America and the Winter Soldier team up and beat the hell out of Iron Man in a well-choreographed fight that features them passing the shield back and forth to whoever Tony is trying to hit at that point.  Tony blasts off the Winter Soldier’s metal arm and is smacked down, while Captain America charges in with his shield just so we can all get the iconic Civil War frame.  Cap unloads on Iron Man, leading Tony to get his suit to analyze the fight pattern so he can get the upper hand and throw Cap against the wall.  After Cap gets up with his dukes up and says his iconic phrase, “I can do this all day,” Bucky distracts Iron Man and Cap rushes in, pins Iron Man to the ground, and goes for what we think is the killing blow, but strikes the Arc Reactor with his shield to disable Tony to end the fight.  Tony then whines like the cretin he is and makes Cap leave behind the shield his daddy made.  If you couldn’t tell, I’m #TEAMCAPTAINAMERICA.

3. Daredevil Season 2 – Yet Another Hallway Scene

The sequel to the original hallway scene, this one was a step up in just about every way.  It kept the single-shot technique but gave us the impression of Daredevil as an unstoppable force going through the entire several rooms, hallways, and a stairwell full of enemies.  It also gave Daredevil weapons, as he had taped a gun and a biker chain to his hands to increase the number of moves he could pull off using the chain to whip people around and striking the lights to affect visibility.  When he reaches the base of the building the flashing red lights and change in music let us know that this is the boss battle.  The final bulky gang member is throwing him around and trying to break his neck until Daredevil  uses a chained enemy as leverage to run up a wall and do a flipping knee strike to finish him off.  

2. Captain America Winter Soldier – The Elevator Scene

The original Captain America and The Avengers had shown the incredible fighter that was Steve Rogers, but this scene was unbelievable.  The tension builds in the Triskelion elevator as more and more men cram around Captain America, which is already unsettling to anyone who has crammed into an elevator before, but he notices little things as they come in, a hand on a weapon, a guy sweating more than normal.  When the last comes in, he looks around, the music stops, and he says, “Before we start, does anyone wanna get out?”  A flurry of action ensues as they tackle him and try use a cattle prod and magnetic cuffs to stick him to the wall, but his super strength allows him to resist the pull.  He takes out a few of them, until the future Crossbones kicks his hand with the cuff to the wall, where he proceeds to beat the majority of them with one hand and a sweet scissor kick.  By the end of the scene, the overhead shot lets us soak in the fact that he just beat ten HYDRA agents in an enclosed space.  

1. Daredevil Hallway Scene – Season 1

This is the scene that let us know we were onto something special with Daredevil.  Famous for it’s single shot technique, this fight scene was stunning in just about every way.   Matt Murdock by this point is wounded, exhausted, but even more determined to save the little boy who was abducted by the Russian Mafia.  They chose to start it in another room, showing him enter and throw a punch or two but moved it back into the hallway, letting us hear the impacts even before men and objects started flying through the door.  It is well choreographed, as everything looks like it hurts and the opposing fighters look outmatched, but not comically so, because they are gang members who have been in street fights before so it’ll take more than one hit to take these guys down.  He gets hit, falls down, moves slower and slower, but is still able to pull off a roundhouse kick and defeat an entire gang of child traffickers before calming the little boy and taking him back through the disaster area of the hallway.  By the time we see him enter the hallway with his fists wrapped up like a boxer, we knew that this Murdock boy was about to let the Devil out.

Honorable Mention: Guardians of The Galaxy Dance Off

In honor of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 coming out this week, this scene gets an honorable mention just because of the sheer surprise of it.  A lot of the previous Marvel Movies had lackluster final fight scenes (See: Iron Mans and Thors) and I was afraid it was going to head down that path.  If it had, it still would have been one of the best movies they had made, but this fit the humor of the movie so much more.

Related Posts

A review of Avengers: Infinity War by Nicholas Cara

My title is a bold statement, one that probably already has some fans cursing my name out loud but after careful consideration I’m going to stick with it. Avengers Infinity War is this generation’s Empire Strikes Back. The moment in cinema where everyone will remember where they were.

Now this isn’t going to be a review, ok well it sort of is so let’s get that part out of the way. Oh and here is your needed warning:

SPOILER ALERT! I WILL ABSOLUTELY BE MENTIONING EVENTS FROM THE MOVIE BELOW. STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN INFINITY WARS! SPOILER ALERT!

LAST CHANCE TO STOP!

The movie in my opinion was an A+. Infinity Wars was 2.5 hours of action, adventure, and twists I didn’t see coming. And as I told my wife later, something I believe that has been both a comfort and a hindrance to comic book fans while watching superhero movies is we have seen the stories that the directors have been using for the recent decade of films years before the scripts were written. Yes, there has been a few changes, some good and some bad along the way (I’m looking at you Mandarin) but the essence of the story has pretty much been there. That was until now, Infinity War does something I haven’t experienced before, it surprised a comic book fan, and I don’t mean surprised in a “oh wow” way, I mean I felt my jaw drop to the floor way and it was not only once in the film. And I’m saying that admitting that I, as most comic book readers did, knew the ‘snap’ was coming. So for that it gets an A+ from me.

But there have been A+’s before, and none of those movies could walk the hardened road that the Empire Strikes Back marches to in some minds. That film is the movie of some cinema goers youth, the film that redefined what a true adventure movie, full of battles, love, pain and a shocking twist could be. Since then all big surprises on the silver screen have been compared to the words “I AM your father!” and in one way or another found lacking. Infinity War tops that epic moment because as with a fine wine the Marvel characters have been allowed to ferment in our culture even deeper than Luke and Leia were. While Empire Strikes Back was the second movie of one big adventure, Infinity War is the culmination of a decade of movies, and to those who read comics a lifetime of reading.

Now I’m going to leave comic book readers out of this for the time being because to truly change pop culture as Empire did Infinity War has to transcend the fan base. It has to reach people that before Robert Downey Jr. suited up had never heard of Iron Man before. And that’s where the Marvel Cinematic Universe has succeeded over the last 10 years. The MCU has produced 19 films over the past 10 years that in one way or another stuck their hand out to the masses and said “here’s your new favorite character, enjoy!” The shock to our pop culture that allows for the iconic moment in cinema Empire had was seeing those heroes fail, where instead of the smooth sip of Merlot you were expecting with the heroes saving the day at the end of the movie, you find the director pouring it all over your head. The heroes don’t win at the end of Empire, they in almost every way lose and they lose badly. Luke didn’t simply learn Vader was his father, he had just had that man beat him easily, slice his hand off and then tell him! And never mind what happened to his best friend Han minutes before. Audiences left that movie beaten as their heroes were, not knowing how the galaxy could or even would be saved in a future film or was this just the end? Marvel’s Avengers Infinity Wars doesn’t simply spill your wine of assumed misconceptions, it takes that bottle of wine that has been sitting for 10 years full of adventure and the public’s belief that they knew what was going to happen, holds it in front of them and smiles as it drops it shattering it all over the floor.

Do you have a favorite Marvel movie character? They always win in the end right? That’s how superhero movies go, right? Watch them die with a snap of a mad Titan’s fingers. Fan of Black Panther? Wakanda Forever? Nope, gone. Loki? Gone—violently. The Guardians of the Galaxy? I am Groot. Gone. Dr. Strange? Gone. Spider-Man? No way, they can’t kill Spider-Man! Yep, he’s gone, with an ending eerily resistant of David Tenant’s farewell to Dr. Who. Falcon? Vision? Scarlet Witch? Gone, gone, and gone. The remaining heroes barely kneeling at the end of Infinity War were left like the audience, without hope. The audience sees their heroes, these gods that can do the impossible, that always find a way to save the day fail completely. And that is where this becomes the Empire Strikes Back of this generation. The experience of watching their heroes who movie goers always believed would find a way fall is a turning point for both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and pop culture in general. Before the final Infinity Gem fell into place the world made sense, heroes won and the villains lost. Now that norm has been turned on its head.

Thanos is the cinema world’s new Vader, who has no equal. He is a tyrant who can match strengths with the Hulk, wits with Tony Stark and tactics with Captain America. How can our heroes overcome him? Is there even a chance anymore? As we did watching Luke and Leia look into the darkness of place as the Millennium flew into the unknown searching for Han the audiences over the weekend were left with their dispirited heroes wondering where the universe’s salvation could come from. Could it be from a mysterious red and blue star beacon or an unknown plan of Dr. Strange’s from one of his millions of scenarios, no one knows.

But everyone of them left that theater knowing they would remember where they were when their heroes fell.

Nicholas Cara is a contributing writer to Pop Culture Philosophers. He is well known as the author of the Grey Ghost book series. The Grey Ghost: The Shadow that Walks is available now on Amazon.

Related Posts

Written by Jonathan Strickland
Aye, yai, yai, yai, yai!

As you may know, I am a huge Power Rangers fan; but I can’t let nostalgia blind me on this one. I thought the movie was alright, at best. I know I may catch flak for saying that, because most comic book movie sites are emphasizing how amazing it is. It’s just that I had huge expectations for this film, but felt a little bummed out leaving the theater. Don’t get me wrong, there were some parts that I loved. Please don’t think I’m telling you not to go see it, or that it wasn’t enjoyable at times. I’ll dig a little deeper to clarify what I mean. Obviously, spoilers are below.

I’ll start off with the things I didn’t enjoy. Like in most superhero origin stories, the pacing was slow. That, coupled with a lack of originality, made the movie a little difficult to bear. I felt like I had seen many of the scenes in other movies. The five Rangers were pretty much the cast of The Breakfast Club, right? There’s Billy the brain, Kimberly the princess, Jason the athlete, and Zack and Trini shared a nice mixture of the criminal/basket-case role. The campfire scene seemed, to me, to be straight out The Breakfast Club. I felt like they told Elizabeth Banks to give us a Heath-Ledger-Joker type of performance; except it ended up just being super weird. Nobody thought it was creepy that she was stealing gold teeth from homeless people? Why was her only dialogue for half of the movie just repeating the word “gold”? The end credit scene, when the teacher calls for Tommy Oliver over and over, and he’s not there, bore more than a resemblance to the Ferris Buller scene we all know. If I’m honest, it felt like the Rangers didn’t even morph until the last 20 minutes of the movie. Not to mention, they didn’t even have actual morphers to morph with! They just kind of scream and make arm motions like they are about to power up in a Dragon Ball Z episode. Don’t even get me started on the Krispy Kreme product placement throughout the movie. And what was that gold ooze thing at the end? Was that supposed to be Goldar?

With all the ranting behind me, there were some redeeming parts of the movie. The diversity of the actors, that I wrote about last time, was still impressive. Of all the new Rangers, I felt like RJ Cyler stole the show. He was funny, nerdy, and witty; capturing the original actor’s role perfectly. Zordon was kind of a huge jerk, but I did enjoy the performance. Wall-Zordon was willing to take things into his own hands rather than only acting vicariously through the Power Rangers. The Stark-quality suits and CGI Zords were phenomenal. Despite all the complaints they got for switching things up from the show, I thought the movie was OK. I would give it a solid D; so it passed, in some schools. I did geek out over the snippets of the Power Ranger mythology; like Zordon and Rita 65 million years ago, the protection of the zeo crystals, and the nod to Tommy Oliver. Now that the origin story is out of the way, hopefully they use that space for improvement in the second movie. They shouldn’t have to set up much; so I am anticipating some more depth next time.

Signing off,
Jonathan Strickland

Related Posts

—————————————————-

Related Posts