Niamh Walsh shares her love for one of Hollywood’s most beloved contemporary filmmakers.
MCU
Make mine Marvel
Marvel Studios has changed the superhero game in the past decade, introducing the “cinematic universe” approach which has been steadily copied by the likes of DC, Star Wars and Universal. However, Marvel remains without a doubt the most successful architects of the “cinematic universe” – its umbrella of the “MCU” is over 20 films in […]
Daredevil: Season 3 – Review
13 episodes. 13 damn episodes. The obsession with this arbitrary number has certainly proved unlucky for the Netflix corner of the MCU. Even those who sat through 26 episodes of Harlem’s Hero and the mercifully shorter 23 episodes of a posh white brat not doing nearly enough fist-ing greeted their cancellation with a mild shrug and […]
Review: Avengers – Infinity War
This is one of the most ambitious filmmaking projects of the century – partly because of how brazenly Marvel hyped it up themselves – and it’s handled with all the vision, intelligence, and finesse of masters of their craft. With a film possessing 70+ characters, it had every reason to seem over-stuffed and over-complicated, but […]
A universal approach? A look at cinematic universes
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a decade old this year, and Avengers: Infinity War looks to be the most complete example of the unique storytelling model which Marvel Studios have brought to cinema, bringing together characters, storylines and themes from 18 films into one massive orgy of colourful costumes and special effects. Whether you love […]
Review: Black Panther
Centuries ago, a meteorite struck central Africa; an alien metal made of ‘vibranium’, was perceived to be a spiritual source of power. The influence of this meteorite affected the fauna and flora of the earth, including human nature, its presence causing a series of wars between five African tribes. One day, a warrior ingests a vibranium-affected ‘heart-shaped-herb’, […]
Still unrepresented: the women of Marvel
As a long-time fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), I’ve always struggled between denial and frustration when it comes to the lack of major female characters onscreen – denial because, despite the low number of them, the women of the MCU are usually (though by no means always) interesting, well-written characters. Peggy Carter and Pepper […]
Review: Deadpool
When a film opens with opening credits that describes Ryan Reynolds as ‘God’s Perfect Idiot’ and the obligatory Stan Lee appearance as ‘A Gratuitous Cameo’ instead of their names, you know you are in for a comedy like no other. Deadpool, a film almost ten years in the works, looks at the origin story of […]