2.5 Razors

Doctor Who – Deep Breath

  • Title: Doctor Who – Deep Breath
  • wiki: link

“Nothing is more important than my egomania!”

 

Doctor Who - Deep Breath

Post-regeneration episodes are tricky. By and large the first episodes of the new actor as The Doctor focus either on an exhausted and confused Doctor trying to discover his himself for the first time (“Time and the Rani“) or resting and being out of action for much of the episode (“Castrovalva,” “The Christmas Invasion“). My main takeaway from “Deep Breath,” other than the fact that the jury is still out on just what kind of man the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) will be, is reminding me how well-constructed an episode “The Eleventh Hour” was. The Fifth Series premiere works as a strong story apart from the novelty of introducing a new actor into the series’ starring role. By contrast, while “Deep Breath” isn’t awful, it’s a far cry from the strides Matt Smith took in his first episode as the Eleventh Doctor.

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Teen Titans Go! – Knowledge

  • Title: Teen Titans Go! – Knowledge
  • wiki: link

Teen Titans Go! - Knowledge

Tired of constant misunderstandings between herself and her teammates, a despondent Starfire (Hynden Walch) enlists the help of Raven (Tara Strong) to learn about human culture (despite the rest of the Titans worrying that Raven will turn Starfire into a total bummer). When the use of a Schoolhouse Rock! musical performance doesn’t make odd human idioms any more clear, Raven relies on magic to transform her teammate by offering her all human knowledge – with disastrous results.

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Divergent

  • Title: Divergent
  • IMDb: link

DivergentBased on the young adult novel by Veronica Roth, Divergent cashes in on several of the same themes that made The Hunger Games a box office success. Casting Shailene Woodley as Tris, the plucky young heroine in a dystopian future, the movie follows a similar formula of class warfare and child warriors.

In a world where people are grouped into five castes, each centered around a specific ideal, Tris reaches the age of choosing in which she decides to forgo a life of servitude to become a warrior. Her choice is heavily influenced by the fact that Tris, unlike the vast majority of the population, has a genetic code that doesn’t fit neatly into any one of the particular factions.

Hiding her divergence from both friends and enemies, Tris trains to become a member of Dauntless, but to succeed in becoming a full member of the faction she’ll have face the truth about herself and keep anyone else from learning her secret.

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Legendary Star-Lord #2

Legendary Star-Lord #2Marvel Comics’ unsubtle move to further turn Star-Lord into the Han Solo of the Marvel Universe goes into overdrive here as the second issue of the solo-series focuses on the character’s scruffy, smuggler with a heart of gold nature. Making an uneasy alliance with his half-sister, Star-Lord infiltrates a bounty hunter’s lair as a prisoner, nearly gets eaten by something that looks an awful lot like the Sarlacc Pit (although is revealed to be more than meets the eye), and manages to escape with a pocketful of credits.

Mentioned in the first issue of the comic, Legendary Star-Lord #2 offers us the first look at the villainous Mr. Knife (who we will no doubt be seeing more of), while also developing the relationship between Peter Quill and the sister he never knew he had.

Disconnected from the rest of the Marvel Universe (or the Guardians own continuity) the opening two issues have provided some fun but they also showcase why Peter Quill works better with partners rather than in Solo (pun intended) missions. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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Guardians of the Galaxy #17

Guardians of the Galaxy #17After fracturing the team a couple of issues back and imprisoning its members across the galaxy, the series reunites the Guardians of the Galaxy in the latest issue with such relative ease you have to wonder what the point of this arc was. Yes, Peter Quill finally got the better of his father, but surely that small victory (with possible huge ramifications) could have been handled without disrupting the team and removing the core dynamic which makes the series work.

Although Venom hasn’t been found, apparently Carol Danvers is sticking around for the time being. Although I like the character, I have much the same complaints about her addition as I did about Venom where neither really fits on a team that has already been trimmed down of far more interesting characters (Cosmo, the time-displaced Vance Astro and Starhawk just to name three).

Although it still has the feel of a Guardians issue, I think both longtime fans and those inspired by the movie to pick up the issue may feel somewhat disappointed. Hit-and-Miss.

[Marvel, $3.99]

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