Super-heroes, aliens, character studies, parents and their children, time travel, the Scottish Highlands, young love, monsters, and the end of the world. Halfway through the year we take a look back at the ten best movies from the first-half of 2012.
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The Ten Best Movies of 2012 (So Far) Read More »
If you were wondering how Marvel Comics was going to draw out Hope Summers becoming the Phoenix over a twelve-issue maxi-series, issue #5 answers that question with an unexpected bait-and-switch.
On the moon where the Avengers and X-Men battle and the Phoenix Force arrives, Iron Man and Giant Man create an ill-explained kamikaze robot created to disperse the the Phoenix Force before it can completely merge with hope. However, their plan doesn’t quite give them the expected outcome.
Although Hope Summers is denied the Phoenix Force, it instead it finds itself dispersed among five of the X-Men – Cyclops, Colossus, Magik, Emma Frost, and Namor who take Hope “home” to save here, heal her, and prepare her for what is to come.
Honestly, as twists got this one is pretty damn dumb, but having the power dispersed among five different X-Men may create some unusual battles over the next few issues before Marvel finally relents and gives us the only thing we’re reading this comic for – the new Phoenix. Hit-and-Miss.
[Marvel, $3.99]
Avengers vs. X-Men #5 Read More »
The fourth-issue of Marvel’s big summer event only moves forward the larger story in a minuscule way as the Phoenix Force awaits in space above Earth. However, Avengers vs. X-Men #4 does give give us a face-to-face confrontation between Hope Summers and Wolverine as the mutant messiah attempts to convince the man who wants her dead that she should be given the opportunity to try and control the Phoenix Force.
With frozen beers and a well-reasoned argument Hope convinces Logan to help get her to the moon where she can confront the looming cosmic entity. Although Logan agrees, he proves to have other motives leading to another confrontation between Marvel’s two marquee teams on the surface of the moon.
The comic does a good job by showcasing how powerful the Phoenix Force is (it takes down Thor and the rest of the space-fairing Avengers with little effort), and Hope’s early scenes with Wolverine work really well, but Logan’s multiple turns are a little awkward and far too rushed.
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Avengers vs. X-Men #4 Read More »
Round 3 finds Hope on the run, the X-Men surrendering to the Avengers, and a big throwdown between two old friends. Cyclops and the X-Men’s surrender is a feint that allows the group to escape and begin a search for Hope. Meanwhile the Avengers split into five groups to find the young girl before the Phoenix Force finds her.
Although we get very little of Hope in this issue (she makes little more than a token appearance hiding on the streets of San Fransisco) we do get Cyclops outsmarting the Avengers and Captain America and Wolverine coming to blows over Logan’s plan to murder Hope before the Phoenix Force can claim her. We get far less story progression than I’d like, but the fight between Wolverine and Cap makes up for it.
By the end of the issue we now have three distinct groups. Cyclops and the X-Men who want to keep Hope away from the Avengers, the Avengers who want to keep Hope away from becoming the new Phoenix, and Wolverine who just wants her dead. Worth a look.
[Marvel, $3.99]
Avengers vs. X-Men #3 Read More »
Well done Joss Whedon. Ensemble casts aren’t always the easiest to deal with, especially when you’ve got stars of several franchises who all need to be showcased. Not only does the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer succeed in giving each hero their own moment to shine, but he crafts what is inarguably one of the best super-hero movies of all-time. I don’t know if The Avengers is going to be the best movie of the summer, but if it’s not I can’t wait to see what could possibly top it.
One thing Whedon and the numerous special effects experts used on the film get just right is scale. From the first time we see the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier to the film’s final battle (which can only be described as epic) the size and breadth of it are awe-inspiring. I viewed the film in IMAX 3D, and while I think a regular screening will still be quite good, the IMAX certainly helped sell the larger-than-life aspects of the script (which Buffy fans should be glad to hear is peppered with classic Whedon one-liners and humorous asides).
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