Benz Eye View: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

Welcome back to the MCU Marathon where we are officially ending Phase 4 of the MCU with a Christmas special starring the Guardians of the Galaxy. Will this TV special have some great Christmas cheer, or will it suffer like the last MCU special due to a lack of views? Let’s find out in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

Pros:

1.) While minor, I do like how the special shows how the Guardians of the Galaxy have been doing since Avengers: Endgame (Thor: Love and Thunder does not count). One new thing I can mention is that the Guardians have a new member named Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova) who looks like an interesting addition to the group. It seems like everyone has been doing well these days other than Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt) since he still is sad about the death of Gamora, and the Guardians clearly want to help him. Still, the chemistry between the Guardians is still strong as this special has shown.

2.) I like the aliens’ perspective on Christmas. They like the holiday, but they do find it weird and they point out many things they see wrong with it. These indications lead to some funny moments like how Santa should have been seen as a burglar giving out weird feces, much to Star-Lord’s dismay. That is the main central comedy for this special, and while it does not always work (more on that later), it does have its moments.

3.) The story is surprisingly heartwarming. The plot is that Star-Lord is depressed during Christmas, so Mantis (played by Pom Klementieff) and Drax (played by Dave Bautista) thought it would be a good idea to get/kidnap Kevin Bacon (playing himself), Star-Lord’s hero, as a Christmas gift. While hilarity does ensue, there are plenty of touching moments from Kevin Bacon’s arc to the relationship between Star-Lord and Mantis (despite being a little out of nowhere). Those moments are well appreciated especially since this takes place during Christmas: a time of joy and celebration.

Cons:

1.) The comedy can be a mixed bag. There are plenty of comedic moments where it is funny, but there are others that try a bit too hard and/or do not fit in this special. It seems like it was slightly going for an R-rated special like The Suicide Squad or Peacemaker, but director James Gunn had to hold it back a bit despite clearly wanting to go for more. If you are not a fan of fish-out-of-water comedies and scenes like Drax and Mantis looking around Earth in confusion and spending some time in a bar, I doubt this special will be for you.

2.) If you wanted to see all of the Guardians, then the best you are going to get is Mantis and Drax since most of the special is following them. As for the others, you are barely going to see them like Nebula (played by Karen Gillan), an older Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Kraglin (played by Sean Gunn). The only other Guardian with some screen time is Star-Lord, but he is busy doing some work while Mantis and Drax are kidnapping Kevin Bacon for him. If you are not a fan of those two, then see the last sentence of the previous con.

3.) I feel like the pacing of Mantis and Drax’s time on Earth is a little too quick. These guys do not know this planet, yet they somehow got to the right area where Kevin Bacon lives, just not the exact location. After a quick look here and there, they managed to find him which I find quite odd since the special barely touched on them getting lost. I understand that it can get annoying for these two to be lost for several minutes too long, but it ends up feeling faster-paced than I thought.

Overall:

We have another MCU special, but it is with the Guardians of the Galaxy during Christmas. Unlike Hawkeye which also took place during Christmas, I felt that this special did a good job. It has issues with some of the comedy and many of the Guardians have small screen times, but it is made up with other better jokes and heartwarming moments between characters (especially Star-Lord and Mantis). Despite its flaws, this special makes me feel excited for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, so if you are in the mood for a heartwarming and funny Christmas special starring a few members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, then this will be a good Christmas present for you; think of it as a farewell gift from a mixed bag Phase 4 of the MCU.

Occasional Viewing

Benz Eye View: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Pros:

1.) This is a surprisingly funny mystery film. You would think that a murder mystery would make everything seem dark and severe, but there are plenty of fantastic types of humor. The comedy makes fun of many things from characters/suspects to mystery tropes to politics to the COVID-19 pandemic. The murder is serious, but the film sure knows when to lighten up when needed.

2.) Like the last film, Glass Onion deconstructs the mystery genre in an interesting way. I cannot say how because that would lead to spoilers, but let’s just say that it made a film that started out slightly dull at first more interesting as it progressed. While I wish there should have been more done with this (more on that later), the deconstruction done here is not too bad at all.

3.) I mentioned that it starts out slightly dull at first, but the next two-thirds of the film gets more exciting as it progressed. This is where the murder mystery truly begins, and the writing certainly makes this mystery worth watching. To put it simply, the film reverses a few writing areas in mysteries to make it more interesting. I cannot say more than that, but it really does make the mystery more compelling…

Cons:

1.) …Although, I did say that the first third of the film is slightly dull because it is all set up. We get to introduce all the characters/suspects, the possible motives, and the entire set before we get to the murder mystery, and it goes on for a little too long. I suppose this is unavoidable, but for a mystery film that is attempting to do something different with the genre, that is one thing that the film could not do anything differently.

2.) Like the last film, I was disappointed with who the suspect is since it does not do anything new or interesting about it. Technically, the film does actually have something new or use an excuse for this type of suspect, but it would have been better if it did something different. This is more of a personal opinion, so I do not think general audiences will mind it, but I stand by my con here.

3.) I wish the ending was a little different from how the antagonist is dealt with here. Once again, no spoilers on what happened, but it was taking an interesting turn on until this ending occurred. What one of the main characters did should have gotten into more trouble than originally thought. Still, it is not a bad ending, I just wished what I thought was going to happen should have led to that.

Overall:

With Knives Out being a success, there was going to be a sequel continuing the mystery adventures of Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig). Just like its predecessor, Glass Onion is a great mystery film in its own right. A fun and surprisingly funny mystery film that has some flaws here and there (and some I wish were written differently), this is great for anyone who loves to watch a great whodunnit film. A great continuation from the last film, and a new mystery detective that is doing well for himself that I am sure we will see more of in the future.

8/10

Benz Eye View: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Welcome back to MCU Marathon with the final movie of Phase 4 (though not the last thing to watch in this phase). With the unfortunate death of Chadwick Boseman, will the Black Panther films and the MCU move on without him? Let’s find out in the next edition of MCU Marathon with the Black Panther sequel: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Pros:

1.) Shuri’s (played by Letitia Wright) emotional journey is good. With the loss of her older brother, she is stuck between letting her emotions get to her and concentrating on her scientific research. She is clearly the heart of this movie considering her character arc. I also like to give the actress more considerable credit since she does a fantastic job keeping her emotions in check especially when she thinks about T’Challa. Whether it is coming from her acting abilities or using her memories of Chadwick Boseman is up to you to decide. Still, the actress makes her character’s arc convincing and emotional.

2.) Namor (played by Tenoch Huerta Meijía) is a decent antagonist. He may not be as good as Killmonger, but he does have a slightly interesting backstory and motivation for his actions. To me, he basically represents Black Panther if he chose to continue being an isolationist. Not to mention, his people, the Talokan (basically, Atlanteans, but the DCEU did it first, so they are obligated to change it) are just as interesting of a country/kingdom as the Wakandans with their own source of power. Namor and the Talokans are a good new group of characters in the MCU despite a couple of issues I noticed from them.

3.) I appreciate that the movie does spend some of its time reflecting on T’Challa and his actor, Chadwick Boseman. From the beginning of the movie, you already get a sense of loss and mourning considering that the character is officially dead. That element is sprinkled throughout the movie here and there thanks to the characters and their actors. What happened to him was unfortunate, and this movie clearly is a tribute to him…

Cons:

1.) …That being said, it also brings up an issue: T’Challa suddenly dying out of nowhere. I understand why the filmmakers suddenly have to kill him off, but you have to think about this. Let’s say fifty years from now, some people decide to watch the MCU and see the Black Panther for the first time via Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. They would probably think he is a great character and continue watching until they reach Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and they are shocked and confused that T’Challa died out of nowhere especially when they last saw him celebrating with his family after Thanos’s defeat and paying respect to Tony Stark (consider these newcomers who do not know that Chadwick Boseman died at that time). Story-wise, it comes out of nowhere, and I am siding with the people who preferred that they recast T’Challa. I do not blame the filmmakers for this, but I am sure they realized they backed themselves into the corner with this decision.

2.) The writing is weaker here compared to its predecessor. Some of the character motivations are slightly confusing at best and inconsistent at worst thanks to some of their actions. The biggest guilty character action is with Namor and the Talokan: while he is a decent antagonist and has an understandable motivation, what they do is a little confusing especially when you consider that Namor is immortal. He should have taken action way before his enemies gained power, especially since his people and he have great technology like the Wakandans (he did have a reason, but it is weak). There are some clear messages here as well, but let’s just say that the last film (especially with Killmonger) did a better job with it than this movie. I wish I can be more specific about the issues with the writing, but considering this is going to be spoiler-free, it is best to say that it does not go to better lengths than its predecessor.

3.) This movie is long, and you are going to feel it. While it does have plenty of good moments, it sometimes overstays its welcome with long padding and unnecessary filler. There are some moments that are stupid if you think about it, and others that do not fit as a whole. The poorer writing does not help here since I found many moments to drag on when it is not needed. The movie needed to lose twenty, maybe thirty minutes of runtime, then it could be a little better. However, it also needed some rewrites, then it could have been greater than the first one.

Overall:

With this being the last MCU Phase 4 movie (except we will have one more MCU Phase 4 Special), I hoped that this Phase ends with a bang, but it more likely ended with a pop. Given the circumstances of what happened, it was fine. It is a downgrade to the first Black Panther, but I did have some enjoyment in the movie. It is directed well with some good visuals, Shuri’s character arc, a decent villain, and a good tribute to Chadwick Boseman, but it suffers with T’Challa’s out-of-nowhere death, poor writing, and overly longer-than-needed movie. I can see why some people are split with this, but as it stands, I think the mantle of Black Panther is in question with this sequel.

6/10

It is still unfortunate and sad that we have not only lost a great actor but a nice guy from what I have heard. May Chadwick Boseman rest in peace, and may his friends, loved ones, and fans move on knowing that Wakanda may go on forever.

Benz Eye View: One Piece Film: Red

Disclaimer: I have NEVER watched any episode of One Piece or any of the numerous movies available. I know there are over a thousand episodes for this show, so I feel unqualified to review this movie. Still, I will do my best from an outsider’s perspective. Here goes nothing.

Pros:

1.) This movie has some decent animation and great fight scenes. One thing that is emphasized in my opinion is the colors; it is bright, shiny, and colorful not because of the anime hairstyle, but through the wide shots of the setting and the fight scenes. While I wish that the camera angles are not too close, I admire how chaotic (probably a bit too chaotic) the fight scenes are to show how powerful and fast these characters are fighting. As I expected for a movie based on one of the most popular animes of all time.

2.) I do like the songs throughout the movie. While a bit overused at times, they can be entertaining and has some narrative purpose considering the main antagonist is a singer. They can range from cheesy and entertaining to rough and provoking. At least it would show that the singer has different ranges.

3.) The only character I liked in this movie (aside from Red-Haired Shanks) is Uta (voiced by Kaori Nazuka). Since she is a movie-only character (I assume), she is the only one who has a decent character arc. Her growth from being a singer who has resentment issues with Shanks to something better is an acceptable development…

Cons:

1.) …I cannot really say the same thing for the rest of the characters which is coming from someone who has never watched One Piece. There are so many characters to begin with that it is hard for me to tell who is who other than their appearances (why is one of the members of the Straw Hats a skeleton with a hoodie?). The only other characters I can recall other than Uta are Luffy (voiced by Mayumi Tanaka) and Red-Haired Shanks (voiced by Shūichi Ikeda), and I like Shanks considering he is the calmest out of most of the characters in this movie. Luffy has a character arc, but it is not as strong as Uta’s. I am sure fans of the show will not see that as a problem, but newcomers sure will.

2.) I know this is a movie based on a popular anime, but I found its world to be absolutely ridiculous. For starters, it begins with several people who are homeless and hungry while complaining that the Navy is terrible, but the pirates are worse since they caused their issues. Then, the next scene shows a J-Pop-like stadium with those same people celebrating with Uta (there is a narrative reason for it, but it looks ridiculous at first glance). We have characters that act in stereotypical anime fashion (more on that later) and out-of-place technology in a piracy-age world with an anime edge (why is one visual technology literally a snail that also happens to be a phone?). However, I am willing to forgive all of this despite its over-the-top anime nature…

3.) …What I cannot forgive is the main plot. Basically, a singer wants to help the world from its suffering from pirates, and she does this via her singing that has special and terrible powers, so Luffy and the others have to stop her from going out of control. If that does not intrigue you, then you are going to hate this movie especially if you are not a One Piece fan. It goes a little excessive with the concept, though it does have its emotional moments despite the delivery could have been better. What kills it for me are so many anime cliches and stereotypes/exaggerations from magical girl-like transformations to exaggerated villains that prevent me from giving this movie an average score. I am sure fans of the show do not mind, but not everyone is going to like it.

Overall:

I feel so unqualified to review this movie, but since there was nothing to watch (other than Ticket to Paradise and another Japanese religious cult movie which I both missed and have to wait a couple more hours for it), this movie was my only option. I recognize the popularity of this anime, but I have not seen it considering there are over one thousand episodes and several movies (not counting the numerous video games and manga as well). I can tell you that I am not the right audience, because I think this movie is not for me. With many anime cliches and stereotypes, a ridiculous world, numerous characters with little screen time, and a main plot that would make a magical girl anime jealous, I cannot get into this movie. I am not sure if the fans will love it, but I do not recommend this to newcomers at all. Maybe I will watch the actual anime one day, and maybe I will enjoy this movie by the time I have seen most if not all of the episodes and movies, but until then, this ship is one I prefer not to sail.

4/10