Matt Brammer

Caught this on TV today. I knew nothing about the *Jaws* sequels except that no one likes them. I can completely understand why. I'm not a massive fan of the first *Jaws,* but there's no question that it's great at what it does, and that's making a suspenseful movie. The characters are great, the score is iconic, and the practical shark is awesome. Plus, it had that Spielberg touch to it that none of the sequels have since they're all made by different directors. It was never going to work twice and come off as anything more than a cash grab, which is exactly what this movie is. It can come off as a "so bad it's good" movie sometimes, but for the most part, it's just not that good. Practical shark, still kinda cool, and I was surprised to see some returning cast members. There are also some ridiculous kills and plot lines in this. That's about all it offers. Last Review: ***[Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3](https://boxd.it/eio1rJ)***

When I first saw *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3* in theaters, I didn't love it the same way as everyone else. While I still think that's the case, and for the same reasons, I found a lot more to enjoy about it this time around. That helped balance out some of the problems I have with it, and I believe it's on the same level as *Guardians 1*, which I like quite a bit. Starting with my issues, my biggest problem is that James Gunn is really bad at keeping a consistent tone and often runs into some tonal clashes. This movie may be one of those examples, since there are many heavy, emotional moments in *Guardians 3* that are often interrupted or followed by a silly joke that often doesn't land. This is a *Guardians* movie, so of course, there's going to be humor, but it just doesn't hit the same as the first film did for me. What makes this different from something like 2025's *Superman* is that there are a bunch of great character moments throughout the movie that make me forgive those "quirky" interjections. And, hot take, *Superman* was just consistently annoying. I also thought Adam Warlock was poorly underutilized despite being mentioned forever ago. Will Poulter does a good enough job with him, even if he's less of an antagonist and more of an obstacle. The villain is very clearly the High Evolutionary, who, personally, didn't do much for me. He was unlikable in the right ways, though, and you definitely want to see him taken down. Everyone, except Groot, who pretty much already went on his own journey up through *Endgame*, gets their time to shine. This is very much so a conclusion to the Guardians as we knew them, so there's definitely a lot of time spent building the bond between them and breaking it in other ways, so we're fully affected by the emotional beats. The crew has never had greater chemistry, which makes this movie as good as it is. You completely buy them as a family, and you feel the love they share for each other. Peter's really going through the processing stage of understanding that *his* Gamora is dead and that he's essentially being haunted by a version of her that never started a relationship with him and will never love him. It's a hard-hitting part of this movie that's handled well and goes against the norm of similar plot lines. Mantis and Drax have moments of self-discovery, Nebula, who was previously a stubborn trouble-maker within the group, becomes the glue holding it together, and Rocket is the star of the show, going through another form of self-discovery by confronting his past. The action's great, the soundtrack's awesome as always, and the visual effects are thankfully a lot better than some other recent Marvel projects. Aside from my recurring issues with James Gunn and a few pacing problems that are entirely due to cramming as much in this movie as possible, this is a great time. Lists: ***[Marvel Ranked](https://boxd.it/sNZXa) & [2023 Ranked](https://boxd.it/tCw06)*** Last Review: ***[Loki](https://boxd.it/eh3usF)***

This was one of the few Marvel projects that was better on a rewatch. Compared to everything else so far, especially since *Endgame*, *Loki* feels like one of the very few Marvel projects that respects the MCU, the characters it's showcasing, and the audience. It's a strange departure from everything we've seen so far, taking a well-known villain in Loki and making him the protagonist, as well as introducing the TVA, a setting and entity that completely flips the MCU on its head. All concept of time and place goes out the window, and *Loki* gives us a new perspective on every event up to this point. *Loki* is a bizarre and confusing show that often feels like it might be in over its head, but it never crosses that line. Despite the craziness and absurdity of the events on screen, Kate Herron manages to keep everything tidy and relatively easy to follow without holding the audience's hand. Since there are magical elements, some things have to be taken with a grain of salt, but there aren't nearly as many plot holes or unexplained aspects as there honestly should be. As messy as the multiverse can be, and has been in the MCU already, *Loki* handles it with ease while mixing in time travel. The different variants and time periods that are explored are really fun and add a bunch of chaos to the show. Everyone in every department was at the top of their game with *Loki*. This is easily the most visually sound project that Marvel has worked on. The set designs are fantastic and greatly appreciated. The TVA is absolutely stunning and unique, blending high-tech machines with the '50s/'60s aesthetic, which is really cool. The visual effects are impressive and creative, and really made me wonder what the heck the other series/movies were doing before this. Natalie Holt made one of the best superhero scores that really sticks with you after watching it. The performances are all great. Tom Hiddleston is one of the most underappreciated actors in the MCU, and he gets a lot of time to shine here. He's a fish out of water in this, and learning that his life is not what it seems. He does a great job, especially in the early episodes, in showing the more emotional aspects of his character. Owen Wilson in a superhero show is not something I knew I needed. Mobius is an extremely likeable character who brings a lot of heart to the show. Sophia di Martino's Sylvie is, obviously, very similar to Loki, especially how he was originally, but she puts her own spin on the character and has great chemistry with the rest of the cast. Everyone else is fantastic, as well. I had forgotten that season 2 of *Loki* gives a soft conclusion to Kang's storyline. The variants of him are still out there, but with the way things ended, they're loose enough that they could still bring him back if they wanted to, but also could easily make the decision to have the TVA take care of the rest of his variants. *Loki* was lots of fun to return to and is definitely one of the best things I've watched during this return to Marvel. It's amazing what good, competent writing, great acting, and a bunch of care can do. Lists: ***[Marvel Ranked](https://boxd.it/sNZXa) & [2021 Ranked](https://boxd.it/vHIsk)*** Last Review: ***[Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania](https://boxd.it/efPYB1)***

I thought *Werewolf by Night* was really neat when it first came out, but on rewatch, it really is just a monster short film with a black and white filter put over it. There are some cool moments here and there. Man-Thing is fun to see in live action, and it's at least a semi-unique approach to the standard Marvel formula. Not much to say about this, but it's decent enough. List: ***[Marvel Ranked](https://boxd.it/sNZXa) & [2022 Ranked](https://boxd.it/vHHzk)*** Last Review: ***[Black Panther: Wakanda Forever](https://boxd.it/ef3Fnj)***