Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
9.1
Bright, fun, quirky, HUMAN… did I mention FUN?!? Everything that’s been missing in recent years when it comes to superhero movies. A blast from the past, and a nice glance towards a brighter future, if we dare think we can achieve it. From the soundtrack to the camera moves, this thing is all over the place yet intentional in every quick change and comedic bit. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride! The best superhero movie I’ve seen in AGES!
8.2
This movie made me like Pedro Pascal… That’s all that needs to be said. Haha
A surprisingly light-hearted, fun, colorful, and heartfelt tale of family and wonder. What a superhero movie should be 90% of the time. A super fun flick, and a nice springboard into the next phase of the MCU. Of the two big superhero movies in 2025, this is the one I was nervous for, and pleasantly surprised by!
6.8
If studio notes were a movie… it feels like it was written by an AI told to “make every hip Minecraft reference for ___ minutes.” A sloppier version of “Ready Player One.” I didn’t love it. I didn’t hate it. I was afraid of having popcorn thrown at me during “Chicken Jockey”… It’s colorful.
6.8
I was excited to see the under 2 hour runtime… until I discovered it’s because they only half finished telling any potential story here. What could have been an incredibly interesting story with great action became a watered down amalgamation of “meh.” It’s ok… but that’s become the MCU now… Mediocrity at its finest.
7.7
Not as good as the first… while copying a lot of the first… while still being pretty damn good.
Falling prey to the plight of modern blockbusters, it has way too much going on in some places, and loses some of its power in doing so. Simple doesn’t always mean boring, Hollywood.
With that out of the way – seeing boat battles in the coliseum is LEGENDARY! The spectacle often makes up for the lackadaisical storytelling at times.
I WAS ENTERTAINED! 😂 (it’s worth the runtime)
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 