Jessica Jones: Season 2

I've recently finished watching season 2 of Jessica Jones, and I've got to say that I was quite happy with it.  It was a very different animal from season 1, which I think is leading some people to disappointment.  I, however, found it to be much more my style, and I really enjoyed the subtlety of it as well as the characterization and subtext.

Beyond this point be spoilers.  Don't say you weren't warned!

Review: The Punisher

Just finished Netflix's "The Punisher" series a few days ago, and I must say that I was very impressed.  In the run up to its release, I saw many posts and articles raising concerns that Frank Castle couldn't be a good protagonist because he was just too far over the line, that he wasn't nuanced enough, and that the whole thing would just be a 13 episode bloodbath.  I am pleased to say that the writers sidestepped all of those concerns and made what I thought was one of the best seasons of their Marvel shows so far.

Review: Marvel's Inhumans

Back in the yestermonth of September, Marvel's Inhumans was released in a special IMAX screening of the first two episodes.  I had low expectations going into the theater and they may have been too high.  Basically zero effort was put into turning the two episodes into a "movie"-like experience; it even had some recap at the beginning of episode 2 (I guess in case we had gotten up to go to the bathroom, or perhaps fallen asleep).  Anyhow, I recently watched the third episode in the hopes that it might improve.

It did not.  Also, spoilers.

Netflix Defenders is just the Avengers again (spoilers)

I've been watching (and thoroughly enjoying) Netflix' Defenders series.  I was super excited for Daredevil when it first dropped, and everything since has been excellent in my opinion (yes, even Iron Fist).  However, I have noticed something funny about it that probably is a contributor to its success, but is also perhaps a mark against it.  The Defenders are just the Avengers.

Guardians of the Galaxy V2: Daddy Issues

I got to watch the new Guardians of the Galaxy this past weekend.  It was very good, and fun.  I would say that it was a bit sillier than the first one, but also had more feelz than the first one.  All told, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  But that's not what I'm writing about; I'm here to write a very spoilery and brief listicle about how the whole movie was about parental (especially fatherly) relationships.

--------------- FULL OF SPOILERS --------------------

Agents of Shield: Season 4

When Agents of SHIELD first launched back in 2013, I had high hopes for it.  As the seasons wore on though, it became clear that Agents of SHIELD was just never going to recover from its conversion from a Firefly-inspired episodic adventure show (most of season 1) to a Buffy-esque supernatural serial drama (seasons 2 and 3).  Five episodes into Season 4, I can conclusively say I was wrong.  Season 4 is awesome.

Review: Luke Cage

Luke Cage is the newest entry in the Netflix Defenders family of tv shows.  It follows in the footsteps of Daredevil and Jessica Jones, both of which were excellent, but I think managed to outdo both of them.  Insomuch as Daredevil is the Iron Man of Hell's Kitchen, and Jessica Jones is the Hulk with a worse attitude, Luke Cage is Harlem's Captain America.  Not only did they call him that at one point in the show, but he is the most morally centered hero of the Defenders so far.  Though he frequently says "I'm not the hero type", he is really the only one so far acting out of altruism.

I think that Luke Cage was a higher quality television show than the others because it made excellent use of social commentary.  It used the story of Luke Cage as a finely crafted metaphor for social ills of our time, all without losing sight of the superhero show I wanted to see.  It espoused a similar view of the world to Zootopia, and like Zootopia kept its eye on the ball, making good use of allegory without sacrificing the story.

The show was also the best so far at tying itself into the larger universe.  Not only did they name drop when appropriate, but minor characters (very minor, but memorable too) from the other Defenders shows were sprinkled liberally at the edges of the show.

All in all, I really honestly think it was the best one yet.  Even if you haven't watched the others, you don't really need to have.  While it uses some of the same characters (especially Claire Temple), it isn't super important for you to already know who they are.

Captain America: Civil War

I went to see Civil War this weekend.  I've intended to do superhero movie critical analyses on my blog for a while now and I've finally found one I cared about enough after watching that now seems like a good time to start.  So SPOILERS AHEAD!