The New Review - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Copyright by Marvel/Disney

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

(Long title lol)

Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton

Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina

Concept: MCU first Asian led movie, looking at Chinese lore mixed with MCU lore. Like an Asian Thor movie.

Execution

Cast: Simu Liu comes through with the young Asian win. Tony Leung was spot on as Wenwu. Support cast was pretty solid. Only issue I have... is Awkwafina. Like with Raya and the Last Dragon, Awkwafina showed us she can be serious, and she isn't annoying. But when she tries to be funny, she rubs me the wrong way. And... well... she is part of the comic relief. It works... but... still. Walking, talking Asian stereotype. Her saving grace is that Ben Kingsley makes his return and assumes the role of comic relief for the rest if the movie. Score: 18/20

Presentation: I've said this before... Disney/Marvel has this penchant for making things look amazing. Every fight scene seems flawless, set pieces look amazing, the cgi even LOOKED real. Even a CGI Dragon looked real. Soundtrack... well... a little bit of it was distracting. A little. Specifically the song during the scaffold fight scene...... it was awkward. But... still fit the film. And as the fight kept on, I forgot the song was playing still...... Score: 20/20

Chronicle: Overall, I wasn't sure what to expect. I don't know enough about Shang-Chi. And I know marginally more about Wenwu. So... I didn't have much to go on, lore-wise. That being said... I'm gonna first say, if it weren't for the cameos of Wong and Abomination(not spoilers... in the trailer), I wouldn't be able to say this was an MCU movie. It was a martial artist epic style movie. Gorgeous locations filled with emotionally driven fights... all wrapped up with some Chinese lore... mixed with family ties that bind... topped two redemption stories going opposite directions. Sounds like alot, but... it isn't. It just all builds together beautifully. There wasn't a scene in the movie that didn't serve a purpose, either to build a character arc or to connect it to something else important. No wasted time. Ecen the fights... each fight scene told a story, and references the story as a whole as you go along. As I said... Martial Arts Epic... like the MCU take on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon... mixing with an entertaining fight/camera Jackie Chan film. Score: 28/30

Impact: Movie sets up Shang-Chi as an important member of the MCU going forward. Maybe as a member of the Young Avengers? Who knows. But what ai do know that this movie deserves praise for making me start to like Awkwafina. But as a movie, it is also the first MCU movie since Covid to NOT be simul-released in theater and Disney+ premium. It also already shatted the box office Labor Day weekend record, even before actual Labor Day. Plus, the first Asian led MCU film... culturally, that can be important, Shang-Chi definitely showed he can stand within the MCU. I'm hoping those that enjoy the movie but don't know about the character in the comics... I hope it leads to more people checking out Shang-Chi in print. Score: 19/20

Extra Oomph: First all all, dammit... Ben Kingsley's return as Trevor Slattery... makes up for his same role in Iron Man 3. And the inclusion of Wong, though brief, has turned him into more than just an assistant/side-kick... maybe the new Coulson? But... best of all, let's talk about the identity of this movie... so many people were like "why make a movie about this relatively unknown character?" Because, look how well Guardians did? And they were relatively unknown(to most). And then...... the MCU movies are superhero films, but the best of them don't feel like superhero films: I.E. like Ant-Man(heist), Ant-Man and the Wasp(prison break), Winter Soldier(spy thriller). So they made a Martial Arts Epic. It doesn't do it AS well as the examples, but you have an MCU film with a relatively unknown character in a non-superhero style movie. Score: 10/10

FINAL SCORE: 95/100

FINAL GRADE: A

Conclusion: This is a really good movie. I went in with no expectations. Only 2 keypoints I wanted them to cover(was Wenwu the Mandarin we wanted him to be and was there a certain "Space Dragon" in it?... yes, to the first... and no to the second, but we got something just as cool). And what I got was a modern Martial Arts Epic. It was smooth... solid... and even gets away with fridging for a different motivation, while NOT making a forced relationship out of a platonic friendship(at least for now). One of the BEST mid-credit scenes in MCU history. This is a wonderful film.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: If you haven't seen it yet, you need to see this movie. Personally, it makes up for my issues in Iron Man 3... and I will even recommend it to those who don't like the MCU, but still like the Martial Arts Epics. Unless you know the MCU references, you wouldn't even know. And there are no REQUIRED MCU movies to see before this one. Remarkable. And fun. Go watch this movie... and if you can, support your local movie theater...... but either way, don't forget to mask up.

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There you go! Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings gets a 95!

While I didn't go in with expectations, I had hopes that it would be at least a good movie. I am very pleased that it was much better than I hoped for. Top 10 MCU for me.

If you've seen it, what did you think? Leave a comment below. What are some suggestions for current or upcoming movies you want to me to check out and review? Leave those below too.

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Renewed Top 10 - Workplace Comedies

Copyright belongs to Disney/Fox

Time for another scheduled Top 10. This is thanks to Joe(shoutout to JOE) for the idea.

This coming Monday is Labor Day, and he thought it would be a great idea to do one for Workplace Comedies! And I agree. So let's set the rules. To qualify for my list, the comedy must either take place in the workplace or be associated with a job/work.

Let's do this!

Top 10 Workplace Comedies

Here we go...

Honorable Mention 1: UHF: At one of Weird Al's peaks of popularity, he decided to make a movie about losing a TV station in a poker game and using to the trope of the "fledgling marathon" to save it. David Bowie is in it too.

Honorable Mention 2: Men At Work: As far as I know, this was the first movie brothers Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez starred in together(I think only cameos prior to this). About garbage men who goofed up the city together until they find the dead body of a politician.

Honorable Mention 3: The Proposal: Starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, this one doesn't center AROUND the workplace, but... you get the idea. Boss Bullock is faced with deportation to Canada, so she fakes an engagement with her Assistant Reynolds. Comedy ensues. It is a pretty good movie, but it only technically involves the workplace.

10. Empire Records: A group of workers at a Record store try to stop the store from being closed down to a dumb business decision.

9. 9 to 5: Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, & Lily Tomlin play secretaries tired of sexism in the office, so they abduct their boss and take over the office. Breakout comedy for Dolly Parton and an ICONIC song!

8. Barbershop: A Comedy... that takes place... in a Barbershop. Shows off just how awesome of a comedian that Ice Cube is.

7. Horrible Bosses: An over the top comedy about a few bosses that are just... over the top. So their employees decide their lives would be better if they killed their bosses. But a plan is only as good as the minds behind it.

6. The Hudsucker Proxy: The combined efforts of the Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi, this movie is about a greedy executive wants to take over the company he works for by devaluing the company stock and buying a majority share. He hires a nobody to the company...... but surprise, the nobody made the value of the shares skyrocket. Paul Newman... and Tim Robbins!!!

5. Clerks: The artistic piece that made Kevin Smith a nerd icon. Shot entirely in black and white... it follows the story of 2 convenience store employees and the CRAZY antics they deal with.

4. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: There is no better to put this...... this is Will Ferrell at his best, surrounded by the best.

3. Trading Places: Picture this... two Saturday Night Life alumni in their prime finally crossing paths... Dan Aykroyd playing an executive that is framed for a crime he didn't commit and replaced by Eddie Murphy playing a street hustler... finding out about the scheme, they work together to take down those responsible.

2. Office Space: The Eponymous Workplace comedy... directed by animation legend Mike Judge(Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill). Dry... funny... weird... awkward. I don't have a way to explain this movie. If you've seen it, you know. And if you haven't seen it... you should. Quotable... ironically iconic.

And... now... the Number 1 Workplace Comedy is.......

1. Tommy Boy: RIP Chris Farley. Farley was a genius. Characters so dumb they were genius. And paired up with David Spade, you had comedy gold. Owner of a dying auto parts manufacturer passes, and leaves it to his bonehead son. His evil stepmother and her son want to liquidate for the money. Tommy wants to save the company for the workers he has grown attached to growing up. So Tommy joins up with his dad's anal retentive assistant to drive across the country to sell parts. Yes... this is a road trip comedy, but because Tommy is basic a traveling salesman, his workplace is EVERYWHERE!

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There you go.

You like your workplace? Could you make your own comedy IN your workplace? What do you think about the list? Comment... share...

Thank you and enjoy this Labor Day Weekend!

Renewed Bottom 10 - Worst Comic Book Movies

Credit... Google Image Search? (If it's yours... show me. And I will give you proper credit)

The other half of the end-all for the Summer Comic Book works list. You saw a bunch of lists for good content, but what about the bad ones?......

So here we have a list of the worst Comic Book movies, in my opinion. If you don't like something on my list, by all means... make your own list.

These movies might not all be stinkers, but they are ALL disappointments.

Ready for some garbage?

Bottom 10 Comic Book Movies

Here we go...

Dishonorable Mention 1: Jonah Hex: I have to give credit to Josh Brolin. He did a wonderful job. He really did. If you have to watch this movie, do it for that. But the rest of the movie was boring, banal, and the supporting cast phoned it in.

Dishonorable Mention 2: Steel: I forgot about this movie. This was a last minute edition. And it is because of Space Jam: The New Legacy. I saw someone say on Twitter "why not Shaq instead of LeBron?" One... Shaq isn't an active player. Two... Steel exists. We KNOW Shaq is a horrible actor(but he is a funny dude in the cameos). He is. And Steel was a horrible movie. The reason it isn't on the list proper is partially because it was a last minute addition... and partially because it makes me think of the TV Show M.A.N.T.I.S... and that show did it better. So Steel gets a pass for reminding about this show.

10. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: This sequel had so many issues for me. Let's start with the set pieces. They were restricted. No scope for a movie that would've benefitted from a grand scope. The Cloud Galactus was also a huge let down. And... let's focus on Doom being the villain again. Nothing against Julian McMahon's Doom, he did great in both movies. But the title... the set up... and we got what we got. It's like they got a small budget for this movie, and spent most of it on the CG for the Surfer and getting Lawrence Fishburne to voice him... and not enough for writers or set designers.

9. X-Men: The Last Stand: I was excited for this movie. Getting to see Kelsey Grammer as Beast was going to be a treat. Getting to see my favorite X-Man(Colossus) in action. And okay, that stuff was cool...... and that was it. Screwing up The Phoenix as bad as they did, small continuity issues, and a lifeless plot. How did this happen? X-Men 2 is one of the BEST sequels(in an industry where sequels suck). Followed by one of the WORST 3rd entries in the business... how? Director change...... that is it.

8. Howard the Duck: Supposedly it has turned into a cult classic... creepy ass puppet and all. As a family movie. This... a family movie? It is 3 different kinds of comedies, and it can't decide which it wants to be... and one of them is a Porky's type(without the nudity, that I can remember...). The only real positives for this movie are: Technically it is the first ever Marvel movie in theaters... and the other... it's failure inadvertently created Pixar. George Lucas had just spent $50 million to create a CGI division of Lucasfilms and hopes to turn a profit by producing this movie. He didn't. So he sold that division to STEVE JOBS... and it ended up becoming Pixar. So... credit THAT to this atrocity of a movie. Three positives... Lea Thompson

7. Thor: The Dark World: The first Thor was great. Ragnarok is one of the funniest MCU movies. This one was...... lackluster. It isn't a "bad" movie. And still integral for the MCU overall. But it is a bit confusing the first time going through it. No real memorable scenes. And a villain that, well...... could've been a Power Rangers villain. If you wanna watch all the MCU movies, you have to. But... overwise, be careful with this one.

6. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: Screen actors guild... typecasting past a 3rd movie with the same name doubles the actor's salary. This is the 4th Superman movie with Christopher Reeve. And... well... most of the money went to Reeve. And he demanded a plot with a message about Nuclear Disarmament. Well he got it. Nothing wrong with that. Hell, they even included the lesser know Superman weakness of Nuclear radiation...... but why do the corporate takeover of the Daily Planet subplot? How did the Luthors screw up the Superman DNA? They combined it with radiation to make "Nuclear Man"... and wow!!! was he such a terrible villain/themed monster?! The 3rd Superman movie was bad... really bad. But this movie took that as a challenge.

5. Batman & Robin: Sonuvabitch... this movie pisses me off so much. And I can't not watch it. Keaton made an Iconic Batman, and a good Bruce Wayne. Val Kilmer made a GREAT Bruce Wayne, and a decent Batman. Clooney... didn't feel like either. O'Donnell was O'Donnell. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't seem like he could be smart enough to be Mr. Freeze(and all of those DAMN ice puns). Alicia Silverstone... underrated sex symbol... let's make her Batgirl, change her backstory, and pander to the audience. Poison Ivy was cartoonish, but at least close to what I expected(the auction scene is still too much). Complete screwed Bane(Bane is a tactical genius in the comics). The only detail I can appreciate is John Glover as Jason Woodrue(the scientist that created Bane and accidentally made Ivy). Jason in the comics is the human name of villain Fluronic Man in the comics, an alien of sorts with similar powers to Ivy. It was a mess. And I still can watch it. Doesn't mean I like it.

4. Catwoman: The last movie I ever walked out on and asked for my money back(and I got it). I was bored. And I get it... Halle Berry... skin tight leather costume... but the movie was BORING as hell. I tried to give it another chance later, and fell asleep on the couch. I wanted to place it higher... but I've never finished it.

3. Judge Dredd: So let's see if I got this right... Stallone... playing the titular Judge Joseph Dredd, a character who is the Law, dedicated to it. And famous for not revealing his face and not having friends. Stallone removes the helmet in the first act... and they pair him with Rob Schneider in a buddy cop style comedy portion of the movie. The only good part was Rico, and they turned him into an over-the-top Bond-like villain. Oh, and don't forget the attempted elaborate plot so thin that even Stevie Wonder could see right through it.

2. Justice League: The Josstice Cut. Joss Whedon. Screwed this up. I don't want to dwell on this. It is very public what happened, and how he ended up with this in his lap. Small details that didn't need to be changed... details added to "Whedon" it up... and in the Snyder Cut, Flash & Cyborg were HUGE heroes... but for some reason, Whedon made them almost worthless.

And the WORST Comic Book Movie...

1. Fantastic Four(2015): Let me begin by saying this movie isn't just the worst comic book movie, it is one of my least favorite movies of all time. Also... let's also talk about the cast... the director... this heaping pile of garbage is in no way their fault. Great cast... you can clearly see what the director was going for. No... I blame the Fox execs. They should've left him alone. The first part of this movie is pretty good... up until they get their powers, Reed escapes, and the one year time jump. Then you start seeing evidence of reshoots(like Kate Mara wearing an obvious fake blonde wig in some parts and not in others)... and so much build up for a climax that never happened. Like an trying to edge an orgasm that you forgot to go back and finish. The ends with an abrupt fade to black, like how Avengers: Age of Ultron did... and this didn't earn that. The overall finished produce felt like. 100 minute long trailer for a movie that would've been GREAT that we never got. Did I say finished? Sorry... cobbled together like a broken piece of IKEA furniture, and you can't tell whether it's a table or a toilet. That is this movie.

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There it is... the garbage.

What do you think? Too harsh on some? Disagree with one? Did I forget some?

Comment and Share.

And thank you following the series!!!

Renewed Top 10 - Comic Book Movies

Credit goes to Matt Groening/Fox/Disney... YOU KNOW WHO HOMER SIMPSON IS!!!

Here we are! The end of the Comic Book series. As planned, this will have 2 posts: a Top 10 and a Bottom 10(I know a few of you are looking forward to the Bottom list!!!!).

The rules are simple... movies. Yes, these movies appeared on the other lists. That... is how this works. And there is representation from each list.

This one was the most difficult off all the lists, because there are sooooooo many good movies on this list, and the top three, I had so much trouble getting it just right for me. Some of you will be shocked. But you'll understand it. If not... well, it is MY list. Go make your own.

Speaking of my list... I am going to preempt this one by saying descriptions and explanations might be shorter or non existent, given these are on their own lists. And if you want more, please go check out their lists. See how they stack up on their own lists.

Now... let's get at it...

Top 10 Comic Book Movies

Here we go...

Honorable Mention 1: The Crow: Dark... broody... so much you think it's a Batman movie, or at least a Tim Burton film But it isn't. It's a Brandon Lee movie. His last one... and one of the best! A rising star gone way too soon from an accident no one could see coming.

Honorable Mention 2: Avengers Infinity War/Endgame: The two part epic ending to greatest multi-project shared Universe in film history. The ensemble cast or ensemble casts.

Honorable Mention 3: Sin City: A rare example of adapting the source material to the screen that actually works. Visually stunning, weaved tales, black and white with a splash of color.

10. Logan: Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in all of his bloodthirsty, gory glory. Claws out... and a great family film. No... not "show it to your kids" family film. But father/son with Xavier and Logan... and father/daughter with Logan and Laura. Perfect send off ol' Canucklehead!

9. Thor: Ragnarok: Best of the Thor franchise(so far). Funny as hell, AND the first MCU movie in which the heroes fail their mission. Foreshadowing Infinity War!!!

8. Joker: A non-Superhero, Oscar winning performance about one bad day getting stretched for a wholly terrible life. Art Noir... for a character you never thought could be a subject of such a movie.

7. The Dark Knight: Christopher Nolan made this wonderful trilogy about how Batman could work in reality. At the heart of this trilogy is a Oscar winning performance from a Joker that played Gotham like a fiddle. Another rising stsr gone too soon, more Oscars in his future he never got to experience.

6. The Suicide Squad: The Non-Sequel where James Gunn was enticed by DC with free creative control. And not only was it better than the original, it was one of the better comic book movies of the decade

5. Deadpool 1 & 2: Ryan Reynolds IS Deadpool. And he knew it. That is why forced Fox's hand to get the first movie made. He proved an R Rated superhero movie could work... and make money. Which it did. And the sequel was even better. Now we wait on Disney to get this third one made. It'll sell... it'll make money... and Ryan will get more of them.

4. Guardians of the Galaxy: I still regard this as the biggest risk in the entire MCU. Fairly unknown characters in a space epoch that was as bonkers and it was beautiful... all with a memorable soundtrack.

3. Zack Snyder's Justice League: I am a firm believer that a studio should not always listen to the hardcore fans. And it isn't because they know or don't know what is best. But because you can't please everyone all the time. Especially comic book nerds. But this is one of the times I'm glad Warner did. Zack Snyder is a visionary... and no one will every have the vision he does. That is the point(there are other directors that applies to, as well). Warner finally gave in. And we got a 4 hour Apology letter to the DC fans.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: The best of the MCU. And it was a mold-breaker. While most of the rest of the MCU were these amazing Superhero epics, Winter Soldier wasn't. It was a great spy thriller with some of the best action sequences in the entirety of the MCU(that Elevator scene!!!)... and driven by an interesting story. And not to mention the awesomeness that is Robert Redford with yet another great performance.

And my number one Comic Book Movie............

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: This was a masterclass in Superhero movies. Oscar winning in animation, and well deserved.

-Great ensemble voice cast? Check

-Absolutely stunning animation feeling like it was ripped from pages of a comic book? Check

-Worthwhile emotional story at the core? Check

-Off kilter humor to keep the levity going? Check

-The most Stan Lee Cameos in a single comic book movie? Check

The movie is just...... great. Jarringly beautiful in many ways. Who would've thought the team behind "Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs" could make a 5-star comic book movie? If I did a review of it right now, it would still get a 100. If you haven't seen it, you should. End of story. End of list.

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There it is... the list. The list of the lists. The big one this summer has been leading to.

I'm proud of it. How many did you read? Check them out if you haven't?

What did you think of the big one?

Thank you for following along. Drop a comment. Share the posts. And enjoy the movies!!

Reboot Versus - Mortal Kombat Beatdown

Copyrights belong to New Line Cinema, Warner Bros, and Ed Boon

Here is a new segment... making 2 reviews(or more), whether they are using the same review structure or not, and fitting them together accordingly... but pitting them against each other.

As the name implies, we are going to review an original and a reboot... at the same time. The catch is......... they will be scored on the merits of its own work, but comparisons will be made with their own scoring system.

Best way to do this is by giving it a go.

So let's do this.

UNLOCKABLE GEM

Mortal Kombat 1995(MK95)

Starring Robin Shou, Christopher Lambert, Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson

Reboot Versus

MODERN CLASSIC

Mortal Kombat 2021(MK21)

Starring Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson

Directed by Simon McQuoid

Concept: Earthrealm's champions must defend against an invasion from Outworld. Based of the video game series of the same name.

Era:

MK95: The Infancy of the Video Game movie craze.

MK21: Post Detective Pikachu world where video game movies can actually be great.

Execution

Here we go...

Cast:

MK95: Robin Shou was convincing as Liu Kang, Tagawa legendary as Shang Tsung, Lambert as Raiden was awesome for a Highlander fan, Linden Ashby WAS Johnny Cage. And the one to mention most is Trevor Goddard, a Kano SO good, it changed the canon of the character in the video games. But... who is Art Lean? Score: 18/20

MK21: Casting in this movie is tricky. Nearly EVERY character is spot on. The issue is, there are so many characters. The cast seems bloated. But... the real issue will be addressed in a moment. Before that, Shang Tsung badass, but never fought. Kano... stole the show... and there was just... a lot of characters. But... who is Cole Young? Score: 14/20

THE LINE: So, MK21 had a diverse cast(more ethnically accurate to the games lore), but they had so many characters, there wasn't enough time devoted to enough of them. MK95 had a smaller focused cast, one that fit every character, and even though Raiden wasn't... right... Lambert's raspy voice was MUCH better to understand. Advantage: MK95

Presentation:

MK95: Practical effects, not much in the ways of CGI, as expected. The era had plenty of practical effects it was the tech at the time. But... we ARE going to bring up the MPAA rating here... a PG-13 movie based on M-Rated gaming content. There was a bit too much Street Fighter in my Mortal Kombat. No blood, no guts, no gore. Was this even a Mortal Kombat movie? This is hurt it more than most people realize... though... the soundtrack is legendary, and the reason KMFDM became my favorite band. Score: 6/20

MK21: Less practical effects and more CGI. But... this movie went for the Hard R. Blood, guts, gore, flashy fatalities! It was all there. Goro looked a bit wonky in CGI, but Reptile looked great. This soundtrack though was...... forgettable. Score: 15/20

THE LINE: Presentation wise... as awesome of a convoluted story the MK game franchise has, people play it for the gore. So... people should want to see it in the movies. Advantage: MK21

Chronicle:

MK95: Faithful recreation of the story from the first Mortal Kombat game. There really isn't any other way to put it. Score: 20/20

MK21: First 3rd of the movie was way too much exposition, because it has way too many characters. As mentioned in cast, it is bloated. And in that first 3rd, you can feel it. That being said, after the exposition...... they built a good, original story from it. I was impressed that were able fit as much together as they did. Like a puzzle with some many pieces, a few seem missing, but it still looks like the picture on the box. Score: 25/30

THE LINE: For the first time, seeing a Gem vs a New... it gets to highlight how they are weighted differently. MK95 was faithful. MK21 was original, with deep roots. And... for me... impossible to choose. Advantage: Neither

Impact/Legacy:

MK95(Legacy): Here is where I'm probably going to get the most flack, but hear me out. MK95 does NOT have much of a Positive movie Legacy. It pains me to think about it, but it doesn't. Street Fighter came first... the first MK game led to controversy and the creation of the ESRB rating system... but the movie made a PG-13 movie in M Rated material, and in the case of MK, that is integral to its legacy as a movie and as a game series. The sequel was hot garbage. And... director Paul W.S. Anderson was so convinced he did a good job overall...... he ruined the Resident Evil movies... by making them. Score: 8/20

MK21(Impact): 2021 Reboot... didn't make much of an Impact either. It happened. But it was trying to be more than it really was. And it didn't need to be. You watch the Expendables to see badass legendary actors kick ass... you see MK to watch people get killed in glorious fashion. And... it at least pulled that off. It isn't epic like Sonic or Detective Pikachu for their overall impact to the sub-genre, but it is important nonetheless. Score: 10/20

THE LINE: This was tougher than I thought, but in reality... neither movie makes the grade in the overall scheme, but one does edge the other out. Advantage: MK21

Extra Oomph/Nostalgia:

MK95(Nostalgia): While I feel like MK95 doesn't have a positive legacy, it still stands out. That is different. Regardless of whether or not it has a positive legacy, it is still a beloved movie of people that are part of that era: gamers. It is still one of the best video game movies. Quotable("Handful of people on a leaky boat are gonna save the world?" "Exactly!" Or "IT HAS BEGUN!!!") If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. And... again... the soundtrack is a masterpiece of Techno. One of the only movie Soundtracks from the 90s I owned, and I liked playing it while playing the game.(hopefully you readers now fully understand the difference between Legacy and Nostalgia... the former is for the influence on the genre, the latter is for how memorable the movie is). Score: 20/20

MK21(Extra Oomph): The difference in era for video games... 95 came out near the beginning of the MK franchise... 21 came out after ELEVEN games in the main series. THAT IS A WHOLE LOT OF LORE TO TACKLE. As we saw with M. Night and The Last Airbender, you can't fit so much lore into a tiny, roughly 2 hour package. So the best thing to do is be original. Pay homage to the source material, but make it your own(I feel the same way about comic book movies... so many comic issues, not enough screen time). While I DO applaud them for being original is how the story plays out(even Cole Young was at least understandable). It didn't hit the mark, but I praise them for not trying to be perfect. Score: 8/10

Side note: the reason I champion MK95 for being perfect for story... it had one game worth of lore to work off of. But MK 21 can be more original because there has been SO MUCH LORE, what do you do with it? Also, different weighted scores, because Nostalgia is more Important than the Extra Oomph... but the same purpose.

THE LINE: So... MK95 hasn't stood the test of time... but I still love watching it(like Bloodsport lol). And no matter if I got my R-Rated Gorefest or not... Covid ruined my enjoyment of MK21. A full theater would've made it so much more... gruesome. Advantage: MK95

Final Scores!

Mortal Kombat(1995): 72/100

Mortal Kombat(2021): 72/100

(Same score? Was it intentional? No)

Final Grades!

Mortal Kombat(1995): C-

Mortal Kombat(2021): C-

The Line

Mortal Kombat(1995): 2

Mortal Kombat(2021): 2

Winner: Tied!

Conclusion: Neither of these movies were perfect movies. Not even B grade movies. But for the right demographic, either can be hits. Or...... both... or neither.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Yes, they tied. But this was the best example of how reboots can be loved, but for different reasons. I love the original 1995 Mortal Kombat. It is important to me in that genre of video game movies... but the PG-13 based on M-Rated Material irks me to this day, and it STILL happens(example, Ghost In The Shell). The 2021 Reboot was as advertised: bloody, gory, unapologetic, even it had so much going on.(even though it handled it better than MK: Annihilation). I love them both. For different reasons. And yes... equally.

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There you have it. Both movies got a 72!

Surprised?

Any other reboot you think deserves to be pit with an original? Lemme know below. Share this thing.

And above all else... don't forget...

Terms of Entertainment Endearment - Legacyquel & Erasequel

Welcome to a new occasional segment, "Terms of Entertainment Endearment". These segment will feature some new terms I've come up with(or had assistance with) to call certain things in film and television that don't have official terms or SHOULD have official terms. Anything you see in these posts ARE unofficial, but with some help from The Audience, we can get them out there(unlikely, but I can hope).

So... we are going to start with something that has been happening quite a bit lately. Originally had a different name, but thanks to Bob(credit for Bob), a fitting name has been given: Legacy Sequel or Legacyquel for short. We have Minor Legacyquels and Major Legacyquels. In this post, we will go over why there are two types, examples of each, and why some work and some don't. And then we will tackle the other term, because it ties in so well.

So... let's get into it. What is a Legacyquel? It is a sequel that comes out MUCH later than the last entry in the series. And we will start there, the difference between a Minor and a Major is the number of years. Minor will be between. 10-20 years. Major will be over 20 years. Pretty simple.

Minor Legacyquel. A sequel that releases 10-20 years after the previous entry. There are other reasons that I fell Minor fits. For example... a Spin off Sequel or a Sequel whose development got pushed back for various reasons and it originally wasn't supposed to take that long. Here are some examples:

~Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines(12 years after T2: Judgment Day): Terminator 2 had a teenager John Connor... Terminator 3 has an adult John after Sarah's death. Leading to Judgment Day. Movie wasn't the best. Took some liberties it just couldn't pull off.

~Blues Brothers 2000(18 years after the original): Hard to beat the original, and didn't capture the same magic without John Belushi. But John Goodman is always a great addition to anything!

~Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles(13 years after Dundee 2): Fish out of water story, a classic Paul Hogan role... but this sequel was just random, almost like a fan film.

~Clerks 2(12 years after Clerks): the usual nerddom jokes, but hurts that it wasn't all black and white like the original was. Overboard with some jokes. But Rosario Dawson was a nice addition.

~Rocky Balboa(16 years after Rocky V): Not only was this a great movie, it also led to a highly successful spinoff series called Creed.

~Live Free or Die Hard(12 years after Die Hard with a Vengeance): Rumors that this one might not have been an Legacyquel, but 9/11 pushed it all back. So 12 years... good enough to get another sequel AND soon to have a Pre-Sequel.

~Independence Day: Resurgence(20 years after the original): Missing magic dur to missing out on star Will Smith. Just doesn't live up to it.

~Superman Returns(19 years after Superman IV): This is under the radar. But this was a sequel. Brandon Routh resembles Christopher Reeve. They did that for a reason. And it was a decent movie(at least better than Superman III and IV).

~Split(16 years after Unbreakable): Example of a surprise sequel. M Night had a rough patch of terrible movies... and he made it back with Devil. So... let's make a sequel to one of your best.

Hopefully that give you an idea for some Minor Legacyquels. There are many more. But take these and consider some of your favorites.

Let's get into Major Legacyquels. These are the ones where the assholes will whine about "why doesn't Hollywood come up with new ideas?" Sometimes... you need closure... or to pass a torch. There will be a few surprises or ones people don't really think about. Examples:

~Tron: Legacy(28 years after the original): Great idea. New age tech. New age graphics. And an early adopter for de-aging to make Jeff Bridges look like he did back then.

~Blade Runner 2049(35 years after the original): Answers some questions from the original... gives us new questions. And some amazing performances/set pieces. To make Ridley Scott proud.

~Bill & Ted Face The Music(29 years after Bogus Journey): A sequel a LONG time in the making, but it's stars had different trajectory(Keanu Reeves is Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter... well... is Alex Winter). Released during a pandemic, but should've gotten more support(go watch it).

~Psycho II(23 years after the original classic): one of overlooked sequels that to this day, I'm not sure why it exists. But it does.

~The Color of Money(25 years after The Hustler): Paul Newman reprises his role from The Hustler, paired with Tom Cruise. And... while he was nominated for an Oscar for the role in the Hustler, he WON an Oscar for the same role in this Legacyquel.

~The Odd Couple II(30 years after the original): The original spawned a TV series without the original duo of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. After coming back together for the Grumpy Old Men movies, they decided to do this, and it was a nice nostalgic piece.

~Star Wars Episode VII(32 years after Episode VI): Technically, this is true. Granted, there is a prequel trilogy between them. And Technically... George Lucas didn't want it to happen. But it happened. And um... it happened.

~Ghostbusters: Afterlife(32 years after Ghostbusters 2): It isn't out yet... and no, I'm not ignoring the all female Ghostbusters(I consider it alternate universe). After having a sequel in development hell for decades(that became the video game)... we are finally getting a sequel, that REALLY drives home the Legacy in Legacyquel.

Note: Disney has LONGER Legacyquels, but they are usually direct to home video releases. Example... Bambi to Bambi 2... there is a 62 year gap.

You get the idea of Legacyquel? Good.

Now... Erasequel. An Erasequel is a sequel that eliminates movies from canon. Maybe a sequel came out that no one liked. So the studio comes along and undoes it. Examples:

~X-Men Days of Future Past(erases X-Men The Last Stand): This movie has two halves. The future and the past. The past is the sequel to First Class, the Future is the sequel to Last Stand. With the ending, it undid what happened in The Last Stand. Because of this, Logan went from being a Minor Legacyquel to just being a sequel(Logan is in the original trilogy timeline...).

~Terminator: Dark Fate(erases T3, Salvation, and Genisys): So because Dark Fate is James Cameron doing a direct sequel to T2, Dark Fate IS a Major Legacyquel. And it erased two terrible movies, it also Technically erases a really good one too, in Salvation. This is up for debate since it takes place entirely in the future(after Judgment Day). But this movie wasn't that good. A great concept for a new Terminator(like in T3), but poor execution of the movie altogether.

~Unnamed Robocop sequel(erases Robocop 3): Robocop 3 wasn't that good, and no Peter Weller. Recently Peter Weller reprised his role as a voice in Mortal Kombat 11. Talk has been for awhile that we are getting this Erasequel. But Covid throw everything in disarray. We will see what happens. Hopefully it doesn't suck.

~Halloween(2018)(erases almost the entire franchise): 40 Years after the original. Jamie Lee Curtis is back. The Shape is back. And this one is a DIRECT Legacyquel to that original.(The Best Example of an Erasequel)

Enough examples of an Erasequel?

Do you have any examples of an Erasequel? What about a Legacyquel? Leave them in the comments. Let's get this going. Share it... comment on it... share it again.

Thank you for joining me on this. Have any ideas for Terms? Let's get on that, and if I like it, it'll be featured in a post with credit where it is supposed to go.

Until next time...

Don't forget...

Unlockable Gems - Street Fighter: The Movie

Copyright by Universal Pictures and of course... Capcom

Street Fighter

Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-na Wen, Wes Studi

Directed by Steven E. de Souza

Concept: Live action film based on the 2D side view one on one fighting franchise that made Capcom ALOT of money.

Era: After the "success" of the Super Mario Bros movie, the rest of the decade was littered with B and C level video game movies. Street Fighter II was a runaway success in the arcades and eventually at home... it also inspired other arcade fighting franchises like: Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, Primal Rage, and other Capcom arcade fighters(i.e. X-Men COTA). But did the movie do the same?

Execution

Here we go...

Cast: So, if you read my Unlockable Gems post for Bloodsport, you would see that I made a bold correlation that Bloodsport inspired Capcom to change things up with representation starting in SF2, meaning that Colonel Guile would be inspired by Van Damme's character in that movie. So... for DECADES I laughed at the idea of a Belgian playing VERY American character Guile... but if I'm right... then the casting is based on it's own idea. Making JCVD the perfect Guile. Frustrating... but I have come to terms with that. Now, to what I already knew... Raul Julia. Yes, cast a veritable Latin Legend as the villainous M. Bison... and you know what, it was perfect. And he genuinely looked like he had a lot of fun doing it(reminded me of his work as Gomez Adams). And I enjoyed the casting of Ming-na Wen as Chun-Li. That was a pretty decent casting. Kylie Minogue as Cammy was... okay at best. Some of the other casting, those were decent at best(getting Wes Studi to play a Thai kickboxer was really weird... but... Miguel Nunez? Come on)... but overall, you could see that they tried. Score: 15/20

Presentation: There is nothing memorable about the soundtrack. Nothing memorable about the set pieces. There were no real special effects to speak. Which there should've been. At least something. In a game with fireballs and flaming punches... we got... what? It was subpar. Score: 6/20

Chronicle: This is a double edged blade. The main story of M. Bison's world domination vs Guile recruiting to take him down. That was pretty decent. The side story of Chun-Li infiltrating Shadowloo to kill Bison for killing her father. That was pretty good too. And both of those pretty true to the games...... but... what the hell happened to Ken and Ryu? Why are they grifters? In the games, Ken is a very rich heir... and Ryu is a "live off the land style hermit". Also, the original game, Fighting Street all the way until Street Fighting 5, Ryu(and in effect Ken) are the MAIN characters from the games...... so, yeah... it is a bit personal... but the side story of Ken and Ryu vs Sagat and Vega just felt... out of place(Though Vega kinna worked for me). In a bloated overall Chronicle... it felt very out of place. Same with Carlos Blanka being turned into a monster. It was very... Frankensteinesque. Overall, it was okay. But it could've been much better. Score: 12/20

Legacy: Super Mario Bros came out in 1993. Was the first of the video game movies. This came out in 1994. And was deemed terrible...... but it also inspired two other franchises to try it out. Mortal Kombat and Tekken. Mortal Kombat has spawned 3 movies... two PG-13 & one R. And 1995 Mortal Kombat learned from the mistakes of Street Fighter. MK was more polished story wise, casting was more accurate, and a decent special effects budget. The sequel, however took the Street Fighter movie flaws and triple down on them. Not sure how you want to look at that inspiration... but yeah. That happened. Tekken, which came out much later, did what MK and SF couldn't do: convert the tournament feel completely. Score: 17/20

Nostalgia: This is a movie that I wasn't the biggest fan of. I liked for some parts... I hated it for other. But there are a few things that stuck with me. Raul Julia having fun as M. Bison is epic. The Bison Bucks concept is still funny to me. Guile's rambling speech to get the troops behind him, inspiring. The fight between Zangief and E. Honda through the Shadowloo City mock model with Godzilla vs King Kong sounds is still one of my scenes. But... the ONE thing that has endured for me is Zangief's thumb. It overly dumb Russian stereotype and giving a thumbs up... sideways... and the moment Guile grabs his hand to turn it up, the look on Zangief's face is gold. It really is. It still isn't that... I, to this day, still like to give my thumbs up sideways as for a gag. The ultimate nerd dad joke. That is where the nostalgia ends. Because of anime. There is an animated Street Fighter 2 movie that is 4-5 stars, easily... overall, and for one of the most memorable scenes: Vega breaks into Chun-Li's apartment while she is in the shower(anime boobs in the unrated version), but you see as she is putting her hair up in the iconic buns... and then gets attack. She kickes Vega's ass and kicks him THROUGH the outer wall. Now, I know the MPAA ratings are different, but that movie was more memorable. Score: 13/20

Final Score: 63/100

Final Grade: D-

Conclusion: This was not a good movie, but it had some really good corny moments. Even if you wouldn't like the movie overall, just consider it yet another JCVD flick with gratuitous kicking highlights.

It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...

FINAL JUDGMENT: Seriously... I would still recommend watching this horrible horrible movie. Why? Raul Julia. Next to last performance. And not only was Raul Julia a legendary actor, THIS was a legendary performance. It really, truly was. So just like my comment from the list, this performance is enough for me to recommend seeing this trainwreck of a movie.

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So Street Fighter the Movie gets a score of 63!

Fitting that Street Fighter gets 1 point less that Super Mario Bros.

There it is... Street Fighter. Was it an Unlockable Gem? Yes. Funny thing is, I don't consider Mortal Kombat(1995) one. Because it ISN'T underrated. Those that have fond memories of it, love it. Those that don't, hate it. What do you think? Should Mortal Kombat be an Unlockable Gem? Lemme me know down below.

What do you think about Street Fighter the Movie? Did any of you play the tie-in video game?

Please leave a comment... share the post... and don't forget...