Etiqueta: Featured

Starkiller Base is obviously a stand-in for the Death Star. This is made explicit during the scene where a hologram shows how much bigger it is than the Death Star in an unintentionally hilarious Star Wars moment. And the physics of draining a star is only the beginning, as one Redditor also points out how the beam wouldn’t have been able to destroy planets lightyears away so quickly: «How can they see the planets being destroyed from a planet in another solar system? It takes light thousands of years to travel that far.» The simplest explanation would be not to think about Star Wars science too hard, but better reasoning comes from the «Force Awakens» novelization.

In a separate Reddit thread, u/rick17126 mentions how the book better explains how Starkiller Base works: «In the novelization, the weapon is not powered by drawing plasma from the sun it orbits. It recharges through a system that slowly draws in Dark Energy and is stored [within] the core of the planet before firing [its] payload through subspace, essentially creating a temporary wormhole between Starkiller Base and the target.» The star isn’t being drained to the point of destruction; it’s just having its dark energy drained. To explain why the planets are destroyed so quickly, a wormhole opens up so that the beam effectively disappears and reemerges lightyears away. 

Granted, one would only know this by reading the book, so, understandably, things would get confusing from watching the movie alone. Certain aspects of Star Wars, like the science behind lightsabers, can be overlooked. But the science of Starkiller Base is a bit harder for some fans to accept. 

After watching all of «Predator,» with the titular hunter killing several people with some amazing weapons, it may seem odd to have a silly end-credit sequence with the cast smiling and laughing after we just saw them get maimed. However, director John McTiernan explained to RadioTimes.com why he decided to end on that note: «It was just a wonderful, old fashioned, theatrical, funny thing to do. We just did it because it was fun. We were a bunch of 14-year-olds who got turned loose in the fairytale shop.» It appears to be a callback to past war movies, like «The Dirty Dozen» and «The Great Escape,» which also bring the cast’s faces back.

While there’s a reasonable explanation for doing the «Predator» end credits that way, it hasn’t stopped the trend from blowing up on TikTok. Numerous videos with different theme songs have permeated the platform, and they all work pretty well. Arguably, the best of the bunch belongs to TikToker @moviedeathblows, who remixed the ending with the theme song to «Full House.» Heaven knows Al Dillon (Carl Weathers) needed «a hand to hold onto» after the Predator blew off his arm with a plasmacaster. 

Whatever «Predator 5» ends up being, it should bring back these hokey end credits with everyone having a good time. It could reinvigorate the meme once more. 

The 1930s Justice League — or rather, Justice Society — unfolds in a series of portraits. The first in line is unsurprisingly Barry «Flash» Allen, decked in a red uniform and a big crash helmet with red and yellow plumes. Next up is Green Arrow with his impressive mustache and a green outfit that gives him an old-timey Hollywood star vibe. Hawkman and Hawkgirl opt for gladiator chic and winged helmets to go with the wings on their backs, while William Batson dons a decorated but clearly recognizable Shazam costume. John «the Martian» Jones — a version of the Martian Manhunter — looks surprisingly human, though that’s not all that’s surprising for the shapeshifting superhero.

Instead of his modern cybernetics, Cyborg wears a silver overall that brings old science fiction stories to mind, while Green Lantern hauls a literal lantern that seems to power a strange device. The photographer might’ve caught Batman on his day off since his costume is basically a cowl, a cape, and gloves worn over brown loungewear. Aquaman is reimagined as a hero of South Asian descent called Arthur Churiwal, while Clark «Superman» Kent is dressed in the vein of a European nobleman, fur-rimmed cloak and all.

Zatanna Zatara’s outfit retains her iconic top hat, while Wesley «Sandman» Dodds looks close to his comic book counterpart — which is appropriate since the character operates in the early half of the 20th century. A powerful-looking Wonder Woman also appears, as do reimagined versions of Big Barda, Dr. Mid-Nite, Power Girl, Black Canary, and the Spectre. Interestingly, most of the characters are coded as pulp-style adventurers who may or may not have actual superpowers — but powers or not, it’s clear that this 1930s group is one formidable team.

When comparing Loki and Hans Gruber, it’s easy to see where Tom Hiddleston was inspired by Alan Rickman’s performance. Both actors play their characters as tricksters whose emotions can be hard to pin down, making them intimidating to those unfamiliar with them. They’re also quick thinkers and determined to meet their respective goals. Despite these similarities, though, Hiddleston didn’t just watch «Die Hard» before portraying the God of Mischief in the movies. He also did plenty of research on other versions of Loki, ones rooted in mythology and pop culture.

«I was cast in April 2009, and I had about eight months to build the character from the ground up,» Hiddleston explained during an appearance on Vanity Fair’s «Little Gold Men» podcast. To do so, he immediately got to work researching all kinds of Lokis, from those on the pages of Marvel Comics to the one of Scandinavian legend. He even dove a bit into Loki’s presence in Jim Carey’s 1994 movie, «The Mask.» Pulling back the curtain on the process, he added, «What’s Loki’s impact on human imagination and culture? And then synthesizing all of that into the story we’re telling. That was such a delightful period of discovery and curiosity.»

Tom Hiddleston has teased his Loki future, expressing uncertainty over what lies ahead for him in the MCU. No matter what happens, though, it’s fair to say that Hiddleston was the prime choice for Loki and that he put his research and inspiration to good use. 

As outlined above, the supposed contradiction in how the Marvel public treats the X-Men compared to other superheroes isn’t really an issue. Mutants represent something entirely different and, to the prejudiced mind, more threatening. It’s still a bit odd that people in the Marvel universe don’t just call every superpowered individual a mutant, but that’s beside the point.

Still, balancing the complex sociopolitical world of the X-Men with other major Marvel characters and storylines can be challenging. Fox kept the mutants in their own film universe because of rights limitations, but it ended up working out because it made things simpler. As Marvel Studios prepares to introduce its own, new version of the X-Men — not Wolverine’s return in «Deadpool 3,» but a proper, fully recast iteration — Kevin Feige and company have some big decisions to make.

Because mutants as a major race don’t exist in the main MCU reality, many have theorized that the X-Men will be introduced through some parallel world. And, depending on what Marvel intends to do with them this time around, it might make the most sense to keep them there. Aside from complicating the balance, the X-Men will add a lot of characters to the current mix. The population of active MCU characters could effectively double when they’re brought into the fold, and that might just be too much to juggle in a single dimension. Time will tell how Disney ultimately decides to handle the MCU’s X-Men reboot. But after the response to «X-Men ’97,» expectations are higher than ever.

In «Star Wars: Jedi of the Republic – Mace Windu,» a padawan-braided Mace accompanies his master Cyslin Myr to the planet Mathas, where they confront a dangerous Jedi imposter named Drooz who’s attempted to build a kind of cult. Unsurprisingly, the comic and other canonical «Star Wars» sourcebooks all paint the young Mace as headstrong, emotional, and quick to anger. One account from his padawan days in the «Age of Republic» comics details his lack of patience when building his first lightsaber with the droid swordsmith Huyang. On his mission to Mathas, Mace’s master repeatedly instructs him to let go of his intense emotions and show mercy.

As seen throughout the prequel trilogy, those will continue to be issues for Mace later in life. He wears the face of a cool, calm, and collected Jedi Master, leading the order through difficult times alongside Master Yoda. In reality, though, his rage never fully goes away; it only simmers beneath the surface.

Mace’s confrontation with Drooz as a padawan is meant to evoke his final moments with Palpatine in «Revenge of the Sith.» In both cases, he’s prepared to kill his opponent in the name of preventing future bloodshed. Cyslin Myr talks him down, reasserting that their task is to apprehend the villain, not destroy him. Perhaps if Mace had remembered that lesson decades later in the Chancellor’s chambers, Anakin Skywalker wouldn’t have turned on him. We’ll never know for sure.

Bruce Banner creates the MCU version of the intelligent Professor Hulk in Mexico, with funding and assistance from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). This doesn’t seem like a bad thing considering the Science Bros’ combined massive intellect. That is, until you remember that the dynamic duo has an abysmal track record when it comes to superhero experiments. Banner and Stark’s most notable scientific team-up before Professor Hulk is an artificial intelligence that becomes Marvel’s Avengers villain Ultron (James Spader) and nearly destroys the world in «Avengers: Age of Ultron.»

Imagine the pair tinkering away in Mexico with full knowledge of their Ultron failure while also coping with the mental anguish from Thanos’ victory in «Avengers: Infinity War,» and … well, let’s face it, there’s no way they wouldn’t include some fail-safes in case of a Hulk overload. A comics-style forced transformation to Banner when Hulk becomes too angry would be extremely on-brand, as would the unintended side effect of introducing a savage version of the meek scientist. A berserker Mark Ruffalo attempting to attack an enemy while in full Hulk rage mode sounds like a very MCU-style gag.

There’s also a legitimate storytelling reason for introducing a new weakness in the MCU Hulk. Traditionally, his only Achilles heel has been his own emotions. With the Professor Hulk mode combining the best of Banner and Hulk, he has no real reason to get angry or scared anymore. After all, he’s a super-smart scientist with a body strong enough to use the Infinity Gauntlet and survive. But superhero stories abhor perfection, and since Hulk likely hasn’t made his last appearance in the MCU, the franchise will need a way to nerf the guy before long.

The AI gangster superheroes are pretty cool, provided one doesn’t examine the finer details too closely. Gangster Batman looks more like Jared Leto’s Joker than the Dark Knight, but what’s even stranger is that he’s sans shirt and instead has a bat symbol seemingly stapled to his chest. The AI also missed an opportunity to give Venom a more distinct transformation, as he essentially looks the way he always does. And it must be laundry day for Daredevil, only distinguishable thanks to his red mask as he’s wearing a white tank top.

wearing a white tank top with his distinguishable red mask.

With these AI-generated images of gangster superheroes and villains, it’s enough to wonder what a genuine Guy Ritchie comic book film would look like. It probably wouldn’t be anything akin to «Snatch.» Around 2018, there was speculation Ritchie was attached to direct a Marvel Movie about Captain Britain and the Black Knight, aka Dane Whitman (Kit Harington’s «Eternals» character). Nothing ever came from those rumors, but given the source material, it’s a safe bet the movie would’ve been more similar to «King Arthur: Legend of the Sword» than «RocknRolla.» 

At one point, Ritchie was attached to direct the live-action «Hercules» movie for Disney, but reports suggest he has since dropped out due to being too busy. Perhaps someday, he’ll lend his talents to the world of superheroes, even if they don’t involve Wonder Woman with a face tattoo. 

While this version of the futuristic crime fighter still looks amazing, there was almost a time when the tale of Terry McGinnis and his old mentor, Bruce Wayne, was set to appear in a live-action version of «Batman Beyond.» In December 2022, during an episode of «The Hot Mic,» Jeff Sneider revealed that plans had been in place for Michael Keaton’s Batman to return to the screen in a project penned by Christina Hudson, only for James Gunn and Peter Safran to kill the project to make way for their newly remodeled DC Universe. 

After that, Umberto Gonzalez from TheWrap took to social media, addressing Jeff Sneider by saying, «The ‘solo’ Michael Keaton Batman movie you’re talking about that Christina Hodson was writing was in fact the BATMAN BEYOND movie.»

While that never came to pass, at least fans got to see a seasoned Bruce Wayne with «The Flash,» which proved Michael Keaton’s Batman Beyond should never have been canceled. Perhaps, after finding a second life and returning as the Dark Knight, there might be a chance for a third attempt somewhere down the line, be it in live action or animated and looking as good as this awesome take.

Who wouldn’t be psyched to see giant cities on wheels? The post-apocalyptic steampunk world of «Mortal Engines» seemed like it would appeal to fans of «Mad Max: Fury Road» and «Howl’s Moving Castle» and was promoted as such. Its marketing campaign also wasted no time in reminding audiences that the script was written by none other than Peter Jackson. Universal Pictures was reportedly hoping the movie would kick off a franchise. Like the monstrous moving cities it featured, «Mortal Engines» seemed too big to fail.

It failed, of course, and many critics believe its size was the main reason it toppled. Fans have argued that the film was too ambitious, trying to cram too many aspects of an expansive world into a single film. What’s more, the movie was stretched thin between too many characters. Hester (Hera Hilmar) is supposed to be the main character, but for much of the first act, viewers know almost nothing about her – other than that she wears a mask and wants revenge, but don’t we all?

In retrospect, «Mortal Engines» had its work cut out for it. The film needed to compete against already-established franchises, but with the cast mostly made up of relative unknowns, it couldn’t coast on star power. When «Mortal Engines» went up against superhero movies like «Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse» and «Aquaman,» its engine sputtered, causing this colossus to crash and burn.

Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans have always had a special affinity for one another. When both actors were chatting with People during the leadup to «Avengers: Endgame,» Hemsworth recounted the duo’s first meeting. «I think I went out and you’d just done your movie [‘Captain America: The First Avenger’]. I was training for Thor and someone introduced us. We got home about 7 the next morning,» Hemsworth said. The rest is history, with the duo last appearing together on-screen in «Endgame.» It’s unclear when or if the actors will ever reunite. 

Following «Avengers: Endgame,» Hemsworth returned for a solo stint as Thor in 2022’s maligned «Love and Thunder.» In 2023, the actor revealed that he would be slowing down his career to spend time with his family. With the suggestion that director Taika Waititi won’t be returning for «Thor 5,» and Hemsworth’s intentions to lessen his output, audiences probably won’t see the Australian actor as the God of Thunder anytime soon. 

As for Evans, the actor has seemingly retired from his stint as Marvel’s Captain America, handing the reigns over to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson in the final moments of «Endgame.» While there are no concrete plans for a Steve Rogers return, Evans has stated that he would return as Captain America under a few key conditions. With the MCU continuing to expand as it approaches the two-decade mark, it’ll be interesting to see if Thor and Captain America ever cross paths again. 

Prior to the release of 2011’s «Goon,» which saw Seann William Scott play bouncer-turned-hockey-player Doug Glatt, the actor’s entire world was turned upside down when not only his father, but also five other family members, passed away within a two-year span. A self-described «positive and optimistic» person, Scott was anything but either of these after experiencing so many losses in such a short time. In fact, he questioned whether or not he’d ever feel joy again.

At first, Scott thought he could handle things on his own. He said on «Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum,» «I always felt like, I don’t need to talk to anybody because I know I’m sad. What am I gonna repeat what I know?» However, he eventually realized that he was far from okay, and that he needed to speak to a professional. This decision turned out to be extremely beneficial. «I remember the first meeting with the grief counselor. It was healing, just that one meeting,» he said. «So I think it maybe takes, just for somebody who needs some help, that one experience.»

For Scott, it was helpful to share his feelings with an individual who had a completely unbiased perspective on his life. Now, he serves as an advocate for therapy, understanding firsthand the benefits and also why someone might feel shame or hesitancy before booking that first appointment. He’s helping others realize that, sometimes, they don’t have to cope with everything on their own.

There are a couple of major signs that George Lucas won’t return to the «Star Wars» franchise in the future. First and foremost is the fact that the last time he brought «Star Wars» movies to theaters, fan and critic reception was absolutely atrocious. The prequel trilogy was torn apart from all directions, with Lucas and his crew of actors being bombarded by vitriol from even the biggest «Star Wars» fans. Why would anyone, much less someone who had established themselves in pop culture and made plenty of money to live comfortably, want to go back to that?

Additionally, Lucas had his personal life in mind when he chose to let «Star Wars» go. «In 2012 I was 69… So the question was am I going to keep doing this the rest of my life? Do I want to go through this again? Finally, I decided I’d rather raise my daughter and enjoy life for a while,» he said in the book «The Star Wars Archives 1999-2005.» In 2012 and beyond, Lucas has only served as an executive producer on such film projects as «Red Tails,» «Strange Magic,» and «Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.» He has done the same for television efforts «Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War» and «Manifest Destiny.»

With all of this, and the fact he hasn’t directed anything since 2005 – the best of the prequel trilogy, «Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith» – in mind, odds are George Lucas isn’t going to suddenly come out of retirement to lead an upcoming «Star Wars» production. As great as it would be for him to return, all signs point to his time with the franchise being over.

Ben Stiller went on to tell David Duchovny that he took some time to seriously think about what he would do after «Zoolander 2,» and as it turns out, taking that time was a blessing in disguise. «The wonderful thing that came out of that for me was just having space where, if that had been a hit, and they said ‘Make Zoolander 3 right now,’ or offered some other movie, I would have just probably jumped in and done that,» Stiller admitted. 

«But I had this space to kind of sit with myself and have to deal with it and other projects that I had been working on — not comedies, some of them — I have the time to actually just work on and develop,» Stiller continued, saying that even if he’d been encouraged to do another comedy film, he could have «figured something out» but didn’t want to go that route. Ultimately, this served both Stiller and his audiences — because he went on to help create some incredible TV shows and films as an actor, a producer, and a director, none of which, thankfully, are «Zoolander 3.»