TV Review: Ms. Marvel (Season 1)

***This review may contain minor spoilers***

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe returns to the small screen to adapt one of Marvel’s newer heroes, and thanks to a fantastic cast, a story focused on family and community, and some stylish directing, “Ms. Marvel” creates something unique that is only hindered by the short episode count that makes it all feel slightly rushed.

The plot in general is actually pretty basic, with the teenage superhero origin story covering many familiar beats. Add in the mandatory bad guys to fight, and that’s about it. However, by immersing the characters and their neighborhood in Pakistani culture, there’s a freshness that’s created and the hero’s story is intertwined with not only the present-day culture, but also the dark times in the past. In a lot of ways, this coming-of-age story of a teenager growing up in America with immigrant parents is almost enough to carry the series without the superhero stuff as she tries to forge her own way while still embracing her heritage. While Kamala’s ties to her community are important, it’s the ties to her family that really grounds the story.

Although the writing is strong, none of this works without a solid cast, and we get that in spades. In her first acting role, Iman Vellani completely steals the show. She’s absolutely charming in every scene she’s in, and her acting comes off natural and allows for her to just feel like a normal teenager…even after she gains superpowers. Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kupar are excellent as Kamala’s parents and come off as nuanced and caring while keeping everything grounded.

Largely because of the colorful backdrop of Pakistani culture, the show just pops. From mundane moments to dance-filled weddings, it all feels steeped in tradition. (Not to mention a great soundtrack of some of the region’s greatest hits.) The series also features really cool visuals that are reminiscent of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and just a bit of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse.” The best take on this stylized approach is from the directing duo of Aidil and Bilall, who unfortunately only directed two episodes. The effects look good overall, but occasionally fall flat. And as most fans may already be aware, Ms. Marvel’s powers have been significantly altered from her comic book appearances. The weakest element is the villains, who barely make much of an impact, and leave Kamala to deal with some more mundane threats. Six episodes felt like just about enough to establish Ms. Marvel’s origins, but the series could used a few more episodes to really make better use of the bad guys.

Thanks to great acting, likable characters and the series digging into its country of origin, “Ms. Marvel” is a fun coming of age story featuring superheroes. But, giving the origin enough time to breath turns the bad guys and Kamala’s trial by fire to feel like more of an afterthought.

**** out of *****

Movie Review: Thor: Love and Thunder

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A mildly entertaining film with a poorly executed plot, mediocre action sequences, love story that never quite connects, and hit-and-miss humor. After a decent start, the film quickly goes off course as we catch up with Thor after his most recent appearance in “Avengers: Endgame.” The pacing here is just bizarre, and we suddenly end up with the main plot kicking into gear and it feels like we missed half of the villain Gorr’s story somehow. Just as quickly we end up in a love story that’s never quite compelling, and then a few strange detours before the finale. The final battle isn’t too memorable, (and neither are most of the other action sequences), and it all wraps up with what supposed to be an emotional ending. However, it just falls flat. There’s a ton of jokes throughout the move, but many of them miss the mark. There’s a mid-credit scene that seems important, and a post-credit that doesn’t really go anywhere.

** out of *****

TV Review: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Season 1)

***This review may contain minor spoilers***

Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube

“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” returns Trek to a simpler time, while keeping the quality of the modern interpretation of the franchise. However, the lack of any major subplot to thread the episodic structure together causes this first season to lose out of any sense of urgency.

Essentially a spin-off of both “Star Trek: Discovery” and the original “Star Trek” pilot, we get a glimpse of what might have been if we got a chance to see those characters on adventures of their own. Stories range from standard sci-fi to silly to scary. While each episode has its own standalone tale, the individual characters have arcs of their own sprinkled throughout the season.

Captain Pike is a fantastic character, and Anson Mount is charming in every scene he’s in. His struggle with his mortality is one of the stronger arcs in the season, even if it’s only touched on sporadically. The rest of the characters are fine enough, but most don’t work as strongly as Pike. Ortegas’ character is never more than a good pilot with a buzz-cut, Hemmer is a decent character but is only in maybe half of the episodes, and Una really doesn’t have much to do most of the season. Ethan Peck continues make Spock his own, and has some pretty strong storylines tied to his love life, especially with Nurse Chapel, who is reimagined here as a much more assertive and engaging character compared to the original series version. (And we find out more backstory on Uhura in the first episode than we do in all the rest of her classic appearances.)

They show looks great, combining the sleek, modern look of the franchise with elements of the classic era. However, they take quite a few liberties with the ships, tech and uniforms where they don’t quite look the way they should based on when the series takes place. (Not to mention changing races of C-list legacy characters.) Continuity is also given the fast and loose treatment. While sometimes this enhances the original character’s stories, sometimes it pretty much rewrites their histories.

In its first season, “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” brings the franchise back to its fun, less-complicated roots. The episodic nature works but having a serialized story running in the background could’ve set the stage for a finale that was more meaningful for the entire crew. The characters are all likable, but some get fleshed-out, while others are practically still strangers by the finale.

**** out of *****

TV Review: Stranger Things (Season 4)

***This review contains some spoilers***

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In its penultimate season, “Stranger Things” crams almost two seasons worth of material into its over-bloated fourth season, with multiple storylines in multiple locations bogging down the narrative at times. But the final hour expertly brings everything together and deliver an emotional ending that come off as unsatisfying because they’re holding too much back so they can wrap it all up in season five.

The basic plot this season is relatively simple and focuses on the characters trying to stop a new villain’s master plan. While the majority of the group work on this, the rest of them are on their own separate quests. The attempts to get Eleven her powers back moves slowly at first, and then that splits into her having to go off her own from the rest of the California group. But while having El back at full power seems like it will be important to stopping the bad guy, Joyce’s quest to save Hopper feels completely separate from the crisis at hand. It’s only in the two and a half-hour final episode that their story is able to contribute to the big picture. (Even El’s story has to take a sudden twist to get her in place for the finale.)

Every episode this season is over an hour long, and while there’s not much filler, there’s just a lot of story here. Between the actual plots and character moments, there’s just a ton of content. It takes a very long time for things to really get going, and even then, it mostly moves at a leisurely pace. That’s why it seems to stand out that going into the final episodes, half the characters don’t seem to be in place to wrap it all up. While it does work overall, it almost feels like they painted themselves in a corner a bit, and just came up with the best way to still make it all connect.

As usual, the world-ending threat often takes a backseat to the character drama, and that’s a good thing because the show has so many great characters with strong emotional connections to each other. Every character is given a moment to shine, and all the actors bring their A-game to elevate the critical moments. (Resulting in some tear-jerking scenes, especially in the final episode.) Were introduced to a couple new characters, a while Argyle is fine a comic relief, it’s the lovable Eddie that makes the biggest impression. But all good heroes need a great villain, and we get one here with Vecna. Despite the Freddy Krueger similarities, he’s his own thing and is tied to the show’s mythology, and he also finally gives a voice to the Upside Down as opposed to the snarling monsters and shadowy clouds that are the usual threats. (Although we did get a taste of this from the possessed Billy last season, here we’re seeing the real puppet master.)

And not only is Vecna an awesomely designed and executed , but everything else in the series is. Whether is the disturbing kills, the eerie mindscapes or just the classic Upside Down creatures, they all look fantastic and all like they’re part of the same nightmare reality.

“Stranger Things” season 4 is another solid season that absolutely nails it at times, but the over-long episodes drag the momentum down, and the show trying to save too much stuff for next season created an unsatisfying ending.

**** out of *****