Toy Story and Walking Dead

Toy Story and the Walking Dead, have you realized how similar these stories are? As unlikely as it may seem, there are many similarities that the franchises share. The video above shows specific examples of how they are both similar. Obviously, there are major differences throughout and neither ripped off the other; the similarities have to be a mere coincidence. Warning, spoilers for both the three Toy Story movies and the first three seasons of the Walking Dead TV series are ahead.

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Doctor Who Owns the Box Office!

Doctor Who's 50th Anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, made a staggering $4.8 million at the U.S. box office! Even in its limited release of 660 theaters, the Day of the Doctor ranked second at the box office between Catching Fire on Monday, which is quite an achievement. Doctor Who has never been more popular and seeing it performance at the box office is a "Fantastic!" sign for the continuing future of the franchise. Additionally, the Day of the Doctor racked up $204,000 in the U.S. box office and $2.9 million on limited Saturday screenings, which isn't too shabby either. Unfortunately, the Day of the Doctor was not shown in a theater anywhere close to where I live, and I am not even sure if it was shown outside of Atlanta in my home state. What are your thoughts on the Day of the Doctor's success? Please comment below and check back next week for my full spoilery review of the episode.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Thanks everyone for commenting, reading, and following my blog. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and do not forget to be thankful. Here are some humorous geeky Thanksgiving pictures from various franchises.

This one might be my favorite one of the bunch.

Agents of SHIELD Full Episode 9

Here is another full episode of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. 

*Major Spoilers for this episode of Agents of SHIELD*

Well, the "possible" hookup between Ward and May has unfortunately been confirmed. Nothing is actually shown, which is good, but they are differently a couple now. I admit my theory about them just having a drink was incorrect and in response to everyone who commented about that part, I suppose most of us were wrong. The episode itself was a little disappointing, and while some of May's backstory is revealed, it might be my least favorite episode of the series thus far. I will have my full thoughts on the episode next week as usual.

*End Spoilers*

On a side note, I am sick, again, and I might not be able to reply to comments until later, but thanks everyone for the comments.

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Agents of SHIELD: The Well Review

Thoughts: "The Well," the long awaited tie into Thor: The Dark World. Does it deliver Asgardian action we were hoping for?

*Spoiler*

Well ("See what I did there"), not so much. While "The Well" is about Asgard, only the beginning of the episode directly ties into The Dark World's storyline, which is both a positive and a negative. Even though something directly tied into the film would have been cool, I like that Agents of SHIELD is also trying to be its own thing. After a brief opening, narrated by Simmons, explaining what Asgard is, along with some footage from the films, and Skye and, surprisingly, May commenting that Thor is "dreamy," which was particularly humorous coming from May, the episode does not have a lot directly associated with The Dark World. It would have been hilarious if there was a "Loki-fangirl" in the episode though.
When Jakob and Petra, both part of a Norse pagonist hate group, find a piece of the Berserker Staff in Norway and kill some locals, the team is off to find them as usual. Coulson tells the team that he consulted Doctor Randolph about Asgardian mythology after Thor's hammer was found in New Mexico, and he returns to consult him again regarding the Berserker Staff. According to Randolph, the Berserker Staff sends the user into a rage and gives them super strength and presumably, enhanced durability. Ward unexpectedly encounters Doctor Randolph and inadvertently touches the staff, which brings back painful memories of Ward's childhood. "The Well" is one of the first episodes in a while to focus on Ward, who is probably the series' weakest character in terms of development and likability, and my least favorite of the cast since Fitz and Simmons have been fleshed out. My only problem with Ward's flashback to, presumably, his younger brother in the well, and his older brother telling him to leave the younger brother in there, was left unfinished. We never got to see what happened after he, again presumably, helps his little brother out of the well. SHIELD really needs to answer a few questions before it turns into a J.J. Abrams show. Other than that, Ward is really developed well in the episode and his character was finally fleshed out. The always mysterious Melinda May has some great moments as well, including a possible hook-up with Ward, which I will discuss later. But back to the story, where Coulson figures out that Randolph is actually an Asgardian, which is a cool and unexpected twist. To my knowledge, the character is not based on any pre-existing comic book character, but rather based on actual Norse mythology. Randolph enjoyed earth, particularly earth women, and decided he would stick around after his war campaign on earth thousands of years ago. Finally, fans get the superpowered characters we wanted to see on the show, unfortunately, he does not get to really use his power. However, Peter MacNicol gives a very fun and entertaining performance in the role. Hopefully he will return, because his character is the best guest star we have had on the show. The final beatdown with Ward controlling his rage and using the staff to take out pagonist group was very cool, and one of the better fights from the series, even if the flashbacks were distracting. May picking up the staff and seemingly being able to maintain complete control despite using the entire staff was quite interesting. Ward asks how she was able to do hold back the rage and she response that she faces them everyday, which is our real first insight into her character. During that scene, Ward and May really seemed to have connected, which sets up a later scene that I will be discussing soon. Skye also tells Ward that she will be there to listen if he needs anyone to talk to. 

The strangest part of the episode has to be May inviting Ward into her room. What exactly was going there? Was it just for drinks and sharing war stories, or was there some romance going on? The general consensus online seems to be romance, but I am not so sure. However, that will not stop the shippers from calling them "Way." Either way, that scene was intriguing and adds some complexity to the team dynamic, plus I think Ward might have better chemistry with May than Skye, even if May is 20 years older than Ward. What do you think: romance or other? I think they were probably just drinking without romance.

Coulson do not have a ton to do in the episode, however that is not particularly a bad thing since Ward and May were given the screentime. However, he did get the chance to shove his hand into an Asgardian as Simmons freaks out as to what she should do. Randolph talking to Coulson about him not feeling right was interesting and even though the episode did not do much in the "what the heck happened to Coulson" subplot, the after credits scene in Tahiti was interesting. Also Coulson mentioning to Randolph that he should move to Portland was a nice little reference to Coulson's girlfriend, the cellist, who was mentioned as living in Portland in The Avengers.

Action: Ward versus the Norse pagonist hate group was one of the better fights of the series. While they did not address it, I assume those people were also bulletproof, which is why they did not just unload a clip on them. May also using the staff produced a rather cool scene.

Acting: Guest star Peter MacNicol was great in the episode and he gave us a good look at the lower Asgardian peoples, who are not born into a royal family. His meager appearance did a good job of showing that. Both Ming-Na Wen and Brett Dalton stepped up their performances for the episode.

Production Value/Special Effects: For the most part, "The Well" was not an effects heavy episode. However, the cars flipping and the super strength of the users of the staff was executed surprisingly well. My main concern is that the Berserker Staff itself could have been better as a prop; how hard can it be to make something that actually looks like a metal staff?

Comedy: This was another mostly serious episode, with several memorably humorous moments. Peter MacNicol was particularly hilarious with the line, "No, I don't know Thor, but I did go to summer camp with two of the Warriors Three!"

Overall: 9.6/10- Overall, "The Well" might not have delivered the Thor tie-in we hoped for, but it give us some superpowered action and interesting character beats. It might be the best episode yet.

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New Sherlock Teaser Trailer and Official Premiere Date

A new teaser trailer to Sherlock is here! It is not much, but anything Sherlock related is big because, supposedly, America will be getting to see the series on January 19th and Britain will be seeing it in December. During Sherlock hiatus, the fandom has grown surprising strong, making BBC's Sherlock one of the most popular television series on the web, which is impressive considering that the series has been off the air for so long at this point. As for the teaser, I suppose that is our first look at Sherlock and Watson's first meeting and the fans freaking out about Sherlock's return are more than likely not part of the actual show, rather just a part of the marketing campaign. What do you think of the teaser? Please comment below and check back tomorrow for my review of the recent Agents of SHIELD episode.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Doctor Who: Day of the Doctor First Impressions

The long awaited Day of the Doctor 50th Anniversary special of Doctor Who. Did it deliver what we were promised? 

Since not everyone has seen the Day of the Doctor yet, this will be spoiler free. However, in a full review I will discuss the episode in detail.

First impression: WOW! Just wow, Day of the Doctor completely blew me away! It was entirely different than what I had expected and even better than I had expected. David Tennant is back and better than ever. He reminded me how much I still miss seeing him as the Doctor and his back and forth dialogue exchange with Smith was positively brilliant! Why can't Tennant return!? The episode had a few very minor flaws, but overall, it is everything that I could have ever asked for and then some. The episode was chock full of references and Easter Eggs to both Classic and NuWho. The cameos were great and I just loved the episode. The Day of the Doctor has some almost movie quality effects, which are superior to just about everything we have seen previously on the series. John Hurt's Doctor was fantastic! I almost wish we was the new Doctor. Some time in the next two weeks, I will probably have a full review with spoilers, so check back for that. 

Have you seen the episode? If so, please tell me what you think!

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Day of the Doctor Countdown!

Today is the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who is upon us and with it, the highly anticipated Day of the Doctor 50th Anniversary special premiering tonight! To celebrate I have several cool Doctor Who related videos, including How It Should Have Ended version of Doctor Who and a video about Doctor Who's iconic theme. Tomorrow I will most likely have a first impressions post with my initial thoughts on the episode. 

Below are two hilarious Doctor Who videos by HISHE. If you have not seen the episode, "Doomsday," spoilers are ahead.

Here is one of my favorite webseries on Geek and Sundry Vlogs. On each episode of the vlog, they make their own rendition of different main themes from various geeky things and give out unique information on the theme's background and inception. 

For whatever reason, you cannot watch this video unless you click on the link to the video and watch it on YouTube. This is a mini-webisode shows us how the 9th Doctor, Paul McGann, turned into John Hurt's "War-Doctor," who is apparently the Doctor from the Time War. Seeing McGann return was nice and this surprising dark tale is a rather cool setup to the Day of the Doctor special later today. 

Will you be watching the 50th Anniversary special? If not tonight, when will you be watching?

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Doctor Who: An Unearthly Child Review.

Almost fifty years ago on 23 November 1963 a British television series named Doctor Who premiered with the episode, "An Unearthly Child," which is what I am reviewing today in honor of the series' 50th Anniversary.

"An Unearthly Child," the original pilot episode of Doctor Who that premiered almost 50 years ago. To get my Doctor Who fix while waiting on the 50th Anniversary, I decided to try and watch a few of the old Doctor Who episodes. Since the old Doctor Who seasons are never shown in America, this is one of the few episodes that I have seen of the old Doctor Who series, however I was able to find full episodes on Daily Motion, albeit in poor quality. Does the Doctor's first adventure hold up today? Additionally, since few readers have actually seen this episode, this will not give away any big spoilers, although there is not a lot to spoiler about it.

"An Unearthly Child" is a four part story arc consisting of four 30 minute episodes. The first starts with two school teachers, who are suspicious of a teenage girl who is incredibly smart but occasionally talks as if she is from the future. Long story short, the girl is the Doctor's granddaughter and the teachers follow her to the TARDIS. Also she gave the TARDIS, its name.

The first episode of the arc was quite interesting and entertaining to see the show's origin and I would probably give it a 8/10, mostly for being the first episode and overall well made. However, the second, third, and fourth episodes felt severely lacking. In those episodes the Doctor and companions inadvertently get stuck sometime in the past with cavemen trying to make fire and unfortunately, this is where the story arc goes downhill. It is terribly corny and poorly acted by the cavemen. Normally classic sci-fi is my thing, but it was just too low quality in story for me to consider it all that great, although that was what I had expected from the show's first episode.

Now to focus on the cast. It was fascinating to see William Hartnell as the Doctor and how much the character has changed over the last 50 years and he has certainly changed a great deal. In this, he believes humans to be inferior and he cares little for them. I assume he later becomes fond of the human race as the series continues. The Doctor's granddaughter, Susan, is a likeable character and well acted by Carole Ann Ford. Jacqueline Hill and William Russell were decent as the unsuspecting companions of the Doctor. All of the cavemen characters were terribly acted. Even though they are suppose to be dumb cavemen, they were laughably bad.

Overall: 7.0/10- Not a terrible start by the standards of the era, but a terribly good one either. For Doctor Who fans, who have seen all of the episodes of the recent series and are wanting for more Who, I recommend checking this four part story arc out, mostly for its historical significance. 

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Top 5 Doctor Who Villains

The Day of the Doctor is almost upon and to countdown its arrival, I have a couple of Doctor Who related posts. The first is today's Top 5 Doctor Who Villains. For my villains list, I will mostly be focusing on the recent Doctor Who series opposed to the classic because I have seen more of it. Additionally, with the exception of a few notable Doctor Who antagonists like The Master, many of the best Doctor Who are not individual entities, rather they are entire species of alien creates and some are more along the lines of horror monster, and those are the ones that intrigue me the most. The creeper villains are the ones that stick with the most growing up watching Doctor Who, therefore this list will consist mostly of the Doctor's more monstrous foes. A quick honorable mention goes to The Master, and while he is a great villain, he has never been my personal favorite. "Allons-y!"

At Number 5: Vashta Nerada

One of the many creepy foes of the Doctor, the Vashta Nerada are notable for taking something already generally considered creepy and making it horrifying, the shadows. We humans have always been afraid of the dark to some capacity and the Vashta Nerada capitalizes on that fear.  

At Number 4: The Silence

Unfortunately, you will not be able to remember the picture I have posted above since it is one of the Silence, but trust me, there is a picture there. Okay, enough with the jokes, the Silence are one of the best villains recently introduced into the Doctor Who lore. They have a genuinely creepy presence, and the concept of forgetting you ever saw them after you look away is the most ingenious idea for a monster since the Weeping Angels. 

At Number 3: Empty Child

"Are you my mummy?" If children weren't already the creepiest thing ever, the Empty Child brings it to a whole other level. Only zombie children come close. When I first saw the episode, "The Empty Child" back in 2005 when I was a relatively young fan of the series, it creeped the living day lights out me. To this day, one of the most memorable Doctor Who experiences is watching that two episode story arc, even if Jack ruins part of it. Steven Moffat's first forte into the Doctor Who universe produced one of his many brilliantly constructed and creepy villains of the series run. 

At Number 2: Daleks

"Exterminate!" Sure the Daleks may look like trashcans with a plunger and whisk attached to the front of them, but they are easily the most iconic and classic of all Doctor Who villains. Being introduced in a story arc of the original Doctor Who run, the Daleks have been the Doctor's greatest foe for decades. We will see the Daleks again in the Day of the Doctor this Saturday.

At Number 1: Weeping Angels

"Whatever you do, don't blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck." Weeping Angels are hands down the creepiest antagonist in all of the Doctor Who universe. Being introduced in one of the best best science fiction horror stories ever conceived, "Blink," the Weeping Angels have become the most iconic villain of the NuWho era. They are the Xenomorphs (Alien from the Alien film) of the Doctor Who universe and often considered the best of the Doctor's foes. Sure, the Statue of Liberty being a Weeping Angel and "Angel Bob" are a bit ridiculous, no other of the Doctor's villains have made so many suspenseful and heart-pounding episodes of the series. Plus, they are "The only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely." You can read my full review of the iconic Doctor Who episode, "Blink," by clicking here on the link.

What did you think of my list? There are many honorable mentions that could have made the list like the Cybermen and the Clockwork Droids. What are some of your favorite Doctor Who villains? Please comment below.

Note: While I use the term "creepy" multiple times, I have rarely been truly "scared" by anything in movies or television, including Doctor Who, however many of the villains above do create genuine suspense and thrills. 

Check back tomorrow for more Doctor Who posts!

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Agents of SHIELD: The Hub Review

Thoughts: Agents of SHIELD's episode, "The Hub" introduces us to a larger SHIELD universe with the Hub, an episode that featured larger scale action and a classic espionage storyline.
*Spoilers*
First off, this episode had me laughing so hard that my face was hurting. The first half in particular was funnier than the majority of most comedies that I have seen. However, among the humor, there were some great character moments, action scenes, and a sense of comradery among the team. After Simmons received some much needed character development last week, Fitz got his fair share in "The Hub." Now, we just need an episode about Agent May's background and why she is called "The Cavalry." Along with the high level of fun and adventure, "The Hub" featured some commentary on is withholding so much information morally right? That sentiment is something that the recent Winter Soldier trailer expressed as well. "The Hub" mixes of the tone of the series with a lot more humor in the first half and more of a serious tone in the second. Even though the tonal changes are a tad jarring, they worked well enough in the episode to provide us with equal parts laughs along with great character moments. As a whole, "The Hub" is a little weaker than the past few episodes. That being said, it was majorly entertaining and fun to watch. Splitting the screen time between Skye and Simmons trying to find out more about the mission, Fitz and Grant on the mission, and a few scenes of Coulson, "The Hub" was able to balance the different characters and plot threads effectively. One complaint I have heard about the episode is how easily Fitz shooting Sitwell was dropped so quickly considering that she shoot a superior officer! My theory is that Agent Hand convinced Stilwell to drop it since Coulson discovered that Hand was lying about the extraction team.

Coulson again says his, "Tahiti it's a magical place" line, however he cuts his sentence off before finishing it when he realizes something is strange about how he says it. The final scene with Coulson trying to find out more information about his "recovery" was a great step forward since I expected him to drop the subject for a few episodes after his conversation with May in the last episode.

"The Hub" featured several references to comic book characters, Marvel's films, and the returning of Jasper Sitwell, who was featured in the Marvel One-Shots. Saffron Burrows portrayed Victoria Hand, a SHIELD Agent from the comics. She looks almost exactly like her comic book counterpart. While Maximiliano Hernández as Agent Sitwell was in the "Item 47" Marvel One-Shot, his first name of Jasper was not revealed until this episode, which confirms that he is Jasper Sitwell from the comics. Additionally, the Triskelion was referenced as well. As for the Marvel Cinematic references, Agent Hand mentions Agents "Barton and Romanoff" who are Hawkeye and Black Widow. Overall, the references were more subtle, which is good.

Action: Some of the action was a little too ridiculous, but Agent Ward and Fitz fighting the guards was fun to see.

Acting: Brett Dalton as Grant Ward is much improved over his previous performances. Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons have become two of the best actors in the cast. As usual, Clark Gregg is noticeably the best actor of the entire series.

Production Value/Special Effects: The effects were mixed. Some of them worked, other ones did not.

Comedy: While some of the laughs could be considered cheap and potentially corny, they left me laughing, a lot in fact. One particularly hilarious scene is when Fitz asks Simmons what happened when he was on the mission and she replies, "I shot a superior officer in the chest."

Overall: 8.4/10- "The Hub" had some great character and comedic moments, but the episode as a whole is not on the same level of the previous few episodes.

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Agents of SHIELD Full Episode 8

The highly anticipated followup to the events of Thor: The Dark World, Agents of SHIELD episode, "The Well." While the episode's main plot does not directly tie-into the events of The Dark World, there are many references and it delivers the superpowered action fans have been wanting from the series.

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Thor: The Dark World After Credits Scene Explained

If you have not seen Thor: The Dark World, go watch it right now and then return and read this post. 

Now that you have seen Thor: The Dark World, you may have been confused by the after credits scene since even hardcore fans like myself had to think about what exactly we just saw. The weird looking alien guy played by Benicio del Toro is The Collector. The Collector will be featured in upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy film and the after credits scene was actually filmed by Guardians director, James Gunn. The Collector is one the Elders of the Universe, a group of cosmic entities that are the last remaining survivors from each of their respective race. He is virtually immortal and is much older than the Asgardian realms itself; he also has limited precognitive ability. As the Collector's name implies, he collects powerful objects and different races from the galaxy so that he can repopulate the universe if a cataclysmic event happens. While the Collector is not necessarily evil, he has fought the Avengers and other heroes when he attempted to collect them. In the comics, he and the other members of the Elders of the Universe were each given an Infinity gem (or stone) to prevent Thanos or any other bean from using the stones. Although not exact, the films appear to be following the Thanos storyline with the Collector obtaining the Infinity gems, which is confirmed when he states, "One down, five to go." At this point, whether or not the Collector is aiding Thanos or working against him is unknown. My guess is that the Guardians of the Galaxy happen upon one of the Infinity Stones and the Collector and other possibly other parties, want the stone for themselves. Below are a few pictures of Oscar winning actor, Benicio del Toro, as The Collector and below that is a picture of the Collector from the comics and del Toro. As for the after credits scene itself, the tone and look was kind of odd, but I am hopeful that the Guardians of the Galaxy will bring something entirely new and unique to comic book movies. 

For more information on the Collector and the after credits scene, watch the video below.

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Thor: The Dark World Review

Thoughts: Thor: The Dark World, the highly anticipated follow-up to The Avengers and the first Thor film. Can Marvel Phase 2 continue to deliver high quality entertainment and story with The Dark World? Oh yes, Thor: The Dark World delivers everything one could want in a Thor film and then some. If you have not already seen The Dark World, go see it in theaters right now.
The film opens similarly to the first Thor with a flashback to an ancient time when Odin's father fought Malekith, narrated epically by Anthony Hopkins, and the main conflict of the plot is setup in a very Lord of the Rings style opening battle.
My expectations for the film were relatively high, but at the same time I had no idea what to expect because the trailer fortunately gave away very little of the actual plot. Thor: The Dark World surprised me on so many levels. The humor was spot on, the action was the best since The Avengers, and the film had a surprising amount of emotional weight. Alan Taylor's direction was absolutely perfect, and his Game of Thrones background is clearly visible. Asgard looks immaculate, less animated than the first Thor and more realistic fantasy like The Lord of the Rings. In general, the setting and the tone of The Dark World was a unique blend of fantasy with a heavy sci-fi angle, particularly with the Dark Elves, who were more alien than fantasy, which was cool.
Now let's move on to possibly the best part of the entire movie, Tom Hiddleston's Loki. Yes, Hiddleston is back and better than ever. As expected, he killed it in the film and his scenes are among the most fun and memorable. The bickering and witty comments between him and Thor were absolutely perfect. The whole brother conflict is one of the best and most relatable aspects of the Thor films and The Dark World really capitalizes on it. That aspect of the film is very compelling and added the seriousness needed.
Of Marvel's films to date, Thor: The Dark World is the most like The Avengers in terms of both tone and overall style. While The Dark World is not on the same level of The Avengers' virtual cinematic perfection, it contains many aspects which made The Avengers amazing. The humor, action, and emotional weight really took The Dark World to the next level.

My only minor complaints are that Kat Dennings as Darcy was overused. While some of her humorous scenes made me laugh (a lot), her character was not entirely unnecessary and her scenes later in the film were particularly superfluous. The other minor flaw is that Christopher Eccleston as Malekith was not the most compelling villain. His motives were convincing, although his character was mostly there to deliver the conflict and character drama between the main cast, which he did well. However, his giant henchman, Kurse, was very imposing and menacing.

Directed by: Alan Taylor
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comic Book, Action Adventure,
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Running Time: 111 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Tom Hiddleston is freaking awesome, Unexpected plot twists, Tons of action, Impressive special effects, Hilarious cameo, Brotherly conflict, Intriguing after credit scenes, Hilarious jokes throughout, Cool villain, Surprising emotional weight, Character development, Inventive action scenes, Natalie Portman is actually useful in the plot, Several unexpected twists, Reminded me of The Avengers, Alan Taylor's perfect direction, Mostly well executed humor, Brian Tyler's epic score, Improved romantic element, Effective Avengers tie-in, Epic scale, Excellent mix of sci-fi and fantasy, Asgard is stunning,

The Bad:


Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
Eons ago, Bor, the father of Odin, clashes with the Dark Elf Malekith, who seeks to destroy the universe using a weapon known as the Aether. After conquering Malekith's forces, including enhanced warriors called the Kursed, on their home world of Svartalfheim, Bor safeguards the Aether within a stone column. Unbeknownst to him, Malekith, his lieutenant Algrim, and a handful of Dark Elves escape into suspended animation.
In present-day Asgard, Loki stands imprisoned for his war crimes on Earth. Meanwhile, Thor, alongside warriors Fandral, Volstagg and Sif repel marauders on Vanaheim, home of their comrade Hogun; it is the final battle in a war to pacify the Nine Realms following the reconstruction of Bifröst, the "Rainbow Bridge" between realms, which had been destroyed two years earlier. In London, astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster's intern, Darcy Lewis, now with her own intern, Ian, takes Jane to an abandoned factory where objects have begun to disobey the laws of physics and disappear into thin air. Separating from the group, Jane is teleported to another world, where she is infected by the Aether.
Watch the movie to see what happens next.


Plot: 9.8/10- Every plot point made sense void of any major logical flaws and the character development of Thor and Loki was handled excellently. Thor: The Dark World is a very character driven story, which is exactly why the film works so well. The plot makes good use of Portman's character, Jane Foster, and actually provides a reason why she needs to be in the film other than being a romantic interest, and that brings me to the romance, which is much improved over the previous Thor film with a more believable story and chemistry. Thor's character is much more of a bada** warrior this time around as he smashes guys, breaking necks, and generally killing any enemy combatant that stands in his way. The dialogue is clever and well written with occasional witty and humorous lines along with the great Asgardian dialect. Somehow, the pacing manages to throw a ton of action into the mix, yet never allowing the action to overpower the story, like another superhero flick earlier this year. There was never a dull moment at any point of the film. Also, I liked how the movie did not question the audience's intelligence add unnecessary exposition and explanation, which reminded me of the original Star Wars films.

Action: 10/10- Wow, the action in Thor: The Dark World is incredible. Alan Taylor apparently knows how to direct an epic battle scene because there were so many throughout the film. Not since The Avengers have I seen action scenes this well directed and filmed. From spaceship like chases to epic fantasy battles, The Dark World has it all. The final fight in particular was extremely inventive and actually showed me something that I have never seen before, which is quite an accomplishment. Every shot was framed with skill and the choreography is well executed.

Acting: 9.9/10- Chris Hemsworth owns the role of Thor. He really embodies everything that Thor needs to be with his charisma and wit. Tom Hiddleston returns as fan-favorite Loki and of course steals the show. His performance is so amazing and compelling; he has made Loki into such a great character. While Hiddleston is in the film quite a bit, he never overshadows Thor. Natalie Portman as Dr. Jane Foster does a much better job in the movie than she does in the previous film and her chemistry with Hemsworth is much more believable than before. Anthony Hopkins as Odin again brings the theatrical gravitas that compliments the Asgardian setting. Christopher Eccleston gives a "Fantastic!" performance as Malekith and his performance speaking the Dark Elven language was surprisingly believable. Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis was fun, but a little overused, and Stellan Skarsgård as Dr. Erik Selvig was hilarious in his role. Rene Russo as Frigga is surprisingly fantastic in her role. The rest of the cast does an admirable job in their roles, particularly Idris Elba.

Special effects: 10/10- As with any Marvel film, the special effects are absolutely stunning. Asgard's visuals are amazing and more realistic than our last endeavor to the realm. At least from what it would appear, a surprising amount of practical effects were used, which added more realism to the film.

Soundtrack: 9.8/10- Brian Tyler does it again with another epic score. While Patrick Doyle's score from the first Thor is magnificent, Tyler's score better suited The Dark World's darker fantasy/science-fiction setting.

Comedy: 9.9/10- Thor: The Dark World had me laughing so hard during some scenes, it was absurd. Aside from the overuse of Kat Denning's humor, basically all of the humor was well placed and worked. The humor was well balanced with the serious scenes. One cameo in particular (not Stan Lee) nearly killed me; never before have I laughed so hard or loud in a theater.

Would I Watch This Again: Thor: The Dark World is a film that I will surely watch and rewatch multiple times just like The Avengers. This is a must own on Blu-Ray and one that I will be pre-ordering.

Overall: 9.9/10- Overall, Thor: The Dark World is everything that a great film should be with a great sense of fun along with surprising character moments and compelling storytelling.

Closing comments: While I may be a little bias, The Dark World is an absolute must see in the theaters, you will not regret it. Also check back tomorrow for an explanation of the Mid-Credits Scene.

Recommended for: Everyone, Action fans, Fantasy fans, Sci-Fi fans, Comic Book fans, Action Adventure fans,

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If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Thor: The Dark World Review

Since I have had massive posting problems with Blogger showing my posts late on the Dashboard, I am posting the link to my review on this post, which you will most likely see on the Dashboard by this morning. Please check out my review and tell me what you think.

New Marvel Logo Opening

Watching Thor: The Dark World or a recent Agents of SHIELD episode, you may have noticed that Marvel has a new logo preceding the other logos. Head of Marvel, Kevin Feige, commented on the change by saying they wanted something new since the old flip Marvel logo has been around for elven since the first Spider-Man. While the nostalgia side of me still loves the old logo since I can still remember seeing it for the first time while watching Spider-Man in theaters, this new one is quite good. Brian Tyler's, who composed the scores for Iron Man 3 and The Dark World, fanfare suits Marvel's new image nicely. Overall, good job Marvel. This will become a classic just like 20th Century Fox's logo. On other Marvel news, my review of Thor: The Dark World will be up tomorrow morning around 6:00am Eastern time. Following that, I have a few spoiler discussions, one of which explains the potentially confusing after credit scene. Additionally, sorry everyone if I have not commented on your Thor: The Dark World review, having now seen the film I will be trying to catch up this week and comment again on the ones that I have commented on before with my new thoughts. What do you think of the new Marvel logo? Please comment below and check back tomorrow for my review of The Dark World.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

New Lindsey Striling Video!

Lindsey Striling has another new video up! This time with an original song and a fun music video. While not her best song ever, it is still fantastic. It's Lindsey Striling, when is the last time she had something not excellent? I really enjoyed the music video and the editing with clips from her world tour is executed excellently. If you have her album like I do, you have already heard the song, which is "Minimal Beat." 

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.