Marvel TV & Movies - 2025

[Raziel]

Trailer wins for using "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"

[Contentious C]

It's probably a good thing there's no BNW thread, since I think both companies are pretty much in a 'prove it' situation. Kinda sucks that had to happen with Sam's movie, but that's what Disney gets for stinking up half its properties. 

T-Bolts will probably be the best of the 3 releases this year anyway, since snark is well-worn territory for these roles.

I also didn't realize Paddington in Peru comes out the same day. Would be fucking awesome and hilarious if that's the movie that breaks the #1 at the BO streak for the MCU.

Edited February 12 by Contentious C

[The Natural]

On 2/11/2025 at 10:19 PM, Contentious C said:

It's probably a good thing there's no BNW thread, since I think both companies are pretty much in a 'prove it' situation. Kinda sucks that had to happen with Sam's movie, but that's what Disney gets for stinking up half its properties. 

T-Bolts will probably be the best of the 3 releases this year anyway, since snark is well-worn territory for these roles.

I also didn't realize Paddington in Peru comes out the same day. Would be fucking awesome and hilarious if that's the movie that breaks the #1 at the BO streak for the MCU.

Yeah, interest just doesn't seem there for Captain America: Brave New World (2025), myself included. It's currently 52% rotten on Rotten Tomatoes joining Eternals (2021) on 47% and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) on 46%. Not surprised it's rotten.

You've had a long wait for Paddington in Peru. That used to be the case for the UK for a while.

Edited February 13 by The Natural

[JLSigman]

On 2/11/2025 at 5:19 PM, Contentious C said:

It's probably a good thing there's no BNW thread, since I think both companies are pretty much in a 'prove it' situation. Kinda sucks that had to happen with Sam's movie, but that's what Disney gets for stinking up half its properties.

The only thing that caught my attention in the trailers was the adamantium mention. Harrison Ford looks like shit.

[Dolfan in NYC]

 

[tbarrie]

Dolfan, is there supposed to be something embedded in your post? I've checked on three devices and all I see is whitespace.

[The Natural]

6 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

 

 

Just now, tbarrie said:

Dolfan, is there supposed to be something embedded in your post? I've checked on three devices and all I see is whitespace.

I'm getting nothing either, tbarrie.

[Contentious C]

Well, just got back from BNW.  It's...not bad!

There's a distinct possibility that part of its bad review history so far is more woke-bombing nonsense like what happened with Captain Marvel.  Granted, I like that film more than most, and this movie probably isn't better or is roughly as good, but this is definitely a movie with a lot of fingers to point and a lot to say, even if it doesn't often say it all that well.

Spoiler

There's something kinda nice about a movie written and filmed sometime last year that deals with a "smart" guy manipulating the POTUS into doing totally crazy things that run contrary to what Captain America would symbolize coming out right now, what with all of us living in the Upside Down.

But hey, this decided to pull on some *loooooooong* threads and I'm good with it.  Of course, since Ross is involved so heavily, that had to be for something, and who else could manipulate Ross for long enough and well enough except...Samuel Sterns!  Tim Blake Nelson reemerges from the olden days of Phase 1, back when there was barely a plan going forward, and is the BB here.  I dig it.  But yeah, the parallels to modern society are hard to miss and result in some lines of dialogue and emotional moments where you think, "Yeah, they clearly live in the Hollywood world and we are just fucked." 

The rest is decent enough.  It's pretty close to a stand-alone film with how it feels, and it's clear Marvel is taking some time to rethink their approach.  Mackie is still good, Ford isn't on autopilot for 100% of the film like he has been for the last 30 years, and the new additions work.  It definitely continues to draw a huge line between "disappointing for Marvel" (something like this, maybe) and "disappointing for DC" (Flash & Aquaman 2 being in the running for worst superhero movie since Ghost Rider 2).

Thumbs firmly in the middle, not a waste of time, better than the limited series was.

 

Edited February 13 by Contentious C

[odessasteps]

Sounds more and more like a "wait for D+" kind of movie. 

[Technico Support]

32 minutes ago, Contentious C said:

Well, just got back from BNW.  It's...not bad!

There's a distinct possibility that part of its bad review history so far is more woke-bombing nonsense like what happened with Captain Marvel.  Granted, I like that film more than most, and this movie probably isn't better or is roughly as good, but this is definitely a movie with a lot of fingers to point and a lot to say, even if it doesn't often say it all that well.

  Reveal hidden contents

There's something kinda nice about a movie written and filmed sometime last year that deals with a "smart" guy manipulating the POTUS into doing totally crazy things that run contrary to what Captain America would symbolize coming out right now, what with all of us living in the Upside Down.

But hey, this decided to pull on some *loooooooong* threads and I'm good with it.  Of course, since Ross is involved so heavily, that had to be for something, and who else could manipulate Ross for long enough and well enough except...Samuel Sterns!  Tim Blake Nelson reemerges from the olden days of Phase 1, back when there was barely a plan going forward, and is the BB here.  I dig it.  But yeah, the parallels to modern society are hard to miss and result in some lines of dialogue and emotional moments where you think, "Yeah, they clearly live in the Hollywood world and we are just fucked." 

The rest is decent enough.  It's pretty close to a stand-alone film with how it feels, and it's clear Marvel is taking some time to rethink their approach.  Mackie is still good, Ford isn't on autopilot for 100% of the film like he has been for the last 30 years, and the new additions work.  It definitely continues to draw a huge line between "disappointing for Marvel" (something like this, maybe) and "disappointing for DC" (Flash & Aquaman 2 being in the running for worst superhero movie since Ghost Rider 2).

Thumbs firmly in the middle, not a waste of time, better than the limited series was.

 

In a world where the Air Force edited the Red Tails out of a training video and Google pulled Black History Month and others from their calendar, I wonder how long we’ll have this version of Cap.

[Dolfan in NYC]

4 hours ago, tbarrie said:

Dolfan, is there supposed to be something embedded in your post? I've checked on three devices and all I see is whitespace.

https://x.com/camandfilm/status/1889756306396807461

Harrison Ford on doing Red Hulk.

[The Natural]

5 hours ago, Technico Support said:

In a world where the Air Force edited the Red Tails out of a training video and Google pulled Black History Month and others from their calendar, I wonder how long we’ll have this version of Cap.

Sad world right now.

I still wish we had Bucky Captain America to Falcon Captain America for these reasons:

• Bucky Cap was better than Falcon Cap in the Captain America books by Ed Brubaker. Granted comics to film translations can/can't work out depending on adaptation.
• Bucky Cap is more interesting as he's trying to atone what he did under duress as the Winter Soldier. Bucky's guilt.
• A live action Ed Brubaker Captain America run.

A real missed opportunity I'm still miffed over.

Edited February 14 by The Natural

[AxB]

Bucky as Cap doesn't work in the MCU. It worked in the comics because Bucky was missing presumed dead for literal decades of real life time, was revealed as The Winter Soldier and then escaped that programming in fairly short order (and they had Old Man Steve there to advocate for him oncreen).

In the films, the gap between "Bucky is dead" and "Bucky is the Winter Soldier" was 2011-2014, and his actions as the Winter Soldier had actual, visceral impact on characters we care about. For Steve to then pass the shield to him in 2019, when Bucky was being manipulated by the Red Skull as recently as 2016... that wouldn't be consistent with who Steve Rogers is. He has too much compassion for Bucky to burden him with the shield so soon. Whereas him being shortsighted enough to not realise the racial connotations of giving it to Sam, that makes perfect sense, given who Steve is and the life he had lived.

(Actually, in the mini-series, didn't Bucky imply that he was a part of Steve's decision, to make Sam into the new Captain America? There is a possibility that Steve did offer it to Bucky first, and Bucky turned it down and said Sam deserved it more)

[RandomAct]

BNW had some issues from a film making perspective, but for what they were going for, I liked it quite a bit. It had phase 1 or phase 2 vibes, as it was really grounded for the most part.  It really felt like Marvel was trying to realign it's focus with this movie.  It actually had some of the better action set pieces in the MCU as well.  Also, not for nothing, it's looking like one of those movies, based on the RT score, that the audiences like more than the critics.

[twiztor]

On 2/10/2025 at 11:20 AM, JLSigman said:

Someone said the Big Bad is Sentry? Who I only know from the Marvel Puzzle Quest game.

 

On 2/10/2025 at 11:47 AM, Technico Support said:

Apparently so.  The guy who becomes the Sentry/Void ("Bob") is in the first trailer that came out.  I know nothing about him aside from catching up via Wikipedia after I'd heard about his involvement in the film. He came out long long after I'd stopped reading the funnybooks.

the real world story of the Sentry is awesome. There was an article in Wizard magazine back in like 2000 that announced that Marvel had discovered a lost Stan Lee/Jack Kirby superhero from pre-Fantastic Four #1. they had the "original" sketch and everything. i gotta say, i bit HARD on this article and really thought it was true.

the in-universe history is pretty cool, and the original miniseries was a pretty good read. i'd recommend checking that one out to get a handle on the character. But i assume his film appearances will be based more on Bendis' "New Avengers" run from a few years later. It is fine. Definitely less awesome, and subsequent Sentry stories have all failed to advance the concept, really just draining it of nuance further and further. i suppose that's not a surprise, but still a disappointment.

[sidenote: there's a miniseries called 'Age of the Sentry' that is phenomenal. It is Sentry's supposed Silver Age stories, all done extremely tongue-in-cheek. a very fun romp. It was written by Jeff Parker, who is top notch with this type of work. see also, his Batman '66 series.]

[JonnyLaw]

14 hours ago, RandomAct said:

BNW had some issues from a film making perspective, but for what they were going for, I liked it quite a bit. It had phase 1 or phase 2 vibes, as it was really grounded for the most part.  It really felt like Marvel was trying to realign it's focus with this movie.  It actually had some of the better action set pieces in the MCU as well.  Also, not for nothing, it's looking like one of those movies, based on the RT score, that the audiences like more than the critics.

I agree with this.  It’s solid, but not spectacular.  Definitely some comic booky plot/logic stuff that I can see some people complaining about, such as 

Spoiler

Torres/Falcon so easily wiping Sterns’ programming from everyone.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

[twiztor]

just got back from Cap4. i really liked it a lot. But it certainly hits my sweet spot of 'hero struggles to live up to what came before', so YMMV.

i will say that i found it hard to watch some of the President Ross scenes due to the .....tumultous state of affairs in the US currently. 

[Technico Support]

I thought it was above average, but the revenge plot was a little convoluted and relied a little too much on everything working out just right.  I know that's the villain's gimmick, but still, surely there were easier, more surefire ways to destroy Ross' reputation.  Doing a pretty much direct sequel to a film from 17 years ago, before Marvel Studios existed, is a wild flex, though.  As is integrating a plot point everyone forgot about, from probably the worst Marvel film (The Eternals).

I'm intrigued about what the end credits scene implies.

I was way too distracted by knowing that Giancarlo Esposito's scenes were added after principal filming, trying to pick out how they edited around it and whatnot.

Also, I can't see Liv Tyler without wanting to scream DON'T WANNA CLOSE MY EYEEEEEEES, I DON'T WANNA FAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL ASLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Edited February 18 by Technico Support

[Curt McGirt]

6 minutes ago, Technico Support said:

Also, I can't see Liv Tyler without wanting to scream DON'T WANNA CLOSE MY EYEEEEEEES, I DON'T WANNA FAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL ASLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

Man, those videos were some barely-adolescent Cibernetico fuel for some of us (meanwhile I would kill to never hear the songs again)

[Craig H]

Man, I liked BNW a lot. This was, “Trying Loose Ends Together: The Movie,” but it was really well done. Not only that, but it does an impressive job of cleaning up past messes and seeing the table moving forward. The real test will be Thunderbolts to see if we’re back on the same page or pace from, say, phase 1 or early phase 2. The best comp I could make in the pantheon of all of these movies is probably Thor. Not great, not bad, good to pretty good. 

Harrison Ford actually had his acting shoes on and was as good in this as he is in Shrinking. Him and Anthony Mackie play off of each other really well. I didn’t mind the slower pace, I didn’t mind this not having the characteristic MCU humor, and the action scenes are good.

My biggest problem comes from a polish and filmmaking standpoint. There are many, many, many shots where shit is visibly fuzzy. And it’s not just CGI shots. I’m talking about just your standard shots. Here’s what it is like - remember when phone cameras first started adding artificial depth of field to pictures to try to make them look more professional or better than your standard photo, but the post processing would leave it looking grainy? It’s like that and that is really inexcusable. It’s not even an issue of it looking unfinished or rushed like She Hulk. Whoever shot and edited this did some of the worst work in all of the MCU from a technical standpoint. 

Anyway, my wife and I had a good time. $17 well spent.

[Technico Support]

@Craig H I noticed a ton of blur all around the edges on the Wilson/Sterns confrontation at the end…like, distractingly so.

Blatantly ripping off the Ocean’s 11 “good speech” gag with Sam and Bucky was something.  I guess the statute of limitations had run out.

[tbarrie]

I watched Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness last night, only to discover it happens after Spider-Man: No Way Home. I watched a movie out of order! All is lost!

The movie was good, though.

Spoiler

But I was surprised Wanda was established pretty much from the start as the antagonist. I was expecting her to be working with Strange but have to deal with corruption by the Darkhold at some point. The way the movie handled things felt kind of discordant with the end of WandaVision.

 

[Technico Support]

1 hour ago, tbarrie said:

I watched Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness last night, only to discover it happens after Spider-Man: No Way Home. I watched a movie out of order! All is lost!

The movie was good, though.

  Reveal hidden contents

But I was surprised Wanda was established pretty much from the start as the antagonist. I was expecting her to be working with Strange but have to deal with corruption by the Darkhold at some point. The way the movie handled things felt kind of discordant with the end of WandaVision.

 

I really enjoyed it.  It was absolutely just what you'd expect when told "hey, Sam Raimi is directing a Marvel movie."

[NikoBaltimore]

We loved MoM mainly because Raimi seemed to get what the story was going for and dove fully into it.  Turning it into Wanda as a horror villain had our full attention.  I don't collect many Marvel Pop figures but two-pack one they had of dead Strange and horror Wanda was a must-buy.

As for BNW I loved the Disney+ show for Captain American so if it's as good as than and maybe better then that's good enough for me.  I don't go to the movies much so will likely wait for it to hit streaming though.

[tbarrie]

3 hours ago, Technico Support said:

I really enjoyed it.  It was absolutely just what you'd expect when told "hey, Sam Raimi is directing a Marvel movie."

Well, I don't really pay attention to directors, and I only know Sam Raimi as the director of the first three Spider-Man movies of this century. So not exactly what I'd expect, had I known Raimi was the director and thought about the implications.