We All Must Reckon with the ‘MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios’
Corporate villainy! Creative tyranny! Dangerous foes and tough allies! MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios blasts the superhero movie universe with the studio’s massive, messy history.
Michael Curley
Michael Curley is a full-time high school teacher and part-time film aficionado based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Although he is a fan of films of all kinds, he has a particular soft spot for major Hollywood blockbusters done well. Michael's film essays are currently exclusive to PopMatters.com. He can be reached @MCurleyfries on Twitter.
‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Should Have Cut the Carnage
Little did the filmmakers behind Ruben Fleischer’s Venom know that Carnage would become a poisonous burden to Andy Serkis’ sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Asian Representation in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’
Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings tries to recontextualize its stereotypical origins into a highly-entertaining film. Does it succeed?
‘What If…?’ Marvel Studios Tries Something Completely Different?
Marvel Studios’ What If…? on Disney+ is an intriguing animated and narrative exercise in the MCU, but why isn’t it as exciting as we anticipated?
Marvel Studios ‘Black Widow’ Mishandles the MCU’s Most Popular Female Character
Marvel Studios’ Black Widow was too little, too late for the MCU’s most popular female character due partially to misogynistic business practices at Disney.
Fantasy Series ‘Loki’ Introduces MCU to the Multiverse
The Marvel Studios Disney+ series Loki uses the multiverse to dive deep into its central character and explore interesting moral and philosophical ideas.
Marvel’s ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Fails to Capitalize on a Strong Premise
Marvel’s Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+ follows the legacy of Captain America in the MCU, but its timely racially and politically charged plot lacks focus.
Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ Echos Our Lasting Pandemic Grief
Addressing pandemic-induced topics such as loss, grief, and mental illness, Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ serves as a metaphor for life in the time of COVID.
The New Mutants’ Cursed Journey to Theaters: A Horror Story
The New Mutants had a long, circuitous journey to the big screen as the final Marvel Comics film produced by 20th Century Fox before its merger with Disney.
‘Captain America: Civil War’ Mirrors Another Kind of American Civil War
In the Russo Brothers' Captain America: Civil War, friend turns on friend, and no easy resolution is reached. It's rather like the toxic online fan culture that followed the film's release.
‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Makes the Most of Meta Commentary
Spider-Man: Far From Home ties up the themes of deception and Trump-era media manipulation and it ensures that the next Spider-Man film will be completely different from anything that came before.
‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ Will Never Rise from the Ashes
Simon Kinberg’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix might be the most bumbling, mishandled Marvel Film ever produced.