Not too long ago, we had a theatrical drought thanks to the strikes — which were more than justifiable. To think we’d be in a situation where we actually have too many interesting movies and shows out right now is quite comforting. So, this week’s column is less a single review and more a compilation of thoughts on recent media — “Deadpool and Wolverine,” “Borderlands,” and the second season of “House of the Dragon.
” The Good I knew going in that “Deadpool and Wolverine” would contend for best movie of the year, but it went above and beyond my expectations in nearly every way imaginable. The original “Deadpool” and its sequel were exceptional films, but likely because of the low budget they both felt like they existed in a self-referential vacuum. “Deadpool and Wolverine” breaks free of said vacuum with a fury that can only be attributed to an angry Hugh Jackman as The Wolverine.
It has the same comedic writing as — if not better than — its older siblings, but because Disney is now involved, the money trading hands has been increased by a considerable amount. I’m certain this will fall on deaf ears, but please don’t take your kids to see “Deadpool and Wolverine;” if you do, however, please don’t get too upset when, within five-to-10 minutes, the titular character performs a gratuitously gruesome dance routine set to a beloved ‘90s classic. It only gets more graphic from there.
I would love to see a spinoff franchise entitled “Deadpool and [Insert Marvel Character Here],” where the character changes each time. “Deadpool and Spider-Man,” “Deadpool and Captain America,” “Deadpool and Big Wheel,” the list goes on and on. The Bad I made the decision to spend my hard-earned money to see “Borderlands” on opening night.
I told myself (and others) that I was going to see it ironically; that I was expecting it to be bad, but still fun. But, to my dismay, not only was it bad ..
. it wasn’t fun. I am a fan of the video game franchise the film’s based on, for the most part.
I say “for the most part” because it’s the kind of series I need to microdose so I don’t get infuriatingly exhausted with the premise. But that’s not really a problem considering “Borderlands” — the movie — is barely recognizable as an adaptation. It’s almost like the writers and creative staff read the synopsis of the games and tried to stitch together a Frankenstein’s Monster made up of the first two games in the series.
The cast is made up of some heavy hitters, such as Kevin Hart, Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gina Gershon, but incidentally the only actor who feels like he’s happy to be there is Jack Black as the annoying, but lovable bot, Claptrap. I might be exaggerating when I say this, but in a world where we have actually well made video game adaptations like “Fallout” and “The Last of Us,” “Borderlands” feels like something that would’ve come out in or around 2013. It sets us back a whole decade.
The Ugly I adored “Game of Thrones” until the final season, when I believe the creators were a bit too excited to work on their — now canceled — “Star Wars” trilogy, and rushed it out the door like a speeding bullet. So, while I somewhat enjoyed the more recent second season of prequel series “House of the Dragon,” it very much felt like the creators were a bit too excited to wrap this season up and get to the next one. Don’t get me wrong; the season wasn’t bad.
It just wasn’t very good, either. Its entire runtime was spent on the political element that made “Game of Thrones” work so well, without also sharing that runtime with the flurry of epic battles and fights that also made “Game of Thrones” work so well. Sure, there were battles and fights, but they felt like a rarity.
At the end of the day, this season made me feel like the writers and creatives behind “House of the Dragon” were telling me “hold on, we’ll get to the good bits, but not until next season!” and that’s a dangerous feeling to have when so many good shows are canceled before their prime. “House of the Dragon” shouldn’t rest on its pedigree; it might belong to the “Game of Thrones” family, but it doesn’t have the luxury of taking advantage of viewers’ goodwill. In fact, said goodwill might be running dangerously low right about now.
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