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Movie Review: ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 21:30:18 +0000

New beginnings bring new excitement, but also new challenges. Such is the takeaway vibe I got from our advance screening of ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,’ the kickoff for Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let’s be clear from the get-go: Marvel has been giving us entertaining, high-quality films for a long time now. Almost 25 years, across dozens of television series, along with short films and literature tie-ins… this juggernaut is no slouch. Unfortunately, every entry into the series can’t be a home run – and that’s where we need to have some “real talk” about ‘Quantumania.’ The story itself is right in line with what viewers have been given across the over-arching MCU narrative to date: things on Earth appear to be “settling in” a bit post-Blip (although, frustratingly, ‘Quantumania’ still does not reference anything to do with the giant stone Eternal that is now sticking out of the Earth, half-stuck, as shown in the climax of ‘The Eternals,’ with this new film believed to be the 11th property to take place in the MCU timeline set after those events with absolutely zero remarks or tie-ins to it). The story does reference The Blip, of course, as […]

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Go Big Or Go Home With The New ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’ Trailer

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 18:36:08 +0000

Marvel has made plenty of waves this year with both their newly-released MCU content (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk) and key announcements for the forthcoming Phases of film & TV. One of the most anticipated upcoming films easily has to be ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.’ After the first Ant-Man film was a pleasant surprise to both fans and critics alike, and its follow-up ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ continued to build on that success – not to mention casually dropping one of the most impactful pre-‘Endgame’ mid-credit scenes of all MCU time – fans now know that Marvel isn’t afraid to load this part of the MCU franchise with big reveals and important info. With that, today brings us the first trailer for the film that’s dropping in theaters in just a few short months. It gives us a better look at the newest big-bad of the Marvel on-screen universe, Kang the Conqueror, along with some very tantalizing tidbits about what secrets the Quantum Realm is holding – and how long Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) has truly known about these secrets. Take a good look for yourself: […]

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Disney Chooses To Bring ‘Black Widow’ To Digital Release Early, Adds 9 Deleted Scenes

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 14:31:07 +0000

‘Black Widow’ marked the triumphant return to theaters for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the film has seen its box office take decline sharply in the weeks since its opening. Possibly as a result of this, Disney today has announced that they are bumping up the digital release of the films across the various platforms; this, of course, is not to be confused with the “Premiere Early Access” that Disney+ subscribers can pay for to have access to the film via their account already. The digital release is now coming in just a few weeks, on August 10th. The film’s physical release on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD will follow on September 14th. Both digital and physical releases will feature a large amount of extra content, including a blooper reel, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and nine deleted scenes for fans to enjoy. Check out Disney’s official press release below, along with the trailer for the film. “Black Widow” stars Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova, Rachel Weisz as Melina, David Harbour as Alexei/Red Guardian, Ray Winstone as Dreykov, O-T Fagbenle as Mason, and William Hurt as Secretary Ross. Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” arrives early on all major digital platforms on Aug. […]

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Family Friendly Sci-Fi Mystery-Adventure Series ‘Secrets Of Sulphur Springs’ Coming To Disney+

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 16:15:53 +0000

In the wide-ranging world of science fiction and suspenseful mystery-adventure fare, it can sometimes be a challenge to find content that is suitable for all ages. I myself have a 3-year-old son and an eleven-year-old daughter, and much of what I watch on TV and movies I feel like I cannot share with one or both of them; for example, although my daughter is now well-versed in every recorded moment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I obviously am not sitting down to a viewing of ‘Event Horizon’ with her anytime soon, and even the MCU stuff was only borderline appropriate to share with her up until a year or two ago. It’s great to find, then, a series that encompasses some mystery, some intrigue, a dash of supernatural horror, and even a little sci-fi by way of time travel, AND have said series be completely accessible to all ages. Such is the case with ‘Secrets of Sulphur Springs,’ an original series that is coming to Disney+ on February 26 of this year. The series will drop 5 episodes on its first day being on the streaming service, with new episodes following every Friday through the season finale on April 9th. […]

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Throwback Thursday: ‘The Black Cauldron’ (1985)

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 16:46:45 +0000

Every so often, a company makes a bold, daring, unorthodox, out-of-the-normal-comfort-zone type of move, and it usually either pays off big for them or sends things crashing down in flames. In the 1960s, Disney was flying high, enjoying a run of success with their animated films that stretched, at that time, three decades long; hits like ‘The Jungle Book,’ ‘101 Dalmatians,’ and ‘Sleeping Beauty’ had the company feeling they could do no wrong. Then the 1970s came around, and the House of Mouse started to falter with their cartooned family-friendly films: ‘The Aristocats,’ ‘Robin Hood,’ and ‘The Rescuers’ were all successive films that were enjoyable enough, but mostly didn’t land anywhere near the financial and critical successes that their predecessors had. Execs started to panic a bit, and the decision to try something new and different was officially made: Disney’s first-ever not-totally-family-friendly animated film, their first cartoon movie to ever earn a PG rating (and might have even been PG-13 if not for last-minute edits), ‘The Black Cauldron,’ got the green-light. Loosely based on the first two books in the ‘Chronicles of Prydain’ series by author Lloyd Alexander, ‘The Black Cauldron’ tells the tale of Taran, a young pig-keeper from […]

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Jon Favreau Says The Mandalorian’s Big Season-Ending Cameo Wasn’t Originally Planned

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 16:14:33 +0000

We tried to avoid giving away any big spoilers in the episode title, but c’mon now: if you haven’t seen the second season finale episode of ‘The Mandalorian’ yet and have somehow avoided knowing that Luke Skywalker makes a cameo appearance, then you’re probably not reading this article anyhow, and if you are, well oops, consider yourself spoiled. In any case, the appearance of the CGIed Young Skywalker was likely the biggest surprise to come from the series, which in an of itself is an impressive feat, as the show has routine dropped surprise after surprise for viewers in the form of cameos, fan-favorite characters from other media, and lets not forget about the pretty huge bombshell all the way back in the first episode about the appearance of Baby Yoda Grogu in an of itself. Believe it or not, however, the inclusion of Luke into the series’ story arc was not something that was in the mix from the get-go. Showrunner Jon Favreau, in a recent interview, was asked directly about this, and his answer shed quite the light on his process: “No. The story unfolded as I wrote it. ‘The Mandalorian’ inherits a great deal from existing Star […]

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Spoiler-Free Preview: ‘WandaVision’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 17:01:06 +0000

Thanks to the fine folks as Disney+, we were granted early access to the first three episodes of the first-ever MCU TV series, ‘WandaVision.’ This is a spoiler-free over-arching review, as we would never want to intentionally spoil anything for our readers! You’ll find individual reviews of Episode 1, Episode 2, and Episode 3 here on ScienceFiction.com, as they become available to the public. The first thing that jumps out at the viewer upon engaging with the new series is that this is definitely NOT your typical entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s no secret that the previews have shown the episodes with a decidedly “classic TV sitcom” type of vibe, and this is the general format that the show follows, with each episode “taking place” in a different chronological sitcom era, progressing forward through time (at least, through the first trio of episodes, anyhow); the first episode is set in a 1950s type of ‘I Love Lucy’ vibe, with episode two wandering into the ‘Bewitched’ feel of the 1960s, and the third episode moves things smoothly into the 1970s, with some of the televised technological advances that came with that era. A unique point of the series is […]

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An Exhaustive List Of Disney’s Newly Announced Star Wars Projects

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Fri, 11 Dec 2020 04:58:46 +0000

Dank farrik, Disney had it’s Investors Day 2020 on Thursday and unleashed a metric butt-ton of information about its forthcoming Star Wars properties. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s dive right in. Directly from Disney’s press release: Lucasfilm announced an impressive number of exciting Disney+ series and new feature films destined to expand the Star Wars galaxy like never before. Among the projects for Disney+ are “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” starring Ewan McGregor with Hayden Christensen returning as Darth Vader, and two series set in the Mandalorian era from Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni: “Rangers of the New Republic” and “Ahsoka,” a series featuring the fan favorite character Ahsoka Tano. Additional new titles announced for Disney+ include “Andor,” “Star Wars: The Bad Batch,” “Star Wars: Visions,” “Lando,” “The Acolyte,” and “A Droid Story.” The studio is also revisiting “Willow” in a new series with Warwick Davis returning in the title role. The next feature film in the Star Wars franchise, releasing in December 2023, will be “Rogue Squadron,” which will be directed by Patty Jenkins of the “Wonder Woman” franchise. So that’s NINE new projects heading to streaming service Disney+, and some specific clarity on the future of the cinematic franchise […]

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Marvel Is Looking To Oscar Isaac To Be MCU’s Moon Knight

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 14:30:37 +0000

In a new announcement, Deadline is reporting that Oscar Isaac is in negotiations with Disney/Marvel to portray the lead character in a Disney+ TV series ‘Moon Knight.’ The show’s story line will be developed by Jeremy Slater, who will also serve as lead writer for the show; Slater is best known to genre fans as the writer of Netflix’s ‘The Umbrella Academy’ series, in addition to having the dubious honor of being the original writer of the (admittedly heavily rewritten) 2015 ‘Fantastic Four’ and 2017 ‘Death Note’ films. For those unfamiliar with the character of Moon Knight, here’s part of his bio, from the Marvel website: Born to a respectable family, but eschewing its history and beliefs Marc Spector cut his own path through life by becoming a boxer, a Marine, and finally a CIA operative. Disgusted by the organizations practices and hurt by his own brother Randall’s betrayal, Spector ejected whatever morals he still possessed and fell into mercenary work around the globe. During this dark time, he made friends with Jean-Paul “Frenchie” DuChamp, one of the only bright spots in the violent profession of a hired gun. Tiring of overthrowing governments and assassinations, Spector entered into the orbit […]

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Throwback Thursday: ‘The Black Cauldron’ (1985)

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 19:25:11 +0000

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Benedict Cumberbatch Is Officially Bringing Doctor Strange To ‘Spider-Man 3’

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 08 Oct 2020 20:46:16 +0000

Things just keep getting more interesting for the next film installment of everyone’s friendly neighborhood web-slinger. Hot on the heels of the recent news that Jamie Foxx will be reprising his franchise-jumping role of Electro in ‘Spider-Man 3,’ news has broken today that Benedict Cumberbatch will appear as Doctor Strange in the film as well – and his appearance could potentially serve as an explanation of sorts for Electro’s presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Foxx’s Electro appeared once on-screen, in 2014’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2.’ This, of course, is not the direct sequel to the upcoming Spider-Man film, but rather the end of Sony’s failed attempt to bring Spidey back to the big screen with Andrew Garfield in the lead role. Sony does still own the rights to Spider-Man and related characters, but they have struck a deal with Marvel to incorporate the hero, now portrayed on-screen by Tom Holland, into the MCU. The deal was at risk of expiring late last year, but the two companies worked it out, and Marvel is now set to produce ‘Spider-Man 3,’ the first film in this trilogy which they will be so doing. So, that’s a long-winded way to say that Foxx’s […]

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Scarlett Johansson Shares Her True Feelings On Black Widow’s MCU Fate

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 13:57:41 +0000

If 2020 was a “normal” year, we would have all seen the ‘Black Widow’ solo film from Marvel and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in theaters already. Unfortunately, this year has been anything but normal, and due to the global pandemic, the film has been pushed from its originally-planned May 1st premiere date to what was then planned for a November 2020 release, and recently Marvel bumped the film even further, with the premiere now scheduled for February 12, 2021. The forthcoming film, of course, is a “prequel” of sorts to the most recent Avengers films, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ because as audiences know, Natasha Romanoff valiantly sacrificed herself in the latter movie so that the superhero team might have a chance to defeat Thanos and restore their world to a semblance of pre-Snap normality (which they did). In a recent interview, Scarlett Johansson spoke about her character and her feelings on how the character met her on-screen end: “I love Natasha. She’s had an incredible 10-year journey, and I felt that she was finally able to make an active choice. It seemed very in-character, that ultimate sacrifice that she makes. She’s made peace with that, and, in some […]

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Jonathan Majors Cast In ‘Ant-Man 3’ As A Classic Marvel Villain

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 15:16:36 +0000

shutterstock A star who is significantly on the rise, Jonathan Majors has been cast in the forthcoming ‘Ant-Man 3,’ one of the next installments in the wildly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel itself has not confirmed which role Majors will play, but Deadline reports confidently via “sources close to the project” that he will play the iconic villain Kang the Conqueror. Created by legendary Marvel Comics powerhouses Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Kang made his first appearance in 1964 in ‘The Avengers’ comic-book series and has had a long and illustrious career of tormenting pretty much every major Marvel hero and team, including the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the Inhumans, and the X-Men. Here’s the character’s brief description from Wikipedia: Kang the Conqueror is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is most frequently depicted as an opponent of the Avengers. A time-traveling entity, several alternate versions of Kang have appeared throughout Marvel’s titles over the years, including his respective future and past heroic selves, Immortus and Iron Lad. In 2009, Kang was ranked as IGN’s 65th-greatest comic book villain of all time. Starring in the as-yet-untitled […]

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Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ Gets A New Trailer And Confirmation Of A 2020 Release Date

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 17:03:40 +0000

For anyone who was debating canceling their Disney+ subscription anytime soon, Marvel has thrown down the (Infinity) gauntlet and smoothly said “on your left” with the release of the first full trailer for the forthcoming ‘WandaVision’ series, the first series from Marvel Studios to stream exclusively on their parent company’s online service. Unleashed upon the world during the broadcast of the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards, Disney has confirmed via their marketing materials sent to us that the series will premiere sometime before the end of this calendar year. With Star Wars series ‘The Mandalorian’ already slated to debut on Disney+ on October 30th of this year, the likely landing point for the ‘WandaVision’ premiere would be somewhere around or shortly after the Thanksgiving holiday in late November. Check out the trailer and its official description below: Welcome to WandaVision. Coming soon to Disney+. Marvel Studios’ captivating new series “WandaVision” stars Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany, and marks the first series from Marvel Studios streaming exclusively on Disney+. The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it […]

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The Trailer For ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Has Arrived

Tony Schaab - Senior Editor — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 15:27:41 +0000

After a wait of what felt like 1,000 years of being digested in a sarlacc’s stomach, the wait is finally over – Baby Yoda is back! Disney has announced that the second season of its hit TV show ‘The Mandalorian’ will make its debut on October 30th of this year. The first-ever live-action TV series set in the Star Wars universe, the show follows the exploits of the titular character, a bounty hunter for hire in the post ‘Return of the Jedi’ era who gets more than he bargains for when he discovers that his latest bounty is none other than “The Child,” a youngling from the little-known race made famous by Jedi Master Yoda. Okay, The Child is 50 years old, but Yoda was over 900 years old when he finally Force-Ghost-ed out so, y’know, it’s all relative. Directly from the House of Mouse, here’s the description of the second season, along with the trailer itself: Today, Disney+ shared the new trailer, key art and new images from the highly anticipated second season of Lucasfilm’s critically acclaimed series, “The Mandalorian.” The Mandalorian and the Child continue their journey, facing enemies and rallying allies as they make their way through […]

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