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Reflections

Is Originality Dead?

Remakes, Franchises and Sequels: Are they worth it? We live in the era of franchise films, sequels, and remakes upon remakes (here’s looking at you, Spider-Man). While some of these sequels and remakes can be awesome, much of the time it leaves me wondering: is originality not a goal anymore? Here’s where that concept gets tricky, though. We live in a time where virtually no idea is legitimately “original” anymore. There’s so much material out there – books, films, television, and art. We are technically always using past models and structures to help us create fresh material. If you think…

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Movies

“Venom” Movie Review: Are Critics Always Right?

Warning: major spoilers below! Though perhaps somewhat of an underdog in the Marvel comics universe, Venom has longtime been a highly cherished character, who appeared predominantly in the Spider-Man comics, especially to die-hard fans. For those of us who aren’t as much into the comic books, you might remember the titular amorphous alien symbiote from the film Spider-Man 3 back in 2007, absorbing itself first into Peter Parker’s spider suit, and later into the character journalist Eddie Brock. Essentially, the concept of the alien symbiote is that it takes on hosts; giving its host immense power but simultaneously (and sinisterly)…

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Books

Is the Joker Really a Villain?

I’ve recently found myself in the mood for non-traditional forms of literature, specifically graphic novels and this got me onto thinking about one of my favourite characters in comic book history: The Joker. Real name unknown, the Joker is probably the ultimate supervillain from the Batman universe, a mastermind criminal with a slightly bizarre aesthetic, but hey, I’m not going to judge. One of Batman’s earliest foe, the Joker has developed alongside the hero, taking on layers upon layers to create the entity that he is today: a mysterious, intense, terrifying and genius killer. Knowing all this, I am still…

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Reflections

Visibility in Marvel’s Black Panther

“Can you believe that? A kid from Oakland running around believing in fairytales.” Erik Stevens, Black Panther, 2018 Marvel’s latest movie adapts the comic book character, which first emerged in 1966 and was first introduced in Captain America: Civil War (2016), to present the feature film, Black Panther. The film is majorly set in the fictional African nation of Wakanda, the home of super-metal vibranium which has allowed extensive technological advancements and prosperity to be achieved in the country. However, Wakanda is hidden “in plain sight” from the rest of the world, believed to be a poor third world country,…

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Movies

The Resurrection of Thor

Prior to the release of Thor: Ragnorak, the hunky, sun-kissed character had unfortunately become quite a bore. Not only was the God of Thunder a flop in his own sequel Thor: The Dark World (2013) but similarly, in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Thor was nothing more than an empty shell of a character. A harsh opinion, maybe, but unfortunately one shared by many. The third installment of the Thor movies proves that this sentiment was also shared by both the actor and the director, as Thor: Ragnorak instilled in the series a completely fresh tone, courtesy of director Taika…

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