cait-blooms - Tumblr blog

[cait-blooms]

WandaVision “The Series Finale” Review

I’ve been following Disney Plus’ WandaVision since it’s release. I thought even though I never started a review from the first episode, I may as well just do a review for the finale to give my final thoughts about the show. I personally really enjoyed it because it was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I’ve grown to love Wanda and her relationship with Vision. I was also pulled into watching the show, approaching the release of the first episode after I watched and read some interviews by Elizabeth Olson (who plays Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch) and Paul Bettany (who plays Vision).

True to Olson and Bettany’s comments when promoting the show, WandaVision was crazy, funny yet mixed with the heartbreaking reality of the aftermath that occurred in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. That special mix of comedy but classic Marvel action was done well with WandaVision in my personal opinion. At the same time, I’m not surprised since Disney is generating a lot of revenue because of their Marvel products (whether it’s the product merchandise or the films/TV shows Disney releases under Marvel Studios). So I’m high-key impressed with the production quality of WandaVision though I am a bit disappointed with how short each episode is that often made me wish that WandaVision was a movie instead. On the other hand, considering WandaVision was using the idea of TV sitcoms for most of the episodes that had me rethinking that thought (WandaVision being a movie).

From this point after, BEWARE of SPOILERS!!!

The finale episode of WandaVision was true Marvel Cinematic Universe style. There is no holdback on the push and punches and it’s the kind of action you would typically see in a Marvel film. You see Wanda fighting Agatha Harkness (played by Kathryn Hahn), Hex!Vision fighting White!Vision, Tommy, Billy, and Monica fighting SWORD. Those action scenes were so epic to watch and also very cute when it came to Tommy and Billy displaying their powers since they are mischievous kids.

The Hex!Vision and White!Vision fight was interesting especially when White!Vision stopped fighting Hex!Vision to hear him out and it talks about who is the real deal or are both of them the real deal (identity). When Hex!Vision brings back White!Vision’s memories, I for a moment thought that the original Vision was brought back. But it was somewhat confusing when White!Vision flew away after declaring “I am Vision.” So it leaves us on a limbo about if White!Vision was restored to the Vision we first saw in Avengers: Age of Ultron. But afterwards I got over it as the main focus of WandaVision and the development for Wanda’s character is for Wanda to face her grief over Vision’s death.

The highlight for me for this episode though was Wanda’s fight against Agatha. You can see more background and growth for Wanda’s character in terms of finding her origins about her powers, outside of the Mind Stone’s influence. And we finally get to see Wanda in a Scarlet Witch outfit that fits Olsen’s portrayal while still honoring the original Scarlet Witch costume. The buildup to it was there the last few episodes but the fight scene between Agatha and Wanda completed the buildup and revealed... Scarlet Witch.

The only thing I worry about with Wanda is what occurred during the post-credit scene and you see an astral form of Wanda in her Scarlet Witch outfit looking through the Darkhold, which Agatha warned and told Wanda, is the Book of the Damned that prophesized the Scarlet Witch is destined to destroy the world. And based on hearing the scared voices of Tommy and Billy, maybe we’ll get to see Billy and Tommy again and even White!Vision. That would be an interesting season 2 of WandaVision, if Marvel decides to make a season 2. I kind of hope they do, unless Marvel plans to expand Wanda’s story in Doctor Strange which I’m not sure how that will work out considering I’m expecting the movie to mostly focus on Doctor Strange.

Aside from that, a mid-credits scene appeared for the finale which showed Monica being informed by a Skrull that an old friend of her mothers wants to meet her. I’ve counted out Captain Marvel because the Skrull said “he”, so I’m thinking it could be Talos. Unless something happened since the first Captain Marvel movie, that Skrull could be talking about someone else that Monica knows of in space (I don’t know, I don’t often try to predict these things to help keep my hopes low).

Overall I think WandaVision is a fantastic show. If you haven’t been following the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you may find yourself lost in the plot as there are a lot of references to the previous Marvel films in this show. However I would still highly recommend this show, it’s a 10/10 for me! I know there are a lot of disappointed people out there who some things that occurred in the show isn’t to their liking and may disagree with my rating. And that is why I try not to put too much stock into the theories that spread about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though I do wish Pietro was Peter Maximoff (played by Evan Peters) from the X-Men films that were previously owned by 21st Century Fox (I know it is now owned by Disney), I was able to quickly move past it as more things went on after that Halloween episode with Peters.

What did you guys think of the finale? What do you predict may happen to Wanda in the future? Let me know your thoughts. Until we chat again!

[cait-blooms]

Shadow & Bone Trailer Review

Soooo I’m late to the game. Hahaha! The honest truth of why I am only reviewing this trailer till now is because it’s taken me awhile to be drawn into the Grishaverse and the books the upcoming Netflix show is based on. I have slowly become obsessed about the Grishaverse and I read the plot on Wikipedia and the full first book which I know is the lazy way out but after reading the first book and already knowing the ending, I feel okay to just not read anymore. I am super invested in Alina and the Darkling now based on bias of Ben Barnes. Hahaha! Those two are just so pretty. Just like from what I’ve heard from Youtubers who reacted to the trailer, everyone in the cast is just super pretty which is one reason why I can’t stop watching the Shadow & Bone trailer on replay while closely following the behind-the-scenes photos of the set and actors.

At first, I didn’t find the upcoming Netflix show’s trailer interesting until I watched the trailer several times and read the descriptions of the book series it is based on by Leigh Bardugo. Because not a lot of the plot was given away except for an idea of what the story could be, I wasn’t intrigued but the trailer was still entertaining to watch because it had a lot of cool action scenes. Plus the intimate scenes between some characters that still drew me in over and over as I felt compelled to continue watching the trailer even as I have watched it already for dozens of times.

The beginning of the trailer introduces the idea of the story of there being this big bad creatures, who the nation Ravka is trying to fight and defeat. The nation itself is already otherwordly, olden times yet has quite advanced technology in this monarch society. On the first few shots revealing the characters, you can tell by the frequent appearance of newcomer actress Jessie Mei Li that she is playing the main character. I find out later on that her character (the main character) is called Alina Starkov. You see in the trailer how Alina discovers her powers by insinuatingly saving Malyen “Mal” Oretsev (played by Archie Renaux) from one of those dark creatures (who can FLY, by the way. Those things look horrifying and I’m hoping once the episodes premiere on Netflix, I can get a better look at the special effects because everything looks amazing). After that, the next few shots introduces Alina’s emerging powers and her meeting the Darkling (played by Ben Barnes).

After that short clip of Alina meeting the Darkling, the next shots in the trailer reveals some backstory of what to expect in the upcoming TV series which if you read the books, you would easily recognize almost everything else in the trailer for what’s mentioned in the first book of the Grisha Trilogy. You will also recognize characters from Bardugo’s other book series Six of Crows which is a duology that gives more depth to the Grishaverse from what I’ve heard. I haven’t read those books either so forgive me if I miss anything worth mentioning about these characters. Though their attitude that’s seen in the very few shots for those characters (Six of Crows) were part of what drew me in when I mentioned earlier that the action scenes were so interesting to me in the brief frames that appeared in this trailer.

What gave me the final push of officially watching this series upon release was the chemistry that I saw between the characters: Mal and Alina, Alina and the darkling, Kaz and Jesper, and Genya and Alina. The music in this trailer definitely helped me make that push as I felt that emotion these actors evoked when playing these characters. They are so mysterious and it makes you want to watch more which I think is always the intention when putting out a trailer. This is a definite watch for me as I wait for this series to release the day after my birthday.

What are your guys’ thoughts on the upcoming series? Is there anything you hope to see in this show that you read in the books (if you’ve read them)? Until we chat again!

[cait-blooms]

Disney’s Cruella Trailer Review

There are so many words that comes to mind after watching the newest trailer released by Disney for their upcoming live action film Cruella. To sum it up, the trailer portrays the movie and Emma Stone’s character Cruella DeVil as crazy, ambitious, and boldly as possible.

This upcoming Disney film is intended as an origin story about Cruella DeVil, the trailer definitely conveys that while still trying to give its audience that familiar sense of the titular villain from 101 Dalmatians we all love to hate. Of course, we know what ends up happening to Cruella DeVil. But since this film is singularly focused on her origins, we really don’t know what to expect to have occurred in her past that led her down to who we all know Cruella to be in the original animated film. (Note: I know there’s also a book that the animated film is based on, but I’ve never read it. I’ve only ever seen the films that were produced based on the book by Dodie Smith). And you can kind of tell from the trailer that they aren’t giving away any major plot points and watching the trailer, it leaves this ambiguous feeling with no real details aside from introducing what the tone of the film is going to be like.

I knew for years that Disney was in the process of coming out with a Cruella live action film, starring Stone as the lead role and that the film was going to be an origin story. Last night when I saw the movie poster for the film, I awaited excitedly today as I heard there was supposed to be a trailer. After watching the trailer, I read the proper synopsis for the film on Wikipedia which states:

”In 1970s London, young fashion designer Estella de Vil becomes obsessed with dogs' skins, especially Dalmatians, until she eventually becomes a ruthless and terrifying legend known as Cruella.” 

Just from that synopsis, I can only wonder how dark Disney would get for this kind of origin story. Especially since this is about Cruella, who is obsessed with wearing real animal fur as fashion. From what I can tell of the movie already (this is a feeling than actual fact), this can also be a film watched by someone who hasn’t seen or read 101 Dalmatians. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true. I would think it’d be a very similar situation like when the film Joker (directed by Todd Phillips) was released, which told the origin story of Joker from popular DC comics and the antagonist of the masked hero Batman. Cruella is a very well known villain character of Disney but the major population don’t know her origins similar to how we don’t know the origins of the Joker. Which I think would give the general viewer entertainment regardless if they already know or not of what the ending path is for that character.

Now I don’t know what the movie rating is for Cruella, - I doubt rated R like Joker - but I have a feeling it may be PG-13. Which honestly would make more sense to me if you are really digging deep and gritty into the origins of a character like Cruella DeVil. If the film isn’t PG-13, then most likely the rating would be PG. (Note: at the end of the first trailer, it’s stated that the film isn’t rated yet. So fingers crossed about the rating of this film.)

I hope I can get to see it when it’s released. I’m really excited for this movie! Now the movie is still scheduled to only be released in theaters as far as I’m aware. Depending how the rest of the year goes though with Covid-19, we’ll have to see if I’m able to go to the theaters to watch it. Time will only tell.

Thank you all for reading through this post. Please be sure to comment down below and let me know your thoughts. What did you think about the Cruella trailer that Disney released? Is there something in the trailer that caught your eye?

Chat with you guys soon!

[cait-blooms]

Bridgerton TV Series Review

After binging all 8 episodes of Netflix’s series Bridgerton based on Julia Quinn’s novels, I find myself thoroughly entertained and hungry for more episodes. Already the show was renewed for a 2nd season, so you can guarantee I will watch upon release.

When I first saw the trailer for the show a few months ago, I was intrigued by the idea of such a ethnically diverse cast for a show that is based in the Regency era. However I was never really pulled into watching the show until recently, when I decided to take a gander in at least watching the first episode. Then by the next day, I had already binged the entire first season.

I won’t go over any plot turning moments in the show to prevent leaking any spoilers to anyone who reads this and hasn’t watched Bridgerton yet (Hint: You should definitely watch it!).

Overall I find that all the details put into the show very interesting the more I watched it, especially regarding the diversity of the cast. After some research I read on the Bridgerton TV show Wikipedia page that the creator of the show Chris Van Dusen made this move after being inspired by the historical debate over Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz's possible African ancestry. This creative decision made by Dusen though made me somewhat skeptical of watching the show at first, I now can say I am very and more so pleased with the show because of it’s diverse cast.

Usually the entertainment industry portrays period pieces to staying true to history, but the use of a diverse cast modernizes the show to reflect the present day and age. Where the color of one’s skin nor their ethnicity defaults a person’s position in society. It’s the hard work that person puts into it that establishes their position in society.

Because this show was set in the Regency era, often times I worried about how the creators/producers/writers balanced that ideal with such a diverse cast when in history, it wasn’t like that at all. It’s not explained immediately on the show about how such diversity on Bridgerton became acceptable in society until halfway through the season. Apparently at one point in “Bridgerton’s” history, there used to be such discrimination based on the color of someone’s skin until after the debate of Queen Charlotte’s ancestry. Which after finding that out, I felt more informed and assured on the setting of the show. That helped make the story of Bridgerton feel more grounded to me. Other than it’s diverse cast, the storyline and character development for all the characters in the show was amazing.

The show utilized very modern situations that makes me praise this show even more because that makes Bridgerton even more relatable for me to watch as a young woman. Though because the show is set during the Regency era, you can often see most of the female characters in the show are trying to make things work out in society while trying to stick to their beliefs more so. Aside from the female characters, we are also given scenes related to the main male characters that appear on the show. Although I wasn’t as interested in the character development of the main male characters on Bridgerton, I am very pleased with the development with all of them and I won’t say much to prevent from leaking spoilers.

Bridgerton is very interesting because a lot of the character development of each character ties in together with all of the other characters even if they don’t get much interaction with all the characters on the show. Mind you this is a show that is telling the story of the Bridgerton family siblings and how they fall in love with their own love interest. I’m guessing that’s going to be the same intention for the TV show but from my brief overview Quinn’s novels, it’s very likely that going forward with the show it’ll follow the other siblings love stories. But time will only tell if that stays true for the future episodes of Bridgerton.

Another topic of the show I want to point out is Julie Andrews. I love Julie Andrews, from watching her on Mary Poppins to watching her on the Princess Diaries. Her narration throughout the show almost gives me a Gossip Girl vibe, which I love Gossip Girl as well. Although there isn’t as much of a scandal burn like Gossip Girl when it comes to Andrews narration, I find her narration fitting for Bridgerton as her narration fits for the Regency era setting. So when Andrews narrates a scandal that has occurred on Bridgerton, her elegant voice makes the narration create a different kind of burn feeling - I guess we can call it - “Regency Style”. (Note: if there’s a different word for it, please correct me down below in the comments). I also have to praise the writers for the narration as Andrews narration plays a part in setting the tone for each episode.

What also has set the tone for Bridgerton is music. I don’t know how many viewers noticed, but I noticed that very often for the background music for most episodes (aside from the opera singing scenes), there are several classical renditions of modern day music. Some notable ones are Ariana Grande’s “thank you, next”, Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy”, and Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams”. I was very surprised to notice this and I got so hyped up each time I noticed a very familiar playing song with no vocals. But if you guys are able to recognize all the music alone, I praise your efficiency to figuring out all the modern day classically rendered songs.

Those are my thoughts so far about Bridgerton the Netflix TV show. Please comment and follow me on Tumblr as well as on all my other social media platforms that can be found here, if you’d like continue reading my reviews on other TV shows and movies that I’ve watched recently. If you have any suggestions of any TV shows or movies you’d like me to review, you can comment on this post. Chat with you guys soon!