Age Of Heroes

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

In a year without Marvel movies, <i>The Old Guard</i> redefined the superhero blockbuster

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

In a year without Marvel movies, The Old Guard redefined the superhero blockbuster

It finally happened. For nearly a decade, since The Avengers came out and crushed all expectations, people have been…

Tom Breihan

12/02/20 12:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

<i>Endgame </i>is cinema, a thrill ride, and the fitting culmination of Marvel’s grand experiment

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Endgame is cinema, a thrill ride, and the fitting culmination of Marvel’s grand experiment

There’s this thing I’ve been doing. I’m not proud of it. It’s embarrassing. But I do it every time I get bored or…

Tom Breihan

12/04/19 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

From its complex villain to its amazing fictional world, <i>Black Panther</i> took the superhero movie higher

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

From its complex villain to its amazing fictional world, Black Panther took the superhero movie higher

The first time we see Wakanda in a Marvel movie—the physical location, not a blip on a map or a word spoken in…

Tom Breihan

4/05/19 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

<i>Wonder Woman</i> crashed the boys’<em></em> club of superhero cinema, saving the DCEU in the process

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Wonder Woman crashed the boys’ club of superhero cinema, saving the DCEU in the process

There’s a moment in 2017’s Wonder Woman that’s so inspiring, and so largely unprecedented, that it literally brought…

Tom Breihan

3/22/19 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

After three super fiascos, <i>Deadpool</i> finally made a superstar out of Ryan Reynolds

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

After three super fiascos, Deadpool finally made a superstar out of Ryan Reynolds

In the opening moments of Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds turns directly to the camera and asks a rhetorical question:…

Tom Breihan

3/08/19 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Briefly but blissfully,<i> Age Of Ultron</i> plays like an Avengers hangout movie

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Briefly but blissfully, Age Of Ultron plays like an Avengers hangout movie

One day, we’ll get the Avengers party movie. Maybe. Hopefully. The best scene of Joss Whedon’s 2015 blockbuster Aveng…

Tom Breihan

2/22/19 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

With <i>Guardians Of The Galaxy</i>, Marvel made household names out of interstellar second-stringers

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

With Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel made household names out of interstellar second-stringers

Marvel was feeling itself. That’s the only real explanation. The comic book company had recovered from bankruptcy,…

Tom Breihan

2/08/19 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

For better or worse, <i>Man Of Steel</i> is the exact Superman movie Zack Snyder wanted to make

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

For better or worse, Man Of Steel is the exact Superman movie Zack Snyder wanted to make

Zack Snyder hates Superman.

Tom Breihan

1/25/19 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Years before the Infinity War, the Avengers assembled for Marvel’<em></em>s first crossover blockbuster blast

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Years before the Infinity War, the Avengers assembled for Marvel’s first crossover blockbuster blast

In the past decade, Hollywood has attempted to transform the franchise into something else: the cinematic universe.…

Tom Breihan

1/11/19 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Marvel somehow got Captain America and his adventure-serial origin story just right

“The Marvel Universe has gone nuts; we’re going to have a fricking Captain America movie if we’re not careful.” This…

Tom Breihan

12/14/18 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Scott Pilgrim is more zero than superhero, but his movie is still a zippy comic-to-screen delight

Scott Pilgrim is not a superhero. He is not a hero. He is only barely a functional human being. He is a dipshit. So…

Tom Breihan

11/30/18 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

The <i>Watchmen</i> movie proves you can be faithful to a comic and still miss its whole damn point

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

The Watchmen movie proves you can be faithful to a comic and still miss its whole damn point

In a lot of ways, Watchmen, the comic series that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons started publishing in 1986, is a story…

Tom Breihan

11/16/18 6:00AM

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Does the most important year for superhero movies belong to <i>The Dark Knight</i> or <i>Iron Man</i>?

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Does the most important year for superhero movies belong to The Dark Knight or Iron Man?

Midway through Christopher Nolan’s 2008 movie The Dark Knight, the Joker gets himself arrested so that he can then…

Tom Breihan

11/02/18 6:00AM

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<i>Venom</i> may be bad, but at least it didn’<em></em>t cast Topher Grace in the title role

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Venom may be bad, but at least it didn’t cast Topher Grace in the title role

Here’s a fun mental exercise: Describe Venom to a child. I’ve tried it. It’s ridiculous.

Tom Breihan

10/19/18 6:00AM

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Superman returns, but he forgot to bring the action and the fun back with him

If Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins was the first movie to really take superheroes seriously, then maybe Bryan…

Tom Breihan

10/05/18 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Christopher Nolan dragged Batman (and superhero cinema) into a more serious “<em></em>real”<em></em> world

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Christopher Nolan dragged Batman (and superhero cinema) into a more serious “real” world

Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies are as revered as any franchise of summer blockbusters can really be in this day…

Tom Breihan

9/21/18 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

<i>The Incredibles</i> didn't need comic-book source material (or origin stories) to do superheroes right

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

The Incredibles didn't need comic-book source material (or origin stories) to do superheroes right

Nobody starts with the origin stories. At least when I first fell in love with comic books, the lure wasn’t the…

Tom Breihan

9/07/18 6:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Hulk didn’t smash

It could’ve worked. Maybe it should’ve worked. You can understand what everyone involved was thinking. Superhero…

Tom Breihan

8/24/18 8:00AM

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FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Sam Raimi’<em></em>s bright, fun <i>Spider-Man </i>doubled as a valentine to a post-9/11 New York

FilmFeaturesAge Of Heroes

Sam Raimi’s bright, fun Spider-Man doubled as a valentine to a post-9/11 New York

Sony Pictures could’ve owned the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it could’ve owned it for cheap. The rights to…

Tom Breihan

8/10/18 6:00AM

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How did a great Alan Moore comic become a lousy Johnny Depp mystery?

If you wanted to take a good, hard look at the difficulties of translating comic books into movies, Alan Moore makes…

Tom Breihan

7/27/18 6:00AM

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In a year without Marvel movies, The Old Guard redefined the superhero blockbuster

Endgame is cinema, a thrill ride, and the fitting culmination of Marvel’s grand experiment

From its complex villain to its amazing fictional world, Black Panther took the superhero movie higher

Wonder Woman crashed the boys’ club of superhero cinema, saving the DCEU in the process

After three super fiascos, Deadpool finally made a superstar out of Ryan Reynolds

Briefly but blissfully, Age Of Ultron plays like an Avengers hangout movie

With Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel made household names out of interstellar second-stringers

For better or worse, Man Of Steel is the exact Superman movie Zack Snyder wanted to make

Years before the Infinity War, the Avengers assembled for Marvel’s first crossover blockbuster blast

Marvel somehow got Captain America and his adventure-serial origin story just right

Scott Pilgrim is more zero than superhero, but his movie is still a zippy comic-to-screen delight

The Watchmen movie proves you can be faithful to a comic and still miss its whole damn point

Does the most important year for superhero movies belong to The Dark Knight or Iron Man?

Venom may be bad, but at least it didn’t cast Topher Grace in the title role

Superman returns, but he forgot to bring the action and the fun back with him

Christopher Nolan dragged Batman (and superhero cinema) into a more serious “real” world

The Incredibles didn't need comic-book source material (or origin stories) to do superheroes right

Hulk didn’t smash

Sam Raimi’s bright, fun Spider-Man doubled as a valentine to a post-9/11 New York

How did a great Alan Moore comic become a lousy Johnny Depp mystery?