Stranger Things (Season 3)

The urban dictionary definition of "Jumping the Shark" is when something has reached its peak and begun a downhill slide to mediocrity or oblivion. Now I'm not totally convinced that Season 3 is Stranger Things "jumping the shark"... but I definitely wouldn't be surprised if it was...

Stranger Things 3 continues the story of the kids, teens, and adults of Hawkins, Indiana as they discover the strange occurrences in their town.

Set a little under a year after the events of Season 2, in the days leading up to the Fourth of July, Season 3 picks up with the familiar town of Hawkins. A new mall has been built in the town and all the familiar characters are enjoying their summers in what is the closest thing to normal for them.

The kids are getting hit by puberty HARD (both in the show and in real life, which I appreciate. Most shows would have skipped over that part, Stranger Things embraces it) and developing relationships within the group. Mike is with Elle, Lucas is with Max, and Will just wants someone to play DnD with him

The teens are getting summer jobs and finding their way into the real world once they graduate from high school. Nancy and Jonathan get a job at the local newspaper, and Steve is transitioning from being the high school golden boy to working at Scoops Ahoy (best ice cream shop name ever) with newcomer Robin (played by Maya Hawke), while keeping a unique unexpected friendship with Dustin as he returns from Summer camp feeling left out of the group.

And then you have the adults. Say what you will about how the kids made this show popular back in 2016, David Harbour and Winona Ryder are the pillars that make this show amazingly good.

Joyce is having a difficult time accepting this new normal she's living in, while Hopper wants to progress his relationship with her and become more than friends.

All of that goes out the window when this group, in their own segmented, paired off ways, start discovering that there is something strange happening in Hawkins, whether it be mysterious Russian communication in Hawkins, or the return of a inter-dimensional monster, wrecking havoc on the citizens of Hawkins.

And there is A LOT to cover because like the second season but on steroids, this cast seems to only be growing bigger and bigger. The second season only saw the inclusion of Max, her brother Billy (who has a much bigger role in the third season), and arguably Will as he wasn't really a present character in the first season. This season not only expands the character growth of almost every character, not only does it give more character depth to formerly supporting characters like Mrs. Wheeler, the Conspiracy theory guy, and Billy, but it adds Maya Hawkes character Robin, the Russian Engineer Alexi, Lucas's sister gets more screen time, and Cary Elwes!

There is so much going on and while I have to give the Duffer Brothers credit for having such a big cast that I still care about a lot, I do have to say, some characters really fall by the wayside or duplicate the efforts of others in order to maintain the characters we've come to know and love in the previous seasons, while giving us new characters we also care about like Robin. It's a double edged sword that works really well at certain moments and doesn't work as well in others.

I'm going to try and go through each of the important pairings as I can, their contribution to the plot, and how I feel about them.

Mike, Lucas, and Will - Mike and Lucas spend the majority of the show worried about getting back together with Elle and Max after a falling out. Will is struggling with letting go of his childhood and growing up. Eventually, these three get absorbed with Elle, Max, Nancy, and Jonathan in stopping the Mind Flayer.

Good parts: Everything with Will is fantastic, from his 6th sense ability to his internal conflict. Even though Mike and Lucas are some of the weaker characters, everyone in this group acts well, and are still lovable.

Bad parts: They ultimately just get absorbed into the group and don't have specific identities or character development. Overall, its one of the weaker groupings.

Elle and Max - Elle and Max pair off when dealing with their relationships falling out. Max teaches

Eleven how to be a normal girl, and eventually they start investigating the strange, alien-like behavior of Billy who leads them to the supernatural fight with the Mindflayer.

Good parts: Genuine girl friendships are good. Elle is in a sort of status quo now where she's more normal and yet she still has these telekinetic powers. There's a really cool Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibe going and I liked it a lot.

Bad parts: Genuine girl friendship eventually turns into them just giggling at everything they do. Like I get that its better than these two being catty towards one another, but I would have liked more genuine character moments between these two before the adventure actually kicks off instead of them dancing to Madonna's Material Girl.

Steve, Dustin, and Robin (And Erica) - The pairing with some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. Dustin comes back from Summer camp and feels left out of the group because everyone else paired off and Will just wants to play DnD. Steve works at Scoops Ahoy (Still best Ice Cream shop name). Dustin intercepts a Russian Military communication and him Steve, and the girl that works with Steve, Robin (played by Maya Hawke) go to figure out where the Russians are and what they're planning.

Good parts: Steve and Dustin are a pairing that nobody was expecting but is amazing. Maya Hawke is phenomenal. The relationship they build with Steve and Robin is so genuine and so well done its beautiful. No matter how ridiculous it gets, these three produce some of the best moments in the show.

Bad Parts: Erica is the worst! (Don't @ Me). They eventually find a secret Russian Military Base that looks like it was ripped from Star Wars. It gets over the top which can be good at times but definitely makes the entire season breach on jumping the shark. I had a hard time taking these scenes seriously whether its because of the crazy circumstances, or the Scoops Ahoy outfits. I'll talk more about the over the topness later, but that's the parts that didn't work for me.

Nancy and Jonathan - Nancy and Jonathan are finally together and they're working a summer job at the town newspaper. Nancy really wants to break into journalism but can't break through to the chauvinistic reporters. Eventually they investigate the effects the Mind flayer is having on the people of Hawkins and uncover an Invasion of the Body Snatchers plot in Hawkins.

Good parts: I still really like these two together. They have some really good sci fi Nancy Drew moments that were fun. Fighting sexism.

Bad Parts: Nancy and Jonathan continue to be the most boring parts of the show. While I like that they've progressed, having them in a loving relationship doesn't really add anything super interesting to the plot. They eventually get absorbed into the larger group and kind of lose any kind of impact on the plot outside of the group.

 Billy - Billy gets a lot more to do in this season besides be the stereotypical over the top evil bully. He gets involved in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers Mind Flayer plot and is a great vessel for the Mind Flayer to take human form.

Good parts: He's already got the evil bit down and he has a lot more to do. We also get to know more about him as a character.

Bad parts: ...Billy was pretty good in this season. I have no qualms. Maybe there wasn't enough of him in this season... MORE BILLY!

Hopper, and Joyce (and friends) - Joyce and Hopper continue their great friendship and investigate the reason why Joyce's magnets stop working. They eventually find a Russian Scientist and start investigating the presence of Russians in Hawkins with Conspiracy dude from Season two, all the while being chased down by a Russian agent who is definitely trying to spoof the Terminator.

Good parts: David Harbour and Winona Ryder are just treasures. Lot of funny moments, and it was fun having these two playing off one another without having to channel their concern for Will. They're a good team. This plot line also gave us a lot of action which was cool. The whole plot line pulls homages from Die Hard, Magnum PI, and Terminator, and it was a lot of fun. I really liked Hopper's turn at being a father and having to deal with a pre-teen girl.

Bad parts: I don't want Hopper and Joyce to fall in love. I like them as friends. They kind of make Hopper a big old dumb brute in this season. They also have a little bit of an old married couple bit that gets old after a while. Alexi while funny is overrated. I'm not sure why they're keeping the Conspiracy dude from Season 2 around, he's okay at best. Finally, the Terminator bit, while kind of interesting was a pretty heavy eye roll for me.

In case you can't tell, there's A LOT going on in this season and I think it suffers some of the same problems of season 2. Season 1 was very succinct and relatively low stakes. The show has gone from a small horror film about a missing boy, to a super powered girl and her friends joking about how they're off to save the world again.

I should note, I do like this season. But my issues come with the fact that it is starting to hit self parody levels. To a certain extent, this season just felt like it was heading in the direction of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where the characters are aware that monsters are apart of their day to day and they're kind of used to it by now. Which has it's upsides. Eleven turning into a monster fighting Slayer is not in itself totally bad. But it just loses the edge that I think Stranger Things initially had and instead turns it into a more cartoonish over the top TV show. I think there's still the potential for serious character moments, especially with characters we've come to know and love. But the show reaches a certain level of ridiculousness when you've got Steve in a sailor suit looking ridiculous, surrounded by Russians that are trying to look like Storm Troopers and give an over the top science fantasy vibe rather than something set in the real world.

At the end of the day, Season 3 just felt different for a number of reasons. Previous seasons took place in the fall season and felt a lot darker. Season 3 is more colorful. Furthermore, the 80's movies that the show is taking influence from tend to be the more colorful and less dark (at least less horror-like) films. Terminator, Die Hard, even Star Wars are for sure 80's films but they're not the horror or realistic science fiction films drawn from in Season 1 and 2 like Alien, The Exorcist, The Thing, and ET.

Yes, the season draws heavily from Invasion of the Body Snatchers but I feel like it loosened its grip on trying to be a Stephen King film and instead is trying to branch out on its own, which is good, but it also has to be done carefully and I'm not sure Season 3 really stuck that landing.

Oh and also, adding the Russians was weird.

I mean good on them for trying to switch up who the human bad guys were as in the past two seasons its either been the US government or the remnants of the US government. And I will give them credit, as weird as the Terminator assassin guy was at times, and as much of a nostalgia gut punch he was, he was intimidating and created a sense of adventure and action you only get from 80's films. While I am about to go on a tirade on how the Duffer Brothers kind of broke their perfect balance of using nostalgia to inspire their stories not sell them, I will say that there is a lot of that inspiration still in this seasons story, no matter how over the top it gets.

But the truth is, this season did seem to break that balance the Duffer Brothers seemed to have had down pat by utilizing nostalgia to inspire and drive stories, but not have the nostalgia be a crutch for enjoyment.

Part of this was unavoidable, especially in a story mainly set in a mall, the hub of pop culture in the 80's. It would be inauthentic for these kids to be growing up in the 80s and not love Back to the Future when it came out. And it's not like this is the first time it's happened. Mike has Star Wars toys, Stranger Things has always referenced pop culture to remind us that this does take place in the 80's.

I think the difference this time was that instead of these references just being things in the background like a movie poster that Will has in his room, they're front and center and either drive the plot, or stop it dead in its tracks so Max and Eleven can have a photo montage to Madonna's Material Girl.

A great example is a little bit of a spoiler but you've probably seen it by now even if you haven't watched the whole season, and that's the Never Ending Story reference near the end.

The movie stops dead in its tracks for Dustin and his girlfriend from camp to sing the song from the Neverending Story.

On one hand, sure, it's a song that those two would know and get stuck in their head. I wasn't even a fan of The Neverending Story as a kid and I got that stuck in my head. It is a product of the times. But it's a pretty Marvel-esc move to stop the suspsenseful tension dead in its tracks so the show can reference something they're sure you knew from the 80's. When the nostalgia is serving the purpose of the story, that's fine. When its inhibiting the story, that's where I start to get peeved.

Is it all bad? No. I do feel like this show took a step towards figuring out how these characters are going to interact and live, especially if we keep on going and there aren't enough 80's films to draw inspiration from.

Again, I like this season, but it has to recognize what levels are on brand of realism within the parameters of previous seasons and the overall vibe of the show, and what is ridiculous and almost self aware.

Also, they've got to switch up the plot formula a little bit if there is a fourth season because we're starting to see the same thing over again. If the fourth season has a scene where they all stand in a circle waiting for the monster to come get them, we're in trouble.

Oh and also, I'm a fan of taking actors who were big in the 80's and having them play Special Guests in the show, especially if they further the plot. Paul Reiser, Sean Astin, I'm all about these guys. But Cary Elwes and Jake Busey deserved better than the roles they got.

Credit where its due, Elwes is looking great for his age, but that's pretty much the most of what I got from him in this season.

He couldn't really knock down what accent he was doing, but more importantly, he's a caricature that didn't really impact the story at all. He's playing an archetype and I can appreciate that, but if you're bringing Cary Elwes in to be the mayor of Hawkins, give him something to do. If he's a villain, make him the most over the top villain you can think of. Again, use it to drive the story, not just say, "HEY LOOK, IT'S CARY ELWES, YOU REMEMBER HIM RIGHT? RIGHT?!?!?"

I'm not saying the show has jumped the shark... yet. But if it hasn't gotten there already, it's not that far.

I love Stranger Things, and in spite of its flaws, I am a huge fan of Netflix.

They may be losing Friends and the Office, but Netflix has had a really good push over the past 5 years of trying to drive original content because the truth is, they saw this reality coming.

They knew Disney was going to make their own streaming service, along everyone else and their mother. They knew that licensing properties was going to be expensive, so they put a lot of money into creating new, unique content that you can't get anywhere else. So even if The Office and Friends go, people wouldn't get rid of their subscription because they know they can't get their Stranger Things anywhere else.

So it's kind of a continuation of the conversation I was having with myself in my Castle Rock rant but more relevant. Netflix is creating original content on their platform. I just feel like we're at risk of losing that content if Netflix is replaced by conglomerates like Disney. But in order for that to not happen, we have to have good seasons of Stranger Things and not cancel every original season airing after 2 seasons which Netflix seems to be doing.

Overall, Stranger Things Season 3 is still good. I enjoyed myself and I love the world that has been created. I just worry because its probably the weaker of the three seasons in my opinion. I'm excited to see where a fourth season might go, but for the time being, Season 3 is a colorful slight dissent from the previous seasons. I hope it's not the show jumping the shark, but I'm still on board for now.

What did you think of Season 3 of Stranger Things? Where does it rank? Does it take a little bit of time to think over what you watched and form an opinion on Stranger Things like me or am I just slow? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films and TV shows I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for Reading!

Castle Rock (Season 1)

So while in the past I have not a huge fan of Halloween or horror, I am finding myself more and more interested in the genre, especially as I read and consume more Stephen King products. Castle Rock was a show that when I heard about it, I knew it was something I was going to get into, and yet it's taken me close to a year to actually getting around to finishing the series. To its credit, I'm finding I do that with a lot of things I like. I just finished Breath of the Wild and I think that game is one of Nintendo's Masterpieces. I think part of it is the fact that I want to savor every bit of it because I enjoy it so much. The other aspect might be that this is a really slow show.

The unique thing about Castle Rock is the fact that it is an original story set in an unoriginal setting. The story is set in the middle of Stephen King's fictional town of Castle Rock and makes reference to his environments and plot driven circumstances while maintaining a new and original plot.

The story has quite a few plot points but the main story is centered around a young man (played by Bill Skarsgard) found in the basement of Shawshank Prison. The new Warden and the employees at Shawkshank figure out that he was kept there by the previous warden who recently killed himself (played by Terry O'Quinn)  He has no identification, he barely speaks, and the only thing he does say is the name Henry Deaver.

Enter Henry Deaver (played by Andre Holland), a native of Castle Rock with a mysterious history. He's a lawyer who comes back into town when the mysterious young man in Shawshank says his name. While in town, Henry decides it is time to settle some of his hometown affairs, like taking care of his dementia ridden mother (played by Sissy Spacek), and dealing with the side effects of remembering his father's untimely death.

Now a lot of that comes from the first episode or so and I have to warn you, while I was able to explain that in a paragraph or two, this show takes a couple of episodes to lay the groundwork for this show to really take off, and that doesn't really happen until the last 3rd of this season.

I didn't even mention the former sheriff of the town (played by Scott Glen), Henry's antisocial neighbor (played by Melanie Lynskey), and the most fan pandering character ever created, Jackie Torrance (played by Jane Levy).

And that kind of show double edged sword that is this show. On one hand, the concept of the show is really unique because it is a continuation of the Stephen King cannon without being just another adaptation or reboot. On the other hand, in order for it to work, it really relies on call backs to previous King stories for what seems like no reason other than to appease fans of King's novels.

But I'll get to the fan pandering in a little bit. I want to talk about the merits and downfalls of the show on its own outside of the King references.

Right off the bat, there are A LOT of characters in this show. Now that's not all bad. Almost all of the actors from Andre Holland to Scott Glenn, to especially Sissy Spacek give fantastic performances and it really is a great cast.

The downside is, because there are so many characters, there are so many plot lines, so many stories that need to be rounded up, and on top of that, the show's pacing is really, REALLY slow.

There are fantastic episodes, especially in the latter part of the season that really delve deep into the psychology of the characters and make it really worth the recommendation I'm going to give it, but I have never struggled to work my way through a show more than this one because I had to stop and start again multiple times to get through this show because it is quite a slog at times.

And while I love the idea of a Stephen King TV show, they REALLY string out the mysteries in this show, to the point where I was 8 episodes in and I was just starting to figure out SOME of the mysteries.

And what's more, they don't resolve it all. Usually it takes a few days of mulling over a movie or TV show to point out some of the lost threads, but Castle Rock has a lot of questions that never really go answered. To it's credit, the important ones do get answered, but it's so strung out over 10 episodes with so many characters (some of them have no purpose whatsoever) that it's easy to lose track of why these characters are spending so much time in such a haunted place like Castle Rock.

I'd say after episode 7, I was one hundred percent on board and knew for sure that I was going to be finishing this series in the next day or so. The episode "Queen" just feels wholly original and probably progressed the plot more than the previous 6 episodes had up until that point. A lot of that is due to Sissy Spacek and Bill Skarsgard's performances. But saying to people you have to hold out until episode 7 is a hard sell.

Don't get me wrong, there are great episodes prior to that and there's a reason I got to this episode this time, but there was a point in both the times I tried to finish this series beforehand that I just had to take a break because I was a little bored.

And part of that is due to the over-saturation of Stephen King call backs in this show, especially in the first episodes that are supposed to be providing context on the original characters. Maybe there wasn't enough content to fill up the first few episodes so they filled it in with blatant Stephen King references, but that was something I kind of had to roll my eyes at.

I bet that I didn't catch them all but I will give you a pretty blatant example that drags this already pretty intriguing show down, and that's the character of Jackie Torrance.

This character is ultimately pointless. She has very little to no impact on the story at all besides having an uncle who it is heavily implied is Jack Torrance from The Shining. That's it.

Now the caveat with that is, I really like Jane Levy in this show. It didn't matter how pointless her character was, Jackie Torrance is a funny, intriguing character that I wanted to have a purpose in the show. I honestly would watch a show totally focused on her character if it led to something interesting and purposeful, but I still have no idea why she's here

And she's a prime example of some elements of this show being in there for the sole purpose that, we're making a Stephen King show, we have to make as many "AHa!" moments for the fans that add absolutely nothing if you don't know those references.

This show surprises me though.

For all the laughable Stephen King references and tropes, for all the slow episodes in the beginning, and the spinning of the wheels you have to do to get through it, the last 4 episodes really shine and it really reminds me why there is so much to love about the work of Stephen King and this world that he creates.

So that's what makes this show such a difficult sell. It's there, I know how it ends and I know it's leading up to something, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone saw the first few episodes and realized it wasn't for them.

I'd say the middle third of this show (episodes 4-6) is probably the weakest. It just kind of spins the wheels because its not quite time for any kind of reveal yet, we just have to sit in suspense until episode 7 or so before the mysteries can start to be solved.

The first few episodes (episodes 1-3) are good and take their time setting up the characters. Its kind of mixed bag when you realize that a lot of it is just King references and strung out set up, but I get the feeling that with a second watch, that set up means more.

And the last four episodes (7-10) are very, VERY good. Sure there are some elements that still don't totally add up, but the episodes are suspenseful, cerebral, and really make you happy that you stuck it out.

So a mediocre first act, a slog of a second act, and a banger third act make up a show that I'm glad that I watched but I know has some flaws.

There are definitely moments from the middle act that I enjoyed, and there are elements of the first and final act that were pretty slow, but I do think Hulu did a pretty good job with their original series here.

I've done a little bit of reading on the second season the show has been renewed for and it seems like its going to rely a little more on King property rather than follow the story set up in the first season. I'm cool with it being an anthology show because everyone talks about doing it but nobody really has the courage to do it.

I just hope it doesn't rely too much on existing property and instead keeps up the original stories while using that unique environment created by King.

We find ourselves in an interesting time for Streaming Services where there is such a huge market and only so many services one can access.

It's timely that Disney just announced a bunch of shows for their Disney + slate starting to stream in November, but it also just announced that they wouldn't be streaming any rated R content, probably leaving that content to Hulu.

And that's where I have some hope for the old guard of services like Hulu and Netflix because they can start being the place for content that Disney won't stream. While I'm excited for The Mandalorian and all the Marvel series coming up, it is pretty telling that Disney is leaning heavily on properties that are well known and liked. While I can't ding Hulu (and yes I know it falls under Disney) for wanting to stick with something people are familiar with, I want to see more original content because it is very clear it's not going to come from Disney +.

Is Castle Rock the ideal place for that kind of original content? Probably not, but I would like it to be a unique compromise. Instead of following pre-established characters, do something new with the world and have that be the jumping off point for original content.

But more likely, it will just lean into the Stephen King lore until it's just as much of a franchise as the MCU, because this is the lizard people simulation we live in.

But those are my conflicts thoughts on Castle Rock. What did you think? Are you excited for the second season? Is it a show that seems like it will continue to be a rehash of nostalgia, or do you see the opportunity for fresh hybrid content to come from it? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter, @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films and TV shows I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for Reading!

Dear Sony Execs: A Rant on Spider-man

Looking back, I've written A LOT about Spider-man on this blog. I've written reviews of movies, video games, speculation on how he could be incorporated into the MCU (and being somewhat to totally wrong). I'm even man enough to admit that at one time, I thought it would be a good idea to cast Shia LaBeouff as Peter Parker...

I honestly still don't hate that idea as much as I'm pretty sure everyone else does.

But this week we find ourselves watching the hero in the middle of a divorce between the partnership with Sony and Marvel. Even the people who knew that that deal was pretty much temporary and could fall apart at any minute seem to be pretty surprised that things went down so quickly that essentially we will probably not see Spider-man in another MCU film for a little bit. And this is jarring because we just spent the last film setting up the idea that Peter Parker is basically the new Iron Man.

But this rant isn't really for the fans (especially those who blame Sony for this falling out). No, this rant is more for the Executives at Sony (as I am sure that they are reading my obscure, poorly updated blog).

Dear Sony Exec

First off, I want to say that I don't blame you for this. We haven't always had the best relationship and I'll be honest, I still don't totally trust you with a live action Spider-man movie. But I gotta give you credit for standing up to the conglomerate that is Disney.

As you know, they wanted to share the production profits 50/50 on your most profitable franchise. As much as I can say that Disney has had a hand in revitalizing the character, 50% is a big bill to swallow for a property that on paper is still yours. It's a bull move, and I'm going to put my cards on the table and say I don't think you're to blame here. At the end of the day these things come down to business decisions and while I'd like to live in a world where that wasn't the case, it doesn't give Disney the right to be a tool and subtly monopolize your property from right under you.

But my question is... what now?

Could Disney come back with a counter-offer tomorrow and this could all be over? Sure. I remember when there were talks about Robert Downey Jr getting killed off way back in like Phase 2 because Marvel didn't want to pay his ridiculous salary, or when Chris Evan's contract was over, and those ended up getting resolved so let's cross that bridge when we get to it. In the time where you can no longer implement the character of Spider-man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what are you gonna do?

I'll be straight with you Sony Exec, this is not going to be easy. You have a checkered history and your past decisions have not all been great. And what's more, you don't seem to learn very quickly from your mistakes.

Going back to 2007, you derailed a really successful, albeit even ground breaking trilogy by shoehorning 3 villains into the film. And then you thought you'd fix that mistake by doing the exact same thing 7 years later and expecting a different result. You reboot the character so much that people are already joking about the fact that you're probably going to kill Uncle Ben off for a fourth time if you reboot this character again, which let's be real, you're probably going to.

And then there's Venom...

I think on a certain level, we can both thank and blame Venom for the current events of this week. There were inklings before Venom came out that you, good Sony Exec, recognized that this movie was going to be trash. You meddled so much in this film that it can only be described as a flaming hot pile of garbage... and yet, it made you A LOT money.

Again, on one hand, I'm happy that's the case. If Venom hadn't made money, you wouldn't have the balls to stand up to Disney and not let them steam roll you. But on the other hand... this movie or its sequels should not give you confidence that your live action movies are in good hands. It does not matter if Andy Serkis is directing the sequel, you have a long way to convince me, and your audience, that that sequel isn't going to be continuation of the hot garbage I saw last year.

That being said, no matter how you move forward, it wouldn't make much sense for you NOT to use the little foundation Venom provided you in your future Spider-man endeavors. I'm going to say this is the part of your track record where luck was on your side.

And to give you your due credit, it hasn't been all luck that brings us to where we are today. You had a little piece of success called Into the Spider-verse that really firmed up that false sense of confidence Venom gave you.

There is no caveat to this, this is a fantastically made movie that Kevin Fiege had nothing to do with. Period.

But if it was just this movie, or even this movie and the PS4 game (which you can barely count), it's still a pretty shaky foundation you're on there. Even with the next element I'm going to talk about, you have quite the road ahead.

But I will say you're saving grace isn't this movie, but the plot element you introduce in this movie: The Multiverse.

With one animated movie, you were able to open up so many possibilities and stretch the imagination of what you could do with the character while still maintaining the roots and heart of such a beloved character.

So that brings us to the present.

And to be honest, it's not totally clear what this divorce actually means. Can Tom Holland continue to be Spider-man, just no longer have Fiege producing it anymore and in the Sony world with no connection to the MCU?

What about that Far From Home ending? Is that just left as a cliff hanger moving forward? Are there still Tom Holland Spider-man movies on his contract? Could those movies still be apart of the previous deal and then it ends? We don't know!

There are still some gaps of information.

But don't you worry Sony Exec. I've got you. You've got someone who is going to give it to you straight but give you the best path to working your way through what has the potential to be a trying time.

Because the truth is, you wouldn't be here without Disney. There's a reason this deal needed to be struck in the first place and its called 2014. In 2014, you suffered a pretty bad blow with a lack luster sequel with Andrew Garfield and spent Christmas getting hacked by the North Koreans. The very next year you recognized that this miraculous Spider-man universe you were creating with a Sinister Six movie and an Aunt May origin story movie wasn't going to work for you. You decided the best way to save yourself was to align yourself with Disney.

So how do you avoid that this time around? Well you lean in on your strengths.

Now a lot of this depends on if you can use Tom Holland.

Plan A: Stay the Course without Marvel

This is one of those grey areas. Again, I don't know if Tom Holland's portrayal of Spider-man falls under the deal with Disney and therefore makes him ineligible to continue as Spider-man outside of the MCU. I can't imagine a world that you agreed to that and if you did, you need to fire your lawyers now because Tom Holland is one of your strongest cards you have right now.

Are there elements you'd have to retcon? Yes. Without spoiling anything, I'd say the final end credit scene of Far From Home was a dream or something and you have the third movie follow Peter Parker on a more grounded level being exactly what he was wishing he could do, return to being a friendly neighborhood Spider-man. You hire the writers from the PS4 game and you make a pure Spider-man solo film, getting back to basics.

In this scenario, it also depends on who owns the villains.

Could you introduce a new villain in Spider-man 3: Without a Home (working title) and bring back the villains from the previous films (in an end credit scene) for a teaser of a future Sinister Six movie?

Again, it depends on what Sony can and cannot use. I think there's more of a foundation than meets the eye, it all just depends on a clever script that works around that pesky MCU connection. But if Vulture and Mysterio are fair game, it opens up for a potential Sinister Six movie come Spider-man 4.

And then there is Venom...

I honestly don't think this is as clear cut as it seems because I don't see these two coming together and seeming like they're in the same universe. I'm skeptical, but the point of this obvious strategy (given the assumption that Sony can use Tom Holland still) is to use what they have, continue on the path without Marvel, and bring Tom Holland's Spider-man back to earth a little bit.

But, there is a chance that you, good Sony Exec that you are unable to use Tom Holland moving forward. In that case, the first phone call you make is to fire your lawyer, because, again, that was a bad move on their part.

But the second call you make is a conference call with some familiar faces.

Plan B: The Raimi/Maguire Multiverse Approach

This may sound impossible, but I'm telling you, this is your best option outside of staying the course with Holland.

And this is where I have to be blunt. People do not trust you when it comes to live-action Spider-man. But they did like Sam Raimi's take on Spider-man.

The second call you make after firing your lawyer is a conference call with Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi where you get on your knees and beg them to come back and do something fun. You give them two conditions: Maguire needs to play an old Peter Parker, and it needs to be set in a universe other than the MCU Spider-man Universe. Then you back away and let Sam Raimi do whatever the hell he wants.

I know what you're thinking, "People are going to be confused!" No! People will figure it out. Have fun with the Multiverse, tell him he has the breadth of the Spider-man Multiverse at his finger tips, go nuts.

If Raimi doesn't want to do it, at the very least get Maguire.

I don't even like Tobey Maguire as an actor that much, but this is where nostalgia, business, and clever writing have the opportunity to meet and make something great. Imagine after years, we finally get that 4th Spider-man movie but with a version of Peter Parker we haven't seen yet on the big screen, an older version!

And it honestly can only work with Maguire.

Garfield wasn't popular (and probably wouldn't want to come back), but if you reboot this franchise again, its only going to turn people off. Yes, the Maguire angle is a reboot, but it allows for a new chapter of Peter Parker's life to be explored.

And even if you don't wanna do that, there's also the silver platter that little Oscar winner Into the Spider-verse gave you last year.

Like I know this is just fan art and adapting an animation into a live action film so soon after its release would be messy and knee cap the possibilities of the animated franchise, but that doesn't mean those ideas and characters like Miles Morales and the multiverse can't be used in a live action film. It's taking a really popular concept in current pop culture and combining it with a franchise that, despite a bad third movie, is still considered a pretty great Superhero trilogy.

I usually don't like the idea of going back to old ideas like this, but not only do I feel like this could be an exception, I feel like it's bringing the old nostalgia into the modern day instead of just trying to recapture what those Raimi films were all about back in the day.

And when it comes to Venom, there's nothing saying Tom Hardy's Venom is in the MCU. Pretty sure you can use Venom however you want and it'll be accepted. It does not even matter if you threw him in the Maguire universe, all people would see is Tobey Maguire and Tom Hardy either teaming up or facing off and the tickets are bought.

Honestly, I see this as a great opportunity. The safest, profitable option is to stay on with Holland and I have no problem with that. But I almost like this approach more because it takes a live action Spider-man into a realm we haven't seen before. Old, multiverse hopping Spider-man. It's essentially the Jake Johnson Spider-man from Into the Spider-Verse, except it's Maguire playing him. Again, it capitalizes on both modern pop culture trends and interest in the multiverse and people's nostalgia for those cheesy old Raimi films.

And honestly, the remaining options are pretty bleak.

Plan C: Play up Animation/other strengths and hope a deal is struck

In the least appealing approach, you as the Sony Exec could play it immensely safe and hold out for a new deal with Disney. Take a break from the live action web slinger and focus on the other ingredients you have. Make those other villain movies like Morbius with... Jared Leto, and the Venom sequel that has a lot of indicators to say its going to be as terrible as the first (prove me wrong Serkis!)

But more importantly, focus more on your animated features. Bank on that awesome animation and break some barriers with that really unique story telling you brought in Into the Universe.

While I think there's a lot you can do if you chose this route, this is more a wait and see approach.

This is the approach where you're waiting for Disney to come around so you can go back to normal.

And while this is not a horrible strategy in the short term, eventually people are going to get an itch for a live action Spider-man film (no matter how much we complain about how many Spider-man 2's there have been, we love this story). Eventually people are going to just get bummed at Jared Leto's attempts to be in a superhero film and public opinion is going to against you.

Overall my friendly Sony Exec, you have an opportunity here. There is a lot you can do with your Spider-man Property and you don't really need Disney at this point. You gotta build some trust and give the people the understanding that you have a plan, but I see a path forward here. The important part is, do you?

Those are my personal recommendations and thoughts on the new Spider-man developments. What do you think? Where do you think Spider-man should head in the future? Is Tobey Maguire the future? How likely is that in your opinion? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for Reading!

Bumblebee

This movie actually makes me a little bit angry. This is the 6th Transformer movie in a long line of unmistakable dumpster fire films (minus the first one that gets a weird special pass with most people, myself included) and the conventional wisdom would say that this movie was going to be terrible. In fact, most people didn't see this movie because apparently fool me once Shame on me, Fool me 5 times shame on you Michael Bay. But then I watch this movie on a plane, not giving it any money that I assumed it didn't deserve, and it turns out being a heart felt entertaining film.

Bumblebee is a prequel to the previous Transformers films and shows the journey taken by the second most iconic autobot in the series, Bumblebee as he goes to Earth and awaits the arrival of his comrades. While there, he loses his memory, meets a young girl (played by Hailee Steinfeld in San Francisco, and essentially you have a little bit of a girl and her robot story, very reminiscent of the Iron Giant.

,And dammit, this movie charmed the pants off me.

I literally told a friend a few days ago that I saw this movie and really enjoyed it and he did not believe me. I don't think people saw this movie because it was a Transformers movie and those have a history of being terrible. But this one surprised the hell out of me.

The movie has a unique start because it starts on Cybertron and it focuses on the actual war between Autobots and the Decepticon. Now I've heard that this is kind of what people were looking for in a Transformers movie, centered on the robots more, but I just saw this as a big CGI explosion fest (though not a very big one because this movie was only produced by Michael Bay this time). If you watched the first five minutes, you'd probably think we're right back on the same track we were with the other films.

But then they get to Earth and we get some characters we really enjoy the crap out of.

First and foremost, Hailee Steinfeld's character Charlie is just a really compelling character. She's smart but she's an outcast. She's got a loving family, but she's still dealing with a tragedy. And the relationship between her and Bumblebee is actually really amazing for a movie about talking robots that had Nazi's and King Arthur in the last film.

Charlie is surrounded by a good supporting cast in her family and her new friend Memo (played by Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) And this is what sets this movie apart from the Shia La Beouf films or the Mark Wahlberg films. While I think there are moments from the La Beouf films, the issue isn't that these movies focus on the humans and not the robots, it's that they used to focus on unrealistic, and more importantly unrelateable humans.

Sam Witwicky started as a relateable loser just trying to get the girl and gets brought on an intergalactic cosmic adventure. But eventually he becomes the chosen one, people start asking why Megan Fox stays with him, and he becomes less and less relateable.

And Cade Yeager... I mean... c'mon his name is the first indication.

But not only is his name ridiculous, not only does he end up being an action hero, far past our expectations trying to stay on par with the transformers, he's also an Inventor from Texas with a Boston accent that looks like Mark Wahlberg... c'mon.

I'm not saying all protagonists need to be teenage girls, but in a franchise where you have to connect human characters with intergalactic robot aliens that can transform into cars and shoot lasers from their hands, you have to play to each ones strengths.

This movie does that far better than any of the previous films by a long shot. But on top of that, it reduced the amount of Transformers on screen so when one of them does something cool, it's not reduced by another CGI blob getting their shot at doing something cool. Not counting the opening scene, there are probably about 3 or 4 Transformers in this entire film and that is a perfect amount. It heightens the amount we care about Bumblebee and gives him time to shine, while at the same time heightening the impact of the Decepticon looking for him (voiced by Angela Bassett and Justin Theroux by the way).

And don't worry, if you need some kind of bad ass moment from the humans, this movie has you covered with...

But seriously though, John Cena might be one of the most inspired choices to join a Transformers film ever. Now this is going to sound contradictory because I was just talking about how Hailee Steinfeld's character is relateable and this series has to play up the strengths of the humans and the Transformers.

But here's the catch with that. This movie is just self aware enough to know that this is a movie about talking giant robots fighting each other. We can't take it too seriously for it to not be diagetic.

So let's throw in the epitome of modern action hero to give it a little bit of self awareness and let the audience know that they know what this is.

It's similar to the steps that were taken by the Fast and Furious Franchise after the 4th one. Those movies take all the action hero actors and smashes them together like they're your action figures at home. While at the same time, they maintain the "Family First" mentality that grounds it and keeps it from just being another Expendables movie.

The same thing needs to be done with the Transformers franchise. They need to understand what they are, embrace it, but also keep that heart and giving us a reason to come back, and again, it goes back to the relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee.

But I also think it has to do with the fact that this movie wasn't made by Michael Bay. It was made by Travis Knight, and you may not know who that is. I still don't really know who he is. And it doesn't even have to be the Kubo and the Two Strings guy again, it can be anyone, just not Michael Bay. We've seen his take on The Transformers Franchise, give someone else a shot at it.

But that won't happen because this movie didn't do as well as the other films so they're gonna think that the franchise is dead and that makes me sad.

I actually remember what happens in this movie. I have seen the first Transformers movie, and I've seen Age of Extinction. I barely remember the first one and I don't remember anything from Age of Extinction except the scene where the girl and the guy explain to Mark Wahlberg how statutory rape is okay in Texas for some reason... because that was fucked up.

Travis Knight showed us that these movies don't have to be 2 and a half hour explosion CGI fests where you can't see shit and the Robots talk jive for no reason, they can be heart felt and still maintain that bad ass nature. There are a lot of cool fights scenes in this movie. But those will pass from our memory, the parts that you'll remember will be the great relationship between Charlie and Bumblebee, a nostalgic 80's environment, and John Cena realizing his true potential as the most stereotypical Army action hero a movie can provide.

But those are my thoughts on Bumblebee. What did you think? Best Transformers movie ever? I think so. Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!

Baby Driver

Okay, I'm gonna get it out of the way, this is a weird movie to watch in a post-Kevin Spacey is a creep world. Kevin Spacey's whole character is that he is black mailing a young man by the name of Baby and anywhere else, this wouldn't have been an issue and Spacey's character would have been fine if not kind of interesting. As it stands, it's weird. Okay, I got that out of the way, let's talk about Baby Driver as a whole.

Baby Driver follows the story of a young driver by the name of Baby (played by Ansel Elgort). As I mentioned, he's under obligation by a criminal mastermind (played by Kevin Spacey, pre-Me Too) who is running a series of bank heists with a different crew every time with the exception of Baby.

Baby also has tinnitus and so he uses music to drown out the ringing in his ear.

The movie uses a pretty cool playlist of songs and Edgar Wright's unique film work to create a really uniquely shot and well written crime story with a colorful and star studded cast as the criminals Baby runs across. Since Spacey's character switches out his crew every job, the members include actors like Jon Hamm, Jon Berenthall, Eiza Gonzalez, and Jamie Foxx.

As Baby tries to maneuver his way out of the criminal lifestyle, he meets a nice waitress by the name of Debora (played by Lily James) and he suddenly has an incredible motivation to leave that life behind him, a motivation that Kevin Spacey's character is not too happy about.

Good things first. The cast is fantastic. It's pretty easy to see Jon Berenthall in a role like this and as usual, he's criminally underutilized. But then you see Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx in these roles and they seem to be having a blast being these incredible psychopaths.

I think another fun element is each criminal's relationship with Baby. Jon Hamm and his wife played by Eiza Gonzalez kind of like Baby because they don't see him as a threat. Whereas Jamie Foxx and Jon Berenthall are incredibly skeptical of him. These relationships take great turns and they're just fun to watch the alliances shift as Baby tries to figure out who he can trust or not.

You might think that my criticism of Spacey's character is because I think he's a creep, and he is. But I actually think his character is the least developed because they're not really sure who he is. For a lot of the film, he's an authoritative villain who Baby needs to escape, then suddenly at the end, Baby is asking him for his help and that was an odd turn. It doesn't totally ruin the movie, especially considering how the movie ends in total, but it was something that seemed off looking at Spacey's character as a whole.

As far as the male and female lead, I liked Elgort and James's performance. I think Elgort is a little bit of an odd duck and he looks a little bit out of place by looking so young, but it worked for the most part in this film. I am continuously a fan of Lily James.

Is it the couple sent from heaven? No. But I'm not too picky when it comes to romantic leads. They're totally serviceable and similarly to the supporting cast (which is the real draw in my opinion) they seem like they're having a fun time with the role as well.

And a lot of that is due to the directing of Edgar Wright.

Wright is able to combine a fantastic soundtrack in a time where fantastic soundtracks are overused. He not only picks songs that are not gimicky, but he uses those songs in his directing, his choreography, and the action.

There are times where gunshots or engine revs pair up with the music and it just makes the movie up tempo and a lot of fun. I will say I think the movie takes a little bit to get going as there is a lot of set up, but part of that is how well done the first action car chase it and how it gets your blood pumping from the beginning.

The car stunts are done so well and the first scene is a great car chase. I think it's done so well that everything after that slows down a lot in comparison. It eventually picks up but I remember the first act being a little slow.

But it's made up for in future car chases and filmography. That would be the biggest glaring issue. I mean that and the small issue that Baby is really not that great of a criminal, but that doesn't pull away from the story.

Overall, it's a fun little crime thriller with a great soundtrack, awesome stunts, and a really fun cast (minus creepy Kevin Spacey). I think if you're looking for an entertaining little romp that I almost hope they don't just try to cash in on a sequel, Baby Driver is going to be a good time for you.

But those are my thoughts on Baby Driver. Have you seen it? What'd you think? Is Kevin Spacey being a creep as distracting for you? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!