Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director Has Big Ideas For What Happens Right After His Movie Ends

Godzilla: King Of The Monsters Director Has Big Ideas For What Happens Right After His Movie Ends

Warning: SPOILERS for Godzilla: King of the Monsters are ahead!

The general public wasn’t aware that the Titans existed before the events of Godzilla, but the giant reptile’s clash with the MUTOs changed everything. Five years later, Godzilla’s collision with Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah in Godzilla: King of the Monsters resulted in even more destruction across the world, and now the public is fully in the loop on these beasts since Monarch shared the information it’d collected about them over the decades.

So how does humanity go forward from here? Obviously we’re not done with Titan fights by a long shot, as Godzilla vs. Kong is less than a year away. But in terms of the overall status quo, Godzilla: King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty told CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb that the population will need to heed the late Dr. Ishiro Serizawa’s (played by Ken Watanabe) advice and make peace with the Titans’ existence. As Dougherty put it:

I feel like humans have no choice but to live by Serizawa’s words, which is that we have to learn how to coexist with the Titans. Now that the genie’s out of the bottle, we have no choice but to accept the fact that mankind is no longer at the top of the food chain.

During Godzilla: King of the Monsters, there was a debate over whether it was better to learn to coexist with the Titans or if we were better off killing them. The U.S. government certainly tried its best to kill both Godzilla and King Ghidorah with its Oxygen Destroyer, but the weapon only seriously harmed Godzilla, with King Ghidorah barely being fazed.

Had Dr. Ishiro Serizawa not sacrificed his life to revive Godzilla so that the reptile could defeat his arch-nemesis once and for all, Earth would be destroyed. So as Thomas Middleditch’s character, Sam Coleman, mentioned early in the movie, there are some Titans that are here to help us, and some that are here to threatens us. It’s great to learn which is which, but humanity now needs to learn that the beasts have been here longer than us and are here to stay.

Judging by the Godzilla: King of the Monsters credits, it looks like a lot of folks are getting used to this. Along with Monarch publishing all its research, it was also revealed that some cruise ships have passed by Godzilla himself, prehistoric plants are popping up that some consider to be “superfood,” and Earth is starting to be healed thanks to the Titans no longer being influenced by King Ghidorah, who wasn’t even native to our world.

Still, that doesn’t mean that everything is all fine and dandy in the MonsterVerse now that King Ghidorah is gone. It was also noted in the Godzilla: King of the Monsters credits that Skull Island has started to become unstable, with many new Titans setting up shop there, which will undoubtedly not sit well with the island’s ruler, King Kong.

This sets the stage for Godzilla vs. Kong, which will see these two behemoths clash for the first time in an American production. While their battle will be the main draw, the fourth MonsterVerse entry will also show Monarch delving into the Titans’ origins and a conspiracy to wipe out these creatures being uncovered.

You can listen to Michael Dougherty’s full remarks about the post-Godzilla: King of the Monsters MonsterVerse in the video below.

Be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and stay tuned for coverage on Godzilla vs. Kong, which hits theaters on March 13, 2020.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe Just Had Its Star Trek VI Moment

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Just Had Its Star Trek VI Moment

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are in play. If you haven’t seen the film, come back once you’ve seen the film.

There’s been a lot of talk about Avengers: Endgame in the media as of late, what with the first arc of recorded history ending with the Infinity Saga’s close. For a juggernaut as huge as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 22 films across 11 years is quite a bit of time for an audience to be invested in a story’s progression. And when I think about it, there’s only one other event that comes close to matching it.

Back in 1991, the original crew of the Star Trek series made their final appearance as a complete group. It was a moment that saw the end of one era,and the dawn of another, dovetailing each other for one brief moment in time. And as Avengers: Endgame honored its original crew’s departure in a very similar way as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country did, I realized that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had its very own Star Trek VI moment.

What’s a Star Trek VI moment? Allow me to explain.

What Is The Star Trek VI Moment?

At the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, we see the original crew of the USS Enterprise-A prepared to sail off for decommissioning. With Captain Kirk’s orders of “Second star to the left, straight on until morning,” Kirk and his fellow Federation members make their way into the history books, retiring the original crew that started the bold journey to where no one has gone before. Ending literally with the signatures of the original Star Trek cast flying off into space, it was a truly emotional moment.

While the Star Trek franchise would continue in the decades past director Nicholas Meyer’s swan song for the original series cast, it was a moment that would stand as a fixed point in the timeline. Every crew, every captain, every ship would be compared to that original lineup and the adventures that they embarked on. With that gold standard in place, as the signatures of the original cast flew into the stars of Star Trek VI’s finale, series history had an official gold standard of what to do and what not to do in future installments.

The voyages of Starfleet would continue, surely enough; but the first storied era of adventures in the Star Trek universe were officially complete. Which paved the way for the likes of Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Kathryn Janeway and Jonathan Archer to lead with distinction and carve their own legacies into the stars.

How Did Avengers: Endgame Have Its Star Trek VI Moment?

Keeping the definition of a Star Trek VI moment in mind, Avengers: Endgame approached its own version of that very ending with a battle so great, it ensured that the original lineup of Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes would never be able to return to the series. Consequences were set and honored, and the message was clear: this is the end of the MCU as we know it, but not the end of Marvel’s cinematic world by a long shot.

By time Avengers: Endgame said its final goodbyes to the Avengers that either fell in the line of duty or retired, the MCU found itself on the same sort of path that Star Trek before it had. With Phase 4 still officially unannounced and the future unknown, the landmark cinematic franchise is now at a crossroads as to how it should proceed. But as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country had done in the past, the original six Avengers all saw their autographs commemorated on screen, as if putting their final signature on the characters they helped bring to life.

Just as we saw Captain Kirk soar into series history, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff all saw themselves consigned to the past when all was said and done. Avengers: Endgame served not only as the close of an arc 11 years in the making, it also opened the door for whatever came next to have autonomy to find its own voice.

Will We Ever See The Marvel Cinematic Universe Have Another Star Trek VI Moment

While it’s easy to appreciate a Star Trek VI moment, it’s not something that comes easy. Even in the Trek franchise, it only happened once or twice more, with the departure of the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine casts. It’s a fair assessment that to have a Star Trek VI moment, you really need the people to love you a ridiculous amount.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe does have a legion of loyal fans who’ll follow it to the moon and back, and that’s not too much of an exaggeration. But, again, with the future being an unspecified blank outside of Spider-Man: Far From Home, we can’t really tell if there will be a sendoff so huge that it’ll eclipse or even match this point.

That’s not to say that it can’t happen though. Much like Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country gave original series fans their goodbye, it also left them open to really invest in Star Trek: The Next Generation. And on top of that, the next phase of fandom came in, which would eventually mark the TNG cast’s departure as a cultural touchstone of their own. So while it’s unclear when or where it’ll happen, there are probably at least a couple more Star Trek VI moments waiting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It really just depends on the fans.

The fandom isn’t in the same place it was when the Marvel Cinematic Universe started, so some may change with the times and keep up with the MCU past Avengers: Endgame. Others may call it quits and leave the past where it lies, as they aren’t convinced the future is something they want to see.

But no matter what either of those two factions think, everyone has this one moment in time where the two halves overlapped. Past and present are one, and all got the spectacular battle that Avengers: Endgame used to close off this first arc of history. And that’s still a win on both sides of that particular fence.

Like my Trekker father did back in the day, I’ve now seen a great age of fandom come and gone. And just like he moved into The Next Generation without a hitch, I look forward to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while acknowledging all the bright and bountiful moments that came before.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, waiting for history to ultimately judge its efforts. But if you’re more interested in the future of moviegoing, look at 2019’s release schedule for some more immediate fun. And be sure to keep your eyes open for any Marvel Cinematic Universe scheduling that comes to pass, with our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide.

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Avengers: Endgame Originally Gave Black Widow A Heartbreaking New Job

Avengers: Endgame Originally Gave Black Widow A Heartbreaking New Job

SPOILERS ahead for Avengers: Endgame.

Oof. Avengers: Endgame almost got even darker and deeper into the mythology of what happens when you snap out 50% of all life.

The Decimation hit all of the Avengers hard, and they each handled it differently. Black Widow didn't run away or start a family. She got to work. We saw her running point for the surviving Avengers at the compound. She also kept up training. She was quick to speak up and say they needed to try whatever they could to reverse Thanos' Snap, for the people who weren't there with them. She said she never had a family until she was part of the Avengers.

Speaking of family, that's where directors Joe and Anthony Russo almost got extra bleak. Anthony Russo said they did spend a lot of time thinking about the realities and logistics of what would happen if 50% of all living creatures simply vanished. Black Widow almost got a new job in the time jump trying to care for the kids who were left behind:

One thing that we talked about a lot -- and I thought was really profound, but it was almost too large of an idea for us to wrangle, but we did try for a while -- is just the idea that one-quarter of all children have no parents. Assuming you started with two parents. So that’s a lot of global orphans. Just the staggering number of that. I believe at one point really early in development, Black Widow was actually leading the organization in D.C. that was in charge of orphans, basically. That was what she was heading up five years later. But yes, it’s fascinating when you start running it down.

Wow. Yeah, I think it was the right call to skip that storyline. Endgame was dark enough without bringing the reality of millions of orphans into it. That's a completely different movie. Actually, maybe it's HBO's The Leftovers.

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Natasha revealed to Bruce that she couldn't have her own children, since she was sterilized as part of her spy initiation. The scene caused some controversy, but it would've been an interesting tie-in to see Natasha caring for so many children years later. In a way, it could've been like she'd adopted the Thanos orphans.

It is fascinating when you start running it all down, as Anthony Russo told Slate. Avengers: Endgame did show the day-to-day changes that happened after The Decimation -- like Steve Rogers' support group, and the trashed and abandoned streets poor confused Scott Lang walked. But they didn't go too deep into how the rest of the world was affected because it was already a three-hour movie and they had to get busy reversing Thanos' call.

The Russo Brothers may have changed Black Widow's post-Snap job, but they kept her sacrifice intact. They recently explained why they had her sacrifice herself for the Soul Stone.

Despite that sacrifice, we are still getting her first Black Widow movie. Cate Shortland is directing Scarlett Johansson, with the supporting cast including Florence Pugh, David Harbour, and Rachel Weisz. Production may already be in motion to start filming soon for its Phase Four release.

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The John Wick Franchise Methodically Plans Out Its Use Of Blood

The John Wick Franchise Methodically Plans Out Its Use Of Blood

If things had played out differently with director David Leitch and Chad Stahelski’s John Wick franchise, we might have seen a franchise that splattered a whole lot more blood onto the screen. But as their intentions were to have a more realistic, but still brutal series of kills in their film, the directors instructed their visual effects team to bring things down a notch.

So while you do see blood in the John Wick series, it’s very methodically placed in its usage. Part of that is due to the reality of the wounds the series inflicts on its various baddies, as you’ll see in the following remarks from Kirk Brillon, the VFX supervisor from John Wick: Chapter 2:

A lot of times when you’re doing special effects for action movies, when someone gets shot, the blood explodes out toward you, toward the camera. But when you’re actually shot by a bullet, the blood’s coming out the back.

Apparently, the call for more realistic gore in the John Wick universe came from the fact that David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, both trained stuntmen who worked on The Matrix with Keanu Reeves, are versed in how things like gunshot wounds, snapped limbs and other sorts of grotesqueries look in the practical world. So rather than ramp things up Tarantino style, the call was made early on to keep it real, straight on through to John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Comparatively, that decision was, and still is, a wise play to keep in the John Wick series of films. The action pretty much speaks for itself, with the blood being an accent of realism showing that those bone crunching stunts hurt the characters as much as you thought they would.

Ultimately, the policy on blood in the John Wick universe can be summed up in the following words spoken by Kirk Brillon, also spoken during this very interview he gave to Variety:

The blood’s gonna be there, but it’s gonna be subtle, and it’s gonna be behind them.

While there’s not an excess of blood shed during the course of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, there’s certainly a lot of cash and goodwill being thrown around by its audience. Weighing in with $109 million in its first week at the box office, this third film opens the door wide open for a fourth chapter, both in terms of where the plot winds up in the ending, and with Lionsgate excited to get to work on that very film’s scheduling.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is currently in theaters, making peace and preparing for war. But if you’ve already caught that film, or if you want to check something else out at the movies, take a look at our 2019 release schedule for futrher information.

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New Men In Black International Clip Pokes Fun At Game Of Thrones’ Coffee Cup Debacle

New Men In Black International Clip Pokes Fun At Game Of Thrones’ Coffee Cup Debacle

The summer season, so far, has been all about the Avengers, but there are plenty more franchise looking to make a splash as the temperatures rise outside. Spider-Man will swing through his own sequel. The Toys are back in town for Toy Story 4, and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner) will absorb the power of the Phoenix in Simon Kinberg’s Dark Phoenix.

And then there are the Men In Black, who will add a fresh-faced new female recruit to their ranks when Tessa Thompson teams with Chris Hemsworth for Men In Black International. The promotional campaign is stepping up, as of late, including this clever and very timely use of the neuralyzer, which Game of Thrones fans probably want to use on its millions of viewers:

And no, this isn’t a dig at Dany laying waste to King’s Landing with her one remaining dragon (though seriously, a lot of Game of Thrones fans likely want their own neuralyzer to block out the bulk of season eight). This is a clever dig laid by Men In Black International about the coffee cup left on the Thrones set during a post-battle celebration. Happier times! Remember those?

With the help of a trusty neuralyzer, all one has to do is stare into the light, and the memory that you want gone is wiped. It was a funny bit every time Will Smith of Tommy Lee Jones did it in the original Men In Black films. We can’t wait to see how Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson use it in the new film.

When CinemaBlend visited the set of Men In Black International, we learned that the neuralyzer actually will play a bigger role in the story of this new team, with Chris Hemsworth’s character – Agent H – potentially suffering from a memory wipe after an early confrontation. Beyond that tease, details were kept under wraps, but we’ll know the full story once the movie comes out.

F. Gary Gray directs Men In Black International, recruiting Tessa Thompson out of the bureau’s New York office and then sending her to London where she’ll team with Chris Hemsworth and Liam Neeson on a globe-trotting adventure. The movie opens everywhere on June 14. For more from our visit to the London set of the movie, click here.

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How A Dog's Journey's Opening Box Office Compares To A Dog's Purpose

How A Dog's Journey's Opening Box Office Compares To A Dog's Purpose

John Wick: Chapter 3 is not the only movie going to the dogs this weekend. A Dog's Journey also just opened May 17, as a direct sequel to the 2017 movie A Dog's Purpose. It's also the second movie adaptation of a W. Bruce Cameron book to open in 2019, after A Dog's Way Home.

Is that too many doggone dog movies? Maybe. That could be why A Dog's Journey had the lowest opening of the trio. Or it could just purely be from too much other competition.

A Dog's Journey just opened to $8 million, putting it in 4th place on the weekend box office chart, behind John Wick 3, Avengers: Endgame, and Detective Pikachu.

That $8 million debut is significantly less than the $18.2 million A Dog's Purpose made in its January 2017 opening weekend. A Dog's Way Home also had a higher debut, making $11.2 million in January 2019.

A Dog's Purpose opened amid controversy after set footage emerged showing a German Shepherd being dragged into rushing water. Josh Gad, who voiced the dogs in the movie, said he was "shaken and sad" to see any animal forced into a situation against its will. The film's Los Angeles premiere was cancelled. But the film went on to make $64.5 million at the domestic box office and $140.5 million worldwide, off a $22 production budget, per Box Office Mojo.

Josh Gad returned for the sequel A Dog's Journey, along with Dennis Quaid as Ethan Montgomery. That film just doesn't seem to be on track for the same box office success as A Dog's Purpose. Why not? Possibly because A Dog's Way Home just came out in January and made $42 million at the domestic box office, and $34 million overseas. Or maybe fans were just too interested in seeing Avengers: Endgame again, or Detective Pikachu.

Critics didn't care much for A Dog's Journey, giving it a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But the same is true for A Dog's Purpose, which got an even lower 34% rating from critics, but a 73% Audience Score from fans. A Dog's Journey got an even higher boost with a whopping 95% RT Audience Score, and an A CinemaScore from polled moviegoers. A Dog's Purpose also got an A CinemaScore, with A Dog's Way Home getting an A-.

So the fans who saw A Dog's Journey seemed to love it, there just haven't been that many fans heading out to see it yet. Memorial Day weekend is coming up, though, so maybe some parents are just waiting until the kids have more time off. But The Secret Life of Pets 2 is coming soon to steal family time and pet-loving attention, so A Dog's Journey needs to hurry up and find an audience or it'll be stuck in the box office dog house.

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It’s Time To Retire Hellboy As A Film Franchise

It’s Time To Retire Hellboy As A Film Franchise

Last year marked the 25th anniversary of Hellboy’s introduction over at Dark Horse Comics, and just a year later, the character finally returned to the big screen following an 11-year hiatus. Unfortunately for Hellboy fans, the reboot directed by Neil Marshall and starring David Harbour has fared poorly during its time in theaters, and there’s definitely no question that it’s nowhere near the level of quality of the previous two movies that were directed by Guillermo del Toro and starred Ron Perlman.

The Hellboy comic book mythology created by Mike Mignola is a rich tapestry full of colorful characters and fantasy/horror elements, and anyone who’s remotely interested in Hellboy should check out these stories. However, as far as the Hellboy film franchise goes, it’s time it be permanently retired for for several reasons. Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first.

The Reboot Bombed

As has already been mentioned, the new Hellboy movie is the definition of a cinematic disappointment. At the time of this writing, it’s been in theaters for 12 days and has only made a little over $20 million worldwide. On the critical side of things, Hellboy has received mostly negative reviews, ranking at 14% on Rotten Tomatoes and earning a C CinemaScore. It was also reported shortly before Hellboy’s release that there was a lot of behind-the-scenes drama during its production, which probably contributed to the movie’s subpar quality.

The Hellboy reboot had the potential to not only launch a new Hellboy film series, but also expand into a cinematic universe reminiscent of the Dark Horse Comics source material, with folks like Lobster Johnson and the other members of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense capable of leading their own movies. Alas, the movie’s critical and commercial performance all but guarantees that Lionsgate won’t spring for a sequel, making this a one-and-done adventure. Given how negatively this movie was received, it’ll be a long time before another studio is willing to entertain the notion of delivering another reboot; it’s for the best if that doesn’t happen at all.

Hellboy III Isn’t Happening

Hellboy fans weren’t clamoring for years for the character to be rebooted, but for Ron Perlman’s version to return. Both Perlman and Guillermo del Toro expressed interest numerous times in making Hellboy III, and the first two movies certainly planted to seeds for an explosive trilogy capper, namely through Hellboy’s destiny to become the Beast of the Apocalypse. Those two tried their best to get the threequel off the ground, but in February 2017, del Toro stated that Hellboy III “100% would not happen,” and the reboot was announced soon after.

As we’ve seen with franchises like Terminator and Ghostbusters, sometimes there are opportunities to return to a previous film continuity following a reboot or two. In theory, Hellboy could also be that franchise, but it’s likely that at least another decade would have to pass before Hellboy would be brought back to the big screen. By that point, Ron Perlman would be in his late 70s, and even now he’s not interested in stepping back into the superhero genre. The best we can hope for with Hellboy III is that the story can be told through a comic book series.

Animation’s Already Been Explored

With Hellboy III off the table and the reboot spectacularly bombing, that’s enough justification to not deliver any more inline action interpretations of the Hellboy mythology to the big screen. But what about through animation? Surely Hellboy’s adventures could look cool in an animated setting, right? They would, and we’ve actually already been treated to two such projects. In 2006, a direct-to-DVD movie called Hellboy: Sword of Storms was released, and had Ron Perlman and Selma Blair reprise Hellboy and Liz Sherman, respectively, as well as featured Doug Jones voicing Abe Sapien for the first time. The three actors also returned for 2007’s Hellboy: Blood and Iron.

It would certainly be terrific if fans got a feature-length, CGI-animated Hellboy movie for the big screen, but frankly, despite his years of popularity on the printed page, Hellboy is still a relatively niche character. It’s a wonder we got those earlier animated movies, but it’s doubtful that a studio would be willing to invest so many resources into an animated movie starring a character much of the general public doesn’t know about and would gather a smaller audience since it would need to at least be rated PG-13, if not R.

It’s A Better Fit For TV

I may be advocating for there not to be any more Hellboy movies, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in any more live action adaptations of the mythology. On the contrary, with all the stories that Dark Horse Comics has published over the years, there’s more than enough material to warrant a Hellboy TV series. Granted, this is not the kind of show that could work on broadcast television, but on a premium cable network like HBO or Starz with only 8-12 episodes per season, it would thrive.

Obviously the biggest budget towards bringing Hellboy to TV would be the budget. It’s not cheap to make actors look like monsters and this would definitely require a lot of VFX work. That, along with presenting the numerous locations Hellboy travels to during his B.P.R.D. adventures would make a TV series a more complicated creative endeavor, perhaps even more so than Game of Thrones. Nevertheless, we’ve seen numerous TV shows present cinematic-level quality of content in recent years, so with the right amount of dollars being poured into a Hellboy TV series and the right creative team and cast attached, this project has the potential to be better than all the movies that have come before. But to be safe, it’d probably still be a good idea to wait another 5-10 years before starting work on such a series.

Feel free to let us know what you’d like to see happen with Hellboy next in our poll and comments below, and rest assured, if another new movie or a TV show starring Big Red is announced, we here at CinemaBlend will let you know about it. You can also look through our 2019 release schedule to plan your visits to the movie theater this year accordingly.

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Watch Michelle Pfeiffer Go Full Catwoman By Cracking Her Batman Returns Whip

Watch Michelle Pfeiffer Go Full Catwoman By Cracking Her Batman Returns Whip

This weekend’s debut of Dumbo marked a fun collaboration between Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Tim Burton for the first time since 1992’s Batman Returns. The trio seriously missed out on an opportunity to include arguably most iconic element of their first united effort: Michelle Pfeiffer. The actress famously could crack a whip as Catwoman and apparently not much has changed 27 years later.

Maybe Michelle Pfeiffer was getting a bit nostalgic about her badass Batman Returns role in light of Tim Burton’s most recent movie? The actress took to her Instagram to show she still has Catwoman’s whip. Take a look:

She is Catwoman, hear her roar!! Anyone else geeking out right now? This is like the equivalent of Harrison Ford bringing out his Indiana Jones hat… or whip! It’s pretty amazing that Michelle Pfeiffer has Selina Kyle’s suave weapon-of-choice still in her possession. Though she did admit, it needed a little TLC… leading to this recent video:

Michelle Pfeiffer noted it’s “just like riding a bike” as she played around with her Catwoman whip with precision. Sarah Paulson echoed much of our sentiments as she loudly commented in all caps “MAKE ANOTHER CATWOMAN MOVIE PLEASE AND THANK YOU” after asking the actress if she could have the whip in Pfeiffer’s previous post. The 60-year-old icon clearly has still got it, and has shown her interest in reprising the role in the past. Here’s hoping DC and Tim Burton are paying attention.

Following the pop culture phenomenon Pfeiffer’s Catwoman became after Batman Returns, the character was set to have her own spinoff, though the movie written by John August (The Corpse Bride and Big Fish) didn’t get past the pitch stage. The sassy DC villain instead found her way to the big screen in 2004 with Halle Berry’s Catwoman, which is known as one of the most unfortunate pieces of comic adapted cinema to this day.

After Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer was certainly a tough act to follow, considering her zany one-liners, seductive leather suit and cleverly both fun and dark portrayal of Selina Kyle. Check her out in her glory days in this scene of Batman Returns:

The actress did her own work with the whip during filming of Batman Returns and even cut down the heads of those mannequins in one take. With skills like that to whip out, Michelle Pfeiffer could have easily found a place within the circus world of Dumbo, perhaps as a villainous ringleader to team up with Michael Keaton’s Vandevere.

The actress has found a place in the Disney family recently as Janet van Dyne in the Ant-Man movies and as Queen Ingrith in the upcoming sequel to Maleficent coming this fall.

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John Wick Box Office: Beloved Hitman Takes Out Avengers: Endgame

John Wick Box Office: Beloved Hitman Takes Out Avengers: Endgame

You can't win the weekend box office forever. Even E.T., which somehow won the weekend box office sixteen different times, was eventually defeated. After surviving a close race with Detective Pikachu last weekend, Avengers: Endgame came into this weekend a bit beaten up, and John Wick 3 took full advantage, topping $57M in its debut weekend and almost doubling up Captain America and friends, which slipped to number two for the first time after winning its initial three weekends.

You can check out the full weekend box office results, including those for other newcomers A Dog's Journey and The Sun Is Also A Star below...

The big story here, of course, is John Wick 3. The previous two installments of the movie definitely had nice little runs at the box office, but round three almost doubled the weekend opening of round two, per Box Office Mojo. That's definitely a sign of a franchise trending in the right direction. Whether there will be a Chapter 4 is still unclear (info here WITH SPOILERS), but there's still the spinoff rolling forward over at Starz and it's hard to imagine Hollywood deciding to pass on a cash cow. As such, I'd expect to see another film too, whether it's a direct sequel or a spinoff.

Obviously, we should all tip our caps to Avengers: Endgame, as well. The film may not have won a historically significant number of weekends, but it'll go down as one of the highest grossing movies of all-time. That's ultimately a lot more important than winning a fourth weekend, which is as much related to competition as it is to absolute popularity. Obviously, the natural question moving forward is where the MCU goes from here and what the new normal as far as box office grosses might be. I don't think anyone at the Mouse House will be expecting numbers like this anytime soon, but it remains to be seen whether franchises like Black Panther will be able to eclipse their prior entries now that the MCU isn't directly building toward a clear climax.

All involved with Detective Pikachu should be happy with the film's solid second weekend, as well. Fans are already speculating on what Pokemon movies they'd like to see next, and it now seems certain we'll see another movie with a sizeable budget in the near future, which is the entire goal of trying to launch a franchise. Now whether that movie will include Pikachu or Ryan Reynolds is anyone's guess, but Detective Pikachu still deserves all the credit for proving enough people are invested in Pokemon to make a $100M+ budget a reasonable expense.

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The Part of Rocky IV That Makes Dolph Lundgren Emotional

The Part of Rocky IV That Makes Dolph Lundgren Emotional

The Rocky movies have been something of a, well, rocky franchise. The original Rocky was a deeply involved character study of an underdog boxer that earned multiple Academy Awards. Rocky IV was more about Cold War flag waving. Having said that, the movie does get a very strong emotional reaction from co-star Dolph Lundgren, who says the scene where Ivan Drago emerges to fight Apollo Creed always gets to him. According to Lundgren...

I remember when we shot the Apollo Creed fight. Yeah, it was at the MGM Grand in Vegas. They had me down in this elevator that was going to go up, part of the stage show...When I came up the elevator, I was stunned. That's the one moment in Rocky IV where you see Dolph Lundgren, at 27, because that Drago mask kind of fell off and I'm just there going, 'What the hell happened,' you know? And that's kind of a beautiful moment. I always get a little emotional when I see that, because I see that young kid."

Rocky IV was the movie that introduced the world to Dolph Lundgren, but at the same time it was also the movie that introduced Dolph Lundgren to the world. Lundgren had technically made his acting debut a few months earlier when the James Bond movie A View to a Kill came out, but when Rocky IV hit the screen he made a massive leap to playing the opponent of Rocky Balboa in a much larger role.

It all had to feel somewhat surreal to Lundgren, and based on comments the actor makes on the special features attached to the Creed II Blu-ray release, it absolutely was. The actor says the look on his face as he came out into the MGM Grand wasn't acting anymore, it was his actual feelings as he saw this massive crowd that had come to watch him film the boxing match between himself and Carl Weathers. You can watch the sequence play out in the clip below.

It's been a while since I've seen Rocky IV but I'd forgotten how much of a deer in the headlights Ivan Drago looks like here. He's clearly out of his element, which is an odd thing to see from a character who's supposed to be an unstoppable machine. He shows basically no emotion for the entire film, but he''s clearly off balance here. It turns out that part of the reason for that is that this isn't really the reaction of Ivan Drago, it's the reaction of Dolph Lundgren.

Rocky IV would help launch Lundgren's career in action movies throughout the 80s and 90s before coming full circle and seeing him return to the role of Ivan Drago in Creed II, a movie which shows us a side of the character we never saw the first time around.

Creed II is available now on Blu-ray and Digital HD.

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Avengers: Endgame Has Screened, Here’s What People Are Saying

Avengers: Endgame Has Screened, Here’s What People Are Saying

Avengers: Endgame had its world premiere last night, and that means there are a select group of people walking this earth who know how it all ends. Those people know, but they're not talking, because they're decent human beings. They are, however, talking in much more broad strokes about what they thought of Endgame as a whole. In a word, well, it was a marvel. Critics began tweeting their thoughts after the premiere last night and not only are they basically overwhelmingly positive, they're flat out in shock.

CinemaBlend's own Eric Eisenberg was one of the people lucky enough to attend the premiere, and he is still coming to terms with what he saw.

This can't be understated: Avengers Endgame is everything you want it to be and more. I am absolutely floored. A perfect reflection on the last 11 years that pays off everything in the best way possible. Without question my new favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Stunned.

Fans are likely breathing a sigh of relief right about now. The build up to Avengers: Endgame has been immense. Infinity War left things with an incredible conclusion that even those familiar with the story weren't necessarily expecting. It was hard for people to imagine how Marvel would top that.

And that's the challenge after all. Ending a story isn't easy. Finding a way to make things satisfying for the audience, especially because expectations are so high, is that much harder. However, Slashfilm's Peter Sciretta says that expectations will be met, and likely exceeded. Also, bring tissues...

Imagine the best possible version of Avengers Endgame and somehow the film still surpasses all expectations. I cried 5-6 times. It’s the most emotional, most epic, MCU film. A tribute to ten years of this universe and holy shit the great fan service in this movie. Soooo good.

Certainly, nobody could have imaged 11 years ago when the first Iron Man was released that the experiment that was the Marvel Cinematic Universe would become quite this successful. When The Avengers came out and set box office records that was an achievement all on its own. And yet, things continued forward and a story began to take shape that as eventually going to lead things to an even bigger conclusion.

Spoiler heavy material has leaked onto the internet, a difficult thing to avoid happening with something this in demand, but hopefully most fans have successfully avoided it. Kara Warner of People urges all fans to go in to the movie knowing as little as possible.

Wow Avengers Endgame. Just wow. What a supremely satisfying film. See it as soon as you can and go in as blind as possible.

Leaked videos notwithstanding, Marvel has done a remarkable job of keeping a lid on things. Even the trailers, while they've given us the film's basic setup, really haven't shown us much beyond that. I doubt there's a single shot in the trailers that doesn't come from the first hour of the movie, and considering the film is three hours long, that leaves a lot of additional material that we know essentially nothing about.

Does anybody have a bad thing to say at all about Avengers: Endgame. Not really. One of the few critical statements I could find came from i09's Germain Lussier, who admitted that the film is long, which means that it actually felt long, and that it's not entirely perfect. Beyond that, still amazed.

Wow. Avengers Endgame is staggering. It’s surprising in ways I never saw coming and satisfying in ways I didn’t realize I needed. It’s kind of the ultimate gift to fans of the MCU. It’s very long and has a few hiccups, but is everything you’re hoping for and more.

People have been waiting for more than a decade through more than 20 movies to get to this point. If you've seen them all, you've certainly been on a journey. Fandango's Erik Davis says that dedication will be rewarded, as Endgame is actually able to expand on the entire MCU and make you see the entire series in a new way.

Avengers Endgame is a masterful epic - a true culmination of 22 films that not only concludes the story, but expands upon it. You’ll learn more about the other movies while this one unfolds. If Infinity War is the brawn, Endgame is the brains. And wow, what an ending!

Is there anything at all to be critical of? Well, as one might expect of a three hour epic of a movie, it's a slow build. Yolanda Machado admits that younger viewers may not get behind some of the slower bits, and it sounds like there might also be some scarier parts, but in the end, it's all worth it.

More on Avengers Endgame. The story is a long, slow build but the payoff is fantastic. Kids under 10 might not handle the first half, for a few reasons, but older kids will dig it. I cried, and there's one moment I just screamed YASSSS!!! Then I cried some more. I just loved it.

If it was possible for Avengers: Endgame to be hyped any more than it already has been, that seems to have been accomplished. The good news is that all corners seem to indicate that's ok, as the movie will meet or exceed all of our expectations. If it was able to work for basically everybody in attendance at the premier in that way, then it will almost certainly satisfy theaters full of people when it debuts this weekend.

In the end, it's not a question of if Avengers: Endgame is going to be big, it's just a question of how big it will be. Any worry that Endgame wasn't going to stick the landing should be gone now. Will the end of this epic story become the highest grossing movie of all-time? The film has already set pre-sale records, meaning the movie will likely set opening weekend records. The fact that some theaters are running screenings overnight will help that too.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had no shortage of epic moments, but it seems like we may have several more in store for us very soon. What happens next? Not even those at the premiere know the answer to that, if they do, they're not saying.

Full reviews for Avengers: Endgame will be hitting later today, so if you want more information, come back to CinemaBlend this afternoon.

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Now, Chris Hemsworth Has A Different Actor In Mind For James Bond

Now, Chris Hemsworth Has A Different Actor In Mind For James Bond

Daniel Craig is hard at work on the next installment in the James Bond franchise, but with every expectation that this will be his last time in the role, the question of who will be the next James Bond hasn't died down at all. Several names have been suggested both before and after Craig confirmed his return. Chris Hemsworth is one of those names, and he's even expressed interest in the role. However, the Thor actor now says that his vote would go to Idris Elba, as the Hobbs & Shaw villain would bring something fresh and new to the long running role. According to Hemsworth...

I think he’d give it a different sort of swagger, too, and each time someone new comes into the role, I think you’ve got to offer up something different.

Chris Hemsworth is far from the only one who thinks Idris Elba would be a good choice for the new James Bond. The actor has been one of the major names bandied about by fans and oddsmakers alike. There have even been rumors that Elba was in talks for the role at one point, though those rumors have always been denied.

Elba has been a popular choice as the next Bond by other celebrities as well. Former Bond Girl Halle Berry has also suggested him. Daniel Craig himself has stated that there's no reason a person of color couldn't take on the role. Even the idea that James Bond could be a woman has been floated and supported by many.

Hemsworth's reasoning to Variety, for why Elba would work, that he would offer something different to the role, makes a lot of sense as well. While there are certainly elements of the James Bond character that have been consistent through time, each new actor has also brought their own particular style to the part.

The discussion of who the next James Bond might be hasn't died down in the slightest even though Daniel Craig is filming a movie right now. While there will almost certainly be a new James Bond for the franchise's 26th film, don't expect to hear even a word about who it might be for another year or more. Any announcement of a new Bond now would only kill the momentum of the movie currently in production. If fans are already looking forward to the next Bond, it will likely kill the box office potential of the new film.

With the normal production cycle of James Bond movies it could actually still be years before a new actor is chosen, which means that the eventual choice might not even be a name that's currently in the conversation. If somebody new pops into the conversation over the next year or so, everybody from Tom Hiddleston to Tom Hardy that have been rumored could be left by the wayside.

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Mysterio’s Spider-Man: Far From Home Was Influenced By Iron Man And Black Panther

Mysterio’s Spider-Man: Far From Home Was Influenced By Iron Man And Black Panther

It's a fascinating time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers: Endgame has been in theaters for weeks, and is making a ton of money in the process. The Russo Brothers crafted a blockbuster that was intimately connected to the preceding 21 movies, and it exceeded any fan expectations or theories. But there's still one more installment in left in Phase Three-- Spider-Man: Far From Home, which will pick up the narrative following Thanos' defeat.

Spider-Man: Far From Home has a ton of pressure associated with it, as the generations of Marvel fans will use the upcoming sequel will see the post-Endgame world through Peter's perspective. The movie will also introduce the multiverse through Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio, who is surprisingly not being advertised as a villain, but an ally. And looks like his suit was directly influenced by Marvel greats, as costume designer Michael Mooney explained during the Far From Home set visit that CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell attended:

There was references to try to keep it in the Marvel world. So we’re going to get influences from Thor and from Iron Man — we had some Black Panther in there. Just to keep it all in the same realm, to say, ‘this little superhero lives in the same world with the rest.’

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a very specific look about it, as costume designers adapt comic book outfits for a more realistic world. While characters like Iron Man and Spider-Man are direct adaptations, making suits for villains and other MCU characters can be a bit of a challenge.

From what we've seen in the brief Spider-Man: Far From Home trailers, Michael Mooney's comments to Sean O'Connell and the rest of the press at the film's set visit certainly hold up. While Mysterio seemingly gets his powers from magic, his suit bears quite the resemblance to one of Tony Stark's Iron Man armor. The cape is no doubt influenced by Thor's appearance, while Black Panther will likely factor in through different technological abilities. Although what the suit is capable of remains to be seen.

Related: Tom Holland Warns Of A Spider-Man: Far From Home Scene That Will Be An Emotional Punch In The Face

Overall, it's clear that we should expect the unexpected when it comes to Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio. From the moment he appeared in the film's first trailer, it was clear that it was not the Mysterio fans know from the comics. He is shown fighting off the film's elemental villains, and is far more powerful than the illusionist and hypnotist that Quentin Beck typically is on the page. Add in the high concept of the multiverse, and we should expect Marvel Studios to keep the fans guessing once again.

Spider-Man: Far From Home will arrive in theaters on July 2nd. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

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There’s A Star Wars Burlesque Parody, Check Out The Trailer

There’s A Star Wars Burlesque Parody, Check Out The Trailer

While the release of Star Wars: Episode IX may feel like a galaxy far, far away, fans of the franchise can once again see their favorite Star Wars characters in burlesque show The Empire Strips Back, which is heading back to the United States and Canada-- following a successful debut last year. That’s right, the blockbuster space opera has inspired a highly-successful erotic show tour full of female Stormtroopers, a fiery take on Boba Fett and of course bikini Leia and Jabba the Hutt. Check out the show’s teaser below:

The Star Wars Burlesque Parody show promises appearances from just about every character in the film’s lore, including Chewie, C3PO, R2D2, a female Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and the Emperor’s Royal Guard from The Last Jedi! The show’s trailer nudges at some sultry and seductive takes on the characters of the franchise, while also setting a comedic tone-- as Greedo sprays on some hairspray in a dressing room and a cover of David Bowie’s “Star Man” plays in the background. Don’t be fooled – this show is geared for 18 and over!

The Empire Strips Back originated in Australia in 2011 and made its way to the United States in 2018. This year’s tour expands the show to Canada for two shows in Toronto and Montreal for the first time. The 20-date tour starts at the Balboa Theatre in San Diego, California on March 30 and closes out on May 4 (a.k.a. Star Wars Day) at the Playstation Theatre in New York City. Tickets start at around $39, depending on the venue.

When the show first made its way to the US last year, it apparently went through some “red tape” but could be shown thanks to similar parody laws between Australia and the United States. The show’s website gives this description. Read below:

…be prepared for some seriously sexy Stormtroopers, a dangerously seductive Boba Fett, some tantalising Twi'leks, a delightfully luke-warm Taun Taun, a lady-like Skywalker, the Droids you are looking for and much, much more!

The show was met with sold out tickets and rave reviews last year and has included Han Solo dancing out of carbonite to Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”, the Death Star coming on stage to the tune of Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” and many more hilariously strange moments of undress and escapism during the show.

Star of Firefly and The Rookie Nathan Fillion reps the show on the site with the words: “The best episode of Star Wars I’ve ever seen…” Of course if you're not into burlesque, another upcoming Star Wars attraction is the recently moved up opening of Galaxy’s Edge in Disney World on August 29 and Disneyland May 31.

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Where Did Uma Thurman Go After Her Quentin Tarantino Movies?

Where Did Uma Thurman Go After Her Quentin Tarantino Movies?

Uma Thurman had been around Hollywood in solid roles nearly a decade prior to appearing in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, although it feels that film is really where it all started. That pattern's continued with Thurman's career since, as the actress found high acclaim for her starring role in Kill Bill. Since then, Thurman might have dropped off the face of the earth as far as some are concerned, but that's not the case.

So what's Uma Thurman been up to since her last appearance in a Quentin Tarantino film? Quite a lot actually, and this list is here to highlight some of the films the actress has appeared in since 2004. Listed in chronological order, here are some of her bigger movies since then audiences eager to see more can check out.

Be Cool (2005)

Just a year removed from Kill Bill, Uma Thurman found herself as one of the key actors in a star-studded comedy that also stars John Travolta and features folks like Danny DeVito, Andre 3000, The Rock, and Vince Vaughn. Be Cool was a sequel to Get Shorty, with Travolta's Chili attempting to break into the music business. Thurman plays Edie Athens, the widow of Chili's friend and on the hook for money owed by the record label.

The film was far less popular with critics than Get Shorty. Director F. Gary Gray has since said part of that was due to him entering the film thinking he was making an R-rated feature, only to be told just ahead of production the goal was for the sequel to be PG-13. Gray told Deadline the film needed edge with its gangsta rap characters and mobsters, and keeping things safe hurt its quality.

The Producers (2005)

Ironically enough, Be Cool wouldn't be the only film Uma Thurman starred in that year with a plot involving a flop. Thurman played the role of Ulla in the 2005 remake adaptation of the successful Mel Brooks movie-turned-play The Producers. Thurman plays Swedish actress Ulla, who manages to get become a part of the show's production even before casting has officially begun. She and Leo eventually elope, and all's well that ends well, for the most part.

The Producers did better than Be Cool in the eyes of critics, but still received middling scores. None of that was due to Thurman's performance, but rather the thought that a lot of the film in general was better suited to the stage than the film world in general. With that said, the movie did go on to get four Golden Globe nominations, so it's not as though it was looked down on by everyone.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)

Superheroes have insane, unique abilities that make them close to gods in terms of power, but they have the same desires as average humans. My Super Ex-Girlfriend examines this somewhat, as Uma Thurman plays a super-heroine smitten by Luke Wilson's Matt who "saves" her from a purse snatcher. The two become the equivalent of Lois Lane and Superman... that is, until things start to get tense.

The two split, and Uma Thurman's G-Girl proceeds to make Matt's life a living hell for breaking up with her. It falls in the genre of superhero comedy, although it may not quite have the tone or action of other films like Thor: Ragnarok or Guardians of the Galaxy. It's a much goofier take, but still features a solid performance from Thurman even if the film isn't quite a cinematic masterpiece.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

2010 featured a rare appearance by Uma Thurman in a genre she's not seen in all that often: fantasy. Thurman played Medusa in Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. It's a rather short cameo, which isn't all that bad because seeing Thurman with snake hair is quite a frightening visual!

Thurman's short-lived cameo was almost as short as the prospect of a Percy Jackson film franchise. The franchise had one more film following the first one called Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea Of Monsters, and things more or less flat-lined after that. There's been no talk of rebooting it since, although one would think it won't be too long before the idea surfaces given the rich source material to draw from.

Nymphomaniac (2013)

For those looking for a darker performance from Uma Thurman, this is the one to hit up. Lars Von Trier's Nymphomaniac features a supporting role from the actress, as she plays a distressed wife upset at finding her husband has left her for another lover. It's hard to describe the scene without outright spoiling it, but suffice to say it's a powerful emotional performance from Thurman that is only seen in some of her best work.

Thurman has just a small part of Nymphomaniac which, as the name suggests, isn't a film for everybody. Of course, those who enjoyed her in films like Pulp Fiction or Kill Bill probably won't have a problem with the subject matter, but Lars von Trier does tend to push things quite a bit. It's a film about sex, so just be prepared to see that explored quite a bit.

Burnt (2015)

Uma Thurman is in another supporting role in Burnt, playing a famous restaurant critic named Simone that Bradley Cooper's Adam convinces to review his new restaurant. Thurman has a British accent in this role, and she pulls it off well enough one might be encouraged to double check her birthplace and make sure she wasn't doing an American accent this whole time. For the record, Thurman was born in Boston, Massachusetts.

Overall, Burnt has been sort of a mixed bag in regards to how audiences received it. Many praise Bradley Cooper's performance as one of the high points, but overall the film is thought to be fairly mediocre in terms of plot and dialogue. It's not that it's bad, but more or less a story folks have seen some version of before.

Uma Thurman's done a few things on the independent film circuit since then, and is due to appear in Netflix's upcoming supernatural drama Chambers. Fans will be able to check her out there soon enough, and can share their thoughts on Thurman's best performances outside of a Quentin Tarantino picture in the comments below. For more on Thurman, read up on the major movie opportunity she got some time ago that she now regrets turning down.

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New Spider-Man: Far From Home Poster Is All About Iron Man

New Spider-Man: Far From Home Poster Is All About Iron Man

Warning: The following contains major SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame so don't read ahead until you've seen it!

Iron Man has been a huge part of Spider-Man’s story ever since the web-slinger arrived in the MCU. Tony Stark recruited Peter Parker for Captain America: Civil War, and played an important role in his first solo outing in Spider-Man: Homecoming--mentoring the young hero and providing an assist when needed. The importance of Tony Stark to Spider-Man’s story doesn’t look like it will diminish anytime soon either because a new poster from Spider-Man: Far From Home is all about Iron Man. Check it out:

Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man might not be in Spider-Man: Far From Home in the literal sense, but his presence (or the lack of it) looks to be keenly felt throughout the movie based on what we’ve seen so far. In this new poster from the film’s official Twitter account, we see an image similar to one we saw in the new trailer, of Peter Parker crouching in front of a large street art depiction of Iron Man, the hero that sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos.

It’s a cool, melancholic poster and one loaded with symbolism. The symbolism here is quite obvious, and is indicative of what we can probably expect to see from Spider-Man: Far From Home. Peter Parker is literally in the shadow of his mentor, wearing a suit built by Iron Man, missing him terribly and trying go on and live up to his example and expectations.

This is also reflected in the accompanying quote, which we heard from Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan in the trailer. What Happy says is a kind gesture, conveying the faith that Tony had in Peter, but it also puts an immense amount of pressure on Peter Parker, a teenager, to assume Iron Man’s mantle as Earth’s best defender.

We may never have gotten the Uncle Ben origin for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, but Tony Stark has in many ways fulfilled that role for the character in the MCU, especially after his death in Avengers: Endgame. Tony Stark was the one pushing Peter to be and to do better, and although his death was not in any way Peter’s fault, the pain of that loss is still ever-present.

As the savior of the planet, Tony Stark’s image is everywhere, reminding Peter Parker of what he lost as well as his duty to carry on. Peter Parker may just want to be a normal kid and go have fun with his friends on a European vacation, but with great power comes great responsibility and any abdication of his hero duties will invoke tremendous guilt at Tony’s sacrifice.

This all shows that the consequences of Avengers: Endgame really matter and may make for quite the emotionally charged story in Far From Home.

Spider-Man: Far From Home swings into theaters and closes out Phase 3 on July 2. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to keep track of this and all the biggest movies you’ll want to see this summer.

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All Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies, Ranked

All Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies, Ranked

Legend has it, there was a time when no adventure was more engrossing and exciting than a swashbuckling journey with Captain Jack Sparrow, brought to life by Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

In 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl grossed more than $654 million worldwide, a huge surprise for a film inspired by a Walt Disney World and Disneyland attraction, but as the series kept going and going, the world became more fascinated by superheroes than a quest for buried treasure, breaking curses, mermaids, and other ideas the franchise would eventually become known for.

With talk that Disney is developing a sixth entry into the series without Johnny Depp in the lead, it is almost hard to imagine a Pirates of the Caribbean film without the drunken, bumbling, inexplicably lucky former captain of the Black Pearl. Of course, we have five movies featuring Captain Jack to relive, for better or worse. But which of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies made the pirate's life most attractive?

5. On Stranger Tides (2011)

As far as sequels go in the series of Pirates of the Caribbean movies, this one seems to be the most lacking in what made the franchise special.

Using Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’s hint at Captain Jack Sparrow’s quest for the fountain of youth as a jumping point, On Stranger Tides (which is actually inspired by a 1987 novel by Tim Powers) sees Jack team up with former rival Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has been appointed by the King to lead a search for the fountain, and race to reach it before Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his daughter (Penelope Cruz), who also happens to be Jack’s old flame, find it first.

Despite Johnny Depp’s chemistry with his former Blow co-star Penelope Cruz and the return of Keith Richards as Jack’s dad adding to the fun, the movie boils down to feeling less like a Pirates movie and more like an Indiana Jones rip-off. Just switch Indy vs. Nazis with Jack vs. more pirates and you have this.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides proved the Pirates of the Caribbean movies are not as effective with Captain Jack Sparrow leading the show without Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley to keep it somewhat grounded, which they would eventually attempt to correct. More on that later.

4. Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)

After Dead Man’s Chest pulled a Back to the Future Part II with its cliffhanger ending, fans anticipated this third Pirates of the Caribbean movie would reveal the fate of William Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann’s (Keira Knightley) romance, why Barbossa was back from the dead somehow, and why Johnny Depp’s face was on the poster if Captain Jack Sparrow died in the last movie. While we get all of those answers, the journey to get there is a long and often confusing one.

For essentially being a part two to Dead Man’s Chest, the reason Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End scores lower for me is because it feels disconnected from its preceding chapter, with a bleaker tone, a forgettable new cast of characters, and a plot that begs the question, "This is still about pirates, right?" I’ll give the movie credit for Will’s intriguing send-off as heir to the Flying Dutchman, even if that felt unfair to Elizabeth. Still, this one is in fourth.

3. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

I must admit that I am a bit of an apologist for the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, somewhat because of my sympathy for pirates movies lacking relevance at the cinema lately, but also because I actually had some fun with it compared to some of the others.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Johnny Depp reprises his most famous role as Captain Jack Sparrow, once again hunted by a crew of vengeful undead pirates, this time led by Captain Salazar. Meanwhile, Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), the son of Will and Elizabeth, is looking to free his father from the Flying Dutchman’s curse.

The answer to both men’s problems can be solved by the universal curse-breaking power of the Trident of Poseidon, which astronomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) holds the key to finding. Oh, and Barbossa is there, too, because who should tell Geoffrey Rush not to have a little fun every once in a while?

The plot is easily the zaniest of the franchise, but for my precious coin, it has some of the best action sequences of the series since Dead Man’s Chest. I also award points for the reunion of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and Barbossa earning a heroic exit this time.

I will take points away, however, for Sir Paul McCartney’s cameo. A Beatle deserves better.

2. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

Believe it or not, The Curse of the Black Pearl was not what initially roped me into the Pirates of the Caribbean movies craze.

It was actually the first of its sequels, which saw Captain Jack Sparrow’s soul threatened by Davy Jones and William Turner’s and Elizabeth Swann’s wedding put on hold when he is commissioned to retrieve Jack’s enchanted compass… among other things.

The story is a mixed bag, trying to juggle political intrigue, pirate lore fantasy, indigenous mythology, and stunted romance. While it might be the franchise’s first sign of throwing out a simple good vs. evil adventure tale for overplotting, I still regard it as one of the best summer movie experiences of my young life and easily the closest a Pirates movie has come to matching the excitement of the film that started it all. Speaking of...

1. Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl (2003)

Disney took a chance on turning one of its theme park attractions into summer blockbuster adventure. Fortunately, they struck gold with the first of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, a tale of a washed up drunken pirate whose past catches up with him after he is enlisted to help a blacksmith rescue the governor’s daughter from the cursed crew of his fame former ship, The Black Pearl.

The Curse of the Black Pearl is pure popcorn movie glory with gorgeous sword fight choreography, cutting edge special effects, deliciously dark mysticism, and an Academy Award-nominated performance by one Johnny Depp. Who knew that the key to Disney’s golden goose would be a cross between Keith Richards and Pepé Le Pew in a bandana and rags?

Does our ranking of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies make you anxious for a sixth swashbuckling adventure, or does it convince you that this treasure should have stayed buried after 2003? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for updates here on CinemaBlend.

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Hellboy Reviews Are In, Here’s What Critics Are Saying

Hellboy Reviews Are In, Here’s What Critics Are Saying

In 2004, Hellboy finally made his big screen debut, with Ron Perlman inhabiting the eponymous role and Guillermo del Toro writing and directing the movie. Both that and its 2008 sequel, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, received mostly positive reviews, but they weren’t huge commercial hits, and despite fans hoping for years that Hellboy III would eventually get made, it never did.

Instead, Lionsgate decided to give Hellboy the reboot treatment, but if you were hoping that this latest theatrical adventure starring Big Red comes anywhere close to being as good as its predecessors, if not better, it sounds like you’ll be disappointed. Hellboy reviews are pouring in online, and not only do many of them paint the reboot as the Dark Horse Comics character’s worse theatrical outing yet, but also as a subpar comic book movie in general.

CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg was disappointed with how Hellboy turned out, giving it 2 out of 5 stars in his review. He noted that while there are parts of the movie are handled reasonably, like certain story elements and and the look of this Hellboy, overall it’s a “messy piece of work that doesn’t seem quite sure what it wants to be or who it’s for” which especially suffers from bad one-liners and “clever” bits.

Hellboy is definitely a disappointment. As has been proven in the past, this is a character with a lot of big screen potential storywise, but the earlier movies suffered because they couldn’t find an audience, and this one suffers because it feels like it tried to throw everything at the wall in hopes of circumventing that same issue. It’s not a disaster, but with talent like Neil Marshall and David Harbour involved one expected better.

Over at Slashfilm, Josh Spiegel went many steps further in the negative direction and called Hellboy one of the worst comic book movies ever made, awarding it only a 1/10 score. Among the many adjectives Spiegel used to describe Hellboy include unpleasant, dreadful, obnoxious, unnecessary and interminable. In his opinion, both Hellboy’s humor and action fail to hit properly, and David Harbour fails to shine as the heroic demon.

Rebooting the character more than a decade after Guillermo del Toro’s series came to an end is fine. Del Toro’s Hellboy films are charming and feature tactile-seeming creatures, but they weren’t perfect. That’s still a vast improvement over this new film, which feels like a mistake from the start and gets worse from there.

Nerdist’s Kyle Anderson was kinder towards Hellboy, giving it a 3 out of 5 score. He acknowledged that since he was already a fan of the Hellboy comics, he was satisfied with much of what he saw, but people unfamiliar with this mythos might not feel the same way. That said, the movie’s faithfulness to the source material ends up being a burden with regard to looking like a unique/special product.

If you have longed for the Hellboy of the page to hit the screen, this movie will scratch some itches. You want a fun, bloody monster movie? You'll probably have a decent time. If you're expecting a big superhero blockbuster that hits every Joseph Campbell beat, this might not be the devil you need.

Leigh Monson from Birth.Movies.Death. was among those “disappointed” by Hellboy, taking issue with its convoluted plot, unlikable characters, “haphazard” editing and more. The entire product is filled with “strange, dumb-as-rocks” creative choices that ultimately form with the “inherent weirdness” of the source material to create a kind of “bizarro charm.”

Hellboy is some very ill-advised cinema, and those who enjoy the prospect of cinematic trainwrecks are likely to get some joy out of this. Everyone else... well, you all know where to find the better version.

io9’s Charles Pulliam-Moore felt that Hellboy was a “textbook example” of the kind of movie where, when watching it, you can pick up on “echoes” of what it was intended to be earlier in the production process. In its final form, though, Hellboy plays as more of a ‘greatest hits’ from the Hellboy comics that uses its R-rating not for proper scares, but “excessive amounts of gratuitous bloodshed.”

Like two great tastes that somehow don’t go well together, Hellboy’s greatest sin is that it makes you long for the film that it might have been because there’s so much about the movie that works in a vacuum. David Harbour absolutely nails the charming, lunk-ish aspects of Hellboy’s personality, and a handful of the film’s action sequences are legitimately fun to watch before you get back to the slog of the rest of the film. Sadly, those few bright spots aren’t likely to convince anyone that this reboot deserves to be a jumping off point for a new series or doing the Hellboy franchise any favors.

Finally, John DeFore from The Hollywood Reporter acknowledged that while the broad strokes of Andrew Cosby’s Hellboy script fit pretty well with the universe Mike Mignola created, there are too many action sequences, its characters are uninteresting and the design of Hellboy himself is questionable.

… Neil Marshall's Hellboy isn't lousy because nobody wants it, nor only because it fails to live up to both its big-screen and printed predecessors. It's just lousy. Bloated, vastly less funny than it aims to be and misguided in key design choices even when it scores with less important decisions, the film does make bold choices that might have paid off under other circumstances. But these aren't those circumstances.

These are just some of the Hellboy reviews making the rounds, so feel free to browse around other corners of the internet to see what other people have to say. Still, it doesn’t look like this movie will go down as a critical darling, and if its performance at the box office reflects this mediocre response, one probably shouldn’t get their hopes up of the reboot launching a new film series. In any case, if you’re not interested in checking out Hellboy, you can still get your comic book movie fix this month by checking out Shazam! and/or waiting for Avengers: Endgame.

You can judge Hellboy for yourself starting this Friday, April 12. Those of you interested in learning what other movies are coming out later this year can look through our 2019 release schedule.

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Disney Is Deciding What To Do With The Gambit Movie

Disney Is Deciding What To Do With The Gambit Movie

Gambit is one of the more popular members of the X-Men, but barring a brief appearance in the largely forgettable X-Men Origins: Wolverine we've never seen the Cajun card thrower on the big screen. Channing Tatum has been working on getting a Gambit movie made for years, but the film has been stuck in development hell all that time, largely due to difficulties in finding a director. Now, the project is sitting in limbo again for an entirely new reason, Disney is now the company that gets to decide if the movie even happens.

The merger between Fox and Disney was recently completed and as part of that, Disney has now inherited every film project that the previous studio had on the books. In many cases, we would expect that things will continue to move forward following the plan that was already made, but producer Simon Kinberg says that currently Disney is reevaluating many or all of the in-development Fox projects, including Gambit, though he expects everything will be fine. According to Kinberg...

All of the movies at Fox are being evaluated. I love the idea of Channing playing Gambit. I think we have a great script for it and I think it’s a role he was born to play. It’s a character I grew up loving and I know the fans love. So I suspect, I hope it will happen.

Simon Kinberg had been one of the producers in charge of the entire X-Men universe over at Fox, going so far as to direct the upcoming Dark Phoenix. However, based on his comments to Variety, it doesn't sound like he's directly involved in the conversations at Disney regarding what to do with Gambit.

A lot has been going on at the new Disney since the acquisition of Fox became official. Many layoffs have already taken place, and at least one film label has been shut down. However, if you're interest is purely on the content side, there're many decisions left to be made. The fact is that several upcoming projects, even some that fully expected to move forward, could still be axed now that there are new people at the top of the food chain. While the Fox label will continue to exist, it's unlikely the division will be producing as many movies as the studio was before Disney took over, so it's quite likely that a few movies we thought we were getting could end up disappearing.

While Simon Kinberg thinks that Gambit has a good shot, because it has a solid actor cast in the lead and a good script, the fact is that it could still get chopped for any number of reasons. Everybody expects the X-Men to receive a franchise reboot at some point in order for them join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Depending on what the timeline for such a move is, it's possible Gambit might conflict with those plans, and thus could end up not being made.

Alternately, unless the recent rumor that Channing Tatum himself is interested in directing is true, the movie could still end up on the refuse pile if the new studio has no better luck finding a director.

We'll likely be hearing about the fate of a lot of different movies in the coming weeks and months as Disney continues to sort out its newfound empire.

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