News and Updates

NEW BOOK LAUNCH!

Chris Kenny May 31, 2020

Hello there! It’s been a while since I’ve published here, but I’ve still been writing away in the background and behold, I present to you the fruits of my labour; my latest book!

This is ‘The Body Transformation Blueprint: 12 Weeks to a New You’ and acts as your one stop shop for you to jump-start your fitness journey.

I’ve written this in a similar vein to my previous book (The Prep Diaries) in that you’ll be getting an honest insight into my own personal struggles with getting into shape, only this time, it’s from the very beginning.

Plus, I’m offering a multitude of services within, so you can really embark on your own journey.

Here’s a quick look at what you can expect to find within these pages, plus a whole lot more;

• A complete nutrition guide, covering every meal for the day.
• A full training plan, spanning 12 weeks.
• Three key principles that are crucial to your development, inside and outside of the gym.
• The most important exercises to do when starting out on your fitness journey.
• What “macros” are, and other gym jargon clearly explained.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your copy now FOR FREE using the link below and make sure you let me know what you think of it, by leaving a review on the Amazon page.

GET THE BODY TRANSFORMATION BLUEPRINT

Thanks as always for your continued support, I hope you enjoy this book and find it useful.

Marvel’s Next Steps – The X-Men

Chris Kenny June 17, 2019

So I’m going to assume you’ve all seen Avengers: Endgame if you’re here, and that you also read my last article which dangled the carrot of exploration; Marvel’s next steps which include introducing their recently acquired properties, namely the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.

Let’s catch up a second. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been populated with a roster of characters that, while great, were nobody’s first choices for hinging an entire franchise on. Why is that the case? Well, in the 90s, Marvel was in serious jeopardy and faced falling out of existence entirely and suffering the same fate that smaller publishers in the comic book world had already succumbed to. To survive, Marvel held their prized possessions (the above assets as well as Spider-Man) and auctioned them off to the highest bidders, which for moviegoers meant that the X-Men and Fantastic Four ended up with Fox Studios and Spider-Man over at Sony.

Both studios had a fair and lengthy crack at the whip, and ultimately we got some good, some bad and some excellent superhero films made. But while these movies were being churned out, Marvel, with its plucky attitude, launched their franchise off the back of little old Iron Man in 2008, which nobody expected anything from, certainly not the grand scale of epic storytelling we’ve witnessed thus far and especially not seeing multiple characters from separate films share the same universe, that was simply preposterous. Of course, the MCU would lynchpin its success on the “team-up” chapters in their 22 film story with the likes of Avengers: Assemble (2012) blowing minds of comic book nerds (including me) everywhere. We never thought we’d see the day where Iron Man and Captain America shared screen time and dueled against the forces of evil, not in a million years and now look where we are, Endgame has too many heroes to even count.

Other studios took note of this and realized that they too enjoy having trucks of money dumped on their lawn, so attempted to copy the Marvel formula. DC failed spectacularly, it speaks volumes when their equivalent of the Avengers, the Justice League (which includes Batman and Superman) didn’t even get close to $1 billion, yet a film about Doctor Strange performed better both critically and financially. Next up was Sony. Five Spider-Man films, two of which were great (Spider-Man 1 and 2 by Sam Raimi), one awful (Spider-Man 3, somehow by Sam Raimi) then one good film (The Amazing Spider-Man by Marc Webb) and then finally another mess; The Amazing Spider-Man 2, again by Webb. Not as a direct result of the failure of the Spider-Man sequel by Webb, but it certainly didn’t alleviate the pressure, Sony was in hot water, needing big money fast and decided to strike a deal with Marvel (now owned by Disney) to “share” the rights to Spider-Man and essentially get a payday and also share in some success that Marvel was serving up. Bingo; the friendly neighborhood hero is back where he belongs and enjoying screentime with all of our friends in the MCU. With an amazing debut in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man’s portrayal by Tom Holland has lifted the character back into the forefront of attention. Keep in mind this success as we turn our attention over to Fox Studios.

Three Fantastic Four Films. One was decent, two were shocking. Marvel’s first family are in desperate need of yet another reboot (this will be the third time) and this alone is cause for optimism of their inclusion into the MCU umbrella. Lastly, we have the X-Men. What a mixed bag this has been. To start with, I’ve got a very obscure relationship with these films. On the one hand, I absolutely love some of the entries, specifically Logan and Days of Future Past but there are some brutal abominations out there (here’s looking at you, X-Men 3: The Last Stand) that really leave a sour taste in the mouth. Added to the mix is my personal grievance with the films, even the ones that I love, they’re just not my X-Men. There’s no color, all of the suits are these boring and generic blackout “stealth” getup’s that don’t scream superhero at all and further still, don’t let you distinguish between who’s who or really let you get a bond with a character. Then there’s the whole problem with Wolverine. One of my all-time favorite characters in any comic book and brought superbly to life on-screen by the glorious Hugh Jackman, yet at an astonishing cost; the films all feel like they’re “Wolverine and friends.” You never get to see major characters (like Cyclops, who’s the leader of the X-Men) have their moment and shine, it’s all about exploiting the cash-cow of Wolverine and sacrificing richer and deeper storytelling, which worked up to a point but guess what, it’s not lasted and with The Dark Phoenix (which has yet again botched the epic tale of Jean Grey being possessed by the Phoenix Force) we’re finally done.

That leads us neatly into what can the X-Men do in the MCU and how they can be served the on-screen justice they so clearly deserve.

Rogue

A character that was treated so strangely by Fox and far, far removed from her comic book counterpart has a big chance at redemption in the MCU. History lesson through the eyes of 6-year-old Chris Kenny. I’m watching the X-Men Animated Series (ironically on the Fox Kids network) and I have before me a team of diverse, colorful, fun and amazing superheroes. Rogue, with her superhuman strength, ability to fly and power to steal other’s powers is practically unstoppable. We learn through the series (and of course the comic source material that the show is based on) that Rogue actually gained her superhuman strength and flight from Carol Danvers. Yep, that Carol Danvers. Ms. Marvel herself. This is where we can get an iconic moment in cinematic history when Rogue, introduced as part of the villainous crew the Brotherhood of Evil, permanently absorbs Captain Marvel’s powers and puts the Kree powerhouse into a coma. What an introduction and way to build your new character for the future.

Cyclops

Cyclops was made to look like a joke in Fox’s first three films and the recent iterations of his character as a teenage boy have done little to improve on that. Put simply, Scott Summers was robbed of his power, his leadership skills and basically any redeeming qualities. They insinuated he’s a lover of N-Sync in X-Men 2, just as a reminder. So how can they fix it? It’s the easiest job in the world. Introduce Scott as the first of Professor X’s students, as he always has been and just follow the basic plot that all of the first class (no, not that First Class) go through and endure as a team. Getting Cyclops right is a priority and Marvel can earn some serious goodwill with fans if they just make Scott Summers the badass that he is.

Wolverine

Without a doubt one of Marvel’s most popular characters of all time, the angry, hairy, aggressive mutant was portrayed on screen by Hugh Jackman since 2000 and shines as one of the brightest parts of the entire saga. Therein lies the dilemma. Yes, Jackman’s depiction of the clawed hero was outstanding, but there remains criticism over the fact that Jackman is a tall, good looking man whereas the character of Wolverine is short, covered in fur and not meant to be all that pretty. So, this is where the MCU is fortunate in that we can have an actor who’s more akin to the comic book portrayal, which not only scores points with the hardcore fans but also differentiates enough from the previous iteration so that the pressure of filling Jackman’s boots is alleviated somewhat. Furthermore, Marvel knows that with Wolverine, they have a tremendous ace up their sleeve, one that can be teased and hinted at across several films before his reveal at which point, the audience will be gagging to see him and hopefully we’ll be treated to another iconic moment in cinematic history when we do finally see those adamantium claws unleashed. On that note, Wolverine can be kept off-screen for quite some time, should the MCU follow the comic arc of the classic X-Men stories. Wolverine was not part of the original team, so there’s no need to shoehorn him in right away. Marvel have been good at being patient, so I don’t feel that this is something they will rush, which will be to the benefit of the audience.

Apocalypse

One of the biggest letdowns of the Fox X-Men franchise was the depiction of Apocalypse, with the villain front and center of his own film that failed to live up to expectations set before it in the epic Days of Future Past, there’s plenty that needs to be addressed here. Everything about the portrayal was completely wrong. The background story, the scale, the power, everything. Apocalypse is, as the name implies, is a threat to the entire planet and should feel like that. The film gave me nowhere near that level of dread, which was in large down to the costume; he looked like a Power Rangers villain from the 90s show and the mundane plot that was more about setting up Jean Grey as Phoenix than it was Apocalypse wreaking havoc on the world. Now the other aspect of Apocalypse is that he can fling open doors to a whole new saga of storytelling, with the Age of Apocalypse (AoA) storyline one of the most beloved of all time, Marvel has another bankable arc that can span years of film and culminate in a manner akin to Endgame.

Mr. Sinister

A big part of the aforementioned AoA story is the mysterious villain Mister Sinister, who acts as one of Apocalypse’s Four Horsemen. Now, that’s not his typical role, in the normal continuity, Sinister likes to conduct experiments on mutants to find the perfect specimen, as you do. This leads him to become obsessed with Jean Grey and Scott Summers, as he believes their combined DNA would create the ultimate mutant. (Turns out, this is exactly what he does in AoA, but we’ll leave that for another time). Thus far, Sinister has been untouched, save for a few mentions that the eagle-eyed and those in the know will catch (the name Essex, which was his original name, Nathaniel Essex, appears in both Apocalypse and Deadpool 2). This is a good thing. Marvel can adapt Sinister, who just so happens to be my favorite villain in any Marvel property, without needing to first shed the bad memories of the previous films, a fate which has unfortunately befallen Apocalypse and many others.

Bringing the X-Men into the MCU

The landscape of the MCU is hopefully now much more exciting to you after reading the above, which is only scratching the surface at the potential that the X-Men rights bring to the table. Now, the bigger question remains; how do we introduce the X-Men into the current MCU?

To answer this, let’s first analyze the current state of play. The universe has just been given a second chance. Thanos and his armies are gone, those that were lost to the first “snap” have come back, life can flourish once more. That, however, does not come without consequences. Apart from the fact that half the Universe has suddenly reappeared, to worlds that have been adjusting to this for five years, the actual ramifications of the snaps themselves could serve as the key to unlocking the X-Men’s, or more bluntly, mutant’s existence within the MCU. Cast your mind back to the beginning of Endgame, where Rocket proclaims (paraphrasing) that the initial snap from Thanos gave off an enormous discharge of gamma radiation. Let’s pause there. Radiation, as we know, can cause many side effects, often of the mutated variety, exhibit A being the Hulk. So we have one snap, giving off a massive burst of energy. Then, ironically, Hulk himself snaps his fingers with Tony Stark’s DIY gauntlet, bringing back half of the Universe. So far we’re at two snaps. Finally, Tony dies a heroic death by snapping his fingers to wipe out Thanos and his armies. Peace in our time, the world mourns, the Avengers are once more the saviors. That’s three snaps now by the way.

With all these snaps and all this radiation flying around, my theory is that this is how mutants will be introduced into the MCU, as a direct consequence of the snaps and that is how they can “suddenly” be introduced. There’s scope for the mutants such as Magneto, Apocalypse, Wolverine and Professor X having been around for some time, just unnoticed and unwilling to reveal themselves (Apocalypse simply laying dormant in his tomb on Egypt is easily explained away for example). The first snap took place five years before the other two, so there’s opportunity to introduce the original X-Men lineup as their teenage selves, having been educated by Professor X as part of a normal boarding school, but they all mutated overnight and decided to form the X-Men in secret, revealing themselves to the world after the second and third snap in order to help the now rapidly growing number of mutants.

Assuming this does take place, the mistreatment and fear of mutants can be accompanied by the sudden re-appearance of half of the planet and all of the problems that will cause. I’m not saying Thanos was right, but suddenly bringing everybody back will cause an enormous strain on resources, infrastructure and relationships to a world that has moved on since the first snap. This is where mutants can be the perfect scapegoat. They’re different, they’re to be feared, they appeared overnight with all of these incredible powers and just like that, the core elements of storytelling within the X-Men comics (persecution, hate, injustice and so on) can be told through an entirely new outlook. Alternatively, all of these snaps ripped multiple holes in the universe, dumping the X-Men in their fully formed state from their universe into the MCU and this would negate the need for having to try and explain the conspicuous absence of the older mutants (such as the names already mentioned above). We can refer back to another MCU film, Doctor Strange, and study the words of Mordo, who is mortified by the titular characters’ actions in playing around with time, stating that the bill comes due, always. Could this be it? All of the time travel that the Avengers did within Endgame, all of the snaps, maybe the multiverse is real and this is where we get our X-Men from.

Final Thoughts

There’s been plenty to digest here and we’ve still yet to explore the other side of the Fox coin, the Fantastic Four and their associated properties and how they can be introduced into the MCU. I admit, that’s purely down to me being more excited to see the X-Men given justice, simply because they have and always will be my favorite team in any comic book storyline. Out of everything discussed, I think the snaps causing radiation and thus birthing mutants is the more likely, multiverse stories can become severely entangled and messy and quite lazy; simply dumping the X-Men into the MCU would be unceremonious, impatient and sluggish, all of which Marvel and Kevin Feige are not. Regardless of how they’re brought in, there’s so much potential there for expansive, gritty and important storytelling, I think Marvel will absolutely take their time, which is why in the immediate future, we’ll see the Fantastic Four before the X-Men.

Next Time…

We’ll look into why the Fantastic Four are coming first, what that means for the universe as a whole and who the next Thanos scale villain could be.

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Avengers: Endgame -What’s Next for Marvel?

Chris Kenny May 7, 2019

Marvel’s triumphant conclusion to a story that is over a decade in the making and contains more than 22 films has subverted expectations for what the genre of comic book movies means to everybody. Reactions have been emotional, heartfelt and surprising, with numerous twists and turns taking place within this three hour chapter that not only ends one part of Marvel cinematic history but flings open several new doorways for growth. I’ll say it right from the top; Endgame for me is about as satisfying a conclusion as I have ever witnessed, with only the flawless Return of the King trumping this achievement. Before I continue, if you’ve still not seen the movie, please, save this article for later, run to your nearest theatre, get your drinks, popcorn, and sweets and enjoy the film. Then get back here and let’s get into some theories and thoughts, as we’re going to cover not just the film, but what it means for the MCU going forward and beyond.

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARDS

Okay, you’ve hopefully seen the film and want to continue, or you just don’t care about being spoiled. That’s fair enough. With that said, I’ll get right into it; I loved Endgame, which probably won’t surprise you, but it’s not my favorite in the entire franchise, which may surprise you. In fact, I preferred Infinity War overall. Having said that, my anticipation for this film was at new heights. For once, I didn’t ingest every single trailer and look for clues and hints as to what was going to happen. Indeed, I just watched two trailers and that was it, no TV spots, not much in the way of hunting around online for reviews and theories, I just simply wanted to go in to the movie without much knowledge, so as to heighten the impact of what would be revealed to me within the realm of the storytelling and I’m so glad I took this approach. The film’s biggest moments, Captain America getting Mjolnir, the snapped heroes returning to fight Thanos and of course, Tony Stark’s death, all had me in various states of emotional turmoil, either sheer jubilation or complete despair and that’s one major thing Endgame gets right; you’re so invested as an audience member that these moments really matter.

Emotional Beats

That’s one thing I want to touch on right away; the emotional beats throughout this film hit and land so well and it’s not just thanks to the many individual movies that came before it, there are moments in Endgame that work completely in isolation. For example, the start of the film has us spectating Clint Barton (Hawkeye) enjoying some downtime with his family. Now, Hawkeye hasn’t had the best reaction from the audiences at large and it’s not unfair to say that he’s not at the top of the pile in terms of fan favorites. That being said, when you get this quiet moment with Clint, you’re immediately drawn into the likeability of the character, who you’re already familiar with anyway, but this opening scene attempts, and succeeds, in giving him that added layer of depth. For when his family is dusted by the snap, you feel the anguish and you instantly put yourself in Clint’s shoes and immediately, his character is elevated and with it, your investment in him and his story. The same applies to his counterpart and longtime friend, Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow). After our team of heroes pay a visit to farmer Thanos and discover, to their horror, that the stones have been destroyed, Nat is left in a complete state of shock and misery, it’s very well portrayed on her face. The story takes us into the future, five years so, and we again see Nat, this time looking somewhat disheveled and out of sorts. Her blonde hair dye has almost grown out, but her lank hair doesn’t appear to have had treatment in a while, her eating habits appear to be sporadic and poor; it’s implied that a day having a peanut butter sandwich is a success, and she’s attempting to control things that aren’t able to be tamed, like an underwater earthquake. This all adds up to the conclusion that she’s attempting to control everything, to perhaps fill the void of loss since the snap. We then get a report from Colonel James Rhodes (War Machine) who has discovered that Clint has gone on another vicious killing spree, and Nat initially can’t bring herself to face the truth that he’s committed such atrocities, but it’s plain as day that it’s him. Right here we see just how much this impacts her as she begins to tear up, her last frayed thread of control all but snapping as she realizes how bad things have got. This translates to the audience, who are now seeing the effects of a world post-Thanos, a world that is darker, crueler and in need of salvation and repair. Much of the first act follows this line of set-up; we’re viewing our heroes in a whole new light, most are in dark places, some are simply getting by and yet there is one who has had a chance of a second life. Going back however to our dynamic duo of Hawkeye and Black Widow, their bond has been evident since the first time we see them team up in 2012’s Avengers Assemble and it’s within Endgame that it’s finally broken. I was surprised how much this moment hit me and I believe it’s due to the earlier set-up mentioned previously, of Nat being so upset at Hawkeye’s path in life and her finding him in Tokyo, finally convincing him to come back home and do some good. In summary, the two are dispatched to Vormir in order to retrieve the Soul Stone. As the audience, we’re already pretty sure that this is going to result in one of the two dying, but as for who will impact us most, it’s difficult to say at this point. We’ve had the established back story of Clint grieving over his lost family, that he’s ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get them back or sacrifice himself, so he is prepared, as well as the audience, for Hawkeye to die. Black Widow has other ideas. In a dramatic brawl that ends with Nat quietly uttering the words “it’s okay”, the red-haired assassin, introduced to us in Iron Man 2, plunges to her death, leaving Clint to come back to the team with the stone, but without Nat, whose final message to the team “see you in a minute” seems to become more upsetting with each viewing.

Tony Stark

Our leading man and favorite genius, billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark has managed to exist in a world post-Thanos and thrive; he’s now got a family, something that he envisioned at the beginning of Infinity War and is living a happy life, retired in a cabin by a picturesque lake. Married to Pepper and fathering a beautiful daughter, Tony’s story is one of tragedy in this film. Going into Endgame, I had a feeling we would see either Iron Man or Captain America die or even both, but I wasn’t ready for it. No way. Again, circling back to my assertion that this film as a standalone hits us so very hard emotionally; one of the biggest tear-jerker moments comes when Tony, as a hologram, tells his grieving four-year-old daughter (Morgan); “I love you 3000.” A line that has such incredible magnitude and weight by the climax of the film, thanks to the earlier set-up, wherein a quiet bedtime scene, Morgan tells her father that she loves him 3000, which Tony of course uses as a form of bragging rights to his beloved wife Pepper. It’s these character moments that really drive home the importance of what’s transpiring and makes the shock of Tony’s death that much more impactful. Without the earlier time dedicated to nurturing Tony’s family environment, his moment of sacrifice doesn’t feel as important. Yes, it would still be an enormous milestone in the grand scheme of events, as we’ve cherished this character since 2008, but Endgame was able to elevate that feeling of loss and shock just that bit more, to really build the stakes and stick the landing so successfully, which is why, I believe, people are reacting so positively online with the “I love you 3000” saying being spotted everywhere. Tony’s legacy, however, is not dead and is survived by the effects he’s had on so many of the characters in the MCU and his reach and influence is felt with those in attendance at his funeral. Peter Parker being chief amongst those who will be most affected, both positively and negatively, as he deals with the loss of a mentor and father figure was joined by all of the major characters and an intriguingly out of place young man, who on closer inspection is Harley, the boy from Iron Man 3 who assists Tony when he’s got his back against the wall. By contrast, Captain America himself took a lesson from Tony by “finally getting some of that life” that Stark had always said he should go after. Again, this really shows how far Iron Man’s influence was spread and acts as a microcosm for our real world; Tony Stark will be missed by us all.

Fan Service

Appealing to Marvel’s legions of hardcore die-hard fans can be a tricky proposition. Too much fan service one way, or the other….it needs to be perfectly balanced, as all things should be. See what I did there? Fan service. If you’ve watched Infinity War you would appreciate that little joke. Well, Endgame takes that philosophy and magnifies it ten-fold, by giving us moments that have been years in the making and once again, land with supreme impact. Where to begin? The obvious would be Captain America not only picking up Thor’s enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, but being able to knock the everlasting life out of Thanos with it. Unleashing a devastating string of combinations, Cap beats down on the purple-skinned tyrant and I don’t know about you, but for me, this was poetry in motion. I was genuinely on the verge of happy tears here, I never expected to see something so downright amazing and depicted so jubilantly from its comic book origin, I was in complete awe and amazement. The fact that this was set up since Age of Ultron, where Steve Rogers appeared to move Thor’s hammer during the party scene where the God of Thunder challenges his compatriots to attempt to move his mighty weapon, is such a great call back, with Thor himself exclaiming “I knew it!” What really makes it work though is that it makes sense within the universe. Of course, Captain America is worthy, no debate. Sticking with our super soldier hero, he’s at the center of yet another outrageous moment in not only MCU history but cinema. Standing alone against the entire might of Thanos and his army, Steve Rogers hears a crackle of static and the familiar voice of his close friend Sam Wilson (The Falcon) echo a phrase Steve said to him many years ago at the start of Winter Soldier; “on your left.” Hearing those words sent a rush of adrenalin through my body that made the hair on my arms stand up. It was finally time. Hulk had reversed the snap some minutes earlier with the newly forged Infinity Gauntlet, containing the stones that the team had gathered over the course of time and all of a sudden, our favorite heroes who had been dusted in the last film were back, and ready to go to war. This then manifests into another callback and something the fans have been dying to hear since 2012’s Avengers was released; Captain America calling out “Avengers, assemble.” Again, the line was teased at the climax of Joss Whedon’s Age of Ultron and we’re finally rewarded some five years later in this glorious scene that echoes (but doesn’t surpass I’m afraid) the charge of the Rohirrim at Pelennor Fields from Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Finally, and still sticking with our star-spangled hero, Captain America got to dance with his best gal. As I alluded to earlier, Tony Stark insisted Steve should go and live a life and well, that’s exactly what he did. The dance that Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers seemed destined to never have was at long last fulfilled and truly provided final closure for Steve.

Things That Didn’t Land

No film is perfect and Endgame doesn’t buck this trend. As much as I enjoyed the film, I do have a few issues that I’ll explain here. First off, I’m going to address one of the most contrived and ham-fisted attempts at female empowerment I’ve ever seen. You know exactly what I’m referring to; that ridiculously forced scene where all of the female characters are randomly in the same place at the same time on the battlefield and it’s trying so desperately to be a badass moment, but it’s just not, it’s unnecessary and for me, completely agenda driven rather than the organic development that it should have been. After seeing Pepper land in her rescue variant of Iron armor, Captain Marvel take down Thanos’ ship by herself and Scarlet Witch very nearly killing the Mad Titan, there was plenty of amazing moments that gave the women of Marvel their time to shine, which was my biggest issue with this scene as it almost took away from those previously mentioned, great action sequences.

These next two are very much personal preference and more what I was hoping for rather than expecting, but starting with War Machine. I’ve always felt he’s been criminally underused in his appearances and often gets his thunder stolen; I refer again to Age of Ultron where he swoops in for the save at the film’s climax, only to have Tony do a better job of killing the bots than he does. Fast forward to Infinity War and we finally get to see a semblance of his full power unleashed when he’s devastating the Outriders with his potent arsenal, but again, this is cut too short. So when he emerges from the wreckage of the Avengers base with Rocket riding on his enormous shoulders of what appears to be a new suit, I was ready to see all hell unleashed. And what did we get? Nothing. Not even a single shot. What a waste. War Machine rox guys, come on.

Lastly, Hulk. I predicted that we’d get one of two variants of Hulk; Professor Hulk (which is what we got) and World Breaker Hulk (which we didn’t). There was a moment, where the debris of the battlefield erupts and Giant Man comes bursting through but for a second, I truly thought we’d seen the emergence of a severely enraged and ready for vengeance World Breaker Hulk. The real shame for me is that we saw Hulk get completely decimated by Thanos in hand to hand combat in Infinity War, which resulted in Banner being unable to transform into the green beast because he got so severely outmatched and I, therefore, assumed we would get a big payoff in Endgame. I was wrong and I feel like it’s a missed trick. We did get other amazing moments, the aforementioned Scarlet Witch showcasing her incredible power against Thanos and nearly killing him for example, so perhaps there wasn’t enough room for Hulk to also get his point of retribution. He did, after all, manage to snap everyone back into existence, so that’s something.

What’s Next – Predictions

Although Endgame marks the culmination of the Infinity Saga, Marvel isn’t done yet and indeed, Phase Three of their movies officially concludes with what is set to be the epilogue to this tale in Spider-Man: Far From Home. That movie will likely deal with the events after the climactic battle with Thanos, as well as the death of Iron Man and the retirement of Captain America, so a lot to sift through. Beyond that, however, we have a few films already in the pipeline which were either teased or alluded to in Endgame. Beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy 3, it seems fairly set up that the team will be searching for Gamora, who is now the 2014 Gamora who doesn’t have the same bond with the team anymore, so that’s an interesting plot device already. Secondly, Thor has joined up with the team and I think it’s more than just a bit of comic relief. Cast your minds back to the end credit scene of Guardians 2 and the imminent birth of “Adam.” This will surely be the character Adam Warlock who is an immensely powerful being in the comics and I believe Thor is going to be demolished by Adam to show us all how powerful this new villain is.

Disney has already stated that Loki will get a TV series, as will Bucky and Falcon and finally, so too will Wanda and Vision. To the former, I think it’s clear that Loki’s adventures will take place immediately after he gets the Tesseract (again) thanks to Tony’s “dropping of the ball” during the time heist. That Loki didn’t return at all after that in Endgame is clearly a sign that his mischevious ways are being saved for the TV show. As for Bucky and Falcon, it’s harder to call for certain what will transpire here, but hopefully, we get some more of that fantastic chemistry the two shared in Civil War, which was very buddy-cop in its depiction. The two can deal with the more serious tonality of proceedings as well, namely Bucky’s dark past and Falcon now shouldering the immense responsibility of taking on the Captain America mantle. Finally, for Wanda and Vision, there’s not much to be gleaned from Endgame so theories come to mind that Shuri from Wakanda may play a role in constructing a “new” Vision, one who doesn’t need the Mind Stone, but perhaps doesn’t have the same personality as the one Wanda fell in love with, so the story could mirror that of Peter Quill and Gamora in that respect.

Final Thoughts

We can lament the loss of Tony and Cap and begin to question whether the MCU will be as good, the new characters such as Black Panther and Captain Marvel don’t resonate or connect with us as deeply and maybe, just maybe, the MCU isn’t going to be as dominant or beloved. Let’s re-assess. We need to put our faith in Kevin Feige, without any question, and as to why a quick recap of what this man has managed to do is in order. Firstly, he took Iron Man who at most was a B+ player for Marvel and transformed him into a household name, who would carry an entire franchise that has spawned 22 films over 11 years. Thor, who’s a middling character at best, now one of the most beloved and revered heroes. Captain America, who was never anything but “meh” is now a treasured national hero. The point is this, Feige and his team took a bunch of limited characters and transformed them all into superstars. Marvel’s big hitters have always been Spider-Man, X-Men and the Fantastic Four and we’ve all seen how those properties have been handled over the years at different studios; haphazard at best and that’s being kind. So what we need to do now is simply sit back and put our trust, once again, in this man’s hands and I am absolutely confident that we’ll be growing more and more attached to our team of New Avengers in the years to come.

Next Time – I’m going to take a look at those aforementioned names of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four and with the rights back with Marvel, how they’ll factor into this universe! Stay up to date with my blogs by subscribing and following me on all the socials;

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WWE NXT Takeover : New York 2019 Review

Chris Kenny April 6, 2019

The Wrestlemania weekend of 2019 has officially been kicked off with a bang, the brand that’s known to be a bit more “punk rock” when compared to the mainstream of WWE programming has once again set the bar extraordinary high with an event that’s left me speechless, drained, exhausted and elated. Every single title was on the line and every match had my heart racing and blood pumping. I wouldn’t expect anything else from NXT Takeover.

It’s become somewhat of a given that NXT Takeover shows will give the performers on the main roster a lot to think about with their own event that typically follows the next night (on this occasion, Wrestlemania falls on the Sunday with Takeover happening on Friday) and this is no different. The pressure on Wrestlemania to deliver and live up to the dizzying heights of what just transpired is enormous and in all honesty, unlikely to match what has just been shown. That’s how good this show was. That’s how good NXT is. That’s how much everyone gave on this special occasion.

Tag Team Titles – Match 1.

We begin with an explosive start to the evening with the tag team titles on the line, with current champions War Raiders defending against the recently formed and brand-hopping mega stars, Ricochet and Aleister Black. The War Raiders came out to a Viking inspired entrance that immediately had the audience bellowing out the war chant dictated by the duo, getting everyone firmly into the spirit of what was about to transpire. Of course, despite their popularity, there’s few superstars in the world that can outshine the sheer presence and gravitas that Ricochet brings when his music hits and he enters the ring. However, one of those few could be his tag partner, Aleister Black. Arriving last and to a roaring welcome, the teams were now set to do battle. And what a fight it was. Two superstars who are World champions in their own right were being pushed to their absolute limit by the powerful Viking warriors, the action was brisk, hard hitting and most importantly, unique. Special moves that are seldom shown were brought out for this match, Ricochet in particular had moments of inspiration that only served to persuade me further that he’s a real life superhero, his incredible athleticism leaving me with my jaw firmly on the floor, multiple times. The teams kept going back and forth and as the match continued, the competitors drew from deeper reserves in their arsenal to try and get the upper hand. However in the end, through grit and sheer force of will, the brothers in arms triumphed and the War Raiders retained. A classy moment that will long go down in NXT history concluded the match, both teams hugging in the ring, with Black and Ricochet soaking in the adulation from the noisy Brooklyn crowd. It’s likely their last appearance with NXT and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them win the Smackdown tag team title belts on Sunday.

Kenny Corner Rating: 5/5

North American Title – Match 2

Heading into the event, the bout for the North American title had the potential to be a real sleeper hit. Two competitors who have rather unorthodox styles and very clearly defined characters meant that the meeting between the pair could be an interesting proposition, with the challenge lying in who would be the victor. There’s not a wrestler on the planet who’s more charismatic than Velveteen Dream, he simply oozes style and drips gold. He’s a massive star in the making who will hopefully go on to do amazing things with the WWE. By contrast, you have his opponent, Matt Riddle, a unique figure with a legitimate mixed martial arts background, the fun loving “King of Bros” has quietly gone on an undefeated hot streak in singles action. The stage was set then, two up and coming players tugging over the title befitting their status, a solid match on paper. But in reality, this far exceeded expectations. The psychology during the fight was crisply executed, the typically calm but brutal Riddle was forced to tap into an as yet unseen darkness within to try and overcome Dream, much to the derision of the audience who jeered his bullying antics. Indeed it was pointed out to me after a particularly furious flurry of moves that we still haven’t seen all of what Riddle has to offer, which is scary and wonderful at the same time. However Dream, ever the showman, would resist and find a way to overcome his more powerful opponent with a surprising roll up victory that left both competitors leaving the ring looking all the more stronger. Excellent story telling and potentially the sleeper hit for the wrestling weekend.

Kenny Corner Rating: 5/5

United Kingdom Championship – Match 3

Pete Dunne has carried the UK branch of NXT on his back for a staggering 685 days. His title reign is legendary and has included numerous world class defences that have solidified his status as one of the best workers in the industry and at such a young age still, the sky is the limit for the Brit. Enter Walter. The larger than life ring general brings a presence that’s hard to compare, his size and ability mark him out as a very special and different character, that has a real aura of menace. Walter was positioned to be Dunne’s biggest challenge to date and for good reason, the behemoth has been running rough house on the UK division since his arrival. Coming after two explosive and fast paced matches, this title fight took things down a few gears and instead took a direction of brutality and we entered into a war of attrition. Both men got tonnes of offence in on each other, with resources of will being depleted with every chop, finger snap and power bomb. During the match, Walter kept attempting to climb the ropes without success, which puzzled me as I couldn’t imagine what he would do from there. I am admittedly unfamiliar with his moveset, so was truly astonished when he would eventually win the match with a splash off the top, flattening Dunne and ending the long held reign of the king. Here’s hoping Pete gets a call up to the main roster and the UK show can continue to develop with a new man to overcome at the pinnacle.

Kenny Corner Rating : 4/5

NXT Women’s Championship – Match 4

Up next; the fatal four way match for the women’s championship. Involving four terrific competitors, including the effervescent duo of Kairi Sane and Io Shirai. The two best friends have been working in tandem over the last few weeks to great effect, but the story going into this match revolved around the potential for a combustion when the two would inevitably lock horns over the golden carrot dangling in their face. Or as champion Shayna Basler put it, the raw meat for the pack of animals to fight over. And that is exactly what happened during the course of match; Shayna allowed the three competitors (the aforementioned duo were joined by the boisterous Bianca Belair) to rip each other apart, while the champion simply sat back and waited for her moment. A word on Bianca, who had a dominating performance, being afforded the time to showcase her formidable strength to great effect. She was the highlight of the match for me, but that’s not a knock on the other women. The action was fast, the storytelling developed characters and moved things along nicely. In the end, Shayna retained much to the disdain of the crowd (I personally loved it as she’s playing her role to perfection and when she does lose, it will be a massive moment) and the match dovetailed nicely into the upcoming main event.

Kenny Corner Rating: 3.75/5

NXT Championship Match – Main Event

The energy throughout the night was frenetic and enjoyable, but when the main event arrived, it was all ramped up a notch. Real life tragedy has unfortunately meant that our beloved champion, Tomasso Ciampa, has been forced to relinquish his title (goldie) so he can undergo neck surgery. This means the title is vacant and would involve his former best friend, turned enemy and now sort of ally again, Johnny Gargano facing off against the wily leader of the Undisputed Era, Adam Cole. The stipulation for the match was to be a 2 out of 3 falls slug to the finish. These matches always offer drama in the latter stages of the bout, with one fall already awarded to a competitor. In this case, Adam Cole scored a relatively early victory in the match and that set us up for the comeback King to work his magic. Johnny Gargano wrestled his heart out, giving us pure adrenalin fuelled action, moments of disbelief and absolute jubilation. Of course, Adam Cole had his cronies arrive to try and clinch the victory but even that wasn’t enough to put down Johnny Takeover for the count. Scratching and clawing and never giving up, the match was a microcosm for Gargano’s journey to the title. Suffering set backs, defeat, hardship but never giving in, Johnny Gargano finally stands tall with the most coveted prize around his waist. Long may he reign and give us more instant classics. This match really had it all. Amazing moves from both competitors, a narrative that was clearly explained and a finale that took my breath away. It’s with no exaggeration that I proclaim this to be the best match I’ve ever seen.

Kenny Corner Rating: 5/5

film

Aquaman – Spoiler Review; DC Back in the Hunt?

Chris Kenny December 19, 2018

DC’s latest superhero film Aquaman reviewed and discussed!

Book Review – Star Wars: Thrawn

Chris Kenny November 5, 2018

Grand Admiral Thrawn

The Star Wars franchise is in a strange place at the moment. As fans, we’re getting more content than ever before, across a wide array of mediums (comics, books, television and of course, the films) yet the fanbase is more divided than ever. The last major blockbuster releases have both been met with less than positive results, with some outraged at The Last Jedi and others (like me) simply not impressed with Solo.

This is where the novels come in. The now “canon” books that are being churned out are for the most part simply brilliant and can quench the thirst for good Star Wars fun quite well in my view. I recently finished the much-anticipated novel Thrawn, which was released in 2017 and it certainly did not disappoint and offered more than thrills and fun; a realisation of a beloved character from the “legends” era of Star Wars fiction that goes beyond the usual character creation.

The author, Timothy Zahn is responsible for creating the character of Thrawn through his trilogy back in the 90s, with Heir to the Empire being the first appearance of the blue-skinned alien. It’s here I offer a confession; I haven’t read these books and didn’t know much about Thrawn. Shocking, I know, but despite this, I was still vaguely aware of the character which is mostly down to late night deep dives into Wookiepedia and stumbling across the charismatic Grand Admiral through various links. So, when Thrawn was scheduled to appear in the Rebels TV show, my interest was piqued. I’d already been well invested in the programme and the introduction of a character from before the Disney takeover was interesting to me, as it provided a link of the “old” Star Wars lore into the new era.

Grand Admiral Thrawn as he appears in Rebels

What followed was the novel we’re here to discuss, simply titled “Thrawn”. The term “origin story” often gets a bad rap for the negative connotations of repeating a story we already know (Sony’s Amazing Spiderman for example) and not seeing a character in their full glory. While this is an origin story, the author manages to subvert these expectations by instantly showing the reader Thrawn’s tactical nous and brilliance with our introduction to him. It’s from this point onwards that Zahn never takes his foot off the gas and as the plot weaves a tapestry of adventure, scheming, downfall and battle expertise, Thrawn shines throughout and the beloved character is explored in great detail.

There are two plots in the novel which interlink and eventually combine into one, the first of which follows the titular character and then the second plotline has the reader observe a newly discovered female antagonist in the Rebels TV show; Governor Pryce and her ascendancy to power. In all honesty, the plot itself isn’t of much consequence and it’s simply a vehicle used to take us to our destination; the arrival of Thrawn as Grand Admiral of the Imperial Navy. However, that in itself is an intriguing throughline as for one, the Empire in which he serves is racist against Aliens so seeing a being of Thrawn’s lineage serving as an officer is impressive enough, let alone Grand Admiral. Therein lies one of the layers of interest in the character; just how did he manage to climb the ranks when all the odds are stacked against him so heavily from the outset, there must be some brilliance to him.

Indeed, there is just that and in abundance. What Thrawn may lack in political nuances (which we’ll get to) he more than makes up for with his tactical mastery and flawless execution. This is where Zahn shines as he cleverly develops battle plans and enemies for Thrawn to exploit in ways which seem so obvious after the fact, a thought that the reader has reflected to them by many of the characters, not least of which is Imperial cadet Eli Vanto, who acts as the reader’s eyes and ears throughout the tale as he follows in Thrawn’s shadow as aide and interpreter. There are numerous instances where Thrawn is seemingly cornered in a predicament and it’s so entertaining to watch everything unfold and see how he once again outsmarts his opponents and embarrasses his colleagues, earning him much disdain amongst high-ranking officers.

Thrawn however, is blissfully ignorant of the political undertones and ramifications of his actions and this is again where the novel shines. The prequel films were much maligned for their overbearing political scenes that offered little more than a chance to top up on snacks or go to the toilet, but in the novels, the Star Wars political landscape is afforded the room to breathe and blossom. Other examples of this are seen in the novel Bloodlines by Claudia Gray and give credence to the notion that the politics in Star Wars demand to be explored in the correct way. There are so many layers of corruption to unpack and delve into that it’s no wonder the prequel films didn’t manage to successfully entice audiences; there’s just too much to fit in. Within Thrawn, the politics and manoeuvring of players in the elite of the Galaxy’s capital, Coruscant make for interesting reading and give new-found depth to characters such as the aforementioned Ahrinda Pryce and the legendary Grand Moff Tarkin.

I went into this novel curious about a character that was so beloved by the Star Wars community and I finished the book absolutely desperate for more adventures from the bold Grand Admiral that Rebels could only answer in part. Thankfully, Zahn has released a new book, titled Thrawn: Alliances which I’ve snapped up and already begun to dive into. Needless to say, I am enraptured with it and cannot state enough how impressed I am with Timothy Zahn as a writer and creator of characters.

Kenny Corner Rating

4.5/5 Stars – A near flawless page-turner that has you begging for more antics and brilliance from Thrawn.

The next chapter in the Thrawn saga.

Television

The Haunting of Hill House – Breathing Life into a Genre

Chris Kenny October 28, 2018

Just in time for Halloween is the latest in a long line of Netflix success stories; The Haunting of Hill House (which I’ll refer to as HH from here on out!)

I’ll start off by saying it’s unusual for me to watch something so soon after it’s released as I’m not normally on trend with TV (for example I still haven’t seen Game of Thrones) however this one really caught my eye, firstly due to the buzz it was receiving online in forums and on social media and secondly because it was a new horror story to sink my teeth into. I’ve been dying for a creative, yet grounded horror show that doesn’t go completely off the rails, I use the film Sinister as an example of this, in that it begins as many traditional thrillers would and the plot takes you down several alleyways of intrigue before slapping you in the face with a lacklustre and anti-climatic ending. Since then I’ve been quite put off by the genre in its entirety, the recent iteration of It, however, did bring me back in and from there, Stranger Things followed. These aforementioned titles had horror elements in them but nothing to truly frighten me and keep me awake at night and the landing light firmly on, but HH did and in a big way.

Spoilers for the entirety of the show from this point onwards.

Horror

As a horror, HH absolutely does its job; it’s creepy, atmospheric and has a twist that will make your blood curdle and keep you awake at night for days on end. If you’ve seen the show, you know what I mean already; the Bent-Neck Lady. The mid-season reveal that the spectre haunting one of the children, Nell, is, in fact, herself blew my mind and I had to stop my binge for a good few minutes to process what I’d seen. Yet it wasn’t completely unexpected and that’s what the show does extremely well; it drip-feeds you information and allows you to make certain assumptions, without giving the game away completely. I personally thought the Bent-Neck Lady was the mother, Olivia, as we weren’t actually aware of how she died on that fateful final night in the house, so it wasn’t too much of a leap for my brain to assume she hung herself and was now haunting Nell, preying on her already fragile mind in order to coax her to her own demise (which was sort of true in the end, it’s the evil spirit of Olivia who literally pushes Nell to her death).

A trope of horror is that there will be no shortage of jump scares, which of course HH employs as well. But the way they’re done isn’t obnoxious or over-the-top, for nearly every occasion there is a solid storyline reason. One of the most memorable from the series occurs in Episode 8, where siblings Shirley and Theo are arguing in the car and in the middle of their frenzy, Nell pops up between them screaming (almost a “shut up) and then the car runs off the road and we get a truly tender moment between the two. The jump scare achieved the goal of not only making me wet myself but also driving the story further and adding additional layers to both characters, which is truly outstanding.

What else makes a horror truly succeed? The atmosphere. The sheer amount of unease I felt whilst watching the show simply cannot be rivalled in anything I’ve seen before. Even when there’s nothing to come of it, the way shots are filmed and how the music changes has you on edge and expecting something to happen when actually, nothing does. Take Episode 6 (Two Storms) as an example. Apart from being a masterclass in cinematography, with a mere 4 cuts in the entire episode, one method of camera work is having the view pan around characters in a 360-degree arc, constantly showing in the background the open casket of Nell. I was viewing this with the constant fear that something would be by the casket (i.e. the Bent Neck Lady) on the next pan and as tensions between the family only escalated, so did my nerves and the anticipation for something to happen. This heightening of the mood was also elevated with darker music, which was very present in the series finale, the family really put through the proverbial mill during their time in the mysterious Red Room.

Family

Speaking of family drama, the show certainly has no shortage of that. It’s this theme on which other details of the story are hung and allowed to develop, from jump scares mentioned above to truly heartwarming moments like the child versions of Luke and Nell speaking to each other about never leaving one another, it’s all allowed to feel more impactful due to the carefully woven dynamic between them all, that is shown not in a linear fashion, but scattered across time. For example, in Episode 1 you meet Luke the junkie and had the show continued with that progression of the character in a linear aspect, there wouldn’t be much room for sympathy or feeling when something happened to him. Grounding the show in this way kept the supernatural elements feeling legitimate and never too much, it was all believable and it was always relatable in one way or another. Yet the show does bend the rules of reality and treats time as nothing more than a plot device to be manipulated and as we learn more about each character, we become more understanding of their circumstances and therefore, more affected when something happens, good or bad.

Mental Health

When tragedy does strike, in a big way with Episode 1 (further developed in Episode 5), it’s repercussions are felt through every family member and scenes thereafter (which occurs. On face value, it’s a tale of someone losing the will to live, with nobody to talk to about it. The show itself is arguably a giant metaphor for mental health and its issues that must be tackled, one of which is communication. This is shown when Nell is at her lowest, alone in a hotel room, calling various family members who all fail to answer her call or cry for help. The show succeeds here as a poignant reminder of the need to speak up about mental health and once again, touches on a subject many can relate to and empathise with, giving the series that much more depth and intrigue.

Another subject that branches off the family drama tree is Olivia (the mother) and her desire to keep her family safe from the horrors of the outside world. Episode 9 (Screaming Meemies) is where we get the case study of Olivia’s degeneration from typical housewife, to unstable and twisted phantom of her former self. The house manipulates her into believing the only way to keep her children safe from the jaws of life is to kill them so they can be in the house forever, safe and sound. The logic of this sounds incredibly flawed here, but the show twists the thought in such a way that, from a certain point of view, it can make sense and therefore, the “evil” mother becomes yet another tragic figure who failed to speak out about her problems and address them and ultimately, paid the price.

The Ending and What’s Next?

As we know, all good things must come to an end eventually and that, of course, is the case with HH. 10 episodes that took us on an emotional rollercoaster and the finale still had plenty to answer for and deliver. Questions lingered on about certain characters, aspects of the house and how the insatiable appetite of the house would be quelled. Now, while these questions were certainly answered and there were heaps of distressing scenes, the ending felt a little too happy for my liking. The house itself, which had been presented as a monster of its own accord, feasting on the lives of innocents, was suddenly turned into a benevolent entity that acted as a museum of sorts for dead loved ones that you could see at any time. Take the scene with Mr Dudley rushing his dying wife into the house as an example; yes it was beautiful and heartwarming to see his family completely reunited before his eyes, but where was the horror that was present before? The sense of dread that a ghost could be around any corner and startle both the character and viewer? It was gone and I believe, tarnished by this decision. This was further spoiled by the ending, which showed all of the remaining family members celebrating Luke’s two-year sobriety and with everyone seemingly living perfect lives. For my money, it would have been far more impactful to have this same scene play out, but as the camera pans out, there is the distinct window of the Red Room hovering in the background, suggesting that they are all still trapped (possibly dead) and this is just another fantasy cooked up by the malevolent house.

In spite of this, however, the show still stands firm in my list of “must see TV”, offering moments of incredible dialogue helped by show-stealing performances from many of the cast, otherworldly atmospherics that ramp up the tension to insurmountable levels and visuals that scare, enlighten and bring joy. I’ve been obsessed with the show since watching it and every episode had me craving for more, so despite a finale which could have tipped into a darker finish, it’s still an incredible ride that demands to be watched.

So what happens next? Nothing. Leave it as it is, a one and done. It would be simply impossible to capture lightning in a bottle twice and I firmly believe The Haunting of Hill House should remain the one season wonder that showcases the true diversity and range the genre of horror can provide.