Having debuted nationwide on February 17, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has now been in theaters for over two months. Marvel Studios’ promotional efforts have since shifted to advertising Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, coming May 5. But in light of Quantumania’s recent availability to purchase digitally, and in advance of its upcoming availability on Disney+ on May 17, it seemed appropriate...
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, despite its definite article, is not the first adaptation of the popular platformer to grace the silver screen, though “grace” may not be an apropos word to associate with the 1993 live-action train wreck. The failure of that film—Super Mario Bros., sometimes subtitled The Movie—left Nintendo sufficiently shell-shocked that they avoided further forays into...
With Dungeons & Dragons: Honor among Thieves, “the world’s greatest roleplaying game” makes its way to the silver screen, though not for the first time. The earlier, poorly received and little-remembered 2000 film Dungeons & Dragons shall forever bear that distinction. But that film and its two sequels have left such little impact on the popular consciousness that Honor among Thieves is...
It is a common enough occurrence to hear in fan discourse that one media franchise or another has been ruined. Some argue, for example, that the addition of Episodes VII–IX to the Star Wars Saga undermined the previous six episodes, with the Sequel Trilogy’s political conflicts lessening the impact and significance of prior events, and with the Sequel Trilogy’s depiction of certain pre-existing...
Would anyone think less of the Terminator franchise if Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) were its final film? The Terminator (1984) and T2 function well as a duology. The franchise has only been able to proceed from Judgment Day by undermining it. Since T2, every Terminator film except Terminator: Salvation (2009) has tried and failed to recapture the same magic. Rise of the Machines (2003)...
On the horizon looms Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated sitcom set in the Star Trek universe. Though this will not be the first Star Trek animated series (that distinction goes to the aptly named Star Trek: The Animated Series), Lower Decks will be Star Trek‘s first sitcom. Moreover, the series will, as far as I can tell, be considered canonical to the Star Trek franchise. As such, it...
Many people, myself included, will go to great lengths to avoid spoilers for upcoming media that they anticipate. When a film that I want to see is released and I cannot see it on its opening weekend, I will often limit my use of the internet until I have seen the film, so that I do not accidentally encounter a spoiler. I have even avoided certain friends for a while because they saw a film...
While writing my two previous articles, which concerned the concept of fictional canonicity, I had three real-world franchises primarily in mind: Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars. The former two franchises have simple canon policies, but Star Wars‘ canon policy is relatively complex and has evolved over the franchise’s history. For after being acquired by Disney, Lucasfilm...
In my previous article, I introduced the concept of fictional canonicity. In this article, I will detail my issues with the concept and propose a solution. As a quick recap, in my previous article, I defined a fictional canon as a body of works that constitute the official history within a given fictional setting. My issue with this idea can be summed up in two words: who cares? That the current...
My favorite film series is Star Wars, and it has been since I was very young. Despite this, my interest in the franchise waxes and wanes. Currently, my interest in Star Wars is on the upswing, spurred on by my anticipation of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian and the upcoming film The Rise of Skywalker. As I await these upcoming canonical entries in the Star Wars franchise, I am also reading Han...
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