No one will ever be able to replace or outdo Reeves as Superman, but Cavill has proven more than one man can wear the big red “S” on his chest. This is a Superman for a new generation, and like Batman Begins the film gave audiences a jigsaw puzzle to put together during the over two hours of film.

The film starts out in the past showing the life on Krypton. Jor-El is the rebel scientist, who defied centuries of tradition to have his own child free of the class system of the Kryptonians. Jor-El also gets to show off his tough side, something Superman fans have never seen before. He not only turns his back on his society’s traditions and laws, but goes blow for blow with Zod, taking down the soldier. Time on Krypton is short though, as film flashes to modern day. The film from this point on is a mix of flashbacks and present day. Events in the modern time trigger memories for Cavill’s Clark Kent, just like Bruce in Batman Begins.

The film does an excellent job giving fans of the hero a new look at the events that shaped the Man of Steel. One idea that is lost in Superman stories is that he spends everyday at 10%. If he decides to whistle to his favorite song he could destroy a city, and this film show how he learned to restrain himself everyday. Jonathan Kent’s death has always been an important event in Clark’s development, and is one of the most powerful moments in the film showing the ultimate example of restraint. There are pieces of the film that many fans will disagree with, but looking at this movie as a whole those questionable moments make that much film better. The combination of showing Clark learning control over his powers and knowing when and where to let loose make those moments of extreme action so much more powerful. The emotional aspect of the film helped to make this more than just an action film, that is not to say there was not enough action. When Clark finally gets the chance to go 100% it is one of the most amazing moments in superhero film history. There is no doubt Superman can throw down after watching this film, and after 10 years of Smallvillle’s disappointing fight scenes, this was just stunning to watch.

The cast brings the world of Superman to life and the casting was perfect. Cavill is able to play both sides of the Superman perfectly, while not stepping all over the memory of Reeves. Amy Adams is able to play the tough reporter and not feel like she is the helpless female of the story. She holds her own against a ship full of Kryptonian warriors. Michael Shannon’s Zod is different enough from Terrance Stamp, that a comparison is hard to make. He brings both fear and sadness to the character, something past incarnations were not able to do. The rest of the supporting cast are just that– support. The audience is not given the chance to get to know any of the other characters, but they do give the film depth.

Overall this was a great film, and even if it is not the start of the road to the Justice League, it ranks up there with Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.

We’ve definitely entered a new phase when it comes to Pixar.  The filmmakers who could do no wrong have settled into a pattern now with as many misses as hits, which has shaken some confidence in their sometimes-questionable movie plans.  A sequel to Toy Story didn’t seem like the best idea at the time, but the second installment wound up the best of the series.  A prequel to Monsters, Inc feels, on the surface, like an equally unnecessary idea, but I’m happy that the end result, while nowhere near as great as Toy Story 2, is still a solid entry into Pixar’s overall catalog.

What makes Monsters University work is its willingness to be different than its predecessor.  John Goodman’s Sully took the spotlight in the original film, so it makes sense that this time out, it’s Billy Crystal’s Mike Wazowski who serves as our protagonist, and the film offers a much more compelling look at the first film’s charming comic relief.  From a young age, Mike is inspired to become a scarer, despite his lack of natural talent to be fearsome.  Instead, he uses his intelligence and drive to study hard, learning everything there is to know about this coveted career, and winds up being accepted to the Scaring program at Monsters University, the premiere school for the next generation of great monsters.  It’s there he meets his roommate Randall Boggs, as well as lazy, entitled slacker Jimmy Sullivan, with whom Mike quickly develops a resentful rivalry.

The antagonistic relationship between these two future friends plays well, especially amidst the college movie backdrop.  The story doesn’t stray far from the college movie mold– Mike and Sully run afoul of the strict head of the school, Dean Hardscrabble (a regal and terrifying Helen Mirren), and wind up in a fraternity of loser monsters, in order to get back in good graces by winning the annual Scare Games.  It’s a very rote college movie plot, but it works in that it’s rarely more than the through line of the story.  This main plot remains unassumingly in the background, allowing for some great character moments between Mike and Sully, as well as the misfits that make up their loser frat Oozma Kappa.  Each OK member has a nice arc, although they essentially embody the archetypes of college movies (the square, older student, the shy and unassuming young kid, the bugged out stoner, etc), but the meat of the movie rightfully continues to focus on Mike and Sully.

The central theme of this movie, and the ultimate source of drama, is that Mike is simply not scary.  Sully, meanwhile, comes from a long line of legendary scarers, and skates by on his reputation and pure, natural talent, which he never bothers to understand or refine.  Sully spends the first half of the movie as a legitimate jerk, to the point that I found myself questioning how he and Mike would actually become best buddies later.  It’s a long road as the two evolve from bitter rivals to unwilling partners in their last-ditch attempt to remain in the prestigious Scaring program at the school.

Their friendship does manage to grow organically, thanks to a surprisingly consistent pace to both the stock plot and the character moments, and by the time they share their love of Scarer trading cards while gazing on what will be their future at Monsters, Incorporated, I was astounded at how realistically both of them changed as they came together as true friends.  It’s a great portrait of how friendship can comes to be, and how opposites attracting can be true in more than just romantic relationships.  It’s a joy to watch the movie’s final 30 minutes, after having missed the charming, well-drawn friendship between these two from the first movie. That same chemistry doesn’t miss a beat, as Mike and Sully bounce off each other beautifully, both as rivals and later as friends.

As the college plot reaches its close and the OK guys take on their rivals, the jerky dudes of Gamma Roar Roar in the final Scare Game, the movie pulls a fake out ending, one whose cheapness left me incredulous.  But it’s a bait and switch, leading to a real final act that goes places that feel more like classic Pixar than we’ve seen in years.  The final sequence is taut and plays very nicely with the rules established in the monsters’ universe, but it always sticks very close to our main characters, reaching a very satisfying payoff that bridges the gap to Monsters Inc nicely in terms of plot and the relationship of our dynamic duo.

The other most successful aspect of Monsters University is the controlled use of callbacks to the previous film.  Yes, we gets many nods, but it never feels like fan service– Randall gets an actual character arc here that brilliantly establishes why he is the way he is in Monsters Inc.  There is absolutely no mention of laughter as an alternate energy source here, which is great in that it doesn’t cheapen that plotline in the slightest.  Even minor cameos like Roz and Mr. Waternoose feel organic and welcome, rather than forced, and there’s a sense of charm to the wild, silly and bizarre creature designs that brought me right back into this wonderful world.

In many ways, Monsters University feels like the anti-Incredibles.  While that movie looked at how to live in a world with the knowledge that you are something more, this film’s central theme is a more populist one– how do you excel at your dream when you’re just not good at it?  Sometimes the answer is to change the game, an action both our heroes take during the excellent final act of the movie, to very different effects.  Monsters University may not be as thematically rich as some of Pixar’s classics, and the through line for the story seems intentionally generic and predictable… but it all builds to a final act that ties everything together perfectly. It paves the way to the original classic, never losing sight of the importance of the main bond between our two best friends.  It’s cute and charming, well paced, and Monsters University feels like a chapter that earns its place in this monstrous universe, and in Pixar’s overall filmography.

It’s up for debate if Greedo shot first, but his Star Wars Black debut is second– second wave, that is.  Hasbro and Entertainment Earth announced the figure today with the first of four weekly images, which will lead up to the reveal of the figure, as he will appear in his 6″ Black Series debut.

Here’s word from Hasbro on the latest addition to Star Wars’ Black Series… and Click Here to see the first image at Entertainment Earth.

In collaboration with Hasbro, Entertainment Earth is proud to introduce a never before seen figure in the second wave of the BLACK SERIES 6-inch scale action figure line!

Entertainment Earth will release an image once a week providing design insight to the new figure. Be sure to visit EntertainmentEarth.com beginning June 17 to see what great character from the STAR WARS universe will join the collection of 6-inch figures that feature incredibly accurate design and a high level of articulation.

The images Entertainment Earth reveals will consist of various stages of product development of the 6-inch STAR WARS action figure, providing fans an inside look at the development process from “concept to product” for this exciting new collectible line. Visit the Entertainment Earth website on the following dates for new reveals leading up to July 11 when a final image of the new action figure will be revealed!

• Monday, June 17
• Tuesday, June 25
• Tuesday, July 2
• Thursday, July 11

May The Force Be With You!

Pacific Rim is one of the most exciting releases of the summer, and all signs suggest Guillermo Del Toro knocked it out of the park with his giant robots versus giant monsters opus.  One thing is for sure– the various Jaegers and Kaiju on their way to the big screen sport some incredibly iconic and awesome designs, and they have now been translated beautifully by NECA’s new toy collection.

The first series of Pacific Rim figures features two of the heroic Jaegers and one Kaiju, all in a 7″ scale.  We get the US Jaeger Gypsy Danger, China’s colossal defender Crimson Typhoon and Knifehead, one of the massive beasts which the Jaegers must defend against.

All three figures are incredibly well sculpted, looking exactly like their on screen counterparts, and the classic, instantly recognizable designs make for some great looking figures.  Gypsy, the most humanoid of the Jaegers, is very cool with every armored panel, hydraulic and exhaust vent adding to his detail while not interrupting his overall sense of style.

Crimson Typhoon is probably the most interesting looking of the Jaegers, and the three armed warrior makes for another fantastic figure.  I love the dinosaur-like hock joints on this guy, and his camera-esque head makes him very unique compared to Gypsy Danger, while very clearly still part of the same overall aesthetic.

Our first Kaiju is Knifehead, and he’s a mean looking monster.  The four-armed creature has an almost shark-like quality in his pointed head, from which he gets his name.  Guillermo Del Toro knows how to make a monster, and Knifehead is a distinct-looking creature, bucking the recent cinematic trend of anatomically ambiguous monsters like the Cloverfield creature, and NECA’s sculpt captures his design very well.  There’s a great sense of texture to this beast, from his scaly skin to his shell-like back and chest, and he certainly looks nasty enough to be a match for the robot protectors.

The Pacific Rim figures all sport great sculpts and excellent paint details– there’s a very good gunmetal and black wash on the Jaegers which makes them look like actual, well-worn machines.  It’s interesting that NECA opted for flat finishes on their red and blue armor, but I like the end result– it enhances that sense of real-world practicality in these guys, and the lack of a gloss finish makes the robots look far less like toys.  I’m a big fan of the tampo work on both as well, especially Crimson Typhoon.  Its various markings, Chinese characters and awesome dragon crest are as cool looking as they are thematically appropriate.  Gypsy Danger gets less of these details (by design) but the red and white stripes and “34″ stamps on his shoulders give him an aircraft carrier kind of vibe, which lends nicely to his massive size in the film.

Knifehead is largely dark grey but there’s a good mix of tones to give him depth and really spotlight the sculpt.  The creature also features neon yellow lines on his arms and chest, which look very striking– I’m not sure if this pattern will have any relevance in the movie but it makes for an eye-catching pattern on the toy.

The Pacific Rim figures definitely look great, and these three are only serving to get me even more stoked for the movie.  The one thing that these guys come up a little short in is the articulation department.  These figures are by no means statues, but they do not feature the same hyper articulation we’ve seen in many of NECA’s recent toy lines.  There’s more than enough to get some great poses– the Jaegers both feature ball heads, ball torsos, ball shoulders and hips, hinged elbows and knees, moving wrists and moving ankles. It’s a solid setup, and which works well without interrupting the great sculpting, but a few bits seem unduly cut short, like Typhoon’s forward-most right arm, which has a swivel shoulder instead of a ball.

Knifehead is the least articulated, mostly due to his unique design.  He gets cut shoulders and hips, hinged elbows and ankles, a hinged jaw and a bendy tail. It’s not a lot, but it gets the job done and doesn’t impact the sculpt at all.  The jaw is a nice surprise, and he looks great with it open or closed.  It seems like a few more joints could have been added to this beast, too, like hinged wrists or ankles, or mobility in his second set of arms.  Even without these, he looks great, and I understand NECA’s design choices, in reverence to the designs and also in light of the short turnaround time they’ve had for this property.  I’ll take a little less articulation on a great looking toy, especially if it gets that figure out ahead of the movie’s release.

If you’ve been as smitten as I am by the design work in Pacific Rim, these action figures are absolute must-owns.  They’re incredibly faithful to GDT’s iconic creature designs, and they’re a lot of fun to play with.  I cannot wait to build out my Jaeger and Kaiju armies with future assortments from this promising toy line!

NECA’s Pacific Rim Wave One is available now.  Check out their eBay store to get yours today!

Check back all this week for reviews and more from NECA!

Join us for another week of the Fanboy Factor. 

This week on the Fanboy Factor we give our thoughts on the Man Of Steel movie and the 75th anniversary of Superman. We also talk about the upcoming video game, Batman: Arkham Origins, and try to figure out what other comic book properties would make great TV series.

Head over to the Fanboy Factor to listen online or if you are using iTunes you can use this link to their feed to add it to your podcast library.

As season six draws to a close, Don continues his inevitable descent towards irredeemability; Pete finally gains the upper hand on his mysterious foil, Bob Benson; and Ken Cosgrove gets shot in the face.

Keeping with the trend of most Mad Men seasons, this penultimate episode of season six was incredible. The big focal point was the reveal of Bob Benson’s true identity (or lack thereof) and Pete’s realization that in Bob is a chance to redeem himself after Don outsmarted him last time. The parallels between Don and Bob were really made apparent in this episode, but we still don’t know enough about Bob’s daily life outside of work to see his true colors. Perhaps more important than learning that Bob is a nobody who has been living a lie this whole time is the effect the whole scenario has on Pete. He hasn’t had much confidence in himself for a while now, and Pete with a little bit of power can be a very dangerous thing, to himself and to those around him.

Having recovered slightly from last week’s life-shattering moment of discovery, Don continued with reckless abandon his path into complete despair and failure of the professional, personal and emotional varieties. Having already lost his actual daughter, the increasingly intense bond between Ted and Peggy – his work daughter, so to speak – is making him feel even worse for himself. He starts getting back at Ted immediately by once again going behind his back on the Ocean Spray/Sunkist debacle and then embarrassing him in front of St. Johnson’s. He’s risking the integrity of the agency for his own personal satisfaction, something that’s low and unexpected even by his standards. When Peggy finally calls him a monster, effectively losing him his only other meaningful fatherly relationship, he goes right back to square one in the fetal position.

Watching Don become slowly undone throughout the season hasn’t been surprising, but it has been increasingly difficult to watch. For all of his infidelity and overall awfulness, he has had some significant positive impacts on many of his peers and loved ones, and to see them all turn away from him is somewhat depressing. Equally depressing is Megan’s relentless support of a man who couldn’t care less about her, as she has remained one of the few virtuous characters on this show.

With her dad completely lost to her, Sally heads off to Miss Porter’s, the prestigious all girl boarding school in Connecticut. She meets two mean girls immediately, and earns their respect by inviting none other than Glen (who appears to age about 5 years between every season) and his stoner friend Rolo over to their dorm. Rolo doesn’t help to redeem the male population in Sally’s eyes, as he’s only interested in “fooling around” with her. Sally, in dire need of some kind of supportive and protective male figure, lures Glen out of his encounter with Sally’s roommate to fight off Rolo, apparently pleasing Sally more than any physical contact might have.

This episode perfectly led into the finale, with so many story threads left hanging just enough to leave us with questions and the comfort that they’ll probably be answered soon.

Mattel: He will not be offered as part of the 2013 Batman Unlimited line  but we hope to find a spot for him one day.

Kastor’s Korner: Are the MOTU Classics Mini Comic Con exclusives being considered a preview/ a way to test the waters in this style, or are they intended just as a one-off item for fans?

Mattel: We are certainly keeping an eye on how well they do at the show. We know there is demand from the fans!

Kastor’s Korner: Now that the movie is out, can we have a hint on which stores might be carrying a Man of Steel Movie Masters exclusive?

Mattel: There aren’t any retailer-exclusive Man of Steel Movie Masters figures, so visit your favorite retailer to pick up your set!

Kastor’s Korner: We have seen multiple Injustice figures in the DC Unlimited line this year… can we expect that the Batman Unlimited line would be the most likely place for Arkham Origins figures to be released as well?

Mattel: We will have the latest updates for you on all of the DC retail lines at our fan panel at SDCC!

Kastor’s Korner: Matty Collector seems like the perfect platform to release collector-oriented characters under a larger brand that wouldn’t necessairly be successful at mass retail (Lois Lane, Ma and Pa Kent Movie Masters, for example)… Have you considered going back to a singular brand being released to retail and Matty Collector (as we saw with DC Universe Classics), or will two lines available through each outlet stay mutually exclusive?

Mattel: Honestly both can happen. A lot depends on retailer demand. We can only place items at retail when there are enough orders from the retailers.

There’s a new trailer for Neill Blomkamp’s Elysium, and it somehow manages to make this movie look even better.  The three minute preview establishes the concept of the two worlds of the future, as well as some more insight into Max De Costa, and a much better look at Sharlto Copley’s villain Kruger.

The follow up to District 9 looks to be very in line with the thoughtful politics and awesome, dirty tech sci-fi of that film, and I cannot wait to check it out in theaters this August.  Blomkamp tends to play things close to the vest, so I am confident that there will be many more visual and thematic treats waiting for us on August 9th.  In the meantime, we’ve got this great trailer to pore over, and almost two months to dream up what impossibly badass stuff Matt Damon is going to do in his exo suit.

We also get this slick new poster, which further enforces my belief that NECA should be making toys from this movie.

NECA’s Predators toy line is becoming one for the ages, an example of how making all the right moves can turn a good property into a great toy line.  They accomplished this by delivering a smart mix of characters, all featuring great sculpts, good engineering, cool accessories and solid articulation.

The latest Dutch figure– the fourth we’ve now seen in the line– is kind of the perfect example of the stellar job NECA has done with this property overall.  In other words, Jungle Disguise Dutch is one amazing figure.

Dutch’s makeshift jungle disguise is one of the most iconic moments in the first Predator movie, so it’s not surprising that NECA would make a figure based on such a classic cinematic moment. They absolutely nail it here, with another uncanny Schwarzenegger portrait, and all new torso and upper arms and a whole mess of makeshift hunting gear. And all this is so well handled it’s tough to pick a best piece of this guy.

The most striking thing you’ll notice about Jungle Disguise Dutch is the amazing texture in his sculpt.  Every leaf and twig and grain of dirt Dutch smears on himself is realized perfectly, with an impressive amount of texture on his face and chest.  Small details make his look even better– I love the finger indents on his left shoulder, as if he ran his hand over an area of too dense caked-on mud.

The likeness of the action hero comes through strong, even under the layer of dirt and grime, with a determined look in his piercing eyes and a nice blood trickle stemming from the corner of his mouth, which breaks up the monochromatic brown of the figure’s upper half.  The paint work is great overall.  The browns used for his makeshift camouflage have a subtle variety that adds realism, and the natural shadows of the intricate details make Dutch stand out even more.  But that pants are the best part of the paint app– the thighs continue the mud-covered design, trailing off at about the knee.  This is without a doubt one of the best looking paint apps I’ve ever seen, as the cam colored pants show through the mud stains exactly as they would if this were real cloth.

Rounding out this great figure is his gear. Dutch comes packing a lot of cool stuff– a torch (with translucent flame), his makeshift spear, bow with arrows, and two unlit torches.  Virtually everything can store on the bow, which looks great slung over Dutch’s shoulder, and the detailing on each piece is as fantastic as the figure himself.

Predator is a line that’s seen a number of phenomenal figures, and Jungle Disguise Dutch is the latest among many highlights from the well-versed collection.  This figure is just such a win– he’s based on an iconic on screen look for our hero, features a sculpt that’s insanely detailed (even by NECA’s typical standards) and still remains incredibly fun to play with, thanks to his great accessories and excellent articulation.  Jungle Disguise Dutch will be the must-have figure among the latest Predators series, so if you’re a fan, you should puck him up soon… if you can spot him!

Jungle Disguise Dutch and the rest of Predator wave 9 are available now.  Check out NECA’s eBay store to get yours today!

Check back all this week for reviews and more from NECA! 

The Bridge Direct reveals one mean looking Orc headed to Comic Con

Today’s the day! The Bridge Direct has finally revealed their amazingly cool 6″ scale Azog the Defiler, the 2013 Hobbit exclusive for Comic Con next month.  The figure sports a sculpt just as phenomenal as the first figures we saw late last year, and his book-style box design is a nice compliment to the twilight Bilbo exclusive from last summer.

I’m still figuring Azog will make his way to the retail line as well, but I can all but guarantee San Diego will be the only place to get his awesome accessories, like the alternate arm and the severed head of the Dwarf King Thror.  And that stuff alone is so cool, it makes this Azog a must-own for any Hobbit movie fan.

I can’t wait to check out this brute in person– each scar and wrinkle is perfectly captured in this figure, and he should be a fantastic addition to the 6″ Middle Earth toy universe.

Here’s the full release direct– ahem– from Bridge Direct:

SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON 2013 EXCLUSIVE HOBBIT COLLECTOR FIGURE AZOG
7” tall Orc Commander Azog comes in a numbered, limited edition of 2,600 pieces. Azog is depicted as he appears in the prologue scene from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. In the battle between the dwarves and an army of orcs to reclaim Moria, Azog holds the severed head of the dwarf King Thror up in victory. The figure comes with interchangeable hands – the right hand that holds Thror’s head can be replaced with a hand capable of holding either his dagger or mace, and the left hand can be switched with the prosthetic spikes that replaced the hand he lost to Thorin’s sword.
 
For those of you attending Comic-Con, we hope you plan to visit The Bridge Direct / Weta Booth #3513B and take home one of these incredible collectibles!

(Click above to see the hi res version)