Ad Astra - To the Stars & Back, NOT a Space Odyssey

The first half of the film, I thought, was well made. A little bit of a slow burn but visually very good and it felt like it was building up to something big. While some shots like the rovers though, were amazing, there was a weird dichotomy in the sets.  The ships and space walks were fantastic but the buildings on the moon and Mars felt like a mix of plain concrete walkways and cheap, nailed together boards and office furniture. 

That aside, I was enjoying the film for the first 2/3s and could see almost Kubrick type elements building to a confrontation and possible psychological break down. 

Unfortunately, the end was a fizzle. No real confrontation or explaination. No really answered questions, no dire threat. And an uneventful return home. In the end, what felt like it could have been a great film, in the style of 2001 a Space Odyssey,  ended up being mediocre at best. 

Two Little Words and the World Crumbles

There's been a lot of uproar on social media the last couple days, with all of it caused by two little words..."Hail Hydra".  The reveal of Marvel's so called Hydra Cap has brought about some very strong feelings and opinions in many people and I've been trying to find a way to put my own feelings into words.

I missed the original announcement/reception because I'm not online at my work place. When I finally heard the news and sat down to do some catching up, my initial reaction was disbelief combined with the thought "well, he's got to be undercover or something". But the way Marvel and the writers are talking about it deliberately denies that idea.

After that, all I could feel was dislike and heavy disappointment. For so many reasons. 

Firstly, for whatever their stated reasons for going down this path, this feels like a really cheap gimmick and something you're more likely to see in DC than in Marvel. This is not me just having an us against them attitude either, I'm very aware people can like both, but I personally generally find DC characters and storylines somewhat lacking and heavily relying on these kinds of gimmicks mixed with cardboard archetype characters. Marvel usually has more depth than this.

Secondly, they're inferring things like Sarah Rogers, a woman that has always previously been about standing up for yourself and others and being the best you can be, led Steve into Hydra back before the serum. I'm sorry, but Natasha and Bruce's MCU Ultron romance has more believability than that. (For those who don't know me, that's said with sarcasm and heavy eye rolling)

Thirdly (and importantly), it's both disrespectful to the core ideals the character has always held and to the original (Jewish) creators of the character. Yes, Marvel owns Cap and can do whatever they want, but they also have a responsibility to the fans and to the legacy that Steve Rogers as Captain America represents. This kinda craps on both. 

Finally, the attitude of the writers and Marvel more closely echoes the glee of Internet trolls right now than the usually stand up company myself and others are used to loving and cherishing. They are delighting in the divisiveness this idea is causing, the writers are actively encouraging it, and they don't seem to care about the heartache being caused to fans of all ages. That's sad to see from a comic company that usually writes with a bent towards inclusiveness, equality and acceptance.

They will make their money, I'm sure, as there are always those that enjoy seeing things torn apart or that don't have strong feelings or find Cap boring etc etc etc. But it won't be my money and it won't be that of many people I know and trust. Which is again sad because I was kind of curious and looking forward to the new series. I LIKE the new look. But I can't like or condone the story, even if it all comes right in the end.