Fantastic Four: it's all about the family

Disney-Marvel tends to focus on the family dynamic a lot. But it's only now that we finally get a long-awaited introduction to the Fantastic Four, and my favourite title growing up.

MCU's FF takes place in the 828 universe, so it's the first movie of the franchise to be set entirely outside 616. A different universe presents the opportunity to design the world differently from the usual realistic-familiar 'view outside your window'. On 828 Earth, supervillains abound, but all of them are kept in check by only one team of four superheroes. It's a world fully dependent on the four and is quite helpless without them. They, particular Susan Storm (Vanessa Kirby), are the world's most respected policymakers. If any alien species were to land and ask to be taken to the leader, the Four would be it.

No surprise, then, that the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) makes first contact with them, announcing the world-ending arrival of the Devourer, Galactus (Ralph Ineson), who thankfully makes an appearance as the imposing physical being he is supposed to be and not a disembodied cloud. Sue's brother, Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), is depicted previously as a thrill-seeking pain-in-the-a**, but I'm glad that here he is able to play a key role in defeating Galactus -- using heart and brain over bravado and flame.

I love Ben Grimm's (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) character design, and I mean his physical appearance in which he appears stylishly clothed rather than just rockin' trunks the whole time, and also his personality who has come to terms with how he looks, so much so that it seems Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) is more broken up about it than Ben is. Ben's flirting with a grade school teacher in full view of her students suggests he's not too self-conscious of his exterior. Good for him!

When we first meet the Four, they are already an established world-protecting force. Their origin is re-told in a commemorative, almost worshipful, television documentary complete with mid-century soundtrack and editing style. The vibe is upbeat, orchestral with a bombastic swing and overall very optimistic. But the main point of the opening scene is to introduce Sue's pregnancy. She's carrying Franklin Richards, the most powerful being in the MCU, bar none. But for now, he's a baby whose parents hope to give the most normal of lives to. Sure, that's gonna happen.

The plot was quite a thrill -ride, as long as we don't ask too many awkward questions about the science of how some of the plot-devices could have worked -- like how would slingshotting around a neutron star using existing inertia accelerate a non-FTL spacecraft to near lightspeed? Also, the timeline plays fast and loose with how quickly the earthlings can coordinate globally to mount a defence response, and how long it takes for Galactus to arrive despite salivating over the possibility of satiating his eternal hunger once and for all. But once he puts boots on ground zero (it's always going to be Manhattan) Sue gets to show who's the most powerful among team Fantastic.

I quite enjoyed the movie. The setting was a weird blend of old-fashioned aesthetic meets super-futuristic vibes which applies to the people, their costumes, and their personalities as well. The theme of protecting family resonates consistently throughout. It's cheesy, and done so many times already, yet it still sucks us in because wanting to belong is so integral to our emotional make-up. Done this warmly, it's a great family film that makes a solid introduction to Marvel's First Family making its 'First Steps' as the next beloved superteam in the MCU (Go, Thunderbolts!).

Kon! Kon!: BABYMETAL goes Bhangra

BABYMETAL's 'Kon! Kon!' has dropped, adding one more official MV to the tracks included in the much anticipated release of the upcoming new album, 'Metal Forth'.

The video comprises 'live' performance footage, moving away from the story form MVs of the last few releases. I haven't yet read the translated lyrics, but the overall performance looks and sounds like there's less of a narrative, and more like it should be experienced in person being one with the rest of the ONE.

I've been juicing for my health lately, and this song similarly serves up a tasty blend of mixed flavours. Musically, there's classical Indian and straight-up Bhangra, supported by a foundation of driving metal. Linguistically, there's Japanese, English and Hindi, the latter two courtesy of Bloodywood's vocalists. The choreo is also inspired by classical dance blended with the high-stepping energy of Bhangra.

The words 'Kon! Kon!', I learned some time ago, is what Japanese folks think the fox says. Without knowing much more, I guess that the song title plays into the kitsune lore somehow.

Anyway, all the songs being released for BM's fifth album suggest a return to the super fun, super catchy kind of music that 'The Other One' was missing. Yes, 'The Other One' was beautiful and jaw-droppingly artistic -- a statement that the band has developed and matured from the kids people knew them to be. There's no doubt who they are today, so it's time to bring back the fun and the 'jumping up with the fox god'.

With every track released a banger so far, the new album can't drop soon enough.

Ironheart season 1 series review

 

Ironheart is a completely new MCU character for me. I know of her comic book existence, but her title came out years after I'd stopped my weekly subscription so I went into the TV series blind. True, we did get a glimpse of Riri in Wakanda Forever, but there wasn't enough world building for us to get to know her backstory.

What surprised me was that the tonality of series was nothing like I'd expected. With a name like "Ironheart" there was the potential for an overkill of goodness and sweetness and light, but thankfully there was none of that to be found in Riri or her story. Instead, the series is grimy and dark, the soundtrack is heavy with gangsta' rap, and any humour is kept way down to a minimum. This is neither a funny, nor even a fun show. Good for her.

Riri herself is nothing like the shiny hero the 'Ironheart' moniker suggests. Rather, her character is murky and morally ambiguous. Her 'Uncle Ben' moment results in the simultaneous loss of both her stepfather and half-sister or bestie (I'm not clear about the exact relationship), but instead of giving her moral clarity it puts her into survival mode. She will do anything to put a suit of armour around herself and her nearest and dearest. It's not altruism, it's selfishness born out of trauma

The name 'Ironheart' is never once mentioned in the series. Riri does not give herself a superhero name, only referring to the armour as a 'suit', so she sees herself and the suit as two separate entities -- no 'I am Iron Man' owning of the identity, so I suspect that the series only provides us a starting point of Riri's journey. The only name her alter ego gets is 'Ironhead', coined by her late stepfather, and this is the identity that sticks with her through the series.

Stubborn, unyielding, not in a good, heroic way, but a petulant, annoying way, at this point, Riri is far from being a hero. The morally questionable choices she makes throughout the series makes her quite unlikeable. She starts by being expelled from MIT, an by the time the series is over there is no redemption arc for her.

Is this a good narrative for the series to follow? Given the early review bombing of the series it doesn't seem like a crowd pleasing direction to have taken, but by giving a hero an absolutely rock-bottom starting point presents lots of potential for an epic redemption arc at some later date. Hopefully, that's the plan for her.

There is also a lot the audience has to do to suspend disbelief here. Tony's suit is powered by an arc reactor, Riri's suit makes use of solar and wind energy. While that admission makes her suit way inferior to Tony's, being able to generate that much power from the sun and wind requires a level of technology that should be putting the oil industry out of business for good. Eventually, Riri obtains an alternative source of power -- eldritch magic, which I suppose, is more believable (given how the MCU functions on anomalies) than maintaining the sun and wind angle. The criminal crew Riri joins is supremely effective in their combat skills, that is until they face the might of Riri's improv fighting style.

And Sacha Baron Cohen makes his long awaited MCU debut as Mephisto, the smooth-talking, contract obsessed demonic menace who by the end of the series may or may not have sealed a deal with Riri Williams. The question remains open-ended for now. Magic, especially of the Dr Strange style was not where I expected the story of another metal suit to take me, but here we are.

Overall, I did enjoy the series, though the main character did not endear herself to me. The tension, pacing and slow-burn revelations were intriguing enough to see where it all led to. I'd say it's a bold and interesting introduction to a fresh new face in the MCU.

Be kind and share

Disney's 'live' Snow White is now streaming. It's been much maligned, panned, and shunned by the movie-going public, going by its poor box office performance. The lead, Rachel Zegler, has also received much online abuse and the roasting hasn't stopped even though she's moved on to other projects.

The question is, did the movie deserve the hate it got? First. it's a remake of a beloved original vintage Disney animation, so already the audience is communicating to the studio to please stop re-inventing the wheel and make us some new stuff instead.

That said, this 'live' production fills in a lot of detail missing in the original that present teachable opportunities for parents to discuss with their kids after. Primarily, the nature of 'beauty' which is central to the story. Zegler is no mega-babe compared to the statuesque Gal Gadot -- Wonder Woman herself -- who plays the Queen. But that is the point of this movie: that beauty is not in the outer appearance alone, but the totality of a person and how they behave towards others. The one who is beautiful adds to the lives of others, rather than takes away from them. The Queen's favourite magic trick demonstrating long-term impact by comparing the fragility of a flower to the hardness of diamond is eventually reversed by Snow White. It's an important distinction that the original animation glosses over, but the 'live' version gets a bit heavy handed with.

Other lessons include how an ideal society functions. In Snow White's version it's when people are kind and share their resources with each other from the goodness of their hearts rather than from a political mandate. The Queen's way is essentially survival of the fittest (or fairest) pitting winners who can acquire and protect resources from others, and losers who can't -- a philosophy that turns the literally once-harmonious kingdom into a gloomy scrabble for individual survival. It's a criticism of the current state of the USA even before 47 took over, but it's probably so on-the-nose that it rubs the domestic audience the wrong way. Under the spectre of potential new wars, mass deportation, the new anti-DEI pushback, it does seem far-fetched that people being kind to one another can make it all better.

Also re-examined is the concept of 'true love'. How would a passing stranger of a prince experience 'true love' encountering Snow White's lifeless body and be motivated to kiss her without the suspicion of necrophiliac tendencies? In the 'live' version, Jonathan is no prince, but a selfish rogue whom Snow White influences to change his ways through mutual cooperation and suffering before love materializes between them. This added storyline could be a criticism against how modern men and women expect true love to occur between strangers meeting on dating apps and getting disappointed because no one will ever be 'the one' this way.

As far as the 'live' is a musical, true, there are a lot of song and dance numbers to keep the narrative lively. But the music was not particularly memorable other than the callbacks to some of the original's. The lyrics were also more tell than show, so sure, fun but overall meh.

'Live' Snow White I have mixed feelings about. I might have appreciated it better if I had kids to bring and have something to chat about with them later, but the movie was clearly not pitched to my demographic. Perhaps that's the reason this movie wasn't as profitable as it could have been: having fewer and fewer kids means less and less reason to pay money to watch movies like this, while the jaded and childless are hate-watching the movie that is not meant for them. Also, perhaps the overall positivity of the narrative can be annoying as it runs so counter to their normal, everyday experience of life. And their biased reviews are turning audiences off unfairly -- even audiences whom the movie is meant for.

47 vs Iran

47 really wanted to show off US military might through his parade but was disappointed. It was intentionally more low key and themed itself more historically educational and friendly than he'd hoped. Not surprising that if he can't impress in theory, he'll take it on himself to demonstrate his military capabilities in practice.

Cue joining Israel in bombing nuclear sites in Iran, regardless of every piece of advice he'd been given to avoid a potentially large scale long term conflict against a foreign power. So here we are: the oldest ever toddler playing with the most dangerous toy ever, and who can't wait to see things go boom.

Iran, of course, could take the volatile route of vengeance, threatening the USA with violence both in the Middle Eastern region and at home -- which they have already done. But if they were instead to entertain a more chill approach, here's what I'd suggest.

47's actions are reminiscent of a simple gangster play: hit the enemy hard once and they'll beg for peace and mercy on his terms. However, this is not one mafia family beating up one loan defaulter. It's a mafia don almost unilaterally declaring war on an entire mafia rival family. It's not USA vs Iran, it's really just 47 vs Iran. 47 does not have the support of half the voters who voted in the 2024 election, and some of his more powerful supporters are starting to voice their disapproval over this apparently impulsive decision.

With this as the background, it would not make sense to unite the entire USA against a common enemy which would happen if Iran proceeded to attack US citizens and materials either in the region or at home. Rather, a less costly strategy would be to use the Palestinian playbook and launch a propaganda war showing the hardships, the destruction, and the humanitarian crisis that has resulted from this US action, while at the same time suggesting that Iran's nuclear capabilities are as yet unaffected. Setting these two opposing cognitive forces loose in the USA right now would be a sit down with popcorn moment as we watch the Great Satan tear itself apart from within.

Honestly, at this time, the nation closer to regime change is the USA. Iran literally has to do nothing but wait it out. Will they, though? WWIII hangs in the balance.

Ohana means family

Why would there be a need to remake a beloved animated movie from 2002 into a 'live' action one in 2025? To be honest, this one is the first 'live' action Disney remake I've watched, but only because the original resonated so hard with me. Would the story impact a second time?

It's a narrative that plays well in animation. The premise of aliens on Earth makes for a silly, nonsensical plot, so the animated medium of the original blends the incongruous elements into a seamless, believable universe. 'Live' action, though, needs a more realistic and grounded treatment, backgrounded by the fantasy elements of life and technology beyond the stars.

The plot and characters are updated, and some of the original's plotholes which we allowed for creative license get more of a logical explanation in the 'live' version. And then there is the concept of what "ohana" entails that gets explored and enhanced as well.

Conceptually, the story is the same. Two tiny outcasts find kinship and bond with each other amidst a chaos that is often of their own making. Through their misadventures, they bring out the best of each other while the lives of everyone concerned with them steadily fall apart. Sometimes, destruction is required before something new can arise from the rubble.

Some things that get updated are that Lilo's (Maia Kealoha) penchant for photography is gone since today, taking pictures of random people without their consent is no longer socially acceptable. Lilo's outfit is less traditional and more current. Big sister, Nani (Sidney Agudong), has help from well-meaning neighbour, Tutu (Amy Hill), a completely new addition to the original cast.

The 'live' action has its share of controversy. The role of Cobra Bubbles, the social worker in the original is split between an actual social worker (Tia Carrere) and Agent Cobra Bubbles (Courtney B Vance) doing undercover work investigating the alien presence on Earth. This split role explains why an ex-CIA agent with alien contact experience is currently working as a social worker. We always wondered if it was something he did or said that got him such a demotion. Now we know better.

Spoiler Alert: making Jumba (Zack Galifianakis) the main antagonist in the 'live' version seems like a betrayal of the character from the original, but we have to remember that in the original there was no motivation for his change of heart. He was always about capturing Stitch, disassembling him, and remaking a better monster. In the original, after finally capturing Stitch, Stitch politely asks Jumba for help to which he makes an inexplicable turnaround claiming, "he's very persuasive". In the 'live' version, Jumba follows through with his original motivation and gets increasingly unhinged with every failure.

Even bigger spoiler alert: Many fans of the original are upset when at the conclusion, Nani relinquishes custody of Lilo. In the original, Nani and Lilo remain as a family under the auspices of alien providence. In reality, aliens have no jurisdiction to enforce such protection once they leave the planet. It makes sense for there to be a more enforceable solution in the 'live' action, and that is for Tutu, who has been portrayed as a surrogate mother figure to both Nani and Lilo to take custody of Lilo. 

Meantime, Nani is allowed to pursue her dreams studying Marine Biology, which again to many fans looks like a betrayal of the wholesome original ending when then family gets to stay together. 'Live' action Nani is accused of 'girlbossing', which is not true at all. First, Nani has to be persuaded to go to university, having won a full scholarship, and has turned down the offer time and again. She finally goes when Lilo tells her to go because that's what their parents would have wanted for her.

So what does this mean for the 'ohana' concept that was so central to the original? While ohana means family, it isn't limited to the nuclear family. The concept of family includes found family (which was part of the concept in the original) and now includes Tutu who is also found family and has been part of the extended family this whole time. Ohana also includes family members who are deceased and whose wishes are still respected. When no one is "left behind or forgotten", that includes Nani too. Despite being Lilo's primary caregiver for most of this movie, Nani needs care from her ohana too, which Tutu provides. Girlbossing would actually be Nani taking care of Lilo all by herself, but ohana brings the village to raise the child.

And finally, in 'live' we get to see Lilo achieve personal growth and gain some maturity. Animated Lilo gets everything she wants at the end, but at no personal cost. In 'live', Lilo decides she cannot be a selfish brat any longer, agreeing to part with Nani for a time so that Nani can become who she needs to be. Lilo does say "I like you better as a sister than a mom", so she makes the sisterly decision to let Nani go. This way, Lilo proves that she is ohana to Nani as much as Nani has proven time and again that she is ohana to Lilo.

While I generally believe that it's time Disney starts making original content again, Lilo and Stitch 'live' gives us a little more insight to the animated original. But I draw the line at making yet another 'live' remake of its sequels. Once is enough.

Two branches, one tree

Well, here's a melding of two worlds I did not expect. The original Karate Kid and its remake turn out to be parts of the same Karate universe. Legends brings them all together and shifts everybody west to the gritty streets of New York.

Having regained his confidence after Xiao Dre's (Jaden Smith) victory in Beijing, Mr Han (Jackie Chan) restarts his school of kung fu. His prize student, Li Fong (Ben Wang), is already skilled in martial arts, but lives under the shadow of his deceased older brother. His Mom (Ming-Na Wen) forbids Fong from any further fighting due to the circumstances of her older son's death, and moves them both to New York for a fresh start.

Of course, the Karate Kid formula gets Fong in trouble with his newfound girlfriend's (Mia, played by Sadie Stanley) ex, Conor Day (Aramis Knight). The game now is to win the 5 Boroughs Championship of which the Conor is 5-time reigning champion.

While Conor is intense and ruthless in training, he's not really played up as a bully. Fong already has his own inner demons to fight. It takes both Mr Han and Daniel la Russo (Ralph Macchio) to combine forces and get him in shape for the fight both physically and mentally.

Yes, in a flashback at the beginning of this movie, the legend of how Miyagi-Do Karate came from Han kung fu roots is told. It's satisfyingly respectful that the late Pat Morita's Mr Miyagi is remembered as the common link between Mr Han and Daniel-san. "Two branches, one tree".

It is important to set up how skilled a fighter Fong is right at the start. He impresses Mia's dad, Victor (Joshua Jackson), who becomes Fong's student in using kung fu to train for an upcoming prize fight. This way, we see our protagonist as a trainer rather than as a trainee, an interesting break from formula. This leaves Fong's training by Han and Daniel to be more comical as the two coaches discuss and demonstrate their strategies using Fong as a practice dummy.

What's not clear to me, though, is the need to bring in the discipline of Karate as the 5 Boroughs tournament doesn't seem to be specific to any single discipline. The portrayal of the tournament felt rushed. There was little build up in getting to know the opponents, their motivations and stakes. Conor and Fong looked evenly matched going in, so despite being down by a few points in the early game Fong didn't look like he was in trouble. Then again, perhaps that wasn't the point. Fong's demons have more to do with his response after the match to fulfil his redemption arc. Another nice variation of the formula.

Overall, Legends brings a fresh take to the Karate Kid franchise, thrilling to view as a first-timer, yet heavily nostalgic for those of us who have followed this narrative since the '80s.

Present to the boss

Attended the Pre-U Sem 2025 closing ceremony as staff in charge of my institute's delegation. Arrived just in time to catch one of my kids making a presentation about her team's project. She performed well, all bright, animated, rehearsed and polished but not beholden to script. What I didn't realize until a few seconds later was to whom she was presenting. It was to the new boss himself. Here you see the back of his head. It's the closest in proximity I've ever been to my industry's top brass. Just an observation.