The Comic Book Geek

One of the latest Netflix original movies is The Titan. The name has a double meaning. On one hand it is about sending people to Titan, one of the moons of Saturn, on the other it is about transforming people into better humans, if not gods then titans. The premise is that Earth has been wracked by war and ecological disaster (it takes place in 2048). Humanity needs to look for another home (so far it sounds like the new Lost in Space ). The chosen place is Titan, a moon that has plenty of resources but is toxic to humans. Instead of terraforming Titan, it is decided to Titan-form humans. A select group of military personnel are chosen to have their DNA tampered with. The goal is to force evolution by introducing animal DNA to enable humans to survive on Titan. The procedure is dangerous, both physically and psychologically. The movie focuses on one man who is able to go the complete distance of genetic modification and how that affects him and his family. The basic premise is in...

Black Panther - Review

One of the first Marvel comics I ever owned was a Jack Kirby drawn team-up between Captain America and Black Panther. It was my introduction to the Black Panther character. My first thought was that he seemed to be Batman without a cape. Last night I saw the Black Panther movie. I enjoyed the character in Captain America: Civil War and so I had high hopes for this movie. I was not disappointed. It didn't strictly follow the Marvel formula which was refreshing. There was humour but it was not forced the way it was in Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. One of the things I liked about Black Panther is that it was not a one-man show starring T'Challa. There were other strong supporting characters. Two of my favourites were Shuri, T'Challa's younger sister and M'Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe. This latter character was nicely reimagined from his horrible comic identity as "Man-Ape." One of the most interesting parts of the movie was the struggle of co...

Avengers: Infinity War - Review

The battle with Thanos has been brewing for years, with Thanos being behind the attack on earth that originally brought the Avengers together. Thanos and the infinity stones have been the threads that have tied together many of the Marvel movies. Infinity War is what we have been waiting for. The basic premise is that Thanos is gathering together the infinity stones, six gems that have been around since the big bang. With possession of these stones, Thanos (already incredibly powerful) will become unstoppable. It's up to the good guys to stop him. Who are the good guys? Pretty much all of the Marvel heroes that have appeared up til now, with the exception of Hawkeye and Ant-Man. This boils down to the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Strange. The biggest danger for this movie is that with so many characters, none of them would get the attention that they needed. Really this movie couldn't have happened until now as the foundation for each character was lai...

Lost in Space - Review

The old Lost in Space series was a part of my childhood. I didn't watch the original run as it was cancelled the year I was born. It was not my favourite science fiction show but it was okay. Although I saw the remake Lost in Space movie, I can't say as it made a big impression on me. I can't remember if I liked or disliked it. Lost in Space has recently been remade again as a Netflix series. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed with the first episode. It gave me some doubts as to whether I wanted to continue to watch it. I kept with it and I ended up really enjoying the ten episode first season. I thought they hit a nice balance between the innocence and charm of the original series and the complexity and action of modern science fiction. The basic plot is that earth is in trouble and a plan has been created to establish a colony in Alpha Centauri, consisting of the best of the best. The main ship is called the Resolute, on which are attached Jupiters, much ...