Ya know, I'm happy this still got released instead of cancelled like many other MCU projects, but man do I wish Disney kept the original October 3rd release date. It would've been a fun way to start off the Halloween season. Oh well, let's just hope it's good.
Marvel Zombies is an adult animated tv series that not only acts as the 16th television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but as a spin-off to Marvel's previous series What If...? more specially the first season's fifth episode, What If...Zombies?! Production was done by Marvel Studios Animation and the show is distributed by Disney+. Bryan Andrews created the show and wrote the series along with Zeb Wells.
The story is, it's been five years since the zombie plague spread across the world and turned people into the living dead. But there may be hope when a group of survivors found a key that might be able to put an end to all this. They travel across the dystopian roads and risk their lives in this mission, but the biggest threat isn't just the undead themselves, it's the Queen of the Dead herself, Scarlet Witch.
Why Am I Review This Show?
Now If any of you have been with me and followed my blog, then you'd know my history with Marvel TV shows isn't that big, meaning I've only ever reviewed Daredevil. Not because I hate them it's just whenever they come out I got something else planned, but I wanted to explain my history with the Marvel Zombies series. First, let's flashback. Let's go back all the way to 2005. I was there when the very first Marvel Zombies comic book series was released. It was a day after my birthday Dec 7th, so I would've been nine years old at this time. I was just scrolling through Marvel's official website seeing what was being released during that month, and that's when I saw this cover.
My little kid brain was blown away. I was thinking, "Holy shit! Are we gonna see Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the other Marvel heroes fight freakin' zombies!". So I quickly read the first issue (and I definitely read it on a totally 100% legal site), and while it wasn't exactly like what I imagined it to be I was still blown away. Although while still doing research on this I did soon find out this series idea spun off from a story arc in Ultimate Fantastic Four. So it wasn't a new idea made by Robert Kirkman (the creator behind The Walking Dead & Invincible) like I initially thought, but it was still pretty cool.
Since that day I was looking at the action figures that were gonna come out, seeing some fan art, and like three years later seeing that one fan film along with fan made trailers where at the time the only footage that could be used was from Marvel films years prior to the MCU. I also read some of the sequels and that crossover with The Army of Darkness, and I did enjoy some of those, but man, nothing compared to that first series.
So yeah, I have a long history with this side of the Marvel universe. And while I was bummed out this show isn't gonna be like Robert Kirkman's miniseries, Hell we're probably not gonna get something like that until I'm a very old man, I was still interested in seeing this. Especially since this show would have a TV-MA rating.
- Negatives
It's the humor. The show tries really hard to have comedic moments to lighten things up, but other than two lines I barely laughed.
- Mix
The biggest mix bag for the series is the writing. Now I could make a cheap shot about Zeb Wells and his terrible Amazing Spider-Man run, but this was more of mix. The good stuff includes for instance Kamala Kahn and her struggle to find hope in a world where that's either limited or nonexistent. Her story brings heart to any otherwise dark tale. So I actually got invested in that. Pretty good redemption for a character who had to appear in The Marvels. But then you get characters you really don't care for. I get a lot of the fan favorites are either dead or got turned into zombies, but who's gonna be invested in Death Dealer or whoever Awkwafina is playing? Yes I know her character was in Shang-Chi but I completely forgot who she is. The only other characters I cared for who weren't Kamala were Spider-Man (because duh it's Spidey) and Blade Knight. By the way, Blade Knight is pretty awesome.
But it's not just characters that are also the problem. It's also the overall story itself. At first it's a pretty simple survival story. Alright that's all good and fine. But at the same time Zombie Scarlet Witch has her own agenda, that's fine too. Especially since that was a plot point from the beginning and had a good build up to the fourth and final episode. So where's the problem? Well it comes in the form of the ending to the final episode. Without giving too much away, Queen of the Dead Scarlet Witch defeats a character (I won't give away who it is) who is powered by Infinity Stones energy. Yes, somehow Scarlet Witch beat someone powered with the Infinity Stones. How? They've got the energy of the Infinity Stones! That should be the most overpowered man walking the universe. But then we get the real ending which just sequel baits you. You'd think with so many projects that Marvel Studios either had to change or cancel they'd be more careful with the sequel baiting. Cause unlike the earlier years of the MCU, there's no undoubtedly, sure-fire guarantees anymore.
Then lastly there's the animation. Now whether it's What If...? or this miniseries I could never get behind it. It's not bad, it's just somethings do look good, but 99.99% of the time everyone and everything looks too smooth.
- Positives
So, where there any truly good highlights? Yes, yes there were. For starters good voice acting. Iman Vellani gave a very strong performance. Her acting captured Kamala's optimism, but shows the cracks when she's at her most vulnerable. Then there's Todd Williams as Blade Knight. It's no surprise his character became a fan favorite. Not only is his design cool, but Williams' brings a very gritty and commanding voice whenever the character speaks. Lastly Elizabeth Olsen returns as Scarlet Witch. Despite a limited amount of appearances, Olsen still gives a very chilling and menacing performance.
But what about the thing we all came for? What about the bloody, gut ripping gore? Well, it's safe to say that TV-MA rating didn't go to waste. Unlike the What If...Zombies?! episode, this show holds nothing back. People get ripped apart, zombies get their heads ripped off courtesy of Spider-Man, it's a brutal spectacle. It's by far the show's greatest strength.
While this wasn't a total letdown, I was still hoping for something more. Especially when it came to the ending.
My final rating is, Okay.
That's all for now. Come back on Saturday, Sept 27th, for my review of the newest Leonardo DiCaprio movie, One Battle After Another. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.
No comments:
Post a Comment