The Teddies Review - Dec 2021

Brobdingnagian scale, it’s inevitably challenging to keep the focus at a human level. Shang-Chi makes for a fun and endearing story about how Zhao, though, does manage to translate some of her grounded storytelling into the film, devoting much of the runtime to introducing everyone and getting the team back together after centuries apart. At 157 minutes, Eternals is the MCU’s se cond-longest film after Avengers: Endgame . An ambitious story told on a profoundly cosmic scale, Eternals falls prey to the clichés of superhero storytelling, and, despite Chloé’s expertise, serves as a continuation of the Marvel formula, rather than a divergence from it.

be ambitious,” says director Jon Watts. Part of that ambition will be bringing across familiar faces from previous Spider-Man films who, until now, haven’t been a part of Marvel Studio’s interconnected MCU. Among others, the roster includes Alfred Molina’s Otto Octavius (aka Doctor Octopus), who formerly imperilled Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker way back in 2004’s Spider-Man 2. Among the returning cast are Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange , Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds. Though the cast is speculated to include former Spider- Men Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, the former has only denied these rumours, claiming "this is not something I'm aware I am involved in." Wether or not the actors will reprise their roles, only time will tell. Ultimately, 2021 will be a year of bombastic action. With a wide array of new and returning characters, suffice it to say there will be some heady, game-changing implications for the future of the Marvel Universe.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

By Kamran Akhavan

Looking ahead, December 17th will see the highly anticipated return of Tom Holland as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home . Spider-Man, who was recently outed to the world as Peter Parker, asks Doctor Strange to help restore his secret identity with magic, which only leads to more dangerous repercussions, opening a multiverse of endless possibilities. Though the idea of a multiverse is not new to Marvel fans, having been explored in recent Disney+ shows such as Loki and What If … ? No Way Home will be the first theatrical acknowledgment of its existence, which bears exciting implications for the future of the MCU. “We’re definitely trying to

Blockbuster Hits

These are the top five highest grossing movies of 2021 (so far).

1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 2. Venom: Let There Be Carnage 3. Black Widow 4. F9: The Fast Saga 5. No Time to Die