The Super Mario Bros. Movie was a huge hit, earning over $1 billion worldwide. While it’s too soon to know if the next movie will be as successful, early signs suggest it has the potential to be another blockbuster.
We’re now seeing a new kind of TV show where the action sequences are just as crucial to the story as the plot itself. No matter the type of fight, these shows are made with incredible detail, adding a new level of quality. Here are a few series that have really raised the bar for action on television.
Directed by Kristoffer Borgli (known for Dream Scenario) and produced by Ari Aster (Hereditary), The Drama follows an engaged couple, Emma Harwood (Zendaya) and Charlie Thompson (Pattinson), whose wedding week is thrown into chaos when Emma reveals a shocking secret.
As a critic, I’ve definitely noticed Scooby-Doo’s resurgence, and Warner Bros. deserves a lot of the credit. Since acquiring the rights, they’ve consistently delivered Scooby content – at least one movie a year, and often more! While we’ve seen both live-action and theatrical releases, most have been animated films going straight to video. The good news for fans is that a live-action series is heading to Netflix, which is fantastic. What’s interesting is that each Scooby-Doo movie tries something new, but the audience clearly keeps wanting more, and I think that speaks volumes about the enduring appeal of these characters.
Apple TV+’s The Studio is a funny and critical comedy series created by and starring Seth Rogen. The show explores the chaotic world of movie and television production, focusing on Matt Remick (played by Rogen) as he takes charge of a failing studio. He’s caught between his passion for making good films and the need to create projects that will make money.
Joe Swanberg’s film centers on Wendy, played by Dakota Fanning, whose life gets complicated when her boyfriend, Jack – who’s divorced and has children – suggests they need some time apart. Things become even more tangled when Wendy unexpectedly reconnects with her former partner, Chuck, creating a messy and unpredictable love triangle.
Downey Jr. is expected to earn around $100 million for his role as Doctor Doom in the upcoming Doomsday and Secret Wars films, according to Puck. This adds to the estimated $500 to $600 million he’s already made from his work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and his appeal to audiences was likely a major reason for the large sum.
As much as I love what Marvel’s done with the MCU, I always remember that before all that, 20th Century Fox actually brought the Fantastic Four to the big screen first. Those 2005 and 2007 movies – Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer – were the first widely released, big-budget superhero films based on that team, and they really did something different with the characters. They weren’t part of a larger universe, and honestly, I appreciate them for being unique in their own way.
Sometimes, creatures labeled as ‘monsters’ weren’t naturally malicious – they were either created by circumstance or forced into monstrous roles. There are instances of genuinely good people becoming monsters due to unfortunate events, and even cases where the humans doing the hunting were actually more cruel than the creatures they pursued.
Valorie Currey, who plays Firecracker in The Boys, recently spoke with ScreenRant about her character’s relationship with Homelander. When asked if Firecracker accepts being used by him or desires independence, Currey responded that she doesn’t believe anyone is simply a tool for Homelander. She explained, “I don’t think anybody’s Homelander’s pawn, he cannot play chess.”