Movie review: ‘Dark Phoenix’ closes out the X-Men saga (for now)

For better or worse, “Dark Phoenix” marks the end of the X-Men franchise as we know it.

It’s a little like a political lame duck; it’s being released after the Disney/Fox merger but does not tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Reviews for the film haven’t been kind — it’s currently sitting at 24 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — and with its $33 million opening weekend box office, it barely managed to beat out Disney’s live action “Aladdin,” which is in its third week. (As a side note, I actually went to see “Aladdin” again this past weekend, and I enjoyed it even more a second time. It looks like it may prove to be one of the summer’s leggiest movies.)

I went to see a Thursday night preview of “Dark Phoenix,” and my immediate reaction was, “this isn’t quite as bad as the reviews would lead you to believe.” Sure, the movie does have some significant flaws (we’ll get to those in a minute), but there were some things I did enjoy about this movie.

As someone who doesn’t have much familiarity with comics (it’s my geek Achilles’ heel, and I always feel guilty about that), the only knowledge I had about the Dark Phoenix storyline came from the “X-Men: The Last Stand” movie which I saw a long time ago and don’t remember a lot about.

Basically, Jean Grey, member of the X-Men team, gets some new cosmic powers that pull her towards the dark side, and the X-Men are torn between wanting to save her and having to stop her. Also, from this point on, I’m not sure what parts of my review may be spoiler-y or not for those who have read the comics, so if you don’t want spoilers of any kind, stop reading now.

By this point in the franchise, it’s best not to think too closely about how the timeline for these reboot films (“First Class,” “Days of Future Past,” “Apocalypse,” and “Dark Phoenix”) matches up with the original Hugh Jackman films. In “First Class,” Michael Fassbender’s Magneto and James McAvoy’s Professor X appear to be 20/30 somethings in the 1960s. Fast forward 30-ish years to “Dark Phoenix,” and let’s just say these two have aged suspiciously well.

“First Class” is actually my favorite X-Men film, and I will never complain about seeing Fassbender and McAvoy return to these roles. They are, at least in my opinion, the best parts of these reboot films, and there’s a very nice moment at the end of “Dark Phoenix” that closes out their storyline.

I did like Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, and I love the complexity of the character’s storyline. I’m a sucker for stories involving anti-heroes and nuanced villains, and I think we need more female characters who fit into these archetypes. Jean is a conflicted soul who is struggling with demons she can’t quite master, and if anything, the plot of this film moves too fast, instead of letting Jean’s conflict slowly build.

I wasn’t a fan of the alien subplot in this movie, and I felt it distracted from the main, more interesting storyline (i.e. Jean’s inner struggle). I have heard the aliens are a part of the original comics, but I wish they had cut it out altogether, because the shape-shifting aliens in this movie reminded me too much of the Skrulls in “Captain Marvel.” I personally don’t think the giant space cloud that Jean derives her powers from needs a backstory; just give her the powers, and then focus on how she deals with them.

I wanted to see more interactions between Jean and Magneto, and Jean and Professor X. I thought Professor X and Jean’s relationship was fascinating, because you have Charles trying to do something good by messing with Jean’s memories and burying her past trauma, but in the long run he harms her more than he helps her. Misusing one’s powers in the name of good is a potential pitfall that all superheroes face, and I love seeing this explored.

I also wish Jean had been able to spend more time at Magneto’s compound for mutants, because based on his own past, he seems the most qualified to help Jean with her dark side temptations. He also knows what it’s like to live with an overwhelming sense of rage and a desire for revenge, though he’s eventually able to find some peace.

Some other, very spoiler-y quibbles: It definitely feels like Jennifer Lawrence was kinda phoning it in as a performer in this movie; however, Mystique’s death does make a powerful emotional impact. It’s a sad twist, but it gives the story more weight. I also felt like Jean’s turn back to the light came too soon in the film. I wished they had kept her fate in limbo until the very end, when she makes a final decision to sacrifice herself to save her friends.

In short, this film has some good features that needed more polishing, and it’s a shame that it’s the end of an era. I definitely believe we’ll see the X-Men on film again, but I’m still feeling a bit hesitant on whether I want them to join the MCU’s main storyline. I like having them as their own franchise, with their own tone and style.

Regardless of some misfires along the way, the X-Men films have offered some great performances and storytelling. Maybe all fans don’t feel the same way — and that’s completely okay — but I will personally be sad to see them go.

Movie review: ‘Bumblebee’ is the Transformers movie we’ve been waiting for

This is a sentence I never thought I’d write, but here it is: yes, a Transformers movie really is one of the best movies of the year.

The films in Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise haven’t exactly been beloved by critics, or by a lot of geeks. Though they’ve collectively made $4.3 billion(!) at the box office, their highest achieved Rotten Tomatoes score is a still-rotten 57 percent. The performance of the previous film, “The Last Knight,” indicated possible waning interest in the franchise.

If you feel burned out after the previous five Transformers movies, I hear you. And while you might not want to give the franchise one more chance, I’d really encourage you to do so. “Bumblebee” is a wonderful, surprisingly heart-felt and character-driven movie, and I absolutely loved it.

I know “heart-felt” and “character-driven” aren’t the typical words that come to mind when you think of the Transformers franchise, but “Bumblebee” has a very different feel than the films that have come before it. Set in the 1980s, the film follows the lovable, bright-yellow robot as he flees to Earth to find a safe haven for Optimus Prime and his allies after a devastating Decepticon attack. Bumblebee befriends Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), a lonely teenage girl who’s been struggling since the death of her father.

Although Charlie copes with her grief by shutting out everyone who tries to get close to her, Bumblebee slowly wins her trust, and their friendship helps her begin to heal. When two Decepticons come to Earth to track Bumblebee down, Charlie and her new robot friend work together to save the day.

I really don’t have anything to criticize about this movie, because it pretty much fixed all the problems I had with the other Transformers films.

One of the common complaints about the franchise is that the action scenes were always a little too over-the-top; I love a good explosion in an action film, but the Transformers movies relied too much on special effects over substance.

While there are some cool action sequences in “Bumblebee,” they are refreshingly smaller-scale, and the emphasis of the film is on the characters. Sometimes it’s nice to have a stripped-down blockbuster like this, where there aren’t a million and one things flying at the screen at any given moment.

And speaking of the characters…I REALLY loved the character arcs in this movie. My biggest frustration with the past Transformers movies has been the treatment of the female characters, who have, for the most part, been over-sexualized, objectified, and basically relegated to the role of “eye candy.” I never felt like the past Transformers movies respected their female characters, and as a female geek, that was hard to watch.

By contrast, Charlie feels like a real teenager. She’s given hopes, dreams, fears, and struggles. I loved seeing her friendship with Bumblebee develop, and when they had to say goodbye at the end of the film, yes, I did get a little misty-eyed.

I’m not crying – you’re crying! (Okay, I’m crying.)

The cast of characters is actually rather small, which was also refreshing. This allows the film to really focus on the interactions between Charlie and Bumblebee, which form the heart of the movie. Another character I liked was Charlie’s neighbor and co-worker, Memo (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.). I thought his crush on Charlie was adorably awkward, and their relationship felt like an authentic “teenagers falling in love for the first time” experience. It reminded me a little of “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” one of my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Like I said before, I really can’t think of anything to criticize about this movie. I appreciated that they got rid of the cringe-y humor (the less we say about “Transformers 2,” the better). There are some laughs in “Bumblebee,” but they’re sweet moments, rather than eye-roll inducing.

Anyway, I had no idea that I’d end the year by gushing about a Transformers movie, of all things, but here I am! 😉 I’m glad I held off making my “best of 2018” movie list until after I saw “Bumblebee.” I wasn’t even originally planning to see it, but when I saw it receiving really glowing reviews, I decided I had to check it out. I’m glad I did, because it’s definitely in my top five this year. It’s the perfect way to close out my 2018 at the box office.

Too much of a good thing: Are sequels/revivals always a great idea?

“Arrested Development” is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. The series, featuring the misadventures of the spectacularly dysfunctional Bluth family, ran for a mere three seasons on Fox before getting canceled. However, thanks to a still-devoted fanbase, the show was revived seven years later on Netflix.

Although Netflix swooping in to save the day seemed like a good thing at the time, response to the show’s fourth season was…well…a little lukewarm. But showrunners were determined to try again, and Netflix recently released a fifth season of the show that appeared to be a return to form.

I binged most of the fifth season of “Arrested Development” this past week. It was good to see the gang back together, and there were plenty of moments that made me laugh out loud. Still, it’s fair to say that the show didn’t have *quite* the same magic of its initial run, though it’s tough to pinpoint exactly why.

Revivals/sequels to beloved TV shows and movies often seem like a good idea on paper, but that’s not always the case in practice. Especially when there’s a long gap between the original product and the revival.

Sometimes it works out, like the 35-year gap between the original “Blade Runner” and the sequel “Blade Runner 2049.” Although not a box office blockbuster per se, “Blade Runner 2049” was a masterful science fiction film in its own right, at least in my opinion. But then you have other examples like the “Arrested Development” revival, which *should* work flawlessly since you’ve still got the same cast. But it just doesn’t seem quite as fresh or funny. Whether that’s because the show has changed or the audience has, is an interesting question to ponder.

Whether a revival/sequel is worthwhile or not has to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Is there anything new to add to the original story? Are there opportunities to add more layers or nuance, or portray the characters, setting, etc. in a new way? If the answer is yes, then a sequel or revival can be the perfect way to capture nostalgia while also offering fresh material. I know not all Star Wars fans are pleased with how Disney has handled the franchise, but I love the direction Star Wars is going these days. At the heart of it, it’s still the same Star Wars we know and love (at least to me!), but we’re viewing these characters/places/themes through a new lens.

Alternatively, I was initially a little skeptical about “Incredibles 2,” because it’s been 14 years since the previous film and I wasn’t sure the movie needed a follow-up. But judging by the reviews so far, it looks like it’s a worthy successor to the original film, and I’m now looking forward to seeing how it will play out. It will be especially interesting to see if the film riffs on all the changes that have occurred in the superhero genre since the original Incredibles flick.

As fans, I think it’s also important to keep our expectations in check when it comes to a return/revival. Nostalgia can be a powerful drug, making us see things as better than they really are simply because they’ve been a part of our lives for so long.

That’s partly why, as much as I love Joss Whedon’s “Firefly,” I’m not really sure I’d want to see a revival, even if the cast got back together. That show is so beloved by many fans, and we’ve all had years to watch — and re-watch, and re-watch — the series. No matter how good a reboot was, would it ever feel the same? Maybe yes, maybe not.

While there are some complaints in Hollywood about too many sequels and “retreading old ground,” I think there’s nothing wrong with continuing a story, as long as it’s done in an authentic and creative way. Audiences are pretty savvy; they can spot which products are a labor of love, and which are a shameless cash grab. And creators should also be willing to let a concept go when its time has come, no matter how beloved it was in the past.

So, what do you think the “magic ingredients” are for a successful sequel or revival? What shows, franchises, etc. would you like to see revived, and which ones should remain as they are in the past?

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away: My Star Wars film rankings (updated May 2018)

In 2016, I put together a blog post ranking my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe films that I could just return to and update as more films came out; that way I wouldn’t have to make a new post every time a new MCU movie was released. 😉 Anyway, since Star Wars films and TV shows are now coming out on a more regular basis, I figured it was time to make a Star Wars post too. As with the MCU post, I’ll just update it as the new films come out, and some of the films will probably shift around over time as well. I’ve also now added tiers to my list because there are groups of Star Wars movies/TV shows I love, ones I like, and ones that are just “okay.”

Tier 1 – I love it! 

1. The Empire Strikes Back

I’m pretty sure this comes as a surprise to absolutely no one, since I’m quite vocal about “The Empire Strikes Back” being my all-time favorite movie. 😉 There’s so much I love about this film. The “Luke I am your father” moment is also my all-time favorite plot twist, and the Skywalker family connection elevates the villain dynamic from “good” to “great.” Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill are at their best as Han, Leia, and Luke. There’s so many great moments, from the asteroid field, to the battle on Hoth, to Vader and Luke’s showdown on Cloud City. This movie captures everything people love about Star Wars.

2. Return of the Jedi

At one point, ROTJ was actually in the bottom half of my Star Wars list. But it’s really grown on me over the years, just because I think it’s such a satisfying resolution to the original trilogy. The poignant ending with Darth Vader finally discovering freedom from the dark side and sacrificing himself to save his son always makes me a bit misty-eyed (and darn that emotional John Williams music!) 😉

3. The Last Jedi

TLJ proved to be surprisingly controversial amongst the Star Wars fan base. However, I like it more and more each time I see it, and it may end up rising as high as No. 2 on my list (depending on how Episode IX wraps up the sequel trilogy). I like that Disney took some risks and didn’t play it safe. I love that they dared to give us a more broken, flawed Luke than we expected to see. I love that they explored themes like balance and failure, and added complex layers to characters like Kylo Ren/Ben Solo. It also has a couple of my all-time favorite scenes in the Star Wars franchise: the fight in Snoke’s throne room and Luke’s Force projection across the galaxy.

4. Rogue One

At one point, I think “Rogue One” was as high as No. 2 on my list. While for now it has settled in at No. 4, I still really, really love this film. It was cool to see a Star Wars film that felt more like a war movie than a space opera. It’s really about a bunch of ordinary people — no chosen ones with heavy legacies this time — who rise up and become heroes…and make the ultimate sacrifice. I’m so glad Disney had the courage to give us a bittersweet ending with all the characters sacrificing themselves; it’s a powerful gut-punch that drives home the film’s theme. And that Darth Vader in the hallway scene is another Star Wars highlight for me.

5. The Force Awakens

I know some have criticized “The Force Awakens” for feeling too much like “A New Hope,” but I didn’t see it that way. It does play things a little safe (safer than “The Last Jedi”), but after the response to the prequels, TFA *needed* to be a little safe. It’s a fun, nostalgic movie that brings back some beloved characters and introduces some new ones. I also loved its use of actual sets (rather than an overload of CGI), making the universe feel more natural and “lived in” once again.

6. The Clone Wars

When people say they don’t like the prequels, I immediately have to ask, “But have you seen ‘The Clone Wars’?” 😉 This series does a great job of redeeming some of the characters, themes, and plot lines that were poorly executed in the prequels. Although it’s animated, don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s “just a kids show.” “The Clone Wars” manages to tackle some surprisingly deep and nuanced themes. It dives into the ethics of clone warfare and shows that the clones were still people with personalities, dreams, and fears. It does a better job demonstrating how and why Anakin falls to the dark side, and it also shows the fun side of Anakin and Obi-Wan’s friendship.

7. A New Hope

It feels weird putting the first Star Wars movie so far down the list, especially since it’s the one that started it all. I don’t want it to seem that I like this movie less than I do (I really love it!) It’s a fun space opera that will always be an entertaining adventure to watch. I do prefer the later films, though, which are an emotionally deeper viewing experience, at least for me.

8. Solo

This is actually the movie I added the “tiers” for! 🙂 I really enjoyed “Solo,” and I felt weird putting it in the bottom half of my Star Wars ranking, especially since my enjoyment of it is considerably higher than the movies/TV shows that come after it on this list. With all the drama taking place behind the scenes of this film (the director shake-up, reshoots, etc.), “Solo” is better than it has any right to be. It’s a really fun heist movie with some cool action scenes, though not as epic as the films above it on this list. I’m glad it’s part of the Star Wars universe, and I hope we’re getting a sequel!

Tier 2 – I like it! 

9. Rebels

There’s a lot to like about the other Star Wars animated show, “Rebels.” It introduces some cool new characters and even works some old Expanded Universe characters back into the canon (it’s good to see you again, Grand Admiral Thrawn!) However, I don’t like this as much as “The Clone Wars.” The animation doesn’t feel quite as polished, and it’s not as deep as “The Clone Wars” was.

10. Revenge of the Sith

Ah, the Star Wars prequels. I actually used to be a bit of a prequels apologist; I enjoyed them when I was younger but found they haven’t held up well over time, at least for me. I’ve found it harder to overlook some of the acting, dialogue, and directing issues, especially after seeing the sequel trilogy. However, there are still some bright spots in these movies, even though they could have been so much more. ROTS is the best of the bunch, and I may actually like it more than “Rebels.” Maybe another Star Wars marathon is in order…

Tier 3 – It’s meh…

11. The Phantom Menace

I commonly see TPM listed as the worst of the Star Wars movies, but I think it’s actually better than “Attack of the Clones.” I won’t get into all the issues with the film here. But the parts I did like were Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi (who’s my favorite part of the prequels overall) and Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn. And that double-bladed lightsaber battle with Darth Maul is still pretty cool, as is John Williams’ epic choral piece “Duel of the Fates.”

12. Attack of the Clones

I really liked the Jedi and clones vs. droid army battle pictured above, as well as the theme that the Jedi Order’s moral compromises and inability to see the truth later lead to their own downfall. But the Anakin/Padmé romance (and accompanying dialogue) are difficult to watch. And the over-reliance on CGI really stands out, especially in comparison to the sequel trilogy films, which feel less computerized.

How would you rank the Star Wars movies? I’d love to see your own list! 

‘Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!’ Is Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise still relevant?

October has already been a busy month for movie/entertainment geeks: buzzworthy new trailers for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and Marvel’s “Black Panther”; a highly praised sequel to a sci-fi classic, “Blade Runner 2049”; “Spider-Man: Homecoming” coming to home video; and the ongoing debate about what we think of the new Star Trek series, “Discovery,” as well as the new streaming service we have to watch it on, CBS All Access. So it’s perfectly understandable that some may have missed the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie, “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” which slipped out on DVD on Oct. 3.

Was that particular would-be summer blockbuster a flop or not? Was it designed to end the long-running franchise or serve as a new jumping-off point? The answers to both those questions are still a bit murky.

Domestically, “Dead Men Tell No Tales” certainly under-performed. With a reported budget of $230 million, the film has pulled in $173 million, currently sitting at #13 on the list of top grossing movies for 2017 and far below this year’s mega-hits like “Beauty and the Beast” and “Wonder Woman.” It couldn’t even beat “The Boss Baby,” sadly enough. Internationally, though, it’s a much different picture; 78 percent of the film’s total gross came from overseas, bringing its earnings up to $795 million. Still, it’s worth noting that the film’s final tally is a significant drop from the previous sequel, “On Stranger Tides” (2011), which cleared the billion mark.

I was 16 when the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out, and I can remember how big the franchise was at the time. It became a pop culture powerhouse, and my friends and I were so hyped for the sequels. Yet since then, the franchise’s star seems to have faded, at least somewhat. Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is the new pop culture king, and Star Wars has made a successful comeback. Even if it wasn’t a true flop, “Dead Men Tell No Tales” just couldn’t command the same amount of buzz the franchise used to.

Curious to see how well the franchise had aged, I went back and watched the original Pirates trilogy this past summer. I was a bit nervous, since this franchise was such a huge deal for me in high school and helped spark my movie obsession. Perhaps not all would agree, but I was relieved to find that the first three films were still a lot of fun. Basing a movie on a theme park attraction may have seemed like a sketchy idea, but “The Curse of the Black Pearl” was (and still is) a fun, swashbuckling adventure with ghostly special effects that still hold up. At the time, Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow felt like a breath of fresh air, a hilarious trickster who (mostly) did the right thing, if sometimes for slightly selfish reasons.

The next two sequels — “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End” — were more divisive, but I can’t lie — after re-watching them this summer, I still really enjoy them. Maybe they were bloated and self-indulgent at times, but I loved that they dared to push the franchise in new and sometimes weirder directions. My favorite Pirates movie is actually “Dead Man’s Chest”; I love the whole fight on the beach/island between Jack and his (sort-of) friends and Davy Jones’ crustacean crew (there are some great sword fights in the franchise overall). I also appreciated the film wading into somewhat murkier moral waters (sorry, I had to work in a pun like that somewhere!), such as Elizabeth tricking Jack and leaving him to the kraken to buy the rest of the crew a chance to escape. I also admire the film makers’ gutsy decision to give the original trilogy a more tragic ending than we typically see in popcorn blockbusters: killing off the franchise’s one truly selfless main character, Will Turner, and bringing him back as the cursed captain of the Flying Dutchman. The only character who really deserved a happy ending doesn’t quite get one.

Disney waited too long to release the sequel, “On Stranger Tides,” a more forgettable adventure without many of the classic characters fans loved. It’s been a while since I’ve seen this one, though I remember Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa as the highlight. I think with this film we start having the issue of Captain Jack overexposure. He was really great in the first three films but the character does start becoming a bit tired in the fourth film, due to the fact that he doesn’t really change. It’s a catch-22 because if he DID change, he wouldn’t be funny anymore. One could also argue that Johnny Depp fell into the trap of ONLY playing characters that were wacky variations of the Jack Sparrow type, so it feels like we’ve seen the character a lot more than we actually have.

Disney also waited too long to release the most recent sequel, “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” perhaps overestimating the franchise’s staying power. However, I actually enjoyed “Dead Men Tell No Tales” and thought it avoided some of the issues fans had with “On Stranger Tides.” It was good to see the franchise return to its roots and reflect more on its legacy, featuring Will and Elizabeth Turner’s son, Henry, as the protagonist. Although it was a fun time at the theater, as touched on earlier it didn’t quite generate the spark Disney was probably hoping it would. Whether we get a sequel or not (or perhaps a hard reboot) will depend on how happy Disney is with that final box office tally.

I’m still proud to call myself a Pirates fan, and I’m happy to re-watch the original trilogy and will look forward to seeing “Dead Men Tell No Tales” again on home video. Still, I hope that Disney will let this franchise rest, at least for a while. Some franchises just don’t have the staying power of a pop culture icon like Star Wars. Star Wars has been going strong for 40 years, and there’s decades more potential film ideas to be mined from that franchise. The Pirates universe isn’t as expansive as that — and doesn’t have to be. It’s not bad for some franchises to end; an ending doesn’t have to mean failure. Sometimes it’s better to sail gracefully into the sunset than try to keep fighting as the ship sinks.

Musical (director) chairs: Why the recent shakeups at Lucasfilm aren’t necessarily a bad thing

So far, I’ve been very pleased with the way Disney has handled the Star Wars universe since they purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012. I loved “Episode VII: The Force Awakens” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” I’m still a little bummed Disney made the old Star Wars Expanded Universe novels go away, but the new canon novels are getting better (the “Rogue One” novelization is excellent, by the way).

However, there have been a few road bumps in Star Wars land this year. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller — directors of the upcoming Han Solo prequel film, perhaps best known for their work on “The Lego Movie” — were fired in June over alleged creative differences regarding the project, and Ron Howard was asked to step in. Most recently, Colin Trevorrow was ousted as the director of Episode IX. “The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams will take over.

It’s easy to feel concern over something as major to a project as a director shakeup, and wonder if the studio is being too controlling or lacking a cohesive vision. Especially when, in the case of the Han Solo movie, months of filming had already taken place when the directors were fired. However, based on Disney’s handling of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the previous Star Wars films, I’m going to side with them on this one. Of course I’ll have to wait until I see the finished product, but I think they likely made the right call.

I loved Lord and Miller’s Lego movie — it was one of the funniest and most creative movies I’d seen in a long time. But an overly comedic tone is not really what I want from a Star Wars movie. According to rumors, the directing duo was trying to make the Han Solo movie into a comedy with supposedly too much improvisation. Although I do think it’s good for directors have some room to bring a fresh vision to these well-established franchises, you don’t want to veer too far off course from that classic “Star Wars feel.” Gareth Edwards did a great job bringing a gritty war movie tone to “Rogue One” while still having it feel like a Star Wars movie. The Wikipedia page for the Han Solo movie calls it a “space western” and I really hope that’s the tone Ron Howard is able to draw out.

I also feel it was ultimately a good decision to part ways with Colin Trevorrow, at least for now. His “Jurassic World” was a fun movie but not a flawless one; nostalgia, dinosaurs, and Chris Pratt carried the film more than the plot. Trevorrow’s recent “The Book of Henry” was not well received by critics, and I have a feeling his removal from the Episode IX project had at least something to do with this.

Not everyone has been thrilled J.J. Abrams is returning to the Star Wars universe, but I’m personally really excited. Abrams is actually one of my favorite directors. I think he approaches filmmaking with a lovely sense of childlike wonder, and I believe he will bring an epic closure to the Star Wars sequel trilogy. I liked all the elements of nostalgia in “The Force Awakens”; after the prequel trilogy, a lot of fans felt burned, and it was probably best to take a safer approach with Episode VII. I think Episode VIII will push into some newer, darker territory, and Abrams will (hopefully!) be able to blend all that together in the final film.

As I was chatting with my husband about the Star Wars director shakeups, I did have to admit that Abrams and Howard are fairly “safe” choices for the franchise, and Disney doesn’t seem keen to take a whole lot of risks at this point. At least for now I want the Star Wars movies — at least the main ones — to keep having that similar, classic feel. However, in the future I think Disney should feel confident enough to take a few risks with the anthology films, venturing out beyond the template they’re comfortable with. We may never see a gritty, R-rated Star Wars bounty hunter/gangster movie set in the seedy underbelly of Coruscant or the back alleys of Mos Eisley, but wouldn’t that be awesome?

Franchise fatigue, movie misfires, and the changing world of big-budget blockbusters

Film franchises generate big business for Hollywood. Star Wars and Marvel seem to be leading the trend, with their brand names wielding enough power to regularly generate $100 million+ openings. Audiences just can’t seem to get enough, and even risky gambits have paid off — like “Rogue One,” a Star Wars movie that doesn’t feature any Jedi, and films that star some of Marvel’s more obscure characters.

However, that trend isn’t holding true for all of Hollywood’s would-be franchises. Despite “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” kicking off the summer blockbuster season with a strong start and a major boost from “Wonder Woman,” 2017 has seen a number of franchises flounder with critical misfires and would-be blockbusters that are limping to the finish. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” and “Alien: Covenant” under-performed, and plans to turn Guy Ritchie’s “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword” into a franchise are likely gone due to a disastrous opening weekend. Things aren’t looking good for Universal’s planned “Dark Universe” monster movie franchise, either; “The Mummy,” starring Tom Cruise, posted a $32 million opening weekend — not good for a big-budget film that’s supposed to generate buzz for a new shared universe franchise.

Negative reviews have played a big role in these stumbling franchises, and fair or not, Rotten Tomatoes wields a decent amount of power. The fairness of Rotten Tomatoes ratings is a complicated topic for another time (I felt “Dead Men Tell No Tales” was rated too harshly at 29 percent, and “Alien: Covenant” was treated too leniently with 71 percent). Still, people do pay attention to that rating. If a film gets a little green splat, people may decide to save their time and money and skip the film. After the trends we’re seeing this summer, I’m very curious to see how the next Transformers movie preforms at the box office, considering the fact the franchise hasn’t exactly been a critical darling over the years.

I can see why every Hollywood studio wants a franchise or shared universe — as mentioned earlier, Star Wars and Marvel have brought in big bucks for Disney. A successful franchise does a lot of the marketing for you — if you loved “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1,” you’re automatically going to be hyped for “Vol. 2.” However, simply creating a franchise or shared universe isn’t enough to bring people to the theater, especially when these franchise films seem rushed. DC Comics made several films before finally hitting their stride with “Wonder Woman”; instead, they should have come on strong right out of the gate.

The fact is, people have a lot more entertainment choices than they used to. People can access high-quality content right from their home with streaming services like Netflix. For a low monthly fee, you can watch previous movies and new TV shows like “Stranger Things” that are sometimes better than the content currently available at the movie theater. Also, movie tickets and concessions can be expensive, particularly if you’re bringing the whole family. People want to wait until there’s a really good, buzzworthy film to spend their money on.

You also have to know when to let a franchise go. Nostalgia isn’t always enough to guarantee success. It may have worked for “Jurassic World,” which captured some of the spirit of the original movie (and Chris Pratt’s rising star power certainly didn’t hurt). But nostalgia for the past wasn’t enough for “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” “Alien: Covenant,” and “The Mummy” — either people have already kind of forgotten about these properties, feel that the existing movies are enough, or they aren’t really in the mood for more at this time.

Franchises have to offer something both familiar and exciting. I like the Marvel movies because I know pretty much what sort of movie I’ll be getting, but I still want them to show me something different and cool, like with “Doctor Strange.” I think the upcoming Spider-Man movie will succeed where some of this summer’s other blockbusters haven’t because while it IS the third Spidey reboot in recent history, it’s bringing the character into the much-loved Marvel Cinematic Universe and features a cameo from the ever-popular Iron Man/Tony Stark.

I love a good franchise — in fact, many of my all-time favorite movies are part of franchises, and aren’t always the first chapter in the franchise either. Yet with increasing competition from Netflix and the fact that there’s practically a new blockbuster demanding our attention every weekend, Hollywood may have to do a little better. That’s where the power of word-of-mouth comes in. A movie’s best marketers aren’t necessarily trailers or ads on social media; it’s people who, if they love a movie, tell all their friends and family about it. For example, I loved “Wonder Woman” so much that I’m still talking about that movie a week later. I saw it opening weekend and was so excited to see it again that I went back a few days later and brought a different person with me so they could see the movie too.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of this summer will play out at the box office. I don’t see any of the movies topping “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” or “Wonder Woman” in terms of box office success, but hopefully things will pick up. Although we’re not going to see the franchise trend die down any time soon, Hollywood may be getting the message that it’s not an automatic recipe for success.