Disney+ Watchlist & Reviews

[theCMG]

Iron Man 3 (review)

Officially the only MCU film I haven’t seen anything of before so little idea what to expect going in. And this turned out to be a nice surprise, I enjoyed it a lot. Always a fan of Guy Pearce and in this episode Don Cheadle puts his stamp onto Rhodey and even Gwyneth Paltrow is bearable.

Disney+
Good story which doesn’t just rely on superhero cliches
The young boy who helps Tony out is excellent in this, does a really good job
Entertaining guest appearance from Ben Kingsley

Disney-
Nothing obvious for me

Rating 7.5/10 way better than 2 and a good effort to round out the Iron Man trilogy



Thor: The Dark World (review)

I remember this as a bit of a ≈≈≈≈ from the first watch, the movie that almost killed Thor off. Was hoping it had improved with age and...it did, but only a little bit and probably just because after the Thor renaissance I’m more well disposed to the character now. I’m still not crazy about it.

Disney+
There’s a nice twist very late in the movie
Dr Jane Foster gets more to do than simper this time
Some good use of central London locations

Disney-
The Aether is a difficult thing of power to get used to, give me an infinity stone any day
I like Christopher Eccleston but here he’s a former Doctor Who playing a Doctor Who villain in a story that needs something more interesting. The Kursed sidekick is better but the Dark Elves generally suffer from the Ice Giant’s rubbish enemy thing.
Some of the Asgard things seem a little silly, aren’t they beyond flying longboats?
Anthony Hopkins phones in his (admittedly hokey) dialogue with zero interest

Rating 6/10 Not quite as bad as I remembered but definitely one of the low points of the MCU.

[theCMG]

The World According to Jeff Goldblum - Season 1

A National Geographic series made for Disney+ starring the colourful and somewhat eccentric Jeff Goldblum as he explores an interesting list of topics, devoting an episode to each.

Disney+
Jeff is a charming, enigmatic presence in this, you can see people warm to him
The topics are very well chosen, idiosyncratic and generally interesting subjects
Really enjoyed the episodes on Denim, Tattoos, Ice Cream, Cosmetics and you do learn something in this
In our case, the whole family was able to enjoy

Disney-
A couple of episodes turn out dull e.g. we couldn’t get on with the Gaming one
Jeff is out there, a bit marmite, a lot of people I’m sure won’t like him in this and I feel you have to like him to watch it

Rating 7.5/10 pretty Fly for a Tall Guy



Lady and the Tramp (live action version)

A remake of the 50’s classic created for the Disney+ launch. There’s probably something in it not being given a cinema release. What can I say, it was okay. I’m not madly into these remakes of the animations but at least this one wasn’t a direct cash grab I guess.

Disney+
Our dog liked it, watching the ending closely

Disney-
At almost 2 hours this is too long, the original was a good half hour shorter and there’s no excuse for this taking so long to tell the story, flabby editing/direction
The original is charming, this didn’t need to be made IMHO

Rating 5/10 not terrible but pointless if you’ve seen the original



Latest Watchlist:

In Progress

Star Wars Rebels - Season 3
Marvel/MCU movie series (chronological order)
Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom

Planned
The Jungle Book (animated)
Cars
Hercules
The Mandalorian - Season 2

[theCMG]

Captain America: Winter Soldier

I didn’t like this on original viewing so went in with low expectations. Happily these were surpassed.

Disney+
Interesting plot with plenty of twists
Excellent chase sequence with Nick Fury early on
Love those flying aircraft carriers

Disney-

Rating 8/10 This surprised me, it’s a much better film than I remembered. Maybe with greater MCU awareness comes a stronger appreciation of this one?



Guardians of the Galaxy

On to the sleeper hit of the MCU franchise.

Disney+
Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana are perfectly cast
Star Lord’s love of music translates perfectly to the big screen and gives things a happy glow
Genuinely funny moments, often with Drax

Disney-

Rating 8.5/10 I’m partial to a little cheese poured over my sci-fi and this hits the spot



Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

The sequel to a surprise hit moved things on to what happens to the Guardians after saving the galaxy.

Disney+
The Sovereign are a good addition to the MCU
Builds out the Gamora-Nebula story more
Before there was baby Yoda, there was baby Groot
The Yondu character arc is satisfying

Disney-
I don’t like the opening sequence, seems to be trying to hard to be zany vs the first movie which was less forced

Rating 7.5/10 Not as good as Vol.1 but still good and plenty to look forward to in a 3rd instalment



Avengers: Age of Ultron

Found this one a bit meh first time around but perhaps like Winter Soldier it will improve on the second viewing?

Disney+
Wanda and Vision are good additions to the squad (+always liked Paul Bettany)
Spectacular cliffhanger with some good if repetitive action sequences

Disney-
Bad plot, AI going bad has been done better countless times

Rating 6.5/10 there’s more than a whiff of the Transformers franchise about this one. Why aren’t these early Avengers movies better!


Star Wars Rebels - Season 3

Onto the 3rd series of this which is quickly becoming a favourite

Disney+
Builds on from Season 2 creating more canon for the SW story
Includes some of the better material and stories from the old Expanded Universe (e.g. Bendu)
Grand Admiral Thrawn is a great character

Disney-

Rating 8.5/10 this series continues to get better and better


Star Wars Rebels - Season 4

This series rounds the Rebels story off in style.

Disney+
Does a good job explaining why Thrawn and other characters aren’t in the main movies
Uses iconic locations - Tattoine, Yavin to create the atmosphere
Makes tough decisions with key characters

Disney-
Too much time back on Lothal but still, full circle from the weaker Season 1

Rating 8.5/10

[theCMG]

Ant-Man

One of the less obvious superhero stories but this works out very well as far as I’m concerned.

Disney+
Edgar Wright was a spot on choice as director and fills it with humour and heart
Paul Rudd also is perfectly cast as Ant Man, he has that underdog thing off pat. And it finally gets Bobby Cannavale into the MCU - he’s in everything else
Love the end scene with the model train set action sequence

Disney-
Why did they make us wait so long for Ant Man!

Rating 8/10 Perhaps the most charming of the Marvel origin stories?



Captain America: Civil War

This feels more like an Avengers movie at times, even Hawkeye pops up to fan a few arrows around albeit it’s not quite as dumb as Age of Ultron it feels like a sequel to it.

Disney+
Decent fight sequence at the airport
Tom Holland’s Spiderman is always a joy to watch (the definitive Spidey right?) also we see the Black Panther in action

Disney-
Cap-Bucky bromance gets a little tiresome in this one. Just get over it Cap! And I don't buy Captain America as an outlaw given his previous portrayal in the series.

Rating 6/10 Problematic



Doctor Strange

Second viewing of Benedict Cumberbatch’s entry into the MCU and another of the infinity stones pops up ahead of the big Phase 4 showdowns.

Disney+
Like the use of Tilda Swinton and Mads Mikkelsen
Wong is a nice comic touch in an otherwise fairly po-faced movie
The actual origin story is one of the more imaginative ones

Disney-
Found it pretty ordinary on the second viewing (as did DW on her first)
The Inception-esque FX weirdness, folding buildings etc. is not for me

Rating 6.5/10 decent but not as good as I wanted it to be second time around



Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (TV Special)

This is kind of a short documentary going through the first couple of phases of the MCU from the perspectives of the producers, directors and main stars. If you’ve seen all those films it comes recommended from me as a non challenging but enjoyable watch.

Disney+
It’s a great story, especially back to Iron Man and what an underdog Marvel Studios were at the time
Has access to all the main star names
Enjoyable to watch the clips again without the full commitment of the movies

Disney-
At 42 mins and a ra-ra piece for the studio it lacks any real depth
Contains spoilers for several MCU storylines

Rating 7/10 superficial but enjoyable walkthrough of the first couple of MCU phases.



The Disney Family Singalong (TV Special)

Presented by Ryan ‘where do I know him from’ Seagull this is a series of Zoom calls to mostly former members of Glee or the Mickey Mouse Club with some singing along. There’s also a part 2 in existence.

Disney+
Some good song choices
Good for if you’re in the mood to make fun of minor celebrities

Disney-
Not sure who many of the singers were
With the sound off it could pass for an extended advert for dentistry
Occasionally suffers from the X-Factor style need to reinterpret every song in so way (generally fairly minor changes thankfully)

Rating 5.5/10 imaginative way to do cheap lockdown TV which didn’t get us singing along



Watchlist (In Progress):

Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom
Be Our Chef (not my choice - don't do it!)
Star Wars: Forces of Destiny (animated series)
MCU phase 4
+very much waiting for The Mandalorian Season 2

[theCMG]

Black Panther

First time I’ve seen this since the cinema release and a first viewing for DW (she loved it).

Disney+
A bona fide cultural phenomenon, and rightly so - it’s a damn good movie
Nice switch on the villains, one of several satisfying twists in the plot
The African vibe makes this film

Disney-
The tragic early death of Chadwick Boseman is gutting for this series which started so brilliantly

8.5 Wakanda Forever!



Thor: Ragnarok

The one in which Thor goes from dull thesp to comic god powered by Taika Waititi (who also appears as Korg). I’ve seen this multiple times and always loved it, pretty much every scene is memorable in some way and I also like the use of Led Zeppelin at the start (Kashmir?), one of the few good uses of rock music in the MCU (Iron Man soundtrack is the other one which springs to mind).

Disney+
For cheesy sci-fi fans this can almost serve as a Flash Gordon remake (if only it had the Queen score!)
As mentioned above, Director Taika Watiti turns this character from a liability to a favourite by recognising Chris Hemsworth can do comedy.
Most interesting turn from Bruce Banner/Hulk in the absence of an origin movie for Mark Ruffalo
Great turns from Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, an appearance from Dr Strange and Jeff Goldblum goes nuts. Even Anthony Hopkins looks a bit less disinterested this time, when stars like Matt Damon and San Neill appear in a 30 cameo you know the cast is stellar.

Disney-
Makes me realise just how bad the first 2 Thor movies are. And how much better they should have been.

9/10 Thor-don’s Alive! A perfect action comedy.



Avengers: Infinity War

Nope never heard of it. Did it do well?

Disney+
Epic in every sense, we see right from the start that Thanos is a league above the typical villain.
The courage in telling a story as big as this where good doesn’t just succeed can’t be underestimated. Try to think of another example aside from The Empire Strikes Back.
Love the introduction of the Children of Thanos and hoping Ebony Maw can be thawed out later.

Disney-

9/10 Pretty much the perfect action movie.



Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy

This 2hr plus documentary feels like every Star Wars (original trilogy) box set extra ever combined into one big story. It’s a good story.

Disney+
Full of interesting insight into what was going on when each movie was made
Great for correcting all those little facts we have wrong in our memories (why did I ever think Harrison Ford was a carpenter on the set lol he had been in American Graffiti just before)
George Lucas, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford all in their prime

Disney-
Not sure there is much new material here for those who watch their DVD extras

8/10 Definitive



Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Don’t ask how I ended up watching this. Something to do with looking after a sick pet in a room with no wifi and this being the only thing that was downloaded on my ipad. Even Jessica Alba can’t save this one.

Disney+
The best thing I can say about this is that the other Fantastic 4 movie which preceded this is not on Disney+ so I don’t feel compelled to watch that one again (it’s a touch better but still bad)

Disney-
Most of the humour is cringe inducing
Does anyone remember that Chris Evans is in this!
Ioan Gruffud is fairly convincing as nervous young navy office Hornblower, less so as a superhero
The Thing or whatever he is called looks like a half eaten Donald Trump Cheeto

4/10 Less than fantastic

[theCMG]

Ant-Man and The Wasp

Second watching of this one as my MCU runthrough nears the end. We’re back with Scott Lang, now under house arrest after larging it in Germany.

Disney+
Fine cast with the addition of Laurence Fishburne and Michelle Pfeiffer among others and a bigger role for Evangelline Lilly’s Wasp.
Keeps the humour of the first without being quite as goofy (truth serum!)
Story is okay (if a little repetitive)

Disney-
The main antagonists are pretty 2-dimensional corporate creeps
I may have lost concentration and missed it but I had to look it up to remind myself why

 

Scott Lang was back in the Quantum Realm at the start of Endgame

7.5/10 a worthy sequel



Avengers: Endgame

The second part of the behemoth ending to MCU Phases 1-4. Think this threw a lot of people off when it came out. The brilliance of Infinity War left Endgame in a difficult place to start with and I’m not sure myself they managed to overcome it fully with the storyline choices

Disney+
Alright so the final fight is epic
Fat Thor (who also inspired this piece of over-Guardianed journalism)
The always great Peter Dinklage plays a giant dwarf (is there an actor who hasn’t been in a Marvel movie to this point!)

Disney-
A bit like the last 2 Star Wars movies it felt like the writers snookered themselves in the first movie and then struggled to overcome that in the conclusion to the series. A shame because the MCU has been so great largely because it all hangs together so well up to this point. I didn’t like the way they chose to resolve the main storylines, it didn’t make for a fitting conclusion.
The time heist with tenuous link to the multiverse is just plain stupid
At 3hrs, once you’ve seen it the first time it is overstaying its welcome for repeat viewings - it could easily have been 30 minutes shorter and probably should have been IMHO

7/10 Found this hard to rate but can’t get over that large parts of this just aren’t that enjoyable. But it’s still good hence a 7 just not the 8 or 9 I’d been hoping for.



Star Wars - The Clone Wars (feature length predecessor to the animated series)

It took me a while to work out that this isn’t a lumping together of the 2 series animated Clone Wars DVDs I still have somewhere, those have been consigned to the SW canon dustbin it seems and replaced with this movie then 7 seasons of the newer animation which follow

Disney+
Avoids the prequel issues of bad casting of Anakin getting on everyone’s nerves by featuring a completely acceptable voice acting performance from I’m not sure who TBH
SkyGuy and Snips are cute (@introduction of the young Ahsoka Tano)
I do love Jabba’s camp uncle with as sort of New Orleans bordello vibe - I’m sure he was from the original animation

Disney-
The ease with which Jabba is manipulated seems unlikely given his position as the galaxy’s most powerful crime boss

7/10 Arguably better in parts than much of the prequels. Reviews of the main Clone Wars series will follow at some point.



Star Wars: Forces of Destiny

This is a series of very short shorts if you pardon the expression, 2-4 minutes max.

Disney+
Includes a full range of characters from all the movies (main trilogies and the Stories) as well as the Rebels/Clone Wars animations. Allows them to pair up for example Han Solo with Hera to banter about if the Ghost is better than the Falcon. Which is nice.
With a character like Jyn Erso from Rogue One it’s a good chance to get to know them better

Disney-
It’s hard to care about a lot of these stories being so short and without an overall narrative
They were all based on the light side characters. Would have appreciated a Vader story or one of the Bounty Hunters etc. Star Wars has always done that in the games so why not here?
Hit and miss animation. Female characters generally looked like who they were supposed to, the males weren’t great and the Stormtroopers look completely wrong throughout.

6/10 is generous I feel. Some of them are okay but I didn’t much care for these overall. Watchable but not essential unless you’re a completist (spoiler - the lego SW cartoons are more enjoyable).

[theCMG]

Zootropolis (Zootopia)

Saw this at the cinema and really liked it plus a second home viewing so this is a 3rd time of watching a movie that quickly became a family favourite

Disney+
From the moment we arrive in Zootropolis almost everything in this movie works - memorable characters set in a fabulous new world that needs very little expectation, great animation and voice acting and it’s funny throughout
A strong story with satisfying plot twists
I’m pretty sure I used to work with Benjamin Clawhauser

Disney-
Beats me why Disney hasn’t done more with this (outside of is it the Shanghai park?) - there should be at least an animated series by now set in this amazing city

9.5/10 Superb. Currently my favourite Disney movie, probably DD’s as well.



Wreck it Ralph

As a gamer I liked this on the first viewing but hadn’t watch since that original cinema visit with a young DD

Disney+
Retro arcade gaming is an open goal of a concept for an animated movie with so much colour and charm for them to pick from with the inclusion of Pacman, Sonic etc.
The pixelated Steamboat Willy Mickey at the start is my favourite variation on the Disney titles
The odd couple pairing at the centre of this has some charm

Disney-
Hard to escape the feeling that this could have been better. As a concept it’s as rich as say Inside Out but the execution isn’t as good

6/10 one of the strongest ideas for an animated world, brought to life in a so-so way



Ralph Breaks the Internet

First viewing and I had reasonably high hopes...

Disney+
I like the inclusion of the Slaughter Race game/Shank, this section is well realised and more of it would have helped
The Disney section with Princesses, Star Wars characters etc. was just too easy for them and it was okay but could have used better gags or more irreverence ala Shrek (which isn’t necessarily in the Disney playbook)
After this they are unlikely to make another one

Disney-
Too long, got very bored from the hour point onward and couldn’t wait for it to end
A load of big tech brands thrown at the screen to not much effect
Too much time with the Ralph/Vanellope friendship and it ended up a little creepy I felt

4.5/10 if the emoji movie had better IP




Watchlist (In Progress):

Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom
Be Our Chef
The Mandalorian Season 2
Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season 1

Planned:

Frozen 1 and 2
Onward
Cars
+Christmas stuff from December

[theCMG]

Onward

The trailer for this looked funny at first. Story of a sort of blue elf version of our world and a pair of teenage brothers who end up on a quest to magically restore life for 24 hours to their long departed dad.

Disney+
The ending is nice and a big improvement on most of what went before it

Disney-
Both the Chris Pratt character (who is on screen more or less throughout) and the mum’s boyfriend are annoying on an epic scale
Kids and role playing games brought to life has been done much better, watch Stranger Things Season 1 instead
I’m assuming they thought this world was cuter and charming and funny, I didn’t find it any of those things.

4/10 Don’t Bother IMHO. While I appreciate the alleged reasons John Lasseter had to go, Pixar’s movies have declined since he left.



The Good Dinosaur

First viewing of this generally disregarded Pixar movie.

Disney+
Animation of the wilderness is remarkable (e.g. realism of the grasses), some of the best ever produced

Disney-
Great animation slightly undermined by making the title character look like a child’s bath toy
Reversal of human and dinosaur roles is not as clever as they think it is and not enough to carry the movie
Dull for long stretches

4.5/10 While everything has its fans I’m not sure who this would appeal to en mass, be they children or adults



Cars

Having girls in the family rather than boys and not being into cars, I’d always assumed this wasn’t for me and never actually watched before. This turned out to be a treat.

Disney+
A heartwarming slice of lost Americana, especially when compared to the world of today
Packed with memorable characters
A moral tale and no need to like cars to enjoy this
Radiator Springs and the surrounding valley is a memorable setting

Disney-

8.5/10 Classic Pixar, very welcome after really disliking the two movies above

[stecee]

I’ve been looking for your review of the animated Jungle Book. It’s probably my all time favourite Disney film, great story, great characters and those songs.

[theCMG]

Originally Posted by stecee

I’ve been looking for your review of the animated Jungle Book. It’s probably my all time favourite Disney film, great story, great characters and those songs.

See more...

It's DW's favourite, I haven't seen it for ages. We had it on the watchlist earlier on but it dropped off. I'm pretty sure we'll get it watched and reviewed in the next few weeks