Although Shang-Chi as a comic book character may be fairly obscure, the pressure to deliver on a film for the character is immense. Bringing the first Asian lead to MCU is no small feat, and the path is laid with many traps, but Feige and team were undeterred, and managed to deliver yet another winner. The film is fast, fun, and the action is stunningly choreographed, all of which is executed with precision and style. The fight scenes, which are heightened by amazing scores, are worth the price of admission alone. But most of all, ‘Shang-Chi’ tells a compelling story about family and what it means to grow up, all while mixing in the fantastical. It feels right at home in the MC.
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S1E16 "Kamino Lost"
Picking up only moments after last week's episode, the season finale of 'The Bad Batch' spent much of its 28 minute runtime alternating between action set pieces, as the squad works to stay alive as Tapoka City sinks into the Kaminoan sea, and hard hitting dialogue scenes as the show unpacks Crosshair's emotional turmoil. For my money, it's the those dialogue scenes that really hit home and make this finale work. Where as I wasn't as concerned for the squads survival during the set pieces, knowing a season 2 was on the way. We are treated to continued exchanges between Hunter and Crosshair that dive deep into Crosshair's damaged psyche and make you feel genuine pity and sadness for the character. To me it's another sign that the show is willing, and capable, of tell complex stories and sets up a fascinating season 2. Overall, the first season of 'The Bad Batch' has to be considered a success. The animation quality took another step forward (the water effects alone in this episode are enough to blow me away) and the storytelling was generally consistent across the season (looking at you "Infested"). It's by far the best first season of any Lucasfilm Animation series, and as a season finale it holds its own against some of the absolute bests in Star Wars.
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ToB Interlude - The Suicide Squad
In these COVID times, it's rare that we get to review a big-time blockbuster, but with the release of James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad' we do just that this week, and boy does it feel good. The movie out-performs almost all expectations, despite carrying the baggage of Gunn's firing, and subsequent re-hiring by Disney, the critical flop that was the 2016 film (and its miraculously massive box-office haul), and the R rating. It's focused, not concerning itself with tying into a larger world (though that larger world does exist in the periphery). The dialogue is sharp and the performances are top tier, giving additional credence to the power of Gunn's writer/director talents. It's amazing what can happen when you give a talented filmmaker the ability to make the movie they want and not just a piece of a poorly designed puzzle. Overall, the movie is an absolute blast and a hell of a ride. If you have the chance to see this in theatres safely, do yourself a favour and indulge yourself in the weird and wacky world of James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad'.
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S1E15 "Return to Kamino"
Ever since 'Game of Thrones' set the standard for big spectacle in their penultimate episode to their season finales, nothing really has topped the bombastic heights of "The Battle of the Bastards" or other memorable moments. However, the standard had been set. Lucasfilm, not one to be outdone, delivered a truly awesome penultimate episode of their own for season 1 of 'The Bad Batch'. No, it doesn't match the nearly unreachable levels of production that GoT achieved, but it does take this series in a new direction and closes the book on a long loved chapter of Star Wars, all with it's own levels of bombast. Everything between Hunter and Crosshair worked. From the well written dialogue to the small animated facial tics and vocal performances, their interactions are really the core of the episode. But what really stood out this week was watching Lucasfilm say farewell to 'The Clone Wars' as we watched Imperials lay waste to Tapoka City, a location synonymous with one of the most interesting eras of Star Wars. It worked both as an element of this series as well as a nod to long time fans, and though it ends on a dour note, we know season 2 is on the way. We can look forward to the final episode of this season on Friday and more adventures with this dysfunctional squad next year.
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S1E14 "War-Mantle"
Rachel returns to the show to help Julian break down the first of what appears to be a 3-part arch to end the season. And what a start it was! This episode pulls no punches as it lays tonnes of groundwork for the final two episodes, including giving us insights into the proto-Stormtrooper training program. It then proceeds to ratchet up the stakes by how it leaves Hunter, and looping in another fan favorite character. Plus, from a pure spectacle perspective this episode is definitely firing on all cylinders. From a Death Star inspired escape sequence, Clone Commandos, and maybe the first time we've ever seen V-Wings in an actual dog fight, there's certainly a lot to feast your eyes on. That's without even mentioning the emotional gut punch at the end. We're fully primed for the final 2 episodes. Can't wait!
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S1E13 "Infestation"
With only 3 episodes left before the season 1 (or potentially the series) finale, "Infestation" felt like a bit of a let down. Following the brilliant Ryloth 2-part arch, and Crosshair's vendetta seemingly on the verge of coming to a head, it feels like a step backwards to drop such a standalone episode into this slot in the season. That's not to say the episode itself is bad, it's fine, but in context with the rest of the season it certainly feels out of place. But I suppose that's nothing new with Star Wars animation as they've struggled with season long pacing since the beginning of 'The Clone Wars'. "Infestation", sees the squad return to Cid's parlour to find she's been ousted by a wannabee crime boss, and with a little persuading from Omega, they workout a plan with Cid to wrestle back control. Unfortunately, not everything goes as planned as they get entangled with the Pykes. Like I said, it's fine. Oh, and no Rachel this week as she's on vacation, so it's a Julian solo show, enjoy!
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S1E12 "Rescue on Ryloth"
Apologies on the delay for this episode. Technical difficulties prevented us from being able to upload yesterday.
'The Bad Batch' returns to Ryloth this week, picking up not long after the shocking events that lead to Cham being framed and arrested. However, the show returns to a more traditional structure after somewhat breaking the mold last episode. Hera calls for help from her new friend Omega and her brothers, which results in an exciting, action packed, rescue mission. But it's the crises of conscious going on with our newest favourite clone, Howzer, that is most compelling. His actions may have wider reaching repercussions for the clone army than maybe anyone expected. Julian and Rachel discuss this and much more as they break down the episode scene by scene.
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Episode 166 - Execute Order One-Hundred and Sixty-Six!
Despite (what I think to be) the very clever title for this episode, the ToB Crew actually spend much of their time discussing a wide variety of topics this week. Including an in depth review of 'Batman: The Long Halloween Pt 1', which is the latest entry in the WB Animation DC line-up, but only the 3rd with the new art design. Julian and Dan (welcome back!) give a spoiler free review of the first Marvel movie in what feels like forever, 'Black Widow'. There is also SOME Star Wars discussion, as Julian does his best to "sell" 'The Bad Batch' to Jeremy and Dan, with mixed results. Plus, the guys touch on some of the Emmy nominations, and much more on this week's Tower of Babble Podcast!
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S1E11 "Devil's Deal"
What a delightful surprise! 'The Bad Batch' turned its formula on its head this week and basically ignored the titular characters in exchange for a compelling political drama on Ryloth. A changeup that delivers one of, if not the best episode of the season yet. Not having seen the Ryloth or the Twi'lek since 'The Clone Wars', we return to the planet as the corpulent senator Orn Free Taa, and General Cham Syndulla, along with his family (hey it's Hera and Chopper!), help to sheppard in an age of peace with The Empire. But as the title of the episode suggests, the cost for peace may be too high. This episode also introduces us to a new clone, Captain Howzer, who is immediately likable and reminiscent of clones pre-order-66, which is a fascinating inclusion and raises many questions that Julian and Rachel ponder in this week's recap/review.
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SSSW - The Bad Batch S1E10 "Common Ground"
After three amazing episodes that took our heroes through an emotional wringer, 'The Bad Batch' switches gears and takes the squad to the planet Raxus, the former home of the Separatist Senate, now an Imperial outpost. The episode feels in many ways like the more politically charged episodes of 'The Clone Wars'. In fact, it takes us back to the same planet as one of those episodes, "Heroes on Both Sides". "Common Ground" tries to touch on some of the similar themes, such as working with your "enemy", but it's only very surface level. This leaves this episode feeling like a bit of a letdown despite the fun walker action sequence and gorgeous visual upgrade to Raxus since we first saw it all those years ago. Plus, it's still interesting, if somewhat less exciting, to see how the separatist planets were handled by the Empire following the Clone Wars.
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