Hiya!

I really hope they allow movie theaters to open up in the Philippines soon. I never realized how much I miss going to a packed movie house to watch the latest film everyone’s talking about. This is most definitely true when it comes to the Marvel films. My brother does have all of them on Blu-Ray but, even as I re-watch them, seeing them on my television screen, even with a good sound system, doesn’t compare to the infectious excitement when there are people all around you in a dim theater.

My wanting of going to the movies were only exacerbated when Marvel released their “Marvel Studios Celebrates the Movies” video to YouTube because, while the title suggests it’s just them wax nostalgia on the entire movie industry, it wasn’t. It certainly seemed like it was at the start but then they snuck in the various movies they have in store for us in the next couple of years. It was their clever little way to promote their upcoming slate of films!

Not every reveal got me all that excited, however. There were some which really got me hype and others… not so much. As there is a whole lot of movies to go through, I’m only going to focus on the ones that are slated for release this year. So, let’s go delve into the Marvel films scheduled for release in 2021.

Black Widow

When the film was first announced I was super-excited for a Black Widow movie. Sure, the timing of giving the Avengers only female member a dedicated film of her own is pretty awful since she was killed off in Avengers: Endgame but I was excited nonetheless. When the first teaser and trailer came out, I was doubly excited because we were going to delve into the character’s past and the action looked really cool.

Then the world closed down and Marvel put the film on the shelf for more than a year. Now my excitement for the Black Widow solo movie has faded a whole lot.

I don’t really blame Marvel for delaying Black Widow’s release until this year. With the world in turmoil and people not allowed to gather, I don’t think watching the latest blockbuster was on anyone’s to-do list then. They could’ve released it on their very own streaming site but I get the feeling something would be lost in the transition. So I do appreciate Marvel holding off and waiting for the time when it would be possible to see Black Widow on the big screen. Unfortunately, my hype levels for the film has died down a lot because of the extended waiting period.

Hype Level: 6/10

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Sorry, Iron Fist! There’s a new Marvel martial artist in town!

I really want to be hyped for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. I really do! I do love myself a good martial arts fight and I have a feeling this movie with have that in spades. The fight sequences look really good and, if I know my Marvel lore, the title may be hinting that the main baddie will be the Mandarin and not the Ben Kingsley guy who we saw in Iron Man 3! As the Mandarin’s powers comes from the ten rings he has, I would love to see how he uses them in combat.

So it’s with a heavy heart when I say I’m not all that hyped for the debut of Shang-Chi in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For one thing, he doesn’t even have a cool costume! You get a very, very brief glimpse of something which may be his official costume in the trailer and, well, it looks like a red jacket and jogging pants. Not particularly inspiring. The story of a good kid going against his evil father is kinda so-so as well. My expectations for Shang-Chi is fairly low so this has the greatest potential to surprise me.

Hype Level: 5/10

The Eternals

Let’s be honest here. Not many fans know who the Eternals are. I’m sure there are a couple of hardcore Eternal fans out there who are totally miffed by me saying that but it’s true!

It didn’t help that the few glimpses we did get in the Marvel video mostly shows the characters just standing around doing nothing. I know it’s not even a teaser but I do wish they showed them doing something because, like I said, I don’t know anything about them! How am I supposed to get hyped for a group of people I don’t know.

After doing my due diligence and learning more about the Eternals, it really didn’t help get me hyped for them. Basically, they’re a race of superpowered beings and kind of like the mythical gods we know as legends. They protect the Earth from mutated beings known as the Deviants. It could be a fine movie if you really have super bombastic CGI battles where everyone gets to use their powers.

However, the Eternals have an uphill battle as the movie not only has to introduce a cavalcade of characters in around 1 or 2 hours, it has to make us care for them by showing they’re worth our attention. Those couple of hardcore Eternal fans will be invested from the outset but the oblivious will need some time to judge if they’re worth our time.

Hype Level: 3/10

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Still sticking with the “home” motif for the titles, huh? I can dig it.

It’s hard not to get excited for the next Spider-Man movie. The previous films have been a hoot and a half so it has a proven track record, increasing the chances of this one being really good as well. There’s also the rumors which may have the current Spider-Man traveling throughout the Marvel movie universes and him meeting the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield versions of the characters. This opens up a lot of possibilities for cameos! We might even see him visit Eddie Brock and Venom as a gag! Wouldn’t that be wild?

The reason why I’m really excited for Spider-Man: No Way Home was because of how the previous film, Far From Home, ended. We got to see the return of J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jamison again, which is a huge plus. This leads to the epic cliffhanger of Jamison putting up the fake footage of Spider-Man staging the drone attack as well as revealing his secret identity to the world! I just have to know what happens next!

How will Peter Parker go about his everyday life now that his dual identity has been revealed? How will Aunt May, Mary Jane and Ned go about their lives as they will also be under close scrutiny now? Will he find a way to prove the video was faked and, more importantly, will the people believe him? I really hope the next movie addresses all of this and doesn’t sweep this under the run as if it didn’t happen!

Hype Level: 8/10

Byee!

What Marvel movie are you looking forward to in 2021? Let me know in the comments section below!