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The Mandalorian Season 3 Episode 5 (Disney+): It would definitely be a shame if this season continued on with this story on the trajectory that it seems to be going on, namely that Bo-Katan will be taking the role of the Muad’dib in Dune or Toruk Makto in Avatar and uniting the remaining tribes of Mandalore into one cohesive unit to reclaim their land. That said, the action in this episode is great and it does a lot to further what this season has done well and explain how the First Order managed to reclaim power after the Empire fell.
The Bad Batch Season 2 Episodes 15 and 16 (Disney+): It was also in season one, but how great is it that Wayland is getting screentime and Mount Tantiss is having a major role in a show, especially with Ahsoka shaping up to be what it is? For those who may be unfamiliar, Mount Tantiss is the home of the cloning facilities in Timothy Zahn’s classic Heir to the Empire trilogy that birthed the evil clone Luuke from Luke Skywalker’s severed hand, Dark Jedi Master C’baoth, and also housed the base of operations for Grand Admiral Thrawn’s attacks on the New Republic. For Omega to end up there with a clone of herself is an interesting development and it would be intriguing if this character were to show up in The Mandalorian or somewhere else down the line beside the next season of this show.
The Flash Season 9 Episode 7 (The CW/CW App): The biggest issue with Barry and Iris’s relationship over the course of this show has been that Iris always felt like she was just giving into fate and relenting because that’s how it should be. She sees the future byline for the Crisis on Infinite Earths tease as “Iris West-Allen,” she hears that on Earth-2 she and Barry are married, and then in this season she shows some growth by breaking free of Barry’s constant timeline meddling/adhering to. For this episode to bring in Nia (and it is always nice for Nicole Maines to return from Supergirl) and just use her to rethread this without really engaging with Iris’s innate relationship issue with Barry feels silly.
Gotham Knights Season 1 Episode 3 (The CW/CW App): It is cool that the Mutant Gang from The Dark Knight Returns is getting some live-action love, if only it was just in a better show (like Batwoman maybe). Spending a good amount of the tension, in episode three, with the majority of the cast present, on defusing a bomb is the cheapest trick in the book and doesn’t actually build tension because they are probably not killing off the entire main cast in the third episode.
The Power Season 1 Episodes 1-3 (Amazon Prime): Based on Naomi Alderman’s 2017 novel of the same name, The Power tells the story of a world in which teenage girls around the world develop the ability to create and control electricity. Without going into spoilers from the book, the show does start a little slowly where the point that one would expect the first episode or at the latest the second episode to end (namely pointing out what the power is and the world becoming aware of the power) is not until the end of the third episode. That said, the characters are all endearing and their chemistry within their own social circles is entertaining.
This Week In Theaters:
The Super Mario Movie: With a star-studded cast including Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Anya Taylor-Joy, Seth Rogan, and Keegan Michael-Key, The Super Mario Movie marks the return of Nintendo icon Mario to the big screen following the failure of 1993’s Super Mario Bros. Unlike Paint and Air, The Super Mario Movie will be opening on Wednesday due to the long weekend for Easter.
Paint: In a movie loosely designed to mock or honor Bob Ross, Owen Wilson stars as Carl Nargle, a painter with a television show at a PBS-style public access show. His life and career are turned upside down when the network hires a new painter (Ciara Renée of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) and everything changes. Wendi McLendon-Covey, Michaela Watkins, and Stephen Root also star. Also, it is always good to support movies shot in the state, and the movie was shot in Albany, New York back in 2021.
Air: If one has ever wondered about the origins of the Air Jordan sneaker at Nike, Air is the movie for them. Ben Affleck directs and stars in a movie that also features Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, and Jason Bateman. For a full review, click here.
Last Week At The Box Office:
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: $38.5 Million
John Wick Chapter 4: $28.2 Million
His Only Son: $5.5 Million
Scream VI: $5.3 Million
Creed III: $5.0 Million
Programming Notes:
Keep an eye on the news this week because it is a weirdly big week for news. In terms of trailers, Blue Beetle from DC due out in August received a very Venom-looking new trailer on April 3rd, Secret Invasion from Marvel Studios on Disney+ was given a new trailer on April 2nd during Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN (corporate synergy at its finest), and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be receiving a new trailer on April 4th. Beyond that, this week marks Star Wars Celebration in London from April 7th through 10th. This is of note because on Friday there will be a massive panel about the filmmakers at Lucasfilm which is rumored to debut more information about the shows like Skeleton Crew, Ahsoka, season 2 of Andor, and potentially (I have not independently verified however reliable leakers have indicated this is the case) several movies slated for release in 2025, 2027, and 2029.
In advance ticket sales news, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 tickets went on sale today at 9 AM at all major theater chains and Fandango. The movie opens on May 5th.
