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Hawkeye Episode 6 (Disney+): Hawkeye is finally over in an underwhelming conclusion to an already underwhelming series. Fans of Matt Fraction’s run will appreciate some of the comic nods of the series as a whole and it is always a treat to get Vincent D’Onofrio back as Wilson Fisk for any length of time, but it is not nearly enough to right the sinking ship of this show. Couple that with a post-credit stinger that is one of the worst that Marvel Studios has done since they started doing the scenes in Iron Man
and Hawkeye becomes the worst entry so far from Marvel Studios on Disney+. Hopefully in the future they do more with the relationship between Kate and Yelena because the most entertaining scenes in the show are when Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh shared screen time.
Wheel of Time Episode 8 (Amazon Prime): In an episode that not just wraps up what has happened up until this point but also looks to the future, the final episode of Wheel of Time is sure to leave audiences satisfied. There is also a pretty major deviation from the book that will be interesting to see how the future seasons adjust accordingly.
Puff: Wonders of the Reef (Netflix): Nature documentaries are always fun, not just for the informative aspects, but because it allows for viewers to see something that they almost certainly would not see. Rose Byrne narrates this documentary, done in similar style to the DisneyNature documentaries in recent history that follows a single animal as they live their life. It highlights what makes the Great Barrier Reef unique and why it is important to preserve it. It is one of the most visually unique documentaries of the year and worth the time to watch if one is a fan of nature documentaries.
Beanie Mania (HBOMax): While not as important a topic, or featuring as beautiful imagery as Puff, Beanie Mania
delivers a somewhat superficial take on what it is about major trends (in this case Beanie Babies) that can permeate the collective psyche of America. It is not a particularly deep documentary; delivering more of a nostalgia trip than actual substantive analysis, but sometimes a quick trip down memory lane is just what a viewer needs out of what they’re watching.
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Zack Snyder’s Justice League (HBOMax): If a viewer has four hours to kill with nothing else to watch, HBOMax released the director’s cut of 2017’s Justice League. In this case, director Zack Snyder returns to finish off his movie as he originally intended. Despite being over four hours long, the pacing keeps the movie from feeling as long as it is. It does have some cool moments that were not in the theatrical such as Uxas coming to Earth before he became Darkseid to find the Anti-Life Equation, Martian Manhunter making his theatrical debut, an actual purpose for Cyborg to be in the movie, and a new Knightmare sequence where Batman teams up with The Flash, Cyborg, Mera, Joker, and Deathstroke to try and take on a Superman who has succumbed to the Anti-Life Equation mentioned earlier. If all of that seems like nonsense, don’t worry, the movie doesn’t explain it either. At least it has Snyder’s ability to frame beautiful shots with the skill of a painter and bring comic book splash pages to life.
