Reviews
Guardians of the Galaxy 3 and Superhero Fatigue
A Look Into the Ongoing Trend of Superhero Fatigue
By: Connor H. Moore
May 12, 2023
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 came out on May 5th 2023, and to the shock most people, the movie was fantastic. Within the past few years, superhero movies have become a shell of what they were. What used to be the biggest thing in Hollywood has completely fallen. This clear decline in superhero films is one of the major reasons for why Guardians' success is so surprising.
When talking to Landon Crymes, a 11th grade student, he said “After Endgame, I stopped caring for superhero movies, because after reaching that high I knew nothing would do it again.” This could be part of the reason for superhero movie fatigue, after doing the best the genre can offer, how can anything top it? DC has been running into this problem, The Flash (their next upcoming movie) is going to be their big grand finale before a reboot. But barely anyone seems to be excited about it. After Endgame, the genre can't one-up itself.
Juan Rodriguez, a 10th grade student, said, “One of the reasons I stopped watching superhero movies is because of how much there is now, between TV shows and films I can't keep up with.” Benjamin Sanders (another 10th grade student) said something similar when he said, “I find it difficult to watch superhero movies knowing that I need to watch multiple previous movies and tv shows to understand it. I don't want homework for a movie.”
This is another reason fatigue has become so common. After the first few years of superhero movies becoming a big thing Hollywood went full force making as much content as possible. Just last year alone The Batman, Black Panther 2, Invincible, Ms Marvel, She Hulk. Black Adam, and Doctor Strange 2 came out.
It's clear that there are just so many superhero movies. Fatigue happens when there's too much of something in too small of a time frame and the superhero genre is the biggest victim of it.
Perhaps the biggest reason for the genre's slow drop is due to the writing for the films/shows. A look at the average score on rotten tomatoes for superhero movies made within the past two years show that on average, a superhero movie gets a 61.9% when reviewed. This includes movies like The Batman and Black Panther 2, movies that got decent scores.
This average percent shows that not only has it felt like the movies have gotten worse to the general public, but they literally have from a mathematical sense. The genre has become filled with fatigue because the genre is strictly worse than it used to be.
Lia Sanchez, a 10th grade student, said, “As someone who watches movies for mostly the plot and not action, I avoid superhero movies at all cost. I know what it's gonna be like before even watching a trailer.”
The writing for these films has become so bad that the general public has more or less given up on them. Many films have been criticized for the writing in reviews for NPR, CNN, Fox, and more. From all sides, it's clear that the lackluster writing is the biggest part of why the genre is failing. This is shown from the general public, professional reviews and through mathematics.
The biggest proof for this is actually the superhero films that have good writing. At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that Guardians of the Galaxy 3 was shockingly good. The reason it was good was due to the writing. Forbes said the film's writing was “different,” and that's clearly true. Within a genre filled with too much content that overstayed its welcome and bad writing, it pays to be an exception.
Guardians 3 avoids all the pitfalls of superhero movies and the fatigue that's followed the films after Endgame. The question now is if any other movie can do it?
A look at the Upcoming Movies of 2023
The biggest upcoming films that you can expect to see in 2023
By Connor H. Moore
April 28, 2023
2023 is an extremely big year when it comes to movies. Barbie, Spiderman: into the Spiderverse, Five Nights at Freddys, The Flash, Wonks, and The Little Mermaid are just a handful of films coming this year. Here is a quick and simple look at some of those films, since the Hampton Herald won't be able to cover them when they release. We are telling you what can be skipped, what can be interesting, and what will be great.
First off, The Flash seems as though it will be one of the biggest bombs of the year (A “bomb” within the film industry is when a big budget movie fails). Henry John, a 10th grade DC fan, said, “It just looks so basic. I feel this should've been canceled once the DC reboot was announced.” This is the most common take on the movie. The actors for the film and higher ups at DC are claiming it to be ‘incredible,” but considering that these people were paid to make the movie, it's extremely difficult to believe their claim.
Barbie, however, seems to have another story. Obviously, a Barbie movie seems like it will be bad, like any other movie made based on a toy or preexisting IP. However, Rowan Wood, a 10th grader, said, “Barbie [was] hands down [my most atticpacted movie]; it just looks like it's gonna be a good basic fun time at the movies.” Alongside that, others see the potential in Barbie.
This is because of several reasons. One is Margot Robbie's involvement in the film, as having one of the biggest actresses in hollywood in a film is a huge draw. The biggest reason is the film's director, Greta Gerwig. Her previous film was nominated for 6 Academy Awards. These two things are major reasons that Barbie might actually be a shocking hit.
Lastly, we have Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse. The original Spider Verse was a huge hit in 2018, and its sequel has the chance to do the same. Daquann Heard, a student at Wade Hampton, said, “Spider Verse 2 [is my most attractive film]. It's truly the only movie this year that looks somewhat original and unique.”
Daquann could be both right and wrong. Although the movie has potential due to its cast and animation, honestly, it could just do well being a sequel to Spider Verse (and it most likely will). However, the movie could also suffer from some problems.
According to The Direct, the film has had multiple “last minute production changes;” this is actually an extremely big deal. Last minute changes to films can often lead to problems. For example, one of the reasons that The Flash is most likely gonna be a bomb is due to it facing multiple production issues and reworks several times. So Spiderverse facing these problems is equally concerning. One thing to add is that last-minute production changes are actually rare, this is not a common thing.
To put it more simply, Spider Verse 2 is either going to be as good if not better than the original or fail due to production issues. It's either gonna be amazing and fantastic or just as good as The Flash is gonna be. (As a reminder, The Flash is not going to be good).Image from: GamesRadar.com
Series to Binge this Summer
New shows to start and seasons of existing favorites to look forward to
By: Zinnia Robertson
April 14th, 2023Summer break is a time to relax and have fun. Whether one is going on vacation, staying home, or working all summer, putting on a good show at the end of the day is a way to unwind. Here are some recommendations for shows to start during the break. Shows mainly aimed at a teenage/young adult audience will be included.
Never Have I Ever (2020) starring Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is a coming-of-age drama and comedy. The series has three seasons that have consistently been released in the spring and summer of each year since 2020. Its fourth and final season is expected to release around the same time this year. The show centers around Devi, a young Indian-American girl who seeks popularity and romance after a rough start to high school caused by her father’s sudden death. Devi’s inner thoughts and decisions are inexplicably narrated by tennis star John McEnroe.
Top Critic for Rotten Tomatoes, Evette Dionne, said, “Never Have I Ever is a teen comedy, but its meditation on the weight of grief and the responsibility we have to face is as adult as it gets.”
While the show heavily features romance, complex friendships and family relationships are also key ingredients in the show. It tackles issues that many teens and adults alike face such as bullying, self image, pressure, and loss. With each episode ending in a cliffhanger, it’s hard not to binge. Watch Never Have I Ever on Netflix before the last season comes out.
The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022) starring Lola Tung came out last June and currently only has one season, but a new season is said to be on the way in the summer of 2023. The coming-of-age romantic drama centers around a young girl named Belly who becomes caught up in a love triangle between two brothers Conrad and Jeremiah while their families spend the summer together at the beach.
Top Critic Perri Nemiroff of Rotten Tomatoes scores the show a 4 out of 5 and calls it “an irresistible summer escape that’s at its best when two generations of coming-of-age stories collide.”
Other critics praise the show for its chill, beachy vibes and representation of strong female friendships rather than solely romantic aspects of teenage life. The Summer I turned Pretty is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Make sure to catch up on the first season before the anticipated second season drops this summer!
Netflix’s That 90s Show is the 2023 successor to the hit Fox sitcom That 70s Show (1998-2006) and features the children of characters from the original series. It utilizes many of the same actors from That 70s Show, showing how they have progressed in life, while also introducing a new generation of characters who get into various 90s-ish hijinks. For example, one of the kids has to go to the hospital after having an allergic reaction to some Lip Smackers lip balm in the third episode, appropriately titled “Lip Smackers.” The critical consensus seems to be that the show relies heavily on nostalgia and does not quite capture the humor and feeling of the original.
WHHS senior, Isabella Muelheisen, agrees: “That 70s Show is way better than the new one. It’s a lot funnier and the characters are more likable in my opinion.”
Whether or not one agrees with this can only be determined by watching both shows. This summer, watch That 70s Show first and then compare it to That 90s Show. There are eight seasons of the former and only one exists so far of the latter, so time will tell if That 90s Show will eventually live up to the reputation of its predecessor. Overall, it is a low-stakes, fun watch for the summer with some decent laughs and antics.
All in all, there are thousands of series to choose from this summer from a multitude of streaming services. Here is an extra tip: If a student has committed to a college and has been given a .edu email address, they can get Spotify combined with Hulu and Showtime for around $5 a month. This should also work for Wade Hampton dual-enrollment students who have a .edu email address from Greenville Tech. The Hampton Herald hopes everyone has a fun and relaxing summer this year!
The Fascinating tale of the Flash's Production
A in-depth review of the ups and downs of the upcoming movie’s production
By Connor H. Moore
April 14, 2023
April 11th, 2023, Image found on GIFDB.COM
The Flash (coming June 16th, 2023) is sadly releasing as school is ending, meaning that the Hampton Herald can’t cover it. Although no one can say how good the movie is yet, there is still plenty to cover about the film. The Flash began production in the early 2010s and has since been stuck in constant development struggles. For over 10 years, this film has been worked on.
For context, it seems that most people in or interested in the film business would not even remotely entertain the possibility of working on a film for over 10 years.
Jacob Ramsey, a 9th grade theater student who wants to join the industry said “No, simply no. No matter the amount of money I would get. . . Even if the script is amazing, 10 years is just too much.” when referring to what he would need to work on a film for over ten years.
With production beginning in the 2010s, the movie seemed to be going fine. At the time, the head company in charge of the movie, Warner Brothers, was just starting there DC line of movies. This line of movies would actually be the first reason for The Flash’ss production issues.
The reviews and box office for these DC movies were externally disappointing, so Warner Brothers wanted to take the movie in a new direction, restarting production on the film. Then when production of this new “refreshed” Flash started, the lead actor, Ezra Miller, got into some major trouble. Between assaults while on vacation, some harsh tweets online, and the supposed kidnapping of a child, they completely halted the making of the film.
Hearing this made fans of DC extremely worried about the film; an example is Radley Davis, a 9th grade student. He said, “It's so disappointing, we see the MCU making constant hit after hit and DC has made like 1 good movie in the past five years”.
The combination of Erza's Miller's actions alongside the fan feedback (such as the one just seen) made the movie's pace much slower. It became clear Warner Brothers had their hands full with this movie. In April 2022, however, Discovery Plus bought Warner Brothers, and alongside that deal, they gained the rights to the then in production Flash. Instead of giving up on the movie, they instead restarted (somewhat) production again.
Ezra Miller was still on the project, which was a shock to some because of how long they have been working on the film up to that point.
Luca Blocher, a 10th grade theater student who is into film said that “A script can be amazing, but a 10 year deal is worth nothing. I don't understand how anyone can do that.”
It's easy to say that Luca’s sentiment was how many people expected Ezra to feel, especially considering how they were currently dealing with the legal troubles of their earlier actions.
Now, after all these years, the film is complete. Although the length of the production may seem like it would help the movie, it actually will most likely do the opposite. It's a common idea within the film industry that if a movie is in production for too long. It's doomed to fail and it seems that the general public shares this idea about the Flash as well.
Daniel Burgess, a 9th grader, said he expects the movie to be “A 1/10, 10 years makes the movie feel somewhat “overcooked” if you know wha tIi mean,” and this will probably be the case.
Although the journey to the film is interesting, the film's complex upbringing may be more than the movie itself. The Flash's production will forever be known as one of the craziest in Hollywood, ironic for a movie that will be as basic and dull as most superhero movies of the modern day.
For more specific info on production, here are the sources used to find the production of the film:
https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt3107288/ https://gamerant.com/the-flash-hollywood-turbulent-production/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash_(film)
The Mandalorian: Breaking Policy
Swearing and Gore Put Forefront
By: Maggie Billingsley
March 13, 2023Last of Us: Bringing a Genre Back From the Dead
How The Last of Us Awakened Zombie Horror
By Connor H. Moore
March 10, 2023The Last of Us on HBO Max is a breath of fresh air within the current landscape of horror. It is a completely unique take on a zombie apocalypse show while also updating and respecting the classic tropes of the genre.
Horror is an oddity within film. What often happens with horror movies is that a certain trend gets popular (Meta Movies, Slasher Films, Apocalypse and more) and then that trend gets repetitive so a new one begins. The biggest example of this is the Zombie Apocalypse. What used to be a big and unique idea has become diluted over time and is very “same-y”.
Between The Walking Dead, Army of the Dead and World War Z, people have become extremely bored with the idea of a zombie apocalypse.
Last of Us changes this however.
Josh Lewis a 10th grade student said “The Last of Us video game takes a more real approach to the zombie genre by focusing on a real fungus that spreads through ants.”
The Last of Us is so good for its original updates to the genre.
Will Baggett put it best when he said “ I think the main reason the Last of Us series stands out is actually the lack of zombies . . . It's more about humidity and the relationships between the characters we meet than it is about the zombies which is why I find the series so great. The way the apocalypse affects the people seen is what is different from what other series try to do when given the task to create a zombie themed show or movie.”
However, one thing that must be considered while watching the show is that the show is actually based on a video game. Does that affect the story or the game itself? Movies andTV shows based on video games are often known for being bad and “disrespectful” to the original material. However, the Last of Us is a breath of fresh air with that as well.
Ja'heym Smith, another 10th grade student said “Honestly I feel like the show treats the original game super well. I liked the references to the games, but it also changed stuff for the game in an interesting and dynamic way.”
Adam Tollison Also agrees, saying “I'm very fond of this show. I feel that the show has done a good job capturing Joel's role with Pedro Pascal. Compared to other video game show adaptations I think they’ve done a very good job.”
Overall, The Last of Us is a complete rework of not only the zombie genre but also video game adaptations and that rework shows exactly what can be done with the genre. It's a deep character study that also keeps the horror in it. The Last of Us is really HBO Max’s Magnum Opus.
The Last of Us is a clear 10/10, plain and simple.
Image found on MovieBloc
Photo of the two leads of the Last of Us
Super Bowl 57: Is it really that Super?
Was the Halftime Show, Commercials, and Trailers for This Years Super Bowl Good?
By: Connor H. Moore
February 28. 2023On Sunday, February 12, 2023 the 57th Super Bowl show began, and it was… honestly pretty average. The SuperBowl (besides the game) is known for the big movie trailers, huge big budget, and of course the Halftime show. Every year people watch in awe as we see celebrities in commercials, shocks and surprises in the new trailers, and seeing a spectacle of a show. This year's Auperbowl media was very bare bones.
The singer/songwriter Rihanna danced on moving floating platforms as she “sang” her iconic songs (badly lip syncing her iconic songs) as she was in a dynamic shiny, red outfit. There was no denying that her show was incredible. But compared to the halftime shows of the past, there are simply better shows at the Superbowl.
Cole Bridges, a 10th grade student put it best when he said “I think last year's halftime had a lot more impact on people and was overall more entertaining as it involved the largest names in hip/hop still today such as Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar. I feel like in terms of how entertaining it was…”
But how were the commercials? Super Bowl commercials are known for being extremely funny or at least memorable. This year there were really only two commercials that stuck out, a PopCorners chip commercial featuring the characters of Walter White (Bryan Cranson) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) from Breaking Bad and a Dunkin Donuts commercial featuring Ben Affleck and Jennifier Lopez.
Patience Wood, another 10th grader said this on the Dunkin Donuts commercial “The Dunkin Doughnuts commercial with Ben Aflack and his wife, which was quite funny and made me really want doughnuts.”
But other than those two commercials, it's clear that there wasn't much that stuck with people. Kaylee Reichardt, WHHS geometry teacher, even said that “I don't remember any commercials.”
This comment alone definitely shows something about them this year.
I also talked to Issac Wade, another 10 grade student. He said “Honestly I found it super boring, besides the Breaking Bad one I can't really remember any. Really disappointing to be honest.”
This is another example of Super Bowl media this year being a disappointment to people.
Trailers were different and maybe even better. The biggest one this year was definitely The Flash (coming une 13th). The release was delayed multiple times and the script was rewritten over 7 times. A trailer even coming out is a huge shock to many. According to MovieWeb, DC writers are calling the flash “incredible”.
Clearly the trailer also got some people excited.
Wood also said “Okay, I am a DC fan and as soon as I saw the flash commercial I freaked out. I mean Michel Keaton is back as Batman, who would not freak out?”
Overall this year's Super Bowl media was very small, although a few things were big news. Compared to others it was just very basic. Keep in mind that the Super Bowl is the same thing that gave us Prince (2007), Michael Jackson (1993), and Beyonce(2013) performances, The trailer to Avengers Endgame. One of the highest grossing movies of all time, and Apple's “1984” commercial. Much like Rihanna's performance this year's SuperBowl media was good, but is nothing compared to ones of the past.
Rihanna Singing for her Halftime Show performance
Photo from Entertainment Weekly
Is “Avatar: The Way of Water" Truly Amazing?
A Review of the New Movie “Avatar: The Way of Water”
By: Connor H. Moore
February 10, 2023