Review: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

Agent Coulson, straight from the Avengers
Image Credit: ABC

 

Marvel have escalated their superhero war with D.C  by creating a television series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D,  however Tom Buxton is left unconvinced by the format.

If all Joss Whedon had to do with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D was match the success of his past cult TV hits such as Buffy and Firefly, then the prospect would perhaps not seem so demanding.

Replicating Avengers Assemble’s success, however, is the real challenge here. Setting up a new narrative strand in such a rich and beloved universe was never going to be easy, although Agents at least gets off to an admirable start.

Episode 1, Pilot (4/5), succeeds in no small part thanks to the reintroduction of Avengers supporting stars Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smaulders). Agent Coulson adopts a less enigmatic and more authoritative role in his resurrected guise at the head of a new S.H.I.E.L.D team, the dynamic this creates grows in strength week by week.

Its successor, 0-8-4 (3/5), falters somewhat, the absence of Joss Whedon on scripting and directorial duties. This leaves viewers with an episode that seems intent on overlabouring  nostalgic call-backs to the Marvel film franchise (although a cameo from Samuel L. Jackson never goes amiss!).

Thankfully, the show’s third episode The Asset (4/5) regains the momentum of its premiere, even if it thrusts the series into firm procedural territory.

The S.H.I.E.L.D team
Image Credit: ABC

Skye (Chloe Bennet) has finally become a more empathetic anti-hero for the viewer, her gradual arc of redemption is rightly played out in a slow and formative manner, in much the same vein as the ongoing mystery of Coulson’s rejuvenation.

Episode 4, Eye-Spy (3/5) investigates Coulson’s past, although its tone remains too similar to that of 0-8-4.

It does make clear, however, that Agents holds potential aplenty to excel in its upcoming missions, so long as it distances itself from what’s come before.

Do you want to see more superheroes on TV? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or by commenting and rating below.

Trailer Round-up: May 2013

Call of Duty: Ghosts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQEbPn36m1c

I’d like to say the COD trailer was both surprising and shocking, a glimpse at a complete refresh of the franchise. It’s not.

Once again the developers have seen fit to ignore the fans and show absolutely no gameplay. Instead we’re treated to several lingering shots of ‘warriors’ in their war gear. There’s also some forced metaphor about masks and protection, which is probably just trying to cash in on the super hero zeitgeist.

This trailer does absolutely nothing other than stupidly announce ‘Guess what?! We’ve done another COD!’ Sure, keep making the games, but don’t insult us with your vacuous artsy shots and suave voice-over.

LEGO Marvel Superheroes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYAXHqCM-b4

Speaking of the super hero zeitgeist: cue Marvel with a ‘children’s’ game that, unlike COD, completely delivers on their trailer. Sure, there’s no gameplay here either, but it’s LEGO Marvel!

The game comes at the perfect time, bringing in characters from the biggest past and upcoming film blockbusters. They show off Spiderman, Thor, Wolverine, Iron man, Hulk and even more. The LEGO games are always fun, so add that to the the creation of a full Marvel universe and we have strong potential here.

Hopefully we’ll see more soon, but if it’s anything like LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes then…it’ll probably be good.

Way of the Dogg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DMFgsyPRiU

Ah at last, my two loves combined: Snoop Dogg and video games. Oh what’s that? We’re meant to call him Snoop Lion now? And the gameplay is like a mash-up of Guitar Hero and one long quick-time event? Right.

While the gameplay looks uninspiring, both the sound and visual design come off well. It’s designed in a 3D comic book style, narrated in part by Snoop himself and played to a selection of his biggest hits.

The game doesn’t look like it’ll be taking home any awards, but it will surely be appreciated by all those hard-core Snoop Dog fans. An acceptable way to spend a few hours, as long as you’re just listening.

Assassin’s Creed 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iys4wq7O_fQ

Ubisoft’s newest trailer for AC: Black Flag sets the scene for the next instalment.

In the aftermath of English and Spanish conflict in the early eighteenth century, desperate sailors turn to piracy. The trailer suggests chaotic betrayal, mutiny and cruelty as your character has to wrestle his way to the top of the pirate career ladder.

Famous pirates including Charles Vane and Blackbeard are listed as potential rivals. Although the main character seems tragically lacking in flamboyant pirate hats,the game looks to shape up nicely.

But I am personally looking forward to a trailer that shows off all those glorious pirate features.

 

Jon Jones, Games Editor and Alex Phelps

Comic Week: Why Nolan's Batman trilogy is so serious…

With Animated Exeter celebrating all things animated, Games, Books and Screen have teamed up to bring you a week of superhero-comic themed articles. The first trio all take a separate look at Batman and how each art form has explored the Dark Knight himself. Benjamin Lewis begins the superhero-centric week with a look at Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and asks… 

…why so serious?

I would challenge anyone to dislike Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy or attempt to underplay the tremendous success he has had in rebooting a superhero franchise that was in dire need of it (here’s looking at you Joel Schumacher and co. for the atrocious Batman & Robin in 1997, almost killing off arguably the most fascinating superhero that either DC or Marvel has to offer).

Image credit: Warner Bros/Sportsphoto/Allstar

Of all the aspects that Schumacher handled poorly, for me, the most significant was making the franchise more family friendly and camp thereby removing the dark undercurrent integral for Batman’s characterisation, as well as the focus on the implications of the caped crusader for society and himself.

After all, it is the fact that he is just a mere human, that makes Batman as a superhero so appealing. This allows for identification and understanding by the viewer, which cannot be shared with other superheroes such as Superman, whose invincibility and tendency to always make the right decision, stands in stark contrast with Batman’s ethical dilemmas and human error.

In essence, it is this aspect that Nolan so effectively handles in his trilogy, full of memorable action scenes, depth of character and plot for the most part, and the best villain in cinematic history. Whilst Christian Bale’s consistently strong depiction of a grittier Batman is arguably the best to date, it is Heath Ledger whose performance cannot be understated and in defining The Dark Knight joins cinematic history. If not the inimitable example of method acting, it is certainly one of the best and renders Ledger near on unrecognisable from loveable roles in A Knight’s Tale and 10 Things I Hate About You (both recommended).

It’s hard to summarise in so few words just how integral and responsible Nolan has been for Batman’s success but maybe the best way to do this is to compare it to fellow superhero movies. With the exception of Robert Downey Jr.’s witty and enigmatic Iron Man and the immense Avengers amongst a few others, Hollywood is littered with mediocre and downright poor superhero movies. These encompass the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, Catwoman and Green Lantern, to name but a few.

We can only hope that Man of Steel (the first instalment in the reboot of the Superman franchise), having been produced by Nolan, will build on this unrivalled trilogy and define Superman, as Nolan has so successfully done with Batman.

Benjamin Lewis

To read more about Batman, here are links to articles in the Games and Books sections on the comics and video games concerning the caped crusader…