Pokemon Legends ZA just gave us a list of new Mega Evolutions from Dragonite, to Starmie, to Feraltigatr. Here's our reactions on each one, as well as our predictions on which ones are still to come.
Today we're reacting to the trailer for Season 2 of Percy Jackson and The Olympians, a story that we personally grew up to give our thoughts on where Disney is taking Rick Riordan's world of Greeks demigods and heroes. What do you think, are you excited for the new season of the show, starring Walter Scobell?
Fantastic Four: First Steps SPOILER Review | A Cosmic Return To Form
Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps is here, and we’re diving into a full spoiler review of everything that worked—and what didn’t. From the emotional depth of Vanessa Kirby’s Sue Storm to the cosmic scale of Galactus, this film finally captures the spirit of Marvel’s First Family.
We break down the movie’s 1960s-inspired retro aesthetic, the decision to set the story in its own universe, and how that allows characters like Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) to shine—or in Thing’s case, get a bit overlooked.
We also explore how the movie handles Galactus as a true Marvel-level threat, what the film sets up for the future of the MCU, and how it compares to the 2005 and 2015 versions of the Fantastic Four.
If you’re looking for a detailed breakdown of the characters, story, visuals, and what’s next for the MCU’s Fantastic Four, you’re in the right place.
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Drop your reactions in the comments — did First Steps live up to the hype?
This is my official review of How To Train Your Dragon the remake of the 2014 classic animated film. In a year that's seen numerous films based off existing properties like Lilo & Stitch, Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning, Minecraft, Superman, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ballerina absolutely dominate the original IP movies this year, like Elio, Mickey 17 and Novacane, are we starting to see franchises dominate again? Compared to 2023 where original movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer dominated established franchises like Mission Impossible, Fast & Furious, Marvel and DC, many thought the industry was shifting to more interest in original IP's. But in 2025, it appears like franchises, remakes and adaptations are topping the box office once again. What do you think, are franchises king again?
Superman Review, Plot Breakdown, and James Gunn's DCU Direction
In this episode of The Blerd Wire, we dive deep into one of the most anticipated superhero films of the year: James Gunn’s Superman. This review DOES HAVE SPOILERS, but covers everything from the film’s bold political themes to character performances and the direction of the new DC Universe.
We explore how Superman compares to previous DC films like Man of Steel, how James Gunn’s distinct storytelling style influences the tone and visuals, and why this reboot might be exactly what DC Studios needs. Topics include the central conflict where Superman halts an international war, the philosophical implications of his actions, and how the film reimagines the relationship between humanity and metahumans.
We also discuss standout performances by David Corenswet as Superman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Plus, thoughts on Ultraman, Metamorpho, and the introduction of key DCU themes such as power, control, and geopolitical tension in a superhero world.
Perfect for fans of comic book films, DC Universe lore, and in-depth movie discussions, this episode raises questions about whether metahumans should hold power, the morality of intervention, and what James Gunn’s vision means for the future of DC films.
If you’ve seen Superman, let us know what you thought in the comments or reviews. Do you think James Gunn is taking the DCU in the right direction? Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and follow The Blerd Wire wherever you get your podcasts.
And here is my review for Ironheart, executive produced by Ryan Coogler and starring Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams.
Here's my review of Jurassic World: Rebirth as well as my ranking of every film in the Jurassic Park franchise!
🎬 Ballerina Movie Review | John Wick Universe Spin-Off Worth Seeing in Theaters? 💥
Welcome back to The Blerd Wire! In this episode, I break down Ballerina (2025) — the latest high-octane spin-off from the John Wick universe starring Ana de Armas. I wasn’t planning to see this one in theaters, but I’m so glad I did. Here’s why.
We get into the relentless action, creative stunt work, flamethrowers (!), and how Ana de Armas proves she can lead a John Wick-level film. Plus, we talk about Keanu Reeves — yes, he’s connected to this story, and fans of the franchise won’t be disappointed.
🎥 Topics covered:
* How Ballerina fits into the John Wick timeline
* Does Keanu Reeves return as John Wick?
* Ana de Armas' breakout performance as a deadly assassin
* Why Ballerina deserves to be seen in theaters
* The problem with great movies flopping (Thunderbolts, Mission Impossible)
* Summer 2025 box office trends and what’s next (Jurassic World, Superman, How to Train Your Dragon)
📢 Join the convo:
* Did you like Ballerina?
* Where does it rank among the John Wick films for you?
* Are theaters still worth it in the streaming age?
👍 Like, comment, and subscribe for more reviews, hot takes, and film culture breakdowns from the world of geek cinema.
Welcome to The Blerd Wire with your host King Whale! In this episode, I’m diving into my full review of Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning — the explosive final chapter in the legendary action franchise starring Tom Cruise.Spoiler alert — I break down key plot points, the villain Gabriel (Esai Morales), and how the film eerily mirrors current global tensions with its nuclear subplot. I also discuss Grace’s development, Vanessa Kirby’s reduced role, and the unexpected return of a classic character from the original Mission: Impossible.Was this a satisfying conclusion? Did Final Reckoning live up to the legacy of Fallout, Rogue Nation, and Ghost Protocol? From Angela Bassett’s surprise return to the emotional farewell of a beloved character, I unpack what worked, what didn’t, and whether this ending stuck the landing.Plus: Thoughts on the action sequences, climax, and the powerful collaboration between Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie — including a quick nod to Top Gun: Maverick.Let me know in the comments:Have you seen Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning?Where does it rank in your list?What did you think of that ending?Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more reviews, nerd culture breakdowns, and in-depth commentary — only on The Blerd Wire!
In this episode of The Blerd Wire, we break down the first half of Andor and why it’s striking a chord with longtime Star Wars fans—especially those who grew up on the prequels and The Clone Wars. Is Andor too slow for mainstream audiences, or is it the gritty, political Star Wars drama we’ve been waiting for? I share my generational perspective on Andor, Star Wars storytelling, and why Disney needs to rethink how it targets different fanbases.
Today I'm reviewing Thunderbolts* - and man, what a movie. But beware, there are MAJOR spoilers ahead for the movie in this review but wow does it really feel like the MCU is back. I loved this movie and so did everyone else that I know who saw it. It hit on all cylinders and I'm so happy they did Sentry justice. The movie continues the story of Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, David Harbour's Red Guardian, Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, John Walker's US Agent, among others. Please go watch it, and if you've already seen it, drop your thoughts below!
Today, I brought two very special guests from MCU's Bleeding Edge to review and discuss the entire series. The series continues the popular Daredevil series from Netflix and returns several characters from that series, including Wilson Bethel's Benjamin Poindexter aka Bullseye, Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle aka Punisher, Vincent D'Onfrio's Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin and of course, Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock aka Daredevil. What did you think of the series? Are you excited for Season 2?
Today we're reviewing the finale Daredevil: Born Again! Lemme know what you think about it, I thought it was done really well and definitely seems like it's setting up another storyline. But beware, there are definite spoilers throughout this episode!
Today I'm reviewing The Electric State, the Netflix film starring Chris Pratt, Millie Bobby Brown, Stanley Tucchi, Giancarlo Esposito, Woody Harrelson, Ke Huay Quan, Anthony Mackie and directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. The film has garnered mixed to negative reviews so far and it has some worried if the Russos have their touch while their massive MCU blockbusters Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are just around the corner. What do you think? Did you like this movie? Or do you think the Russos are running out of steam?
So today we're reacting to the first four episodes of the new Disney+ show, Daredevil: Born Again, featuring Charlie Cox reprising his role as Matt Murdock and Vincent D'Onfrio reprising his role as Wilson Fisk. Daredevil: Born Again, of course, follows up the storyline from Netflix's hugely successful Daredevil series. Lemme you thoughts down below, what do you think of the series so far?
This is my official reaction and review to Captain America: Brave New World. The film is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe of course and features Anthony Mackie reprising his role as Sam Wilson and Harrison Ford taking over at Thunderbolt Ross. Let me know your about the film and beware, there are detailed spoilers throughout this video!
Cinematography
THE BRUTALIST
Lol Crawley
DUNE: PART TWO
Greig Fraser
EMILIA PÉREZ
Paul Guilhaume
MARIA
Ed Lachman
NOSFERATU
Jarin Blaschke
Costume Design
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Arianne Phillips
CONCLAVE
Lisy Christl
GLADIATOR II
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
NOSFERATU
Linda Muir
WICKED
Paul Tazewell
Directing
ANORA
Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
Brady Corbet
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
James Mangold
EMILIA PÉREZ
Jacques Audiard
THE SUBSTANCE
Coralie Fargeat
Film Editing
ANORA
Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
David Jancso
CONCLAVE
Nick Emerson
EMILIA PÉREZ
Juliette Welfling
WICKED
Myron Kerstein
Makeup and Hairstyling
A DIFFERENT MAN
Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado
EMILIA PÉREZ
Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
NOSFERATU
David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
THE SUBSTANCE
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
WICKED
Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth
Music (Original Score)
THE BRUTALIST
Daniel Blumberg
CONCLAVE
Volker Bertelmann
EMILIA PÉREZ
Clément Ducol and Camille
WICKED
John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
THE WILD ROBOT
Kris Bowers
Music (Original Song)
"El Mal" from EMILIA PÉREZ
Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
"The Journey" from THE SIX TRIPLE EIGHT
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
"Like A Bird" from SING SING
Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
"Mi Camino" from EMILIA PÉREZ
Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
"Never Too Late" from ELTON JOHN: NEVER TOO LATE
Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin
Production Design
THE BRUTALIST
Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
CONCLAVE
Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
DUNE: PART TWO
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
NOSFERATU
Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
WICKED
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Sound
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco
DUNE: PART TWO
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill
EMILIA PÉREZ
Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta
WICKED
Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis
THE WILD ROBOT
Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts
Visual Effects
ALIEN: ROMULUS
Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan
BETTER MAN
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs
DUNE: PART TWO
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke
WICKED
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
CONCLAVE
Screenplay by Peter Straughan
EMILIA PÉREZ
Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
NICKEL BOYS
Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
SING SING
Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David
Writing (Original Screenplay)
ANORA
Written by Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
A REAL PAIN
Written by Jesse Eisenberg
SEPTEMBER 5
Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David
THE SUBSTANCE
Written by Coralie Fargeat
Today we're making our picks for the Oscar nominees and who we think should win based on each category. Here are our picks for the first six categories, make sure you leave your picks and thoughts below!
Best Picture
ANORA
Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, Producers
THE BRUTALIST
Nick Gordon, Brian Young, Andrew Morrison, D.J. Gugenheim and Brady Corbet, Producers
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Fred Berger, James Mangold and Alex Heineman, Producers
CONCLAVE
Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman, Producers
DUNE: PART TWO
Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve, Producers
EMILIA PÉREZ
Pascal Caucheteux and Jacques Audiard, Producers
I'M STILL HERE
Maria Carlota Bruno and Rodrigo Teixeira, Producers
NICKEL BOYS
Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Joslyn Barnes, Producers
THE SUBSTANCE
Coralie Fargeat and Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Producers
WICKED
Marc Platt, Producer
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody in THE BRUTALIST
Timothée Chalamet in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Colman Domingo in SING SING
Ralph Fiennes in CONCLAVE
Sebastian Stan in THE APPRENTICE
Actor in a Supporting Role
Yura Borisov in ANORA
Kieran Culkin in A REAL PAIN
Edward Norton in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Guy Pearce in THE BRUTALIST
Jeremy Strong in THE APPRENTICE
Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo in WICKED
Karla Sofía Gascón in EMILIA PÉREZ
Mikey Madison in ANORA
Demi Moore in THE SUBSTANCE
Fernanda Torres in I'M STILL HERE
Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Ariana Grande in WICKED
Felicity Jones in THE BRUTALIST
Isabella Rossellini in CONCLAVE
Zoe Saldaña in EMILIA PÉREZ
Animated Feature Film
FLOW
Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman
INSIDE OUT 2
Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham and Richard Beek
THE WILD ROBOT
Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann
During Sunday's Super Bowl, where the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the Kansas City Chiefs, we got another trailer for Thunderbolts, this time showing our first look at the Void, aka Sentry. Here are my thoughts on the trailer, make sure to share yours below!