Now Playing Presents: The Avengers Movie Retrospective Series

The second phase of Marvel Studios' Cinematic Universe is going out small.  Compared to their other Phase 2 films, the hero is smaller, the budget is smaller, the box office is smaller.  But it's a big moment as comics' final founding Avenger arrives on the big screen.  The film was fraught with production delays and creative changes, but can Marvel prove good things come with small packages?  Join Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!    {Avengers Series}  {Ant-Man Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}

The 2015 summer movie season kicks off in a big way with the next Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Age of Ultron. Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye are back in front of the camera, all again under the direction of geek god Joss Whedon. But with three super-powered baddies and a new Vision for these heroes there is more Avengers to assemble than ever before. Now join Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob to find out how super these heroes were! {Avengers Series}  {Iron Man Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}  {Hulk Series}  {Captain America Series}  {Thor Series}

When teased at the end of Thor: The Dark World, the Guardians of the Galaxy looked like a bunch of a-holes. But this past weekend Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot proved their worth with a heroic opening weekend at the box office. More than just money, the film has been a hit with audiences and critics alike. What is the magic that made this film blow up like a ch-ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb, and were the hosts of Now Playing won over by this charming band of outlaws? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob in this review to find out!    {Marvel Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Comic Book Movies Series}  {Guardians of the Galaxy Series}

The First Avenger is back in the latest film from the unstoppable Marvel Cinematic Universe. With a mysterious new assassin out to kill Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D. turning on him, it's up to the Star Spangled man along with his friends Black Widow and new hero The Falcon to save the day. Is this a good installment in Marvel's Avengers series or just a stalling tactic until we get The Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out!    {Marvel Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Comic Book Movies Series}  {Captain America Series}

It will be 2015 before the Avengers assemble on the big screen again, but Disney and Marvel will fill that time with films focusing on individual Avengers and their disassembled heroics. Earlier this year we had Iron Man 3, and now Disney hopes to catch lightning in a bottle again with the help of a thunder god in Thor: The Dark World. The mighty Avenger must once again fighting an ancient enemy of Asgard, continue arguing with Odin over how best to rule the kingdom, and all the while try to romance his human love interest Jane Foster. Are the Now Playing hosts excited for Thor's return, or just glad to have Loki back on screen? Listen to our review to find out!    {Marvel Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Comic Book Movies Series}  {Thor Series}

The Avengers broke box office records taking in more at the US box office in the opening weekend than any other film. With such popularity the world was primed for a follow-up. Now, almost one year to the day later, Marvel Studios' next film Iron Man 3 has been delivered, and came in second only to The Avengers in its opening weekend. The new film features a Tony Stark solo mission against his comic book nemesis The Mandarin in a storyline taken from the Warren Ellis Extremis comic arc. But without Jon Favreau directing and without a Hulk can the armored Avenger still shine? Listen to Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart's review to find out!   {Marvel Series} {Iron Man Series} {Avengers Series} {Comic Book Series}

THE AVENGERS! Breaking worldwide box office records this super-hero team-up is a film that seems impossible to make, and yet they did! After a year of reviewing movies based on Marvel Comics characters, listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review of this blockbuster film! Did it make a year's worth of viewing worth it, or did it fail to come together? Listen to find out!    {Avengers Series}  {Iron Man Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}  {Hulk Series}

By the summer of 2011 fans were ready for Avengers, but Marvel Studios still had some groundwork to lay before they could assemble. And in July the final character, the First Avenger, was introduced to audiences. But the fifth film in Marvel's series might be the hardest sell yet, a World War II period piece with a goody-goody hero. With Fantastic Four's Chris Evans donning the red, white, and blue outfit, did Captain America: The First Avenger stand alone, or was it just biding the time for ten more months until The Avengers was released? Listen to hear Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie's review of this film as well as the short A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer.    {Marvel Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Comic Book Movies Series}  {Captain America Series}

In three films Marvel had created a cinematic universe based on science. Iron Man used advanced technology to power an armored suit; Bruce Banner used genetic manipulation and medicine to create The Incredible Hulk. But in their fourth film leading up to The Avengers they brought in a new element straight out of Norse mythology--Thor, the god of thunder. With a mighty hammer, a winged helmet, and a flowing red cape, Thor and his fellow Asgardians fought off the evil Ice Giants, but for his cocky war-mongering Thor was banished to earth, stripped of his powers. Can a thunder god fit in with an otherwise science based Cinematic Universe, and is his story a compelling one? Listen to Stuart, Arnie, and Jakob to find out as they review Thor, and the Blu Ray bonus short The Consultant!    {Marvel Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Comic Book Movies Series}  {Thor Series}

The first Iron Man film set the gold (and red) standard for Marvel superheroes in movies, but Marvel Studios knew the pressure was high to build up to The Avengers so just two years later Iron Man 2 was released. Jon Favreau was back behind the camera, and Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow were still starring, but now Don Cheadle dons the War Machine suit, Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke team up as villains, and S.H.I.E.L.D. has a much larger presence in the form of Nick Fury, Agent Coulson, and Scarlett Johansson's Natalie "Black Widow" Romanoff. The film is certainly bigger than the first, but is it better? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out!    {Marvel Series}  {Iron Man Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Comic Book Series}

Mere months after Iron Man went supersonic at the box office Marvel's second issue of its Avengers movie series smashed its way into theaters--The Incredible Hulk! But after Ang Lee's film disappointed just a few years earlier Hulk's biggest enemy was audience expectations. Behind-the-scenes strife between producer/star Edward Norton and Marvel Studios only helped to add to audience superhero fatigue in a summer that also included The Dark Knight, and Hulk went on to be the lowest grossing Marvel studio film to date. Is Hulk truly Incredible, or is it as toxic as Bruce Banner's blood? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!    {Marvel Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Comic Book Movies Series}  {Hulk Series}

Who would win in a fight, Thor or the Hulk? In comic books, team-ups are the stuff of legend, fulfilling geeky desires while also increasing comic sales. But what can easily be done on the page is not so easy to transition to the screen, which may make this summer's The Avengers the most ambitious movie ever. Bringing together the larger-than-life characters of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow all led by Nick Fury, the cast is as impressive as the characters. Now, leading up to The Avengers, Stuart, Jakob, and Arnie are reviewing each of Marvel Studios' films. In our first review we look at 2008's Iron Man. Starring Robert Downey Jr, who had been more famous for his off-screen performances than his on-screen roles, and featuring a superhero that was not well known outside the comic reading crowds, the film went on to be the second highest grossing film of the year (bested only by another costumed billionaire vigilante--Batman ) and remains the highest grossing film in The Avenge

First Blade, then X-Men, then Spider-Man...Marvel's summer blockbuster films were just getting bigger and bigger, so expectations were high when Hulk smashed out of the small screen and into a big screen feature film. Directed by Ang Lee, coming right off his acclaim for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, this was a Hulk that stayed more true to the comic book incarnation of the green giant, but also dared to be a psychological drama as well. Is this a strong film worthy of its hero, or a puny attempt to cash in on a Marvel character? Listen to Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie to find out!    {Hulk Series} {Marvel Series} {Comic Book Movie Series} {Avengers Series} {Avengers - Some Assembly Required Series}

A new science experiment holds the key to curing David Banner of the Hulk, but a group of terrorists plan to steal the device and the scientists who created it. In Death of the Incredible Hulk television audiences said goodbye to the Hulk, but is the ultimate performance of Bill Bixby an enjoyable watch, or will it kill the Now Playing hosts? Listen to find out!  {Hulk Series} {Marvel Series} {Comic Book Movie Series} {Avengers Series} {Avengers - Some Assembly Required Series}

After Thor and Hulk was a smash hit in the ratings another Hulk movie was quickly approved. David Banner is arrested for a murder he didn't commit, set up by crime Kingpin Wilson Fisk, and the only one who believes David's story is his attorney--Matt Murdock. By day Matt tries to clear David's name in the courts, and by night he takes on David's fight as the vigilante known as Daredevil! Is this a team-up made in comic book heaven? Listen to Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart's review to find out!    {Hulk Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Avengers - Some Assembly Required Series}

In 1987 The Incredible Hulk Returns and he brought a friend with him--Thor! Comic book crossovers are the thing of geek legend. Everyone wants to know who will win in a fight, Batman or Spider-Man. But due to licensing issues, on-screen comic book crossovers are rare, even for superheroes from the same publisher. That is what makes this summer's Avengers film so special, getting all the superheroes in one place! But long before Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth put Hulk and Thor on the same screen there was Lou Ferrigno and Eric Kramer in a story of murder, mystery, and action! With all three principle actors from The Incredible Hulk TV series reprising their roles, is this a smashing Hulk movie? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob to find out!    {Hulk Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Avengers - Some Assembly Required Series}

In November 1977, The Incredible Hulk premiered on CBS. But just a few weeks later, a second pilot movie aired to gauge audience reception to the now-famous Incredible Hulk formula. David Banner, on the run and searching for a cure, stumbles into a murder plot. Julie's stepmother and doctor are slowly poisoning the girl. Can David and old coot Michael save the girl? With such future TV stars as William Daniels (voice of KITT on Knight Rider) and Gerald McRaney (Major Dad), is this an Incredible series launch? Listen to Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart's review to find out! {Hulk Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Avengers - Some Assembly Required Series}

The Incredible Hulk has been a staple in Marvel Comics since his first appearance in 1962, but to many The Hulk is less known for his comic book persona than his portrayal by Lou Ferrigno in CBS' hit prime time series The Incredible Hulk. Starring Bill Bixby as David Banner, a scientist who overdoses on gamma radiation, the series ran for five years, and it's impact can still be seen through references in both the Eric Bana and Edward Norton Hulk film adaptations. Now, as Now Playing starts its next leg of it's Marvel Comic Movie Retrospective, leading up to The Avengers, Jakob, Arnie, and Stuart are reviewing the television movie that started it all--The Incredible Hulk. Does this incarnation of the green giant make our reviewers angry? And would you like them when they're angry? Listen to find out!    {Hulk Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}  {Avengers Series}  {Avengers - Some Assembly Required Series}

In 1978, before the Captain America films, CBS was still trying to replicate the successes of their Wonder Woman and Incredible Hulk TV series, but their next attempt to launch a superhero show drew inspiration from the Strange-st of places. The Dr. Strange TV film, based on the Marvel Comics magician, introduces prime-time television to Dr. Stephen Strange, a swinging psychiatrist with a destiny. This was not destined to be picked up as a series, but should it have? Listen to Arnie, Stuart, and Jakob's review to find out, or be left cold and barren!  {Avengers Series}  {Avengers - Some Assembly Required Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}  {Doctor Strange Series}

In the early 1990s the country was hungry for more superhero films. Batman had come out and shown us that comic book characters could be done without camp, and studios rushed to get more superhero projects in development. Yet despite Batman 's success, and 1991 being Captain America's 50th Anniversary, 21st Century Film Corporation's production of Captain America could not get distributed. Finally scuttled direct-to-VHS in 1992, this film has been a staple of the convention DVD bootleg circuit. Finally receiving not one but two official releases in 2011 to tie into Marvel's Captain America: The First Avenger, does this 1990s version deserve another look? Listen to Jakob, Stuart, and Arnie's review to find out!  {Avengers Series}  {Avengers - Some Assembly Required Series}  {Marvel Series}  {Comic Book Movie Series}  {Captain America Series}