At the end of the day, Indiana Jones is Harrison Ford. You know what I mean? It's one of those characters that dies with the actor. It's not like James Bond. I don't think we'll get another Indiana Jones. We'll get similar movies. Nathan Drake is Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider is Indiana Jones, but with different lead characters. They're not walking around with fedoras and whips. Indiana Jones is a very specific, very alive personality that is tied to this miserly, curmudgeonly Harrison Ford. There are points where you can really tell the man's almost 80. But who cares? Let old guys do action movies. It rules.

The Guardians of the Galaxy were a middling comic hero team devised in the late 60s. One that never really reached any amount of wide acclaim. To this day, the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie is one of the closest things to a perfect execution in establishing a relationship with unknown characters. After the first movie the names Starlord, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Drax, and Nebula became household names.  Now, nearly ten years later, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 seeks to remind us why we cared, show us we were right to care, and make us root for our beloved misfits one last time. Ya’ll…it fucking rules.

Truly Avatar: The Way of Water is going to change the way a lot of things are done going forward, just as the first film did. Sometimes you have to see a movie in the theater to get the fullest experience. If there was any film this year that fit this designation perfectly, it’s this one. Do yourself a favor: go see this on the biggest screen you can find. 3D or not, it will blow your socks right off your feet. What an experience. 

The Clade family is a family built on legacy. Jaeger Clade, the explorer, Searcher Clade, the farmer. But what will Ethan Clade become? When his father is recruited to root out the plague impacting the nation of Avalonia’s pando crops, his attempt to keep his son from becoming like his absent grandfather will be put to the test. Strange world is a Disney gem that confronts us with questions about who we want our kids to become as parents and who they really are. 

Ryan Coogler, director of the first Black Panther and director and writer of the planned sequel later told press that after Boseman passed he contemplated quitting film all together, such was the impact and influence of Chadwick’s death. When Coogler decided to proceed, he said it was because he knew what he needed to do. In the months that followed we learned what he meant. That the upcoming Wakanda Forever was going to be a tribute to all things Wakanda. A memorial for Chadwick, a continuation of his legacy, and the next step for the characters we all met, as they grieved the loss of their King. Of their Black Panther.

I still find it immeasurably silly that adults write reviews for children’s movies. Why aren’t more people taking their kids, asking them what they thought, and publishing that? They are the target demographic, after all. Do I understand that there are instances where parents want to see if something is “ok” before they let their kids watch it? Sure. Does that take away any ridiculousness from the fact that I am sitting here to write a review about an unlucky orphan who receives and subsequently loses a lucky coin given to her by a black cat with a Scottish accent? Ah dinnae ken.

WandaVision introduced us to altered reality, Loki introduced us to the Time Variance Authority and alternate timelines, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness introduced us to alternate universes. For a saga of films that has existed for nearly 15 years, in the last year and a half alone our perception of what the MCU could entail has been expanded tenfold. With this comes risk. How could you scale something so quickly without risk? But more than just risk, as a viewer, you are being asked to keep track of more. It should come as no small comfort then, to know that Thor: Love and Thunder is one of the most digestible, fun, and easy to approach since Black Panther.

For a movie that ostensibly didn’t need to exist, Lightyear does a tremendous job campaigning for that existence, thrilling viewers with a space spectacle that feels right at home in its universe, and furthermore, lives up brilliantly to its initial pitch. If I had seen this as a five year old, I would have absolutely begged my mom for a Buzz toy. After this movie who wouldn’t?