Cinematic Universe

This week Joe & James (Rhys just couldn't handle all the carnage) discuss the second instalment of the oddest & funniest superhero franchise around (sorry Deadpool) - Andy Serkis' Venom: Let There Be Carnage. They cover all the movie's big lolz, Woody's Harrelson's somehow not-big-enough performance as Cletus/Carnage and try to define just what is the relationship between Eddie and that lo...

While Joe is on holiday, James and Rhys look at the latest comicbook movie news, including everything interesting out of the latest DC Fandome! Email us at podcast@cinematicuniverse.com. You can also find our comic book movie themed merch designs at Redbubble, and follow us on Twitter @cine_verse, @JoeCunningham14, @JamesHunt and @Rhys. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Joe, James and Rhys are discussing a non-MCU Marvel movie sequel starring an edgy character that was big in the 90s played by an actor really going for it in the lead as both the human host and the twisted antihero he transforms in to - no no, not Venom 2, but Neveldine/Taylor's 2011 Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance! They also cover the just-wrapped What If? season 1, the latest comic bo...

This week, Joe, James and Rhys (belatedly) discuss the MCU's newest hero, and his debut film: Shang Chi! They discuss Tony Leung and his sexiness, Shang Chi and his fightiness, and the Ten Rings and their...ringness?? And loads of other stuff (dragons!). They also discuss the latest comic book movie news, including the Spidey trailer! And the Hawkeye trailer! And the Wolverine video game (admitted...

This week, Joe, James and Rhys go to the dark side to talk James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, the sequelboot sidequel to 2016's heinous Suicide Squad. They discuss the film's nauuuughty tone, it's cheeeeeky characters and the Continued Adventures Of One Harley Quinn (they talk about loads of other stuff tbh, this is a 3+ hour episode). They also discuss the latest comic book movie news, including the...

This week, Joe, James and Rhys are joined by frequent guest Caroline Siede ( @CarolineSiede ) to discuss the just-wrapped first season (spoilers) of the Disney+ series Loki. They go almost 3 hours, discussing every nook and cranny of the divisive series. They also cover the latest comic book movie news, and Joe, James and Caroline battle it out over the pitch. If you enjoy the show, consider backi...

For the first time in over 2 (!) years, we have ourselves a brand new Marvel movie out - Black Widow, directed by Cate Shortland. Joe, James & Rhys get straight into it on the movie, although the first chunk is spoiler-free for those that haven't seen it yet. They talk about whether the time is right for a Black Widow movie, the new supporting characters & what their MCU future might be, a...

This week, in anticipation of Black Widow's imminent release, Joe, James and Rhys discuss two mid-noughties female superhero solo movies that time has forgotten: 2004's Catwoman, starring Halle Berry, & 2005's Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner. They talk about the interesting similarities between the two films, how they do and don't relate to Batman & Daredevil (respectively) and what they...

This week Joe, James and Rhys discuss a very recent comic-book adaption that they didn't cover at the time - 2020's The Old Guard, starring Charlize Theron and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. They talk about what changes were made from the source material, whether the action scenes succeed viscerally and emotionally, and if you buy the characters as having lived for hundreds (thousands?) of yea...

A peek behind the paywall! We're releasing the first episode of the just-started Loki recap show from behind the Patreon paywall to give non-patrons a taste; new episodes drop every week. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe for just $3 a month at https://www.patreon.com/cinematicuniverse A new Disney+ show means Joe and James are once again burdened with glorious purpose, by which we mean...

Joe, James & Rhys are joined this week by freelance film critic Stephen Carty ( @TheNakedPun ) to discuss Zack Snyder's career-defining fantasy epic 300. They discuss the movie's politics, it's visuals, the Frank Miller of it all, and of course good ol' Gerry Butler. They also cover the latest comic book movie news, James recommends some comics, and Joe, James & Stephen battle it out over...

Joe and James are joined this week by Empire Magazine Contributing Editor Amon Warmann ( @AmonWarmann ) and freelance film journalist Limara Salt ( @yourturnheather ) to discuss the recently wrapped The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series in its entirety. They discuss the show’s themes, how it fits into the MCU canon as a whole, and where it leaves it’s characters. They also cover the latest comi...

This week Joe, James and Rhys tackle one of the most adapted, influential and divisive comic creators of the last 20 years - Mark Millar. Taking 2008's Wanted as a starting point, the group discuss Millar's other adapted work, what attracted Hollywood to his voice in the first place, and what his future might be as the industry shifts. They also cover the latest comic book movie news, James recomm...

Joe, James and Rhys slide down the pod-pole into the pod-cave this week to discuss one of the earliest superhero films ever - 1966's Batman: The Movie. They discuss the cultural impact of the TV series that birthed it, how it affected Batman's later adaptations, and how the film plays watching it today. They also cover the latest comic book movie news, James recommends some comics, and Joe and Jam...

Joe and James are joined by Sam Clements ( @sam_clements ), host of the 90 Minutes Or Less Film Fest Podcast ( @90minfilmfest ) to, ironically, cover one of the longest films to come out in years - Zack Snyder's Justice League. They cover the history of how this film came to exist, make comparisons to the 2017 theatrical cut, whilst also trying to evaluate this new version in its own right. They a...

Joe & James are doing a new weekly bonus episode for those backing the $3 tier on Patreon ( https://www.patreon.com/cinematicuniverse ) and we've decided to release the first episode of their The Falcon and The Winter Soldier recaps on the main feed to give non-patrons a taste. In this episode, we ask the burning questions: IS this a good WandaVision follow-up, HOW political might this show be...

Joe and James are joined by actual sitcom writer and editor Andrew Ellard ( @Ellardent ) to take a look at Marvel's hit Disney+ show WandaVision. Best experienced when you've seen the show in its entirety, we interrogate its themes, revisit the theories that did (and didn't) turn out to be correct, and try to put to bed any remaining questions about the finale. We also welcome our new producer Rhy...

Joe and James are joined by Ghibliotheque's Michael Leader to discuss Josh Boone's 2020 release, The New Mutants, which limped out during the pandemic as an afterthought to 20 years of Fox-produced X-Men movies. But is it as bad as its troubled production suggests? Discussion of The New Mutants begins at 36:15. Cinematic Universe is supported by the generosity of our backers on Patreon, who also g...

Joe and James are joined by actual sitcom writer and editor Andrew Ellard (@Ellardent) to take a look at Marvel's hit Disney+ show WandaVision. Best experienced when you've seen the show in its entirety, in this episode we interrogate the show's themes, revisit the theories that did (and didn't) turn out to be correct, and try to put to bed any remaining questions about the finale. We also welcome...

Joe and James are joined by Caroline Siede to discuss Patty Jenkins’ sequel to Wonder Woman. We try to untangle the plot as well as examine some of Jenkins’s storytelling decisions to see how things ended up this way, and try to answer the question: what was this movie actually about? Cinematic Universe is supported by the generosity of our backers on Patreon, who also get to hear episodes ad-free...

The Cinematic Universe team is sending off 2020 in style! Specifically, the style of an awards podcast! With 2020's movie landscape looking less than stellar, Joe and James are joined by Caroline Siede, Amon Warmann, Mike Leader, Rhys Williamson and Al Kennedy to find the best of the best (and occasionally worst) for every comic book movie covered on the podcast since we began. Will The Dark Knigh...

Joe and James go through all the Marvel news from the Disney Investor Day announcements, from Armor Wars to Ms. Marvel, from Black Widow to The Eternals, as well as checking in on the latest rumours about Spider-Man 3 and, of course, what's going on with Marvel's Helstrom. Also included: a 20 minute psychological breakdown about the sheer amount of Disney content and the future of the cinema indus...

Joe and James are joined by newly-minted Empire contributing editor Amon Warmann as the trio cover the much-maligned 2006 movie, Superman Returns. Is it the sequel the Christopher Reeve movies deserved, or the deranged super-stalker fantasy of an unhinged mind? Could the superkid ever have worked? And can we bring ourselves to even look at the screen while Kevin Spacey is on it? Boy, there's a lot...

What's this? We've actually covered a movie? In our first main episode since July, Joe and James are joined by Andrew Ellard, returning for his third appearance as we cover Ang Lee's 2003 movie, Hulk. Is it Phase 0 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in disguise? Would General Ross really have that kind of facial hair? And are the Hulk dogs actually from the comics? These questions and more answered....

Ahead of Cinematic Universe's proper return next week, Joe and James catch up on all the new we've been unable to talk about since August. Chadwick Boseman, WandaVision, Ant-Man 3 and more all get a look in as we clear the decks for next week's full episode. Thanks again to everyone for giving us the time we needed to get back on track - regular (ish) service will now resume. Cinematic Universe is...