Marvelling at the MCU

It’s time for the much-maligned Marvels , where Dave and Oli fail to understand the hate the film got when it was first released, discuss it’s place in the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe including Wandavision and Ms Marvel, and speculate about it’s relation to X-Men, Doomsday and Secret Wars. They also delve into some of the great lines and great performances, the less-than-great baddies, and Oli...

Dave and Oli take a look at the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and dive deep into the pain of knowing what's coming, the joy of Will Poulter and the incredible ability for CGI characters to make you feel the feels. All that plus Oli expands on his theory that none of the Guardians actually knows how to pilot a spaceship and Dave goes super deep on a character with less than five mi...

It’s Quantumania this week, a film that neither of the boys find themselves getting excited about. Dave gets disappointed at the wasted potential of Kang, Oli laughs about Jaws comparisons, and both of them try to pinpoint the main issues that make it one of their least favourite films of the MCU so far. Also listen out for : Dave making more Red Dwarf references, Oli making excuses for Kang’s fut...

It’s another Wakanda week as the boys look at the 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and manage to disagree on most of the good and bad bits. They dive into (sorry, not sorry) a very long film with some new characters, discussing the adaptation of Namor from speedo-wearing comic Atlanian to trunks-and-chest-piece Talokanil. They also explore shooting underwater and dry-for-wet, breath hold...

The boys rattle through the 29th movie in the MCU, trying to find ways to be nice. They talk about the film’s comic origins as a major 616 storyline, the viability of early-stage rumours about the Mighty Thor, and flicking people’s clothes off. They also hit on God bombs, sentient weapons and full showman mode. CHAPTERS: 00:00:00 00:05:00 Film nerdery 00:15:08 Comic geekery   00:41:16 Breakdown 00...

As the boys break down the 28th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Oli and Dave swapping positions on terrible plot dumps, Oli going full grump on pointless backstory, and Dave dives into everything from the Wanda/Scarlet Witch contrast to the Young Avengers to the Illuminati.  Plus, you can enjoy Oli's deep, gruff voice courtesy of a cold (which he maintains contributes to the grump, but...

We’re up to film number 27 in the MCU and another exceptional instalment of Spider-Man with No Way Home. Dave and Oli discuss what was believed, leaked and known about the triple-threat Spider-Men, the closure this film give to Maguire and Garfield fans, and the sheer number of awesome moments and beautiful—often brutal (physically and emotionally)—sequences. They also talk bad language, evil best...

Oli gets wound up over rainforests, finger guns, opening crawls and (more reasonably) disabled representation, while Dave ploughs his way through the comic canon of the Eternals and what they (and the Celestials) mean to the comic and cinematic universes. No spoilers for what comes next following Areshem’s emergence, just lots of discussion about how good this film could have been. Chapters: 00:00...

Dave and Oli dive into the 25th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, talking awkward history, ret-conned character adjustments and, naturally, they use their vast martial arts knowledge to rate the fights as they go along. They talk about the impact of the pandemic on production, the film's individual storytelling approach—particularly flashbacks and subtitles—and what the post-blip world lo...

This week, Dave and Oli dive into the 24th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and admit that their minds have been changed by re-watching a film neither of them were looking forward to. Dave explains the history of mind control, Oli waxes lyrical about Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh and they both attempt to curb their disappointment with the final half hour of the film. Chapters 00:00:00...

After reaching the end of the Infinity Saga and before diving into the less-nostalgic Multiverse Saga, Dave and Oli take a look back and look forward to what we understood of the Sagas before we really knew anything of the Multiverse beyond what the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) had mentioned in Dr Strange. Where did things stand, what did we know of the films to come and, crucially, do we feel we&#...

Dave and Oli discuss the 23rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the (official) final film in the Infinity Saga. From call backs to the very start of the MCU to Shakespearean references, ridiculous villains to mentions of the multiverse, the guys dive into it all. 00:00:00 Introduction 00:08:46 Comic background 00:27:02 The Breakdown 00:37:35 Peter tingle 00:48:22 Edith arrives 01:09:02 Pet...

We’re finally here! Dave and Oli dive into Endgame from its gut-punching opening to its curtain-call ending, nothing is missed. Except possibly your favourite bit, because that’s always how these things go.  Oli talks about the three things (one tiny, one small, one big) that make this not a perfect movie, Dave revels in the glory of finally getting that moment and they both wax lyrical about Mjol...

Thanks for sticking with us while we've been away, and we're sorry to have left you on an Endgame cliffhanger! That episode is coming next week, but here's just a little taste of what to expect over the next few weeks as we cross the threshold into the Multiverse Sage of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Let us know what you think in the comments on Spotify or by hopping over to our socia...

We’re back from our extended break and can’t wait to bring you the latest instalment as we look at the 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dave and Oli dive deep into the comic roots of all the characters, how they’re portrayed and how old they both feel know that this is a “period” movie that’s set in the 90s when they were both teenagers. Aside from their own aging, they also touch on Al...

Hello fans! We've been away for a few weeks, but we're very much hoping to be back next week with Captain Marvel , leading to our big episode on the end of the Infinity Saga (depending on your view of Spider-Man: Far From Home), Avengers: Endgame . Thanks for listening, thanks for being patient, and thanks for all of your feedback. We'll see you next week!

Dave & Oli dive into the sweetness, lightness and comedy of the 20th film of the MCU, discussing the impossible difficulty of following Infinity War, how cleverly the vital plot points of Endgame were seeded, and the joy of Michael Peña. They also talk awkward marital age gaps, crashing cars and (yes) clunky exposition. Plus, they make sure to continue ensuring the word “embiggen” makes its wa...

This week, Dave and Oli finally dig in to the 19th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. We discuss the mixing and melding of characters from disparate parts of the universe, blending comedic moments with the gut punches , and Dave rants about Thanos taking his armour off . We’re finally here, at the start of the epic two-part culmination of the MCU’s Infinity Saga and it’s no understatement to...

This week, Dave and Oli present a reminder of everything you could ever want or need to know about the 19th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ahead of our full breakdown next week, we talk about the long process of developing, writing and shooting the two epic features that wrap up the Infinity Saga, and cover the stories and comic runs that provided inspiration for what we see in the finish...

Dave and Oli are joined by two special guests to discuss the first ten years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including favourite moments, best memories and the characters we wished we’d seen. It’s a geek’s nerdy delight as a collective group of geeky nerds who love comics and films get stuck in to what makes the MCU so special. What was your favourite part of the first 10 years of the MCU? Let u...

Dave and Oli discuss the 19th MCU flick and cover establishing new heroes, the brilliant design and execution of new depictions of technology, and yet more missing limbs. And yes, we do talk about visual effects because it’s impossible not to, but we try to touch on some of the exceptional elements of the VFX and not to linger on "that" bit. Black Panther is a seminal film not just in th...

The 17th film in the MCU finds Dave and Oli agreeing with each other but still rating the film differently. How, you might ask? By way of a comedy vs drama debate, Oli misidentifying a wolf and Dave’s Kiwi accent of course. Be sure to also listen out for Blackadder and Flight of the Conchords references, Horsey Thor (finally!) and Oli’s inability to read his own notes. What did you think of Thor:...

Either the 16th film in the MCU or the first film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU)—or both—Oli and Dave dive in regardless and talk about reading too much into Marvel films, not killing off villains and Shockers One and Two. Also, weird physics, soggy masks and Oli finally letting something slide. That alone makes this a must-listen episode. (00:00) Introduction (02:17) Movie background (10:55)...

We’re going cosmic again (Dave’s very excited) with the 15th film in the MCU. In which you can hear Oli debating his ‘meh’ while celebrating the greatest [spoiler] in cinema history and Dave getting annoyed about Celestials. We also talk about the importance of flawless VFX for communicating emotion, battle with pronunciation all over the shop and remember the greatness of Knight Rider and Zardu H...

It's magic and mystery time as Dave and Oli deep-dive into the strange world of... erm... Doctor Strange. Dave gets over-excited by new introductions, Oli spots comic vs filmic characters, and they both get overexcited at a Cher reference as they look at the 14th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Plus, Dr Nick, waiting for Cumberbatch and massive changes to major characters.  If you enjoy...