Thirty Minute Reviews

The countdown reaches the most divisive Avengers title. Adam makes the case that Avengers: Age of Ultron isn't a bad movie so much as a conflicted one, the first Marvel tentpole that put serving the wider universe ahead of being its own thing. Along the way: the tonal whiplash that kills every death scene, the Whedon dialogue problem, and a deep dive into how the Agents of SHIELD and Inhumans experiment, a Perlmutter mandate born of X-Men envy, was the original dry run for the "homework" problem that would later sink the Multiverse Saga. A solid but bottom-of-the-Avengers 4 out of 5. Next week: Civil War.

Two stories, one episode. First let's revisit Toy Story 4 seven years on, the weakest and least memorable entry in the series, and argue its real significance is strategic rather than narrative: this is the film where Pixar figured out it could mandate a sequel and have it work, the opening move in the inoffensive Pixar hit era. Then we turn to this week's box office, where an A24 horror movie made for ten million beat a four-billion-dollar Star Wars brand, Mandalorian and Grogu cratered seventy percent in its second weekend, and Masters of the Universe opened soft. I break down why creator-driven IP is eating corporate IP transplants alive, what the coming rush on YouTube properties will get wrong, and why the superhero movie is on life support rather than dead.Succession Planning is available for pre-order wherever you get your e-books: https://books2read.com/u/bzE9g9

Another month down, another slot in the Best of the Year Tournament to be awarded. Who is going to take the spot? The Devil Wears Prada 2 or The Mandalorian and Grogu?

The countdown continues with the film that redefined what a Marvel movie could be. Adam makes the case that Guardians of the Galaxy is the moment the MCU stopped being a factory of serviceable hits and started trusting filmmakers to author something, and why that lesson is exactly what the Multiverse Saga forgot. Along the way: how the film quietly built the Infinity Stones mythos and Thanos himself, why Ronan is the one weak link, the franchise's death-fakeout problem, and what Disney's hunger for Disney+ and the Fox deal did to the golden goose.

The children who watched Toy Story in 1995 were teenagers when Andy packed his boxes. That timing is not an accident, and it is worth asking how much of Toy Story 3's legacy belongs to the film itself and how much belongs to the audience that grew up alongside it. On today's Thirty Minute Reviews, Adam makes the case that Toy Story 3 is brilliant, moving, but the third best film in its own franchise.

The Countdown to Doomsday continues. Before the Avengers can face what's coming in December, we have to reckon with the film that broke everything: Captain America: The Winter Soldier. On today's Thirty Minute Reviews, Adam revisits the MCU's best political thriller, the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., and why this is the movie that made the stakes of Doomsday possible in the first place.

Toy Story 2 was never supposed to be a theatrical release. It started as a direct-to-video mandate from Disney, went through a near-total creative overhaul with less than a year left in production, and still came out as the best sequel Pixar has ever made. On today's Thirty Minute Reviews, Adam breaks down how that impossible production history shaped the film, and why the result holds up more than 25 years later.

Thor: The Dark World is one of the MCU's weakest entries but it matters more than you think, even before the Endgame connection. Adam takes a look back at the film that quietly marked a turning point for Marvel as a franchise, what it got wrong, and why it still deserves a place in the Countdown to Doomsday. Full review on this week's Thirty Minute Reviews.Follow Thirty Minute Reviews on Spotify and find our full archive at MWPNews.com.

Toy Story is a classic for a reason. On this week's Thirty Minute Reviews, Adam revisits the film that launched Pixar, changed animation, and somehow still holds up completely as a story about jealousy, friendship, and growing up that works on every level it tries. Follow Thirty Minute Reviews on Spotify and find our full archive at MWPNews.com

Adam discusses the third Iron Man movie and the fact that it really gets a bit of misguided hate.

Adam discusses whether or not The Avengers ages well.

April kept us busy, and now it's time to settle the score. This week on Thirty Minute Reviews, we're ranking all three films we covered this month: The Christophers, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and The Drama Which April release surprised us most? Which one didn't quite stick the landing? Tune in to find out where each film lands and whether our picks match yours.

As phase one draws to a close, Adam discusses the first Captain America movie (in the MCU) and what has been missing from the Multiverse Saga.

Adam discusses the film that expanded the MCU on a cosmic level: Thor.

Cinemacon has come and gone and Adam discusses the weird undercurrent from this year's event.

Adam discusses the third MCU film, Iron Man 2!

The WGA has a new contract despite months of warning of the dangers of consolidation. Did they squander a key opportunity to try and slow down some of the mergers?

For a long time, The Incredible Hulk was dubiously canon to the MCU because of the recasting of Ed Norton immediately after, and the fact that the film was distributed by Universal. Now that it is definitely and unavoidably canon, let's take a look back at the second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!

Adam ranks the movies he saw in March for the 2026 Best of the Year tournament.

With Doomsday a few months away, it is now time to discuss the MCU proper, so let's look back at 2008's Iron Man!

Adam discusses The Super Mario Movie and why he won't be covering the upcoming Harry Potter show.

Adam wraps up the Fox portion of the Doomsday countdown with a look back at 2018's Deadpool 2!

Adam launches a new series for the weeks where there is no tie-in movie and starts out by looking back at the film Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind.

Adam discusses the new trailers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Dune Part 3!

Adam discusses what is clearly the best of Fox's X-Men films: Logan.

Adam discusses the big winners from the 2026 Oscars and how indicative it is of some of Hollywood's larger macro issues that are holding back films.

With Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon, Adam continues his rewatch of the relevant movies with 2016's Deadpool.

Netflix has dropped out and Paramount is now the sole interested party for Warner Brothers. Adam breaks down the potential impacts.

Adam discusses X-Men: Days of Future Past and posits a theory for what timeline could be in play for Avengers: Doomsday.

We have a fun new tournament starting this year to decide what the best movie of the year is. Plus, we rank the new releases we saw in February 2026 including Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, The Moment, and Midwinter Break and crown a best film of January!

Adam continues on the road to Avengers: Doomsday with a look back at the beginning of the downhill slide for the X-Men franchise, X-Men: The Last Stand.

Adam continues his rewatches in the lead up to Avengers: Doomsday with X2.

Doomsday is coming so Adam begins a rewatch of the movies that seem most relevant based on what we know so far starting with 2000's X-Men.

Adam looks back to the 1939 adaptation of Wuthering Heights to determine if Jacob Elordi was improperly cast for the next adaptation and if the movie truly should be considered a romance.

After years of speculation, we finally know who will be directing the first Batman movie within the DC Universe, The Brave and the Bold. Adam discusses why that could be a problem.

Adam discusses Eva Victor's directorial debut Sorry, Baby.

Adam and Peter convene to discuss the best in film from 2025 and make their picks for the 2026 draft!

Avatar: Fire and Ash's total international box office projection has been revised downward. Adam discusses why this shouldn't be considered a massive deal.

With Avatar: Fire and Ash now in theaters, the first of four teasers for Avengers: Doomsday has now been screened. What does it tell us about the movie and the impending end of the Multiverse Saga for the MCU?

Well, while phase one of this nightmare may be over, but the war for control of Warner Bros. is far from over. Adam discusses what Netflix's winning bid means in the short term, in the long term, and what can be done to fix it.

With Zootopia 2 opening this week, Adam thought now would be a good time to revisit the troubling legacy and odd but probably well-intentioned choices that harm the race allegory in Zootopia.

With Wicked: For Good coming out this week, Adam revisits Wicked.

Due to the high budget, The Wizard of Oz was considered a financial failure at the time of its release. Adam dives into how one of the most-watched movies in history achieved that feat despite its financial returns, and why that is unlikely ever to happen again.

There seems to be some confusion over whether or not the events of A House of Dynamite actually happened in real life so Adam sets the record straight.

Adam discusses the WGA's plans to work with regulators to prevent Paramount from buying Warner Bros. and the news that Disney will not be continuing their contract with the BBC to coproduce Doctor Who.

Adam talks about the fact that there is now a non-zero chance that future historians will have to cite the director of Sucker Punch as an integral figure in American authoritarian media consolidation.

Adam discusses the broad failures of Marvel Studios on Disney+, why their new announcements do not bode well for the future, and why VisionQuest is an odd show at this juncture for the MCU.

Adam went to the rerelease of Avatar: The Way of Water and saw a preview of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Does The Way of Water hold up?

Adam discusses the heightened standards to which Disney is held in the wake of the successful boycott over Jimmy Kimmel's suspensions and what Disney can do to harness that.

In an episode recorded across three segments (with possibly some dubious editing), Adam gives further thoughts on Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, Disney's handling of the situation, how Sinclair, Nexstar, and Tegna fit into it, and what steps could be made by viewers and the companies in the future.

Yesterday, Disney announced it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show from the nightly schedule for the foreseeable future after pressure from the FCC and the broadcasters Nexstar and Sinclair. Adam discusses how the WGA, DGA, SAG, and IATSE should respond to this threat to broadcast television.