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This Watson article contains spoilers. If you’ve heard anything at all about the new CBS medical-mystery series Watson, it’s probably that it’s similar to another Sherlock Holmes-inspired medical series, House. But comparing Watson to House is superficial at best because turning a Sherlock Holmes premise into a medical drama starring a quirky doctor isn’t original […]

The post Watson Is More Faithful to Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle Than You Think appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadn’t seen since Shrek (2001). 

The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios’ Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animation’s library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the story’s key moments. 

DreamWorks won’t defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010–coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.

One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disney’s remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the picture, the “live-action” The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture. 

Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney World’s Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion King‘s story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.

Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remake’s marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powell’s sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or they’ll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.

It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon films—he co-wrote and directed all of them—he recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan “Red Death” monstrosity attacking the film’s central Vikings.

DeBlois’ words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreau’s first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. It’s a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium. 

Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless’ island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous “Ugly Sonic,” both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original. 

From what we know based on DeBlois’ vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup’s other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.

Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it. 

How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

The biggest upcoming games of 2025 makes 2024 look like an even slower year for new releases. It seems to be a trend: as the average development time for games continues to grow, more and more major titles are dropping in batches during select years. Like 2023 before it, 2025 is going to be one […]

The post New Video Game Releases 2025: Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, PC appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadn’t seen since Shrek (2001). 

The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios’ Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animation’s library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the story’s key moments. 

DreamWorks won’t defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010–coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.

One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disney’s remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the picture, the “live-action” The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture. 

Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney World’s Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion King‘s story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.

Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remake’s marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powell’s sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or they’ll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.

It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon films—he co-wrote and directed all of them—he recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan “Red Death” monstrosity attacking the film’s central Vikings.

DeBlois’ words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreau’s first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. It’s a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium. 

Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless’ island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous “Ugly Sonic,” both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original. 

From what we know based on DeBlois’ vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup’s other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.

Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it. 

How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

This article contains spoilers for Mythic Quest season 4 episode 4. “The Villain’s Feast,” the fourth episode of Mythic Quest‘s fourth season, does not begin like a typical installment of the Apple TV+ gaming comedy. Gone is the familiar, cavernous office of the Mythic Quest studio. In its place is a boat atop the open […]

The post Inside Mythic Quest Season 4’s Murder Mystery Standout “The Villain’s Feast” appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadn’t seen since Shrek (2001). 

The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios’ Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animation’s library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the story’s key moments. 

DreamWorks won’t defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010–coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.

One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disney’s remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the picture, the “live-action” The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture. 

Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney World’s Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion King‘s story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.

Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remake’s marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powell’s sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or they’ll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.

It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon films—he co-wrote and directed all of them—he recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan “Red Death” monstrosity attacking the film’s central Vikings.

DeBlois’ words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreau’s first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. It’s a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium. 

Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless’ island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous “Ugly Sonic,” both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original. 

From what we know based on DeBlois’ vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup’s other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.

Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it. 

How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

Not long after the franchise debuted in Japan in 1996, Pokémon established itself as one of the biggest brands in the world. The video game turned card game and anime has remained a cultural phenomenon for nearly three decades, and one little yellow mouse symbolizes all of it. That’s right, we’re talking about Pokémon’s beloved […]

The post 10 Best Pikachu Pokémon Cards You Need to Collect appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadn’t seen since Shrek (2001). 

The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios’ Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animation’s library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the story’s key moments. 

DreamWorks won’t defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010–coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.

One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disney’s remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the picture, the “live-action” The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture. 

Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney World’s Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion King‘s story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.

Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remake’s marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powell’s sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or they’ll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.

It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon films—he co-wrote and directed all of them—he recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan “Red Death” monstrosity attacking the film’s central Vikings.

DeBlois’ words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreau’s first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. It’s a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium. 

Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless’ island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous “Ugly Sonic,” both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original. 

From what we know based on DeBlois’ vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup’s other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.

Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it. 

How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

We finally have our first trailer for The Wheel of Time season three, and it looks like we’re about to get into the real meat of Robert Jordan’s epic saga, upon which the show is based. As everyone starts to come into their real power, both for good and for evil, the battle for the […]

The post The Wheel of Time Season 3 Trailer: Civil War, a Desert Journey, and a Dark Prophecy appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadn’t seen since Shrek (2001). 

The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios’ Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animation’s library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the story’s key moments. 

DreamWorks won’t defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010–coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.

One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disney’s remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the picture, the “live-action” The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture. 

Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney World’s Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion King‘s story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.

Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remake’s marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powell’s sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or they’ll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.

It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon films—he co-wrote and directed all of them—he recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan “Red Death” monstrosity attacking the film’s central Vikings.

DeBlois’ words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreau’s first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. It’s a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium. 

Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless’ island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous “Ugly Sonic,” both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original. 

From what we know based on DeBlois’ vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup’s other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.

Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it. 

How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

Midway through Captain America: Brave New World, Sam Wilson and Joaquin Torres break into the home base of Samuel Sterns, the gamma-irradiated baddie known as the Leader. After an impressive-looking establishing shot that features a pair of red-hued satellite dishes, a close-up catches the heroes charging the bunker door. The pair frantically pry the door […]

The post Captain America 4 Review: A Brave New World With Classic ’90s Thrills appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadn’t seen since Shrek (2001). 

The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios’ Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animation’s library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the story’s key moments. 

DreamWorks won’t defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010–coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.

One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disney’s remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the picture, the “live-action” The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture. 

Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney World’s Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion King‘s story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.

Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remake’s marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powell’s sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or they’ll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.

It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon films—he co-wrote and directed all of them—he recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan “Red Death” monstrosity attacking the film’s central Vikings.

DeBlois’ words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreau’s first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. It’s a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium. 

Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless’ island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous “Ugly Sonic,” both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original. 

From what we know based on DeBlois’ vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup’s other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.

Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it. 

How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into […]

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadn’t seen since Shrek (2001). 

The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios’ Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animation’s library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the story’s key moments. 

DreamWorks won’t defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010–coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.

One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disney’s remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the picture, the “live-action” The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture. 

Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney World’s Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion King‘s story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.

Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remake’s marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powell’s sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or they’ll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.

It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon films—he co-wrote and directed all of them—he recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan “Red Death” monstrosity attacking the film’s central Vikings.

DeBlois’ words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreau’s first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. It’s a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium. 

Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless’ island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous “Ugly Sonic,” both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original. 

From what we know based on DeBlois’ vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup’s other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.

Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it. 

How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians features plenty of thrilling fights and battles, but as fans of Rick Riordan’s book series know, Sea of Monsters ups the ante significantly. With many mythical monsters on both the land and sea for the series’ young heroes to cross, the second season has the potential […]

The post Walker Scobell Teases an Epic Battle in Percy Jackson Season 2 appeared first on Den of Geek.

Nearly 15 years ago, DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon soared into theaters. At first, the film appeared to be another quirky idea from the animation studio that once played second fiddle to Disney, a la Bee Movie (2007) or Monsters vs. Aliens (2009). However, Hollywood quickly learned this wasn’t another middling entry into the DreamWorks catalog. In fact, How To Drain Your Dragon flew to new creative heights the animation studio hadn’t seen since Shrek (2001). 

The film was an honest-to-goodness smash hit, spawning a trilogy of movies, an animated TV series spinoff, and a plethora of merchandise. There will even be a branch of Universal Studios’ Epic Universe theme park launching this summer. So in retrospect, How To Train Your Dragon was an obvious candidate to receive the live-action treatment. Yet that inevitability also comes with an air of mystery since this will be the first remake from a film inside DreamWorks Animation’s library, as well as a new opportunity for Universal Pictures. And at last the first full trailer for said remake has been released, giving fans a look at the story’s key moments. 

DreamWorks won’t defeat any of the little brother allegations against Disney as they seemingly follow suit in a concept the Mouse House has been utilizing for years. While Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics have been occurring for decades, they have experienced an extended yet heavily maligned heyday since the debut of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland in 2010–coincidentally released the same month as the original How To Train Your Dragon that year.

One of the most heavily critiqued aspects of Disney’s remakes is that the films are too similar to their animated counterparts, resulting in playing it so conservatively that the new renditions fail to justify their existence. The film emblematic of this epidemic is (ironically) the most successful of the bunch, The Lion King (2019). With the exception of one new musical number written for megastar Beyoncé, who voiced Nala in the picture, the “live-action” The Lion King is a scene-for-scene, and in many instances a shot-for-shot, rehash of the 1994 classic. The film feels less like a remake and more like a remaster, as if it were a video game title and not a narratively driven motion picture. 

Of course many of the beloved moments from the original film need to return for the remake. There might have been riots at Disney World’s Hollywood Boulevard if some massive event had been omitted from The Lion King‘s story. Online Disney devotees were indeed vocally displeased when Mulan (2020) elected to remove the musical sequences and Mushu the dragon.

Perhaps for this reason the How To Train Your Dragon remake’s marketing has leaned into familiarity, with John Powell’s sweeping score serving as a backdrop to some of the most revered moments from the animated picture. We again experience Hiccup (now played by Mason Thames) timidly hold out his hand toward Toothless for the first time, feeling the scaly embrace of the once-thought menace of a night fury dragon. Iconography gets butts in seats. However, DreamWorks must avoid playing it too safe, or they’ll run the gambit of having another The Lion King.

It would seem that writer and director Dean DeBlois is acutely aware of this risk too. In addition to having a pivotal hand in all three of the beloved animated How to Train Your Dragon films—he co-wrote and directed all of them—he recently told Den of Geek about how skeptical he is of many live-action remakes of animated movies. At a special presentation for the press about the new film, the director spoke with our senior editor David Crow about what he might see as the rigidity in some live-action continuations. So while he felt an obligation to make sure Toothless looks how audiences remember the beloved night fury, with all the other dragons he adopted a much freer hand, redesigning them into something with more tactile heft and even menace. The one glimpse we get of that in the new trailer comes from a far more sinister and gargantuan “Red Death” monstrosity attacking the film’s central Vikings.

DeBlois’ words are reassuring as is his passion for this world he has so intimately played a part in creating. If he can see his vision through, perhaps he could land closer to Jon Favreau’s first Disney remake, The Jungle Book (2016), which ironically released three years before his less loved The Lion King redo. The Jungle Book is often regarded as one of Disney’s best live-action adaptations. The film hones in on pivotal moments of the 1967 original, such as “The Bare Necessities” and “I Wan’na Be Like You” musical numbers. However, the movie pivots away from the cartoon, establishing an extended backstory, alternative plot threads, and added sequences not found in the 1967 version. It’s a genuine adaptation, borrowing what worked from its source material while injecting energy and urgency that better fits the new medium. 

Footage we glimpsed at the presentation promises a similarly more substantial reimagining of Hiccup and Toothless’ island, as well as a grander sense of world-building for this Viking land where dragonriders are recruited from across the globe. Still, the latest trailer for How To Train Your Dragon mostly relies on playing a sizzle reel of highlights from the animated film, this time with realistic CGI graphics. DreamWorks so far has managed to avoid the mistakes of Disney or the infamous “Ugly Sonic,” both featuring overdesigned characters that off-put audiences, but it remains uncertain whether they will likewise avoid sticking too close to the original. 

From what we know based on DeBlois’ vision of Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup’s other ragtag group of friends being recruited from faraway lands and sailed to Viking village of Berk, the film will attempt to build out the motivations of supporting characters and expand the lore that was admittedly rather thin in the 98-minute original. But hopefully the creators can take many different avenues to differentiate the 2025 remake from the 2010 original. In other words, hopefully they get closer to The Jungle Book than The Lion King.

Whether or not Universal and DreamWorks will do this is to be determined, but one can hope they learned from their competitor and create something that flies higher than any Disney remake before it. 

How to Train Your Dragon is out in theaters on June 13.

The post How to Train Your Dragon Live-Action Remake Needs to Avoid Disney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on Den of Geek.

Over the last 62 years, Doctor Who has been a lot of different TV shows, and the Doctor has been a lot of different characters, in more ways than one. There are common strands: cleverness mixed with tomfoolery mixed with one hell of an ego, an idiosyncratic dress sense, and a tendency towards big noses […]

The post The Doctor Who Episodes that Define Each Doctor appeared first on Den of Geek.

Captain America was at the forefront of Marvel before it was even called Marvel. The character has stood the test for decades, with a recent resurgence thanks to his rise in prominence in the MCU. And even though Steve Rogers retired in Avengers: Endgame, he passed on his shield to Sam Wilson, a new iteration of the hero who gets his big screen debut in Captain America: Brave New World. 

To celebrate the fourth Captain America picture, Den of Geek has compiled a list of the best Cap toys, new and old, starring both Captains Americas. 

LEGO 76292: Captain America vs. Red Hulk Battle

As per usual with new releases from Marvel Studios, there’s a LEGO set tie-in to promote the film: 76292: Captain America vs. Red Hulk Battle. This 223-piece kit pictures Sam Wilson and his trusty sidekick Falcon battling against the Red Hulk, who also makes his MCU debut in Brave New World portrayed by the legendary Harrison Ford. This set is exciting not only because it includes a stellar Cap figure in his new getup from the film, but also the first MCU version of Thunderbolt Ross, aka the Red Hulk, as a LEGO minifigure. Additionally, it’s fun to see Ford receive a third LEGO figure, after decades of Han Solo and Indiana Jones outings. 

LEGO 76262: Captain America’s Shield

If the smaller LEGO playset doesn’t tickle your fancy, perhaps a 3,000-piece behemoth will. Introducing 76262: Captain America’s Shield. The LEGO system is infamously blocky, as the Danish toymaker has struggled to make more circular shapes for years. That’s what makes this design so impressive. The designers were able to expertly capture the disc of Cap’s beloved defense mechanism of choice with an immensely impressive build set to satisfy even the most hardcore master builder. Prepare yourself for lots of repetition when building 76262’s unique shape. Did we mention this shield can be held? We’re not sure how good it would be at deflecting bullets, but pair it with LEGO Marvel set 76209: Thor’s Hammer to get in Steve Rogers’s mindset.  

Hot Toys Captain America (Avengers: Endgame)

In the climax of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Captain America takes one last stand against the Mad Titan Thanos. In a moment that made movie theaters sound like a football stadium just after their team won the Super Bowl, Cap wields Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, for the first time. Steve Rogers was worthy, and so is this excellent Hot Toys rendition of the character during this iconic sequence. Not only is Captain America’s scaly suit one of the best looks he sports in the MCU, but the figure comes with a multitude of accessories, including a broken shield to match the scene after Thanos destroys it. This allows collectors to display Cap in a few different poses to capture their favorite moment from Endgame, making this figure the ultimate Captain America Hot Toy.

Hot Toys Captain America (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

If you’re yearning for the current Captain America to add to your Hot Toys collection, stop the search here with Sam Wilson’s first official Cap costume from the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). After a season’s worth of build-up to Sam taking the shield Steve Rogers bestowed on him at the end of Avengers: Endgame, the former Falcon finally took up the mantle of Captain America in the series finale. While many critics found the show’s plotline a little scattered, it’s hard to deny how amazing the new suit looks. The seamless integration of Sam Wilson’s Falcon suit with the stars and stripes of Captain America’s beloved attire created a spectacular-looking new design that translated effortlessly into Hot Toys form with an impressive wingspan. It might take up a hefty amount of shelf space because of the latter, but it’ll undoubtedly be worth it for the committed Marvel devotees.

Marvel Funko Pop! No. 1476: Captain America (The First Avenger)

We couldn’t go through this entire list without some love for Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Steve Rogers made his big-screen debut 14 years ago in a World War II-era period piece. Because of this, he dons a time-appropriate Cap costume that stands out among all the others the character has worn since. This beautifully low-tech look is one of the character’s best, and Funko gave us an excellent version as part of their Infinity Saga line of Marvel Pop figures. This vinyl figure rendition of the Star Spangled Man features Funko’s trademark expert molding, down to every stitch on his boots and strap on his vest. If you’re looking for a definitive Steve Rogers figure for your collection, this is the one. 

2002 Marvel Legends Toybiz Captain America

Younger Marvel collectors might not even realize the beloved Marvel Legends line of 6-inch action figures had a home before Hasbro. In what many consider their heyday, the now-defunct manufacturer Toy Biz was in command of the wave, with many aficionados arguing these figurines are better than their modern-day counterparts. Regardless of where you stand in that debate, it’s impossible to deny the Toy Biz figures have a certain je ne sais quoi about them. They are jam-packed with as many muscles as the comic book heroes and contain as many points of articulation as humanly possible for a half-foot figure. The original Captain America figure from 2002 is emblematic of all that Toy Biz did with the Marvel Legends brand, even including a comic book alongside it for extra fanfare. While this figure will most certainly have to be purchased from a third-party seller like eBay, it’ll be worth it as a nostalgic reminder of a bygone era. 

Marvel Legends Captain America’s Shield

The Marvel Legends line Hasbro has put a lot of effort into expanding into areas beyond just action figures. Many different props, including helmets and iconic weaponry, have received highly detailed recreations, so it should come as no surprise that Captain America’s shield has received this treatment in more ways than one. We’re highlighting the classic look for the glorified frisbee, released to coincide with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Not only can this toy be used as an actual prop, it’s also easy to mount on the wall as a brilliant centerpiece of any Marvel display. 

Marvel Legends Avengers Captain America (Sam Wilson) & Captain America (Steve Rogers) Figures 2-Pack

Are you struggling to decide if you should get some Steve Rogers or Sam Wilson merchandise to represent Captain America in your collection? Well, why not acquire a figure for both? The Marvel Legends two-pack from Hasbro makes the transition between Cap’s seamless. Both characters are sporting the suits we highlighted earlier with their Hot Toys figures, but these Marvel Legends ring in at a much more affordable price—perfect for collectors on a budget. Two shields are included, along with a plethora of interchangeable accessories, such as hands, faces, and more. What better way to capture Captain America than with the ultimate two-pack of the iconic hero?

The post The Best Captain America Toys for MCU Fans appeared first on Den of Geek.

Harrison Ford has only been nominated for an Oscar once in his career. It’s a strange thing to remember when considering one of the most prolific and defining movie stars of his generation. This is the man who was Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and Rick Deckard, to name but a few. For many he also […]

The post Revisiting Harrison Ford’s One Oscar-Nominated Performance appeared first on Den of Geek.

Captain America was at the forefront of Marvel before it was even called Marvel. The character has stood the test for decades, with a recent resurgence thanks to his rise in prominence in the MCU. And even though Steve Rogers retired in Avengers: Endgame, he passed on his shield to Sam Wilson, a new iteration of the hero who gets his big screen debut in Captain America: Brave New World. 

To celebrate the fourth Captain America picture, Den of Geek has compiled a list of the best Cap toys, new and old, starring both Captains Americas. 

LEGO 76292: Captain America vs. Red Hulk Battle

As per usual with new releases from Marvel Studios, there’s a LEGO set tie-in to promote the film: 76292: Captain America vs. Red Hulk Battle. This 223-piece kit pictures Sam Wilson and his trusty sidekick Falcon battling against the Red Hulk, who also makes his MCU debut in Brave New World portrayed by the legendary Harrison Ford. This set is exciting not only because it includes a stellar Cap figure in his new getup from the film, but also the first MCU version of Thunderbolt Ross, aka the Red Hulk, as a LEGO minifigure. Additionally, it’s fun to see Ford receive a third LEGO figure, after decades of Han Solo and Indiana Jones outings. 

LEGO 76262: Captain America’s Shield

If the smaller LEGO playset doesn’t tickle your fancy, perhaps a 3,000-piece behemoth will. Introducing 76262: Captain America’s Shield. The LEGO system is infamously blocky, as the Danish toymaker has struggled to make more circular shapes for years. That’s what makes this design so impressive. The designers were able to expertly capture the disc of Cap’s beloved defense mechanism of choice with an immensely impressive build set to satisfy even the most hardcore master builder. Prepare yourself for lots of repetition when building 76262’s unique shape. Did we mention this shield can be held? We’re not sure how good it would be at deflecting bullets, but pair it with LEGO Marvel set 76209: Thor’s Hammer to get in Steve Rogers’s mindset.  

Hot Toys Captain America (Avengers: Endgame)

In the climax of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Captain America takes one last stand against the Mad Titan Thanos. In a moment that made movie theaters sound like a football stadium just after their team won the Super Bowl, Cap wields Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, for the first time. Steve Rogers was worthy, and so is this excellent Hot Toys rendition of the character during this iconic sequence. Not only is Captain America’s scaly suit one of the best looks he sports in the MCU, but the figure comes with a multitude of accessories, including a broken shield to match the scene after Thanos destroys it. This allows collectors to display Cap in a few different poses to capture their favorite moment from Endgame, making this figure the ultimate Captain America Hot Toy.

Hot Toys Captain America (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier)

If you’re yearning for the current Captain America to add to your Hot Toys collection, stop the search here with Sam Wilson’s first official Cap costume from the final episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). After a season’s worth of build-up to Sam taking the shield Steve Rogers bestowed on him at the end of Avengers: Endgame, the former Falcon finally took up the mantle of Captain America in the series finale. While many critics found the show’s plotline a little scattered, it’s hard to deny how amazing the new suit looks. The seamless integration of Sam Wilson’s Falcon suit with the stars and stripes of Captain America’s beloved attire created a spectacular-looking new design that translated effortlessly into Hot Toys form with an impressive wingspan. It might take up a hefty amount of shelf space because of the latter, but it’ll undoubtedly be worth it for the committed Marvel devotees.

Marvel Funko Pop! No. 1476: Captain America (The First Avenger)

We couldn’t go through this entire list without some love for Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Steve Rogers made his big-screen debut 14 years ago in a World War II-era period piece. Because of this, he dons a time-appropriate Cap costume that stands out among all the others the character has worn since. This beautifully low-tech look is one of the character’s best, and Funko gave us an excellent version as part of their Infinity Saga line of Marvel Pop figures. This vinyl figure rendition of the Star Spangled Man features Funko’s trademark expert molding, down to every stitch on his boots and strap on his vest. If you’re looking for a definitive Steve Rogers figure for your collection, this is the one. 

2002 Marvel Legends Toybiz Captain America

Younger Marvel collectors might not even realize the beloved Marvel Legends line of 6-inch action figures had a home before Hasbro. In what many consider their heyday, the now-defunct manufacturer Toy Biz was in command of the wave, with many aficionados arguing these figurines are better than their modern-day counterparts. Regardless of where you stand in that debate, it’s impossible to deny the Toy Biz figures have a certain je ne sais quoi about them. They are jam-packed with as many muscles as the comic book heroes and contain as many points of articulation as humanly possible for a half-foot figure. The original Captain America figure from 2002 is emblematic of all that Toy Biz did with the Marvel Legends brand, even including a comic book alongside it for extra fanfare. While this figure will most certainly have to be purchased from a third-party seller like eBay, it’ll be worth it as a nostalgic reminder of a bygone era. 

Marvel Legends Captain America’s Shield

The Marvel Legends line Hasbro has put a lot of effort into expanding into areas beyond just action figures. Many different props, including helmets and iconic weaponry, have received highly detailed recreations, so it should come as no surprise that Captain America’s shield has received this treatment in more ways than one. We’re highlighting the classic look for the glorified frisbee, released to coincide with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Not only can this toy be used as an actual prop, it’s also easy to mount on the wall as a brilliant centerpiece of any Marvel display. 

Marvel Legends Avengers Captain America (Sam Wilson) & Captain America (Steve Rogers) Figures 2-Pack

Are you struggling to decide if you should get some Steve Rogers or Sam Wilson merchandise to represent Captain America in your collection? Well, why not acquire a figure for both? The Marvel Legends two-pack from Hasbro makes the transition between Cap’s seamless. Both characters are sporting the suits we highlighted earlier with their Hot Toys figures, but these Marvel Legends ring in at a much more affordable price—perfect for collectors on a budget. Two shields are included, along with a plethora of interchangeable accessories, such as hands, faces, and more. What better way to capture Captain America than with the ultimate two-pack of the iconic hero?

The post The Best Captain America Toys for MCU Fans appeared first on Den of Geek.