Just when you thought Dark Phoenix put an underwhelming bow on the Fox era of X-Men movies, The New Mutants comes along to further complicate the franchise's legacy. In this BONUS episode to our mega-series following the X-Men movie franchise, we'll go in-depth on the oft-forgotten 2020 film. On paper, The New Mutants should have been an easy win. Taking the X-Men universe headfirst into horror seemed like an intriguing departure. Then, of course, The New Mutants' continual delays led the...

Our X-Men mega-series comes to a close (or does it?) with 2019's Dark Phoenix, as the franchise takes a second stab at one of the comics' most iconic storylines. With X-Men: The Last Stand far behind him, can first-time director Simon Kinberg (who cowrote that 2006 movie) right past wrongs? Darin Lundberg of NostalgiaCast joins us to unravel the mysteries of Dark Phoenix. We'll explore the film's poor reception, its role as the series' unintended conclusion, and Sophie Turner's lead...

The claws are out and the adamantium is gleaming as we dive into the final chapter in the Wolverine trilogy. Hugh Jackman's iconic portrayal of the mutant hero faced a bumpy road in his solo films. But was 2017's Logan, featuring returning The Wolverine director James Mangold, worth the wait? Fans wondered if they'd ever see the character's true potential on the big screen. Fortunately, Jackman's determination to bring Logan's story to a fitting conclusion paid off. In Logan, we witness...

After exploring time travel and creating a shared universe with X-Men: Days of Future Past, where could the sequel go next? Why, the gods, of course! For better or worse, 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse pits the Marvel mutants against their most formidable enemy yet: a big, blue Oscar Isaac. In this episode, Clare Brunton of W-Rated helps us uncover the truth behind director Bryan Singer's most divisive X-Men installment. We'll discuss whether the movie is actually unjustly hated, how it serves...

After The Avengers, superhero cinema has never been the same. Suddenly, everything needed to be interconnected, featuring tons of characters and an increasingly complicated timeline. Naturally, the X-Men series retroactively created its own shared universe of sorts with X-Men: Days of Future Past. Fourteen years after the first film, director Bryan Singer's film combined the original trilogy cast and that of X-Men: First Class to create a time-travel adventure that raised the bar for what...

Hugh Jackman's Wolverine has always been a fan favorite. But X-Men Origins: Wolverine called into question whether the mutant hero would get the opportunity to carry more than a single solo film. Thankfully, Jackman's desire to take Logan to Japan paid off in the form of 2013's The Wolverine. Adapting one of the character's most popular storylines, the movie marks a departure from its predecessor, tying more closely in with X-Men: The Last Stand than the first Wolverine film. It also...

X-Men Origins: Wolverine was meant to slash open a whole new avenue for the X-Men movie franchise. Yet, despite its commercial performance, the tepid reception ultimately led the series to take another approach: going back to basics with a fresh start on the whole mutant saga. In hindsight, it might seem like 2011's X-Men: First Class was always meant to be a prequel to the previous films. But director Matthew Vaughn described it as a reboot of the franchise. So which is it? And...

Despite the less-than-enthusiastic response from fans and critics, 2006's trilogy-ending X-Men: The Last Stand did at least offer fans something of a sense of closure (that final shot and post-credits scene notwithstanding). But it also outperformed its two predecessors at the box office. So it didn't take long for Fox to begin exploring ways to extend the franchise. On paper, a solo film exploring the dark backstory of Hugh Jackman's fan-favorite character was the obvious way to...

We interrupt your regularly scheduled mutant superhero mega-series already in progress for, well, another mutant superhero mega-series. It's time to dip back into the sewers for a return to the world of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Seven years have passed since the latest franchise revival fizzled out with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is now playing. So Rob steps up to the mic to address his thoughts on the new animated...

Our X-Men mega-series continues, spanning 10 films and nearly 20 years. Following the success of X2: X-Men United, the franchise takes its first major shift. Director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour) steps in to helm 2006's polarizing X-Men: The Last Stand. But is it a satisfying finale to the original trilogy of mutant adventures? Or is the film the X-Men series' first wrong turn? Jeremiah Stewart of Let's Talk joins us to discuss this crucial chapter of the mutant chronicles. The discovery of a...

Welcome back, fellow mutant enthusiasts! As we celebrate the 23rd anniversary of the X-Men film franchise, we continue our journey through the groundbreaking series that revolutionized the superhero genre. In this episode, we dive deep into the sequel that took everything we loved about the first film and elevated it to new heights: 2003's X2: X-Men United. Phoenix Clouden of Film Code helps us unravel the intricacies of this thrilling installment, which showcases the continued evolution...

Twenty-three years have passed since the mutants of Marvel Comics made their big-screen debut. And it's an understatement to say the cinematic landscape has itself mutated since X-Men hit theaters. So on this 23rd anniversary of the film that started it all, we're taking a look back at Fox's dearly departed mutant saga with a mega-series covering 10 X-Men films. Brian Skutle of Sonic Cinema joins the show to kick off our X-Men retrospective with an in-depth conversation about 2000's...

Walt Disney is a name that has become synonymous with family entertainment. But back when Disney himself was running the company, the studio was pushing the boundaries of feature animation. And perhaps few films are as much of a testament to that as 1940's Fantasia. Brian Skutle of Sonic Cinema joins the show to discuss that film's ground-breaking blend of classical music and animated storytelling. We'll discuss the evolution of the Fantasia project, its legacy, and its long-awaited 1999...

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, mainstream comedies were dominated by just one man: Judd Apatow. As a writer, director, and/or producer, Apatow was behind many of the biggest hits of the era, including classics such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Superbad, Bridesmaids, The Big Sick, and -- as we've previously discussed -- The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Now Kai Yaniz returns to discuss 2007's Knocked Up and its "sort-of sequel," 2012's This Is 40. Apatow wrote and directed both movies,...

After nine films and three different incarnations, our Planet of the Apes mega-series ends here. We went in-depth on the original five-film series, dug up the oft-maligned Tim Burton "reimagining," and now we conclude our discussions on the recent reboot trilogy starring Andy Serkis as Caesar. David Rosen of Piecing It Together joins us to discuss 2017's War for the Planet of the Apes. We'll cover how director Matt Reeves elevates the trilogy to mythic heights, whether this is a...

Prior to its release, no one quite knew what to make of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. But after it became one of 2011's biggest surprise hits, it was clear just how much life was left in the decades-old sci-fi franchise. With its sequel, returning star Andy Serkis and director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) raised the emotional stakes and spectacle even higher. Jason from Binge Movies makes his long-awaited Franchise Detours debut to dig into 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes....

A full decade after director Tim Burton's "reimagining" of Planet of the Apes, the franchise seemed pretty much done. Hollywood turned its attention to other movie series, but after both Batman and Bond successfully relaunched by taking its iconic worlds back to basics, Fox ultimately took the same approach with one of its most successful brands of the past. Film critic Nguyên Lê -- who previously joined us to talk 2005's Batman Begins -- returns to help us break down 2011's Rise of the...

After the disappointment of Battle for the Planet of the Apes, the franchise limped on in the form of two short-lived television series. First came 1974's live-action Planet of the Apes TV series, followed the next year by the animated project Return to the Planet of the Apes. Neither caught on with fans, and despite a long development, a new film didn't arrive until 2001. Lauren Knight of That Movie Is Fine joins the show to discuss director Tim Burton's "reimagining" of Planet of the...

Evil Dead was only the second mega-series Franchise Detours covered. So it's only right that, with writer-director Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise now in theaters, we take a franchise u-turn back to that series. After a full decade of rest from the big screen, what are those pesky Deadites up to this time? Rob briefly interrupts the ongoing Planet of the Apes mega-series to touch base with the latest Evil Dead film. He'll discuss his spoiler-filled thoughts on the movie, speculate what it...

Conquest for the Planet of the Apes sees Caesar (Roddy McDowall) lead an ape revolution that seemingly sews up the fate of humanity. So where could a sequel possibly take the story after the climactic turn of the previous film? As we continue our journey through the nine-film Planet of the Apes franchise, Battle for the Planet of the Apes gives us our answer. Actor, author, and playwright John Weagly joins the show to help us break down this finale to the original five-movie run of Planet...

Escape from the Planet of the Apes set the franchise off on a brand-new course. And the sequel -- released just over a year after its predecessor -- follows the ape Caesar (Roddy McDowall, as a new character) as he plays a pivotal role in humanity's downfall in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. Ryan Luis Rodriguez of One Track Mind joins the show to discuss this 1972 edition of the long-running Planet of the Apes franchise. We'll discuss McDowall's ability to transform into an entirely...

No spoilers, but Beneath the Planet of the Apes seemed to negate the chances of a third Planet of the Apes film. And yet, the box office receipts sent a very different message to studio executives. And so Escape from the Planet of the Apes hit theaters in 1971, taking the series in a radical new direction. Film critic Sara Michelle Fetters joins the show to break down how Escape from the Planet of the Apes reinvents the franchise midway through. We'll discuss Roddy McDowall and Kim...

1968's Planet of the Apes was a watershed moment for science fiction cinema and, in hindsight, franchise filmmaking. But what lies beneath? That's the focus of this episode, as we take a look at the first of many sequels to attempt to on the original Planet of the Apes film. Jeremiah Stewart of Let's Talk helps us dig into 1970's Beneath the Planet of the Apes. We'll discuss how the film deals with Charlton Heston's limited screen time, its deliberate efforts to sideline the apes...

We finally really did it. After spending the past several episodes with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Franchise Detours sticks to the world of anthropomorphic animals and prosthetic make-up for its longest mega-series yet: Planet of the Apes. On this episode, Thomas Greene of Perpetual Cinema joins the show to discuss the 1968 film that started it all. We'll discuss how the movie marks a turning point for science fiction, its iconic twist ending, and how it ultimately emerged into an...

2014's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles seemingly kicked off a whole new era of movies starring the title heroes. But after its solid box office performance, the sequel -- 2016's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows -- still struggled to keep that momentum going. Clare from W-Rated joins this final installment of our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mega-series. We'll discuss what is (at least, for the moment) the final TMNT movie, why its reputation is perhaps a bit too harsh, where...