I have, admittedly, had a weird history with the Devil May Cry series. Having completely missed the original trilogy on PlayStation 2, I decided not to jump into Devil May Cry 4 when it released on PS3 since I felt that I wouldn’t be able to appreciate it without playing the others. When the reboot came, I saw it as a chance to finally get invested in the franchise, and while I did enjoy the controversial game, I always felt like I was missing out on something greater. So, with the much-anticipated Devil May Cry 5 on the horizon, I finally played the first four games on the series. I experienced the highs of battling with Virgil, along with the lows of fighting demon tanks and helicopters, and I truly had a blast going through each game. I finished just in time for the release of Devil May Cry 5, and with how incredible this new entry in the series is, I’m so glad that I took the time to catch up.

There’s no shortage of good things to say about the game, with the few negatives such as underused supporting cast members being incredibly minor problems when looking at the overall experience. The game is obviously prettier than its predecessors, but it also tells its story better and, impressively, manages to have the best gameplay in the series. The Devil May Cry developers pride themselves on creating pure action games, and DMC 5 is a prime example of that. Anything that was annoying in other games, such as a lack of direction on where to go, a troublesome fixed camera system and unsatisfying puzzles won’t be found in Devil May Cry 5. It relies only on its perfect action gameplay, giving its 3 protagonists unique mechanics that all feel fleshed out and satisfying to play with. For anyone still on the fence about getting Devil May Cry 5, it’s time to get off; don’t miss out on one of the best games of the generation.

For a full, spoiler-free review, read on!

During the first twenty minutes of Captain Marvel, I was honestly a bit worried. While it was far from bad, everything in the film’s opening felt rushed in comparison to the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There was no time to breathe between scenes, with Carol Danvers (only going by Vers at the time) jumping from location to location constantly. Thankfully, however, that pacing doesn’t remain a problem and fades away as soon as Carol makes her crash landing on to Earth. From that moment onward, it’s smooth sailing, and Captain Marvel delivers on everything that it should.

Carol’s journey is an excellent one, and Brie Larson does a tremendous job of showing her character’s development through the performance. Her chemistry with the cast, particularly with her best friend Maria Rambeau and a much younger Nick Fury, is as great as can be and leads to plenty of well-acted character moments. Captain Marvel manages to be extremely cosmic like Guardians at the beginning and end of the film, yet incredibly grounded like Iron Man for the entirety of the second act. It’s a balance that seems hard to pull off, but the writers and directors did so in a way that seemed effortless. On top of that, the movie is incredibly clever. The Skrulls, the antagonists of the film, are used very well and handled in a way that even the most hardcore of Marvel fans will be surprised by. Ben Mendelsohn is excellent as their leader Talos, as he and Goose the cat carry out some of the funniest moments in the movie. The tie-ins to the greater MCU are entertaining and make the film feel like a true prequel, while never coming off as forced or annoying. The 90s soundtrack and references are fun, Carol’s hero moment is memorable, and the main post credits scene succeeds at building up hype for Avengers Endgame. Captain Marvel hits every note that an MCU film is expected to hit nowadays, and for those like myself who don’t mind the origin story format, it’s an absolute blast that's worth seeing in theaters.

For a deeper (spoiler-free) review, read on!