Punisher reviews (3 movies and Netflix show)

Hi everyone I'm Jack Red, now we get to one of my absolute favorite comic book anti heroes of all time. I have a rather strange story how I got into The Punisher at a young age. I was leaving when the teacher gave me a Punisher comic. At the time I didn't own any comic books. Now I got a collection including a lot of Simpsons ones.

I figured since I also watched all the live action Punisher movies. I should include all of them in one huge blog review. I am a huge fan of The Punisher for many reasons. Yes at one point I did compare him to Batman but how can you blame me? They both got a lot of things in common. The Punisher is more let's kill the bad guys to protect the innocence.

1. The Punisher (1989)

The Punisher 1989 movie was the very last movie to be released by it's move company before going out of business. The fact this move got released is impressive. Usually when that happens, most movie releases gets canceled on the spot. I guess this movie is to die for lol. The Punisher doesn't take much time going into his past.

Dolph was a model starring in a lot of movies with some notably bad ones. I felt this is one of his better movies. Although I would say this was the one movie to get The Punisher wrong. I had to look up where the famous skull symbol wasn't present on him. It turns out to be they didn't have enough money in the budget.

If it was something else I would've been fine but come on that's his symbol. How can he be The Punisher without? Honestly this is a surprisingly great movie under the condition of it's release. It is a great action movie with a huge body count. I don't want to say Dolph was a miscast because some of the stuff he does is fine enough to get the job done.

This movie does an amazing job keeping it intense especially when he goes in killing people. This version also rides a motorcycle. Parts of this movie could easily be confused for The Terminator I'm not kidding. The way people die in some ways is just like the famous police shoot out scene in The Terminator.

Now that's interesting because The Terminator a few years before. Even some of the gun sounds are similar. Overall this is more of a forgotten gem. I would say if you are a fan of The Punisher like me. You need to check this movie out when you get. The Punisher delivers on action at it's absolute best rivaling some of the Steven Seagal movies.

2. The Punisher (2004)

To me this is my favorite Punisher movie. Thomas Jane is the perfect actor to portray the character. More recently he reprises the role in a video. I absolutely love everything about this movie. It does a great job recreating the tragedy leaving to him becoming The Punisher. Some well written scenes that still stayed fresh in my mind.

This movie does a even better job displaying what I love this character so much. Some scenes he does some of his humanity. Surprisingly the wrestler Kevin Nash portrays The Russian from the comics. The first enemy of his to come from the comics to be in a movie. The same guy who also plays Super Shredder in the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

I really love the appearance of the character in this movie. For me it was really accurately done in my opinion. Not only he looks like the character, he pulls him off even better too. In this movie, a criminal named Howard Saint had a hand in what happened to him. He decides to go after him not for revenge but his sense of justice.

A few scenes caught me off guard like the one where one of Saint's sons got trapped. Frank puts a bag of sand in his hand while connected to a bomb. This guy has to keep his hand up high or the bomb goes off. How Frank takes out Saint to me was beautifully done as well as fitting. This movie is exactly what I wanted for the character.

There isn't as much killing as in 1989 movie but more of them have a more important reason. Basically they weren't simply there to get gunned down is my point. The fact he gets Saint to kill two people close to him in order to break him down is exactly a move the character would do. The Punisher is very true to his name here.

3. Punisher: War Zone (2008)

Originally this was going to be a follow up to the 2004 movie. However there were major changes leading to a new movie take on the character. Oh okay I can understand why not a lot of people know about the 1989 movie. But how many movies do we need before he gets a series? At least he got more movies than Man-Thing lol.

Ray Stevenson took over since Thomas Jane led over creativity differences. This version is wearing body armor more visibly. Just going by the three Punisher movies. We went from no armor at all to a little armor to full on body armor wow. In terms in how he does things, The Punisher is using more strategies.

The big surprise is we finally get to see his nemesis appear in the movie. Yes The Punisher actually has an arch enemy that really hates him to no end. Although this character's last name got altered a little bit. Billy does go the full circle in this movie. Just like in the comics, The Punisher virtually destroys his face.

This led to him becoming the character called Jigsaw for that reason. He is a criminal that becomes obsessed with getting even with Castle. I felt they might've taken notes from Joel Schumacher's Batman movies I'm not kidding. Yes this movie is way more violent than those. At the same time, some of the stuff Jigsaw does is very similar to The Riddler & Two Face in Batman Forever.

I would even say that's laughable. A character with a tragedy of his own treated like comic relief. Why does that sound like Superman 3 movie? Punisher: War Zone is a good movie but I can't say it was more entertaining than the previous two Punisher movies. I will say I do like how they done the skull symbol.

4. The Punisher (Netflix) (2017-2019)

It took us a long time but finally The Punisher gets a series in the form of a Netflix show. By now you will notice a different theme. Each live action take of the character is portrayed by different men almost like James Bond. In this case, Jon Bernthal whose in such things as The Walking Dead & The Accountant plays the character.

I do love how they went about Billy in this version. Yes in season 2, he does become Jigsaw. Despite not looking as faithfully, his performance was way better. They actually found a way to make it more personal than it actually was in the comics. Yes we do get to relive the tragedy once again. I will say this was told very well.

I also have to say this is one of the best among their Netflix Marvel shows too. This character originally appears during season 2 of Daredevil. I would say this guy's performance overall does rival Jane's performance. He does come a lot closer than the other two guys in my opinion. The Punisher goes through many changes.

In season 1, it was more of him getting to the bottom of what happened to him. In season 2, it was on the lines of finishing what he started while dealing with another problem through out. Basically season 2 had a few major antagonists while there was mostly Billy in season 1. The fight scenes are hands down the best.

I absolutely love when he wears the skull symbol. Which isn't as often but when he does you know things are about to get very crazy. I got to be honest they did an amazing job keeping him true to his character. I felt this one not only stays on point with the story but possibly tells it even better than Daredevil.

Iron Fist (Netflix) review

Hi everyone I'm Jack Red, wow this is possibly the most mixed I ever been to a Marvel show including The Incredible Hulk cartoon I'm not kidding. Iron Fist is going to be a challenge to review indeed. Maybe not the way you imaginable but this is such a challenge worthy taking. I won't let my family & friends down.


Iron Fist follows a son of a businessman that returns home from a mysterious place after a long period of time. Let's be honest season 1 does suck for many reasons. I am not going to hide it anymore. The exact way they go about telling his past. Parts of it could've been used better in season 2.

Danny comes off as a very annoying out of place character than the man we all hoped for. The Hand is involved with season 1 to a degree. He became the protector of his new home that sadly goes to complete waste. I mean come on don't do something like that to us pricks. The story for season 1 is told so poorly that I couldn't say it was an Iron Fist show.

It is so amazingly bad that I was surprised it got another season. Thank god season 2 is way better than that garbage. Even season 2 of The Incredible Hulk cartoon had better moments than the entirely of season 1 of Iron Fist. I won't spoil the ending of it but it would've been very interesting direction. Iron Fist comes very close living up to the name.

The crossovers with Luke are what helps this show shines. Danny is a much better written character in season 2 hands down. I also like he faces challenges he isn't sure how to overcome. Keep in mind, Iron Fist is suppose to be the greatest fighter who never loses a fight. I am glad The Hand was used better than I expected.

I have to be honest even Luke Cage's season 1 was better written than this show's season 1. At least it did a better job telling his past & displaying what the character is known for. I felt we truly got it in season 2. Honestly stay away from season 1 but please give season 2 a try. I do think in the long run, season 2 was something truly special to me.

Luke Cage (Netflix) review

Hi everyone I'm Jack Red, oh yeah it's time for Luke Cage. Now I got to be honest before watching this show. I honestly didn't know much about the character. All I knew was he was very durable & had superhuman strength being around 100 ton class but that's it. Luke Cage is overall a mixed experience like one of the next shows I have to talk about that got it worse.


Luke Cage follows a man who was sent to prison where he takes part in an experiment. Thus gaining a few powers including his insane strength. I won't give much of his back story away but it is told in an interesting way. Luke wants to protect Harlem from criminals. One day he decides to take action quickly leading to a fan base with the people while getting bad attention from the police.

In season 1, his story is more of a redemption. There are multiple people including two members of a powerful family that tries to stand in his way. I will say the guy playing Luke does a great job making the character standing out. I would say some of the stuff he does can be difficult to take seriously. I also like he isn't fully invincible at times.

This means a powerful character seem human for a change. Like the episode he almost dies due to his skin tanks force makes the operation very difficult. Both seasons do reveal a lot of his history prior to the present. Some of it played a surprising role in them as well. Luke kept doing what he can when an obstacle gets thrown in his path.

Honestly this is where I start talking about why am I so mixed about this show. Trust me it's not racism or anything like that either. Season 1 could've been done a little differently to make some things better. I will say season 2 is easily the best season of the show. Yes a lot of stuff is going on during this season.

At the same time, it makes some of the surprises have a bigger impact on the overall experience. I am not saying I didn't care for season 1 by any means. It is great to a degree but it could've been done a bit better. Luke is the kind of man you would love to have as a sheriff of your town. I could say some Luke Cage fans enjoying this show.

Daredevil (Netflix) review

Hi everyone I'm Jack Red, I figured it's time to review all the Netflix Marvel Cinematic Universe shows. I am holding off on doing Jessica Jones because there is one more season coming soon. Everything else I'm ready to start talking about. I wanted to literately start in the beginning with Daredevil.


Daredevil follows the story of a blind attorney named Matt Murdock. He decides to fight crime on two fronts. During the day he is a lawyer in court or helping people to build a case. However during the night Matt dresses up as Daredevil to fight criminals. This show lasted for three seasons. I would say this is hands down one of the best Marvel shows I seen in a long time for sure.

The Kingpin has a major presence in two seasons being the main antagonist. The Hand was the main antagonist of season 2 that also goes into The Defenders. I will be reviewing that with Jessica Jones since she was a part of that crossover. This show almost fully given us Bullseye. I will say this guy was better than Colin Farrell's, I actually enjoyed his performance in that movie.

Daredevil comes off being a more realistic take on the concept. More realistic than Arrowverse shows in that regard. Oh yes some parts aren't meant for kids & those with light stomachs. I would say this show is so much better than the movie could ever hope to be. I should mention Netflix gives you an entire season right off the bat.

Just like Arrow, all connected shows do bring them all together in full circle. Obviously the full TV side of Marvel Cinematic Universe also includes a few channels with their own shows. Netflix made sure these particular ones wouldn't get too big in scale to take away attention from their movies. Daredevil has a lot of well written scenes that are very believable.

I would say the guy playing Daredevil is an excellent choice I'm impressed. I loved how this show portrays The Kingpin. Now when I think of the character that's exactly what I was thinking. He does remind me of The Penguin on Gotham for many reasons because he does some terrible stuff. The fight scenes are very well done.

Daredevil I felt had the best balance of everything out of all their Netflix shows. I couldn't ask for more in any category truthfully. This show has been very entertaining ending on such a great season. This gave me more reason to care about the character. Honestly they picked a great character to kick off Netflix shows with.

The Flash (1990) review

Hi everyone I'm Jack Red, a while back on CW Seed they had the classic live action The Flash show. The Flash show on the CW has made a lot of references to this show in particular. Honestly it is an honor I'm even talking about it. I would say for a first attempt at making a live action Flash show I'm very impressed.


This follows Barry Allen based on classic comic book version of the character. The newer Flash show follows more directly to New 52. Barry becomes The Flash to seeking help with his powers from someone at S.T.A.R. labs. Some of his enemies like Captain Cold, Mirror Master and Trickster are present.

This show even attempts at their own reverse flash character named Pollux. Unfortunately CBS never done great with super hero shows. Which also happened to Supergirl that caused it to be moved to the CW channel. The maintain led to some episodes being aired out of order making what we were watching not constant.

I absolutely love this show's theme song then again it is Danny Elfman why doesn't I love it lol. He has performed some of my absolute favorite theme songs of all time. Hell I'll name a few The Simpsons, Beetlejuice cartoon and Edward Scissorhands. I liked they didn't try to making this show ridiculous.

Keep in mind, right now super hero stuff is all over the place. But back then there was mostly cartoons. It was very uncommon to have anything live action. Of course this did follow Batman 1989 movie by a year. I felt they stayed very true to the character himself. I would say out of the two Flash shows this is way more serious in tone.

Some of the stuff covered on this show is altered or not present at all on the newer Flash show. I did considered making a comparison blog. To be honest I felt unlike Batman 1966 vs. Gotham topic. This would be too one sided so I dropped the idea. Despite that I do recommend both Flash shows. This Flash show does a great job keeping it entertaining.

To me it sorta comes more off like a movie. It clearly borrowed gun sounds from Batman 1989 movie. It comes so close of being what we really needed for a super hero show. This show was clearly ahead of it's time without question. Some of the episodes are a little bit longer than you might be expecting.

The Flash has a lot of potential that continues in some way living on in the newer Flash show. Four actors from this show has appeared very close to those roles. There was one particular moment in the most recent crossover where this Barry Allen cameos revealing his world got destroyed. I felt this show would satisfy many Flash fans including myself.

Samurai Jack review

Hi everyone I'm Jack Red, I didn't realized until now I never got around reviewing one of my absolute favorite cartoons. Samurai Jack is one of the closest American anime shows I ever seen. This show has a lot of amazing moments that kept it being unique since the beginning. Honestly I was excited he won on Death Battle.


Before I start officially reviewing this. No I am not racist, I do respect Afro Samurai to a degree. I knew because of him sharing the same flaw most swordsmen have, Samurai Jack was going to win. Now to this review, Samurai Jack follows a young samurai that attempted to finish off the ultimate evil named Aku.

To the warrior's surprise, Aku decided to send him in the distant future where he had the most allies. Over time Jack held his own against all kind of obstacles. Including some personal ones such as getting his sword back in season 5. In most seasons, he learned at least one skill. This by itself made it more interesting to watch the warrior grow.

There were many times Jack fought Aku. The audio department is the stuff of legends. The creator of this show confirms how he goes about it. Sadly how far into the future or Jack's true name never got revealed. We do know since season 4, he stayed in the future for fifty years. The stories in each episode is very well written.

I can't honestly single out a particular episode I didn't like. This might be a surprise to a lot of people. My favorite character so happens to be the Scotsman. He becomes Jack's best friend while being in the future. This guy also has a magical sword as well as a machine gun leg. I should mention something very important about Aku's voice.

Sometime after season 4, his original voice actor passed away. This guy also played Master Splinter in TMNT movie. A new voice actor tried his best to sound like him but he was notably off. Aku clearly stopped caring until the end of season 5 due to Jack's skills being too great to take down. Jack was fighting a personal battle with himself ever since he attempted to finish Aku off in anger.

This led to his sword going away. Before people take that the wrong way this sword was created by three gods. It was ultimately created to destroy Aku for good. So when Jack attacked in blind rage, those gods realized he was no longer worthy of the sword. I do need to point out an interesting twist in season 5.

There is a cult that raised seven ladies with the solo goal of hunting Jack down. Keep in mind, most of this show he doesn't kill people. He simply destroys machines while in this particular season he kills a few people. Most of them were the woman he loves sisters. There was a huge gap between season 4 & 5 in real life.

We had to wait a long time to see how it ends. This bugs so many people to no end. The most mixed moment was at the very end. Following Aku's defeat, Jack was about to marry Ashi before time corrected itself. You see she with her sisters was created partly from Aku himself. So when Jack finished him for good in the distant past aka his original time placement.

This caused Ashi to be erased from existence. This lady took down an entire army & her mother in the same episode solo. It is very unexpected how Jack finally goes back to the past. I really thought he would have a rematch with the guardian. Unfortunately both him with the portal he was protecting are gone.

Now that was a major disappointment because their fight was amazing. Jack was facing a warrior capable of possibly more fighting styles than himself. He really does try his hardest to win but doesn't. The same episode does predict Jack goes into the past. It also gave us a foreshadowing of what he would look like in season 5 early on.

Jack has really been through a lot. This guy has enough reason to give up or keep on fighting. It is truly amazing how he defeats some of his more unique enemies. I would say two particular episodes showing Aku's orign is one of the absolute best. This itself was a foreshadowing to Jack being the one to take Aku down.

I could honestly talk all day how much I really love this show. I would say it does come very close to perfection. Most moments stands out on it's own. There is even an episode that's broken up into four smaller stories with each centering around a particular season. I highly recommend this show to people who love anime or want a great show overall to watch.

Z Nation review

Hi everyone I'm Jack Red, I must apologize I been very busy gaming recently mostly on Xbox One. I will be doing several reviews today to help make up for that. I figured to start with a show not many people heard of called Z Nation. Despite some people calling it a Walking Dead rip off. Which to me it really is more of it's own thing actually holds up better than that show.


Z Nation is mostly centers on getting the only confirmed person to survive a zombie bite to a place where a cure can be made. This show has all kind of different interesting situations with well placed humor. I would even say it is more entertaining than newer seasons of The Walking Dead. There's a great variety of zombies in this show you probably won't be seeing anywhere else.

I watched all five seasons with my amazing wife. This group has truly been through a lot of difficult times. The fact what's left of them remains strong during season 5 to me was amazing. I also like unlike The Walking Dead, not one character comes off as a throw away. For those that doesn't know the term, some shows simply quickly throw in characters to have horrible things happen to them.

In other words you don't really get to know meaning such things pointless. At the same time many characters introduced get killed. I would also say this show has some of the most disgusting, violent zombie kills you ever see on television I'm not kidding. I also like how we can all relate to a member of this group in some way.

I honestly never truly got that with either Walking Dead shows. This show kept changing things but in a way to make each season stand out on it's own. In a way it also helps remembering the seasons a bit easier. Z Nation does have some of the most unexpected moments in a horror shows. Not only this group continues to evolve so does this virus.

To me the way The Walking Dead was done is no end will survive at the end. Thankfully Z Nation did eventually introduced a cure. Although it never fully got used outside of a character who technically dies twice in the same episode. Of course we have to talk about Murphy. This guy gave powers ever since being beaten by zombies.

His skin kept changing from blue to normal to now red. It isn't clear what's going on with that. At one point he had a child who ultimately gave her life to save him. Murphy is a wild card you never truly know what to expect from. It is strangely funny not even Doc gets told he won an election where he's the president of the apocalypse.

There was another election late in season 5 with a new character getting the job. Warren has been some strange stuff herself. Not the original leader of the group. This lady has remained it until the end of the show. I should mention two particular characters from this show cameos in Sharknado movies. TK is the shooter that usually doesn't miss.

I would say the character that entertained me the most was Doc. This old man has some of the funniest moments ever. I would think of him more on the lines of a older Shaggy from Scooby-Doo lol. To be honest that's not far from the truth either. He is the medic of the group since the beginning. If you watch The Walking Dead, eventually an old character dies.

I am happy to see an old character live to the end for a change. There's so many creativity in this show that I was very surprised to hear about it being canceled. I felt it needed to go on a little bit longer. Of course how they go about the characters is very interesting in and of itself. Z Nation isn't just a zombie show, it also has scenarios you wouldn't expect to see.

This show took us through a lot of states often. I also like all the attempts at making a cure. Some of them are more interesting in concept than what eventually happens with them. As stated before yes they finally do get a real cure for this virus. Z Nation is virtually true to it's name especially in season 5's case.

I won't spoil everything that happens. Even if I tried I am likely to miss a lot of stuff in the process. The overall pacing is way better than The Walking Dead overall. It never comes off being rushed at all. I also like waiting a month after the season finale to be able to watch it on Netflix. You got to wait months to do that with just one Walking Dead show now that's just sad.