Superhero fatigue is real. I’ve grown so tired of the MCU and the DCEU I can hardly stand it. And this is coming from someone who considers himself a fan. I’ve loved a lot of the MCU. They are entertaining diversions. I love the way they are interconnected so that each film builds up to a big Avengers movie now and again. But at some point, it all started to feel like homework. I have to watch this film and this series just to understand what is happening in this movie. And now it seems like every movie spends most of its runtime calling back to older movies or setting up some future film.

Movies, especially popcorn movies shouldn’t feel like this much work. I watched the first Avengers movie having never seen any of the previous films, and it didn’t matter. I’m sure I missed a few things, but I still had a great time at the movies. Could I do that now?

When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters in 2018 it felt like a breath of fresh air. It was so original and interesting. It took familiar characters and did something new. It was completely different visually from the MCU and wildly entertaining.

The sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t reinvent that wheel, but it still feels fresh. It is easily my pick this week. As with all big-budget releases this one is coming out in a variety of formats with various extras.

Also out this week that looks interesting:

Star Trek: Picard – The Final Season: I am not a huge Trekkie. I loved the original series when I was a kid and watched some of The Next Generation when it came out, but I wasn’t religious about it. I’ve seen all the movies but none of the other series. My wife and I enjoyed the first season of Picard, but not enough to bother with the second or third ones. I’m sure we’ll eventually get to them.

Harley Quinn: The Complete Third Season: I’ve heard good things about this animated series, but have yet to watch it.

Black Circle: The synopsis for this film reads “The lives of two sisters change dramatically since they were hypnotized by a mystical vinyl record from the 1970s”. Sounds fun.