Marvel Universe Live Show Review - Thrilling and Entertaining

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

A few days ago we surprised the kids with an early Christmas present....media tickets to Marvel Universe Live. It wasn't until we entered the doors at Philips Arena that they knew what their gift was. And boy were they excited!! We are a superhero loving family so I just knew the tickets to the show was going to be a big hit.

The show is over at Philips Arena but it will be at The Arena at Gwinnett Center December 26th-28th. Or you can catch it at a city near you next year. We were lucky enough to have front row seats to the show, but I really don't think you could have a bad seat for this show.

The Marvel Universe Live show is 2 hours long with a 15 minute intermission...just enough time to visit the restroom and grab more snacks. The show is an authentic and original story that features the Avengers (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, and more), some of their friends (The X-Men crew and Spider-Man), and several evil villains (Red Skull, Green Goblin, Loki and more). The plot of the story is centered around a battle over the Cosmic Cube...the source of ultimate power. At the beginning of the show Thor smashes the Cosmic Cube into pieces to prevent it from ever falling into the wrong hands. But his treacherous brother Loki devises a plan to clone the powers and destroy Earth and along with it the Universe.

But...no need to fear The Avengers are here, along with some of their friends! In order to save humanity they must travel across the globe to retrieve the Cosmic Cube fragments and unite them. But along the way they encounter several of the biggest, Marvel villains who will stop at nothing (even if it means teaming up) to capture the fragments so they can carry out their own plans of world domination.

The show is action packed and features amazing choreographed fight scenes, spectacular motorcycle stunts (our family's favorite), pyrotechnics, aerial stunts, realistic props and more! At one point in the show there was even a man engulfed in flames, which totally had my kids in awe. After the show my daughter kept asking how Wolverine was stabbing people without hurting them...yup it was that convincing. The show of course had all the wittiness commentary you would expect in a Marvel show.

My techie husband and I were very intrigued by they gigantic movie backdrop screen which uses projection-mapping technology to transform scenes from Tony Stark's laboratory, Loki's base in the Himalayas, the top of the Statue of Liberty and more. This movie magic technology really made the show come to life. It made it possible for Iron Man's suit to "fly" onto his body, for Wolverine and Hulk to get caught in an avalanche, etc.

We were all on the edge of our seats and thoroughly entertained the entire time. This is a must see show for superhero fans of all ages!

*Warning if you have a child that doesn't handle loud noises well then you will want to either skip the show or take along earplugs or a sound reducing headset.

Follow Marvel Universe Live:
-Facebook
-Twitter

Check out how awesome the show is:


Let me know if you see the show and what your favorite part was?

Thor Movie Review

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

We spent our New Years Eve watching action packed, superhero movies. Which are a favorite genre for the entire family. We already own many of the Marvel superhero movies like Iron Man, X-Men, Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk and Captain American and now thanks to Connect Your Home we now own the first Thor movie.

Moms review:
What's not to love about Thor it has action, fantasy, romance and suspense. There is something for everyone in the is movie. Not to mention a little bit of mythology education too!

Thor in case you didn't know is a Norse hammer-wielding god. He is associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility. Back in 1962 Stan Lee created the Thor comic book which was based on original Norse myths. Now years later Thor was brought to life in a motion picture by Marvel Studios.

The movie opens with physicist (and main character) Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) investigating a atmospheric disturbance with her team in the New Mexico desert. The disturbance? You guessed it Thor falling out of the sky.

The movie flashes back to introduce you to Asgard, the inhabitants and the war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. You also meet Thor (Chris Hemsworth), his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and their father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) all key players in the movie.

Then the action starts and things get interesting. Thor and his brother Loki are both ready to take over the throne of Asgard. Sibling rivalry takes over and both battle for their father Odin's approval. Odin is a wise ruler and has kept Asgard a peaceful place for many years. But his life is coming to an end and war is threatening their World. Both brothers have their own thoughts on what should be done. The arrogant Thor takes matters into his own hands and as a result he is banished to Earth by his father for his actions.

Flash forward back to Earth where Thor lands in the desert with no power and the loss of his hammer. Now he must fight to reclaim his warrior status by proving to his father he is worthy! And when dark forces threaten Earth and Asgard, Thor becomes a true hero to save those he cares most.

The visuals in the movie were spectacular especially Asgard. My children loved the rainbow bridge. I really liked the Asgardian costumes and thought they were very well done. The acting though was just okay there could definitely be some improvements in this area.

The second Thor movie Thor: The Dark World is still in theaters and will be coming out on DVD and Blu-ray on February 25th.

Marvel synopsis: 
The epic adventure "Thor" spans the Marvel Universe from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is The Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Warnings: 
My 6 and 7 year old watched this movie and I was not overly concerned about anything but here are some cautions.

You see Thor's bare chest once or twice. There is kissing between Thor and Jane. Intense, non-realistic, not overly bloody battle scenes and explosions. There is the use of swearing about 7 times (d#m*, hell, a*#, God's name in vain). There are a couple scenes with alcohol. The Frost Giants and giant robot creature may be scary for some children.

Overall, the majority of the violence is fantasy and against nonhuman enemies. However fight scenes that take place on Earth and the cars crashing might be upsetting to some due to their real world nature.

Trailer:
Thor 2 trailer! I cannot wait to see this with the family!




Important information:

MPAAP: Rating: PG-13

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston

Director: Kenneth Branagh, Joss Whedon

Running Time: 115 minutes

Release: 2011

Favorite quotes:
Here are a few of our favorite quotes:

"Well magic's just science we don't understand yet.'

"Whosever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."

“I will never be a wiser king than you. Or a better father.  I have much to learn, I know that now.”

Educational resources:
There are many character lessons that can be learned from this movie. Like humility, sacrifice and selflessness. Another good message is honoring your father and mother. You can also learn a little bit about some Norse mythology.

Links to follow:

-Marvel Website
-Marvel Facebook page
-Marvel Twitter

I give this movie 5 STARS!

If you miss watching it in theaters you can also pre-order Thor: Dark World on Amazon, release date is February 25, 2014.

Special thanks to ConnectYouHome.com for providing us with a copy of Thor!

DIY LEGO Wall Art For Less Than $5.00

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for details.

As you know we are getting ready to move. Well both kids are REALLY excited, because they will finally be getting their own rooms. The last few days we have been very busy painting and crafting. Rowyn's bedroom theme is going to be LEGO's and superheros. And Gwyn's bedroom theme is fairies and horses.

As you know LEGO wall art can be expensive (and we are trying to not spend a lot of money right now), so I decided to get crafty!

These awesome wall art pieces were not only super easy to make, but also very inexpensive. They cost me less than $5 each to make!

Materials:
-Lego Scrapbook Kit (I found mine on sale at Michael's for $2.99).
-Frames (another sale item at Michaels for $1.79).
-Lego Club Magazines (sign up to receive these FREE each month or you can also visit your local store and ask for a copy). I had my son choose his favorite characters/themes.
-Scissors, paper cutter, double sided tape.
-Colored scrapbook paper for matting.

Next get creative and have fun scrapping. There is NO wrong way to create these fun wall art pieces! I have plans to make a couple more (probably a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle one and another superhero one)! If you decide to head to Michael's DON'T forget about the teacher/homeschool discount.

I hope this post inspired you to get crafty!