My Personal Opinions on the Infinity Arc (Part 2)
Iron Man 3
Let me just say first off that had I written my review on Iron Man 3 before this, it would not be favorable. For the longest time I avoided this film due to bad word-of-mouth mainly because of the Mandarin/Trevor Slattery-being-an-actor subplot and the film just being silly in general. Plus the fact that Tony was barely Iron Man at all. But alas, after many-a-viewing I have come around to it and I have warmed up to it. Especially on the most latter viewing which was about 1.5-2 weeks ago from this post. While definitely not the most sophisticated MCU outing and geared up quite so on humour, it needed several viewings to truly appreciate what it was going for: a not-to-be-taken-seriously and have-a-fun-time-watching film. I came to appreciate that Tony didn’t need the suit to be a hero, the Extremis subplot and the amusing action scenes of Tony vs Brandt and Savin, and I enjoy Guy Pearce’s performance as Aldrich Killian. Maya Hansen and Harley Keener are just there. The subplot of having War Machine be Iron Patriot was silly not because he was painted red, white, and blue to represent U.S.A. (which the film poked fun at, so naturally it just made it seem silly which I thought, ok why? I actually liked that) but because he didn’t do jack SHIT. He was introduced like he was the next big thing and was gonna be a badass just for him to get his ass kicked by Killian’s soldiers. A waste for sure. The Mandarin twist would remain a terrible red herring if not for its redemption in Shang Chi. Easily the most awkward MCU film in my books. Best line(s): My name’s Trevor, Trevor Slattery, I’m an actor/ And you’ll never see me coming
Thor: The Dark World
A decent entry in the Thor films, it is not terrible like everyone says it is. It’s not spectacular or bad. It’s there and it’s enjoyable. Many people say it’s boring but I disagree- I am particularly drawn to the universe-building and lore of the introduction and backstory of the Reality Stone and the other stones. The special effects are great to look at especially during the invasion of the Dark Elves on Asgard. I like the dark tone of the film and seriousness of it. Malekith is just there, I neither love him or hate him. One plus about the film is the fight between Kurse and Thor- wished it could’ve lasted just a little longer. Best line(s): Loki: Mmm brother, you look ravishing. Thor: It will hurt no less when I kill you in this form.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The first Russo Brothers installment in the MCU and the one to establish that they are a force to be reckoned with. Good plot, Winter Soldier makes for an intimidating villain, and Cap kicks a lot more ass than he did in First Avenger. The tone is serious which is what it needed to work and the score is great. Well-directed, plus Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow is spicy ;). It’s just an awesome film period. Best line(s): On your left/The price of freedom is high, it always has been, and it’s a price I’m willing to pay
Guardians of the Galaxy
A fun space-adventure film, GOTG is the MCU’s first foray into something drastically different in tone than anything that came before it. Everything prior to this felt grounded to a degree, even the Thor films despite the fact they take place away from Earth. GOTG takes place ENTIRELY away from Earth and shows a variety of alien species whereas Thor only shows us species from the Nine Realms. It’s a nice, new exploration to uncharted territories and James Gunn’s use of humour works. Best line(s): Now I’m standing, ya’ll happy? We’re all standing up now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle/Ronan: What are you doing? Star-Lord: Dance-off bro. Me and you. Ronan: WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Star-Lord: I’m distracting you, you big turd blossom/You said it yourself bitch, we’re the Guardians of the Galaxy/Peter Quill: Hey you know what, there’s another name you might know me by: STAR-LORD. Korath: WHO??? Peter: STAR-LORD man, legendary outlaw?
Avengers: Age of Ultron
While not as good as its predecessor, its a guilty pleasure. I admittedly did not like it at first actually and was disappointed with how mediocre it was and its overstuffed humor. Ultron was too silly, everyone was too silly but then……over time it grew on me. My opinion on this movie has changed and now I appreciate it. I like it more than Iron Man 3 of course which I’ve come to appreciate as well but just. What I’m saying is that I used to dislike Ultron and would refuse to watch IM 3 but that is not the case anymore. For me they sit at 7.5 and 7 respectively now whereas before IM 3 sat at around 1/10 just because I thought it was so stupid and Ultron at 5/10. Things do change and perspectives can change. Ultron is a crack-up but also balances his humor with moments of seriousness. The movie also adds a slew of new characters played likeably by Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron-Taylor Johnson, and Andy Serkis. Dialogue is great again just like the first one and the Hulkbuster vs Hulk battle is a great +1. Best line(s): Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war. Invaders create Avengers. People create... smaller people? Er... children! I lost the word there. Children. Designed to supplant them. To help them... end/Keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which/Clearly you’ve never made an omelette/What, you didn’t see that coming?/Thor: Is that the best you can do? Ultron: No. This is the best I can do.
Ant-Man
I don’t know what Scott Lang is really like in the comics but in the movies he’s played charmingly well by Paul Rudd. He brings the comedic chops. Love the action sequences of the shrinking scenes and the effects. Luis is funny and Corey Stoll kills it as Darren Cross. Ant-Man rivals Guardians in terms of humor. We need to see an interaction between Scott and Peter some time in the future. If you want to watch a comedy-done-well-film in the MCU then choose an Ant-Man or Guardians film. Best line(s): Darren: Did you really think you could stop the future with a heist?! Scott: It was never JUST a heist!/He’s so ugly! I love him!
Captain America: Civil War
This is the film that made me jump onto the MCU bandwagon. I was fan of the Marvel movies already but this is what cemented me as a real fan because I was impressed with the interconnectivity of it and the new stakes it brought, being one step closer to Thanos, plus the changing of the status quo. At the time I didn’t know it was directed by the same directors who directed Winter Soldier. There was much hype surrounding the film and it sure lived up it. No silliness, just down to business. I sure didn’t see the final fight coming between Bucky and Cap vs Tony. Damn, that was dramatic. Black Panther is a royal badass and it was cool finally having Spiderman joining the big boys. Great fight scenes. Brilliant. The Russos know how to knock it out of the park. Daniel Bruhl as Zemo is also a star, and the Giant-Man surprise- hell yeah. No bullshit. Best line(s): Sometimes I want to punch you in your perfect teeth/Alternatively, we could order a pizza?/Iron Man: Hey Clint. Clint Barton: Hey man. Iron Man: Clearly retirement doesn’t suit you? Got tired of shooting golf? Clint: Well, I played 18, shot 18. Just can’t seem to miss. (shoots arrow and misses Iron Man). Iron Man: Yeah well, first time for everything. Clint: Made you look/Vengeance has consumed you. It’s consuming them. I am done letting it consume me/Steve Rogers: I’m sorry Tony, but he’s my friend. Tony Stark: So was I