My Personal Opinions on the Infinity Arc (Part 3)

Doctor Strange

A film that blends seriousness with humor just fine. Phase 3 is where the MCU starts becoming more bold with its humor but not so bold it’s ridiculous like Thor 4. This film has a hint of sophistication just by merely casting Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character and the way said character carries himself professionally in the workplace and outside of it. A great showcase of a man who is humbled once he loses not one but two very important things in his life. The introduction of pocket dimensions is extremely fascinating and the acid trip that the Ancient One takes Stephen on is always a visual treat. The visuals of the Mirror Dimension and the way it moves without affecting the real world is awesome. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mads Mikkelsen are great contemporaries who share the spotlight with Benedict as Mordo and Kaecilius respectively. Best line(s): Strange: What’s this my mantra? Mordo: It’s the wifi password. We’re not savages/Kaecilius: How long have you been at Kamar-Taj Mr……, Stephen: Doctor. Kaecilius: Mr. Doctor? Stephen: It’s strange. Kaecilius: Maybe. Who am I to judge?/The bill comes due

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

A film that speaks fantastically to father-son bonds- it is the core theme of the film followed very closely by the bonds of friendship and family and what it means to keep your friends close. Kurt Russell gives a great performance as Quill’s father Ego, Yondu steps up, and Gamora and Nebula rekindle their sisterhood. Also a darker film than the previous one, with death being a theme in it. Jokes still land with good timing. Best line(s): He may have been your father boy but he wasn’t your daddy/It’s not ripe/I’m Mary Poppins ya’ll!/TASERFACE!!!

Spiderman: Homecoming

A fun, entertaining, coming-of-age film. Michael Keaton steals the show, no contest, as Adrian Toomes/Vulture. Tom Holland does a good job, though I still prefer Tobey Maguire. Overall, an enjoyable film, no qualms. Best line(s): I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you dead/If you’re nothing without the suit then you shouldn’t have it/You know I larb you

Thor: Ragnarok

Funnily enough, I never fully appreciated how good Ragnarok actually is until the most recent viewing. I used to knock it for being just a tad too funny but it does a great job of balancing humor and seriousness unlike its successor and we’ll get to that. Hemsworth/Thor actually looks badass and cool with the haircut, the cinematography of Sakaar is phenomenal, the music is a delight (with the 80s new wave vibes and Grandmaster’s Jam Session), and Hela is one of the greatest MCU villains and gives a killer performance. We sadly say goodbye to Anthony Hopkins’ Odin, and Loki and Korg are a treat. Valkyrie is just there and Karl Urban is kind of wasted as Skurge. I would have appreciated Surtur more if he had done more but it is what it is. The best action sequences are Hulk vs Thor in the arena, Thor vs Hela on Asgard, and Fenris vs Hulk. A movie that balances serious stakes, comedy, and entertaining action very well. Too bad it’s successor couldn’t. Best line(s): Thor: We’re the same you and I, just a couple of hot-headed fools. Hulk: Yeah, same. Hulk like fire, Thor like water. Thor: We’re kind of both like fire. Hulk: But Hulk like real fire. Hulk like raging fire, Thor like smoldering fire/I’m not a queen or a monster, I’m the goddess of death/YEEEEEES! We know each other. He’s a friend from work!

Black Panther

Easily one of the MCU’s best and in my top 5. All of my top 5 movies are from the Infinity Saga and three of them are Phase 3 and two are Phase 2. The movie just does a really good job at making the viewer appreciate African culture and Ryan Coolger does a bang-up job of giving it a cool tone. T’challa and Killmonger have the Black-male swag and the music is fire. It is a Black-character focused movie so having themes of traditional African chants and instruments as well as the R&B beats works. The suit design is sick, the abiltiy to absorb kinetic energy and then release it is awesome, and Chadwick Boseman has the perfect build for the role, his performance blends seamlessly with Black Panther’s agility and prowess. It truly might literally be the coolest film in the MCU. The movie is definitely based around T’challa and Killmonger’s dichotomy and he is by far the most sympathetic “villain” in the MCU. You really feel for his cause and his motivation. The saddest death for an MCU antagonist, no contest. Michael B Jordan surpasses even Chadwick in performance and that’s saying a lot. The score by Ludwig Goransson is emotional and stands out among scores of the MCU especially his piece, Ancestral Plane. Great movie, easily a cinematic film, more than just another superhero film. Best line(s): You were wrong! You were all wrong!/Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage/The prince will now have the strength of the Black Panther stripped away/ W’kabi: Would you kill me my love? Okoye: For Wakanda, without question!

Avengers: Infinity War

The 1st part to the high-point of the MCU, Infinity War is a triumph and masterpiece of a superhero film. In 2.5 hours, it utilizes the plot points of all six Infinity Stones with great pacing and without feeling rushed. Emotional stakes were felt as we lost characters we cared about like Heimdall, Gamora, and Vision. Not going to lie, while Loki is charming, he did have it coming, that’s my hot take. The obtaining of the Soul Stone was a shocker no one so coming for two reasons: Gamora’s death and the return of Red Skull. Iron Man’s nano-armor is awesome, and the Battle on Titan is the greatest fight from the MCU to this day. Josh Brolin kills it as Thanos and owns everyone. Best line(s): Thanos: If you consider failure experience. Loki: I consider experience experience/You should’ve gone for the head!/We have a Hulk/Ahem, no you’re not! You will not be taking our pod today sir!/Star-Lord: I’m gonna ask you this one time, where is Gamora? Iron Man: Yeah I’ll do you one better, who is Gamora? Drax: I’ll do you one better, WHY IS GAMORA?!/Doctor Strange: Let me ask you this one time, what master do you serve? Star-Lord: What master do I serve?! What am I supposed to say, Jesus? Iron Man: You’re from Earth. Star-Lord: I’m not from Earth, I’m from Missouri. Iron Man: Yeah that’s on Earth dipshit/Thor: Where we have to go is Nidavellir. Drax: That’s a made up word. Thor: All words are made up/I bid you good luck and farewell morons/Gamora: Really. Tears? Red Skull: They are not for him/You’re strong…….me. You’re generous……..me. But i never taught you to lie. That’s why you’re so bad at it/ Strange: I went forward in time, to view alternate futures, to see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict. Star-Lord: How many did you see? Strange: 14 000 605. Tony: How many did we win? Strange: One

Ant-Man and the Wasp

A decent film. It’s not great, it’s not bad. it’s good. Can’t argue with the inclusion of the 3 wombats Luis, Kurt, and Dave. Walton Goggins is pleasing as Sonny Birch and again, can’t complain about Laurence Fishburne. The concept of quantum phasing is cool as well as expanding the MCU lore by going more in-depth with the Quantum Realm. The humor is well-balanced. Best line(s): It is truth serum

Captain Marvel

The first female-led film of the MCU. While many white misogynists hate on it, I do not. It’s a fine film. The white men who feel insecure that Brie Larson told them that this film was not meant for them can cry in their pillows about it. The cinematography of Hala in the beginning is visually nice and the throwback to the 90s is a bonus. Brie does a fine job. The usage of the Kree-Skrull conflict is unique and many haters wanted to hate because the character of Mar-vell was changed from male to female. Cry me a river. I do admit it’s silly that Fury’s scar came from an alien posing as a cat but it’s whatever honestly. It was nice seeing Coulson again but it would’ve been nice if he had done more. I can understand why people see Carol as a Mary Sue character but it is not the end of the world….sheesh. Jude Law and Ben Mendelsohn are the strongest points of the movie as the two can-we-trust-them protagonists/antagonists. Best line(s): MOTHERFLERKEN!

Avengers: Endgame

The final film of the Infinity Arc. The one it’s all been leading to. A huge chunk of it is the Avengers travelling back in time to gather the stones but where there is victory there is also loss. We lose Black Widow and Tony. Tony grew as a character throughout the MCU and is essentially one of the two primary protagonists along with Steve Rogers. It was a genius move having Tony be the one to make the ultimate sacrifice as he is the one that started it all. Such a journey it was to watch all 22 films. It does have less action than the first part but makes up for it with the time heist and the anticipation of watching the heroes going on a journey to claim the Infinity Stones. A lot of interesting changes happen (neither good nor bad), such as Thor gaining weight and losing himself, Banner fusing with Hulk, and Tony having a kid and there is an air of sadness at the end when Steve passes the mantle onto Sam. Some haven’t figured this out but I’m pretty sure that Steve has passed on to the next life which is really passed considering his legacy. The moment when Steve picked up Mjolnir had me in awe just like everyone else and the one epic moment that the Russos gave as a love letter to the fans was the Avengers Assemble moment. I’d love to see DC ever top that or ever give DC fans the equivalent and no, the horrendous Flash movie attempting to adapt Flashpoint was so bad so that does not count and no one loved that at all. Best line(s): AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!/Thanos: I am inevitable………….,Iron Man: And I……am Iron Man/No no give me that, you have the little one/Hail Hydra/Scarlet Witch: You took everything from me. Thanos: I don’t even know who you are. Scarlet Witch: You will

Bonus: Black Widow

Because Black Widow takes place after Civil War, it is part of the Infinity Saga between Phases 2 and 3. Understandably, I get people (men), not being happy with Taskmaster’s gender change but I think they’re too deliberately stubborn to admit that this was just an introduction to the character. I anticipate how Taskmaster will be used in the upcoming Thunderbolts film which I expect to be decent if not good let alone great. I do like the chemistry that Johansson, Pugh, Harbour, and Weisz had with each other as a surrogate family. The film itself doesn’t really serve much except to show Natasha making amends with her past and receiving closure but of course it also establishes Taskmaster, Melina, Red Guardian, and Yelena. The film also doesn’t pick up in terms of engaging action nor does it lose it. It maintains a consistency of action throughout that puts it at a level of 7/10. I think what I’m saying is that while the action was decently enjoyable, it could have been better. Besides that it’s a fine film that doesn’t really need to be added to the grander collection. Best line(s): Why do you always do that thing? You’re such a poser