Hello all!
Finishing the immense arc of the MCU with Phase 3 now known as the Infinity Saga, the most ambitious movie series ever made. The beginning of the end of a group of superhero movies that have been around for more than a decade. Phase 3 was by far the most ambitious phase and will be remembered for years to come. Let's finish this.
Captain America: Civil War - 5 Stars
Honestly, my favorite Marvel movie; sitting wonderfully just above The Winter Soldier. It felt as impactful as any Avengers movie while also telling a personal story for Captain America, Bucky, Black Panther, and Iron Man, holy crap did this movie do a lot. This felt like what a culmination of storytelling can reap. It hits hard, impacts deeply, and telling a superhero story that is as difficult as it is fantastic. This includes nearly every Marvel hero while introducing us to two new ones in Black Panther and Spider-Man. The villain was great, but the main focus is how brutal the plot hits. It proves (for the first time since The Dark Knight) that even superhero movies can be truly incredible stories like any other movie or book.
Doctor Strange - 4 Stars
A well-imagined origin story that feels a little too familiar. Doctor Strange is a great introduction to Marvel's magical realm while introducing us to Stephen Strange, but while watching it you can't help but feel like you've already gone down that road. The way they present Stephen is very reminiscent of Tony Stark, with the main difference being Benedict Cumberbatch's charisma as an actor that separates the two. A fun origin story that doesn't do anything new, but it's exciting to be introduced to Marvel's magical elements and Dr. Strange is a classic character to be remembered for a long time.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - 2 Stars
Uh, yeah, this one is the exact same as the first GotG but with more Drax ridiculousness and Mantis only makes it worse when she's around. I will say the introduction is absolutely fantastic and sets a perfect tone, but the rest of the movie just doubles down on what worked from the first movie. I feel for Star-Lord's journey, but it doesn't feel all that important, which is surprising for being a story about reconciling with his dad! Also, the violence is one that actually surprised me. It appeared to be played off for humor but honestly felt pretty heavy and dark. I can't quite explain why, but there seemed to be a lack of honor shown to life as a whole that didn't sit well with me.
Spider-Man: Homecoming - 3 Stars
The third Spider-Man in 18 years. I enjoyed both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's interpretations, but I was excited for what a decidedly younger actor would portray. He did well in Civil War and I was intrigued by having Spider-Man in the MCU. With the plot being heavily tied and connected to the greater Marvel world, this one did feel different from previous Spider-Man movies. Being a prodigy of Tony Stark has some interesting dynamics that are fun to include, but ultimately, the "highschool teen movie" aspect really just wasn't that entertaining. Holland was still figuring out how he would play Peter Parker, and for most of this first outing, he felt less like a smart nerdy superhero and more like an unrealistically YA character. When he actually spends his time as Spider-Man, I enjoyed the movie, but I had to grind through the highschool parts to get to these fun sections.
Thor: Ragnarok - 2.5 Stars
Being the third Thor outing, I was incredibly excited for this story of Asgard ending. With Hulk being included for a side story of a possible Planet Hulk influence, in only heightened expectations. Thor facing his biggest challenge yet was intriguing and with the idea of a new director coming in and shifting the tone to increase the lighthearted fun nature of Thor's character, what could go wrong? Well, basically he changed everything, the bad and the good. Every main character had "the funny line" and all of the serious resonance was gone. They even went so far as to make fun of the previous outings like they were trolling the fans who actually watched those movies.. ouch. The ideas were still executed well, but the tone shifted beyond enjoyable to me. Give me Thor's journey, not everyone journey to becoming a comedian who steals the show. Overall, I was saddened that they couldn't have struck a balance of what came before with new territory. (It doesn't help that I was also hoping for a much more involved and included Thanos in this entry leading up to the Avengers' movies but oh well.)
Black Panther - 4.5 Stars
I finally figured out where Black Panther fits in my view of the MCU as a whole: this entry is my favorite Marvel origin story. After being introduced in Civil War, we're introduced to the history of Wakanda, T'Challa's family, and most importantly, what it takes to be Black Panther and king of Wakanda. The best part was how absent my expectations were going in. I didn't know what to expect and this helped me enjoy it definitively more. I was blown away when Black Panther gave us one of the best (if not the best) Marvel villain. Chadwick Boseman embodied T'Challa like few actors could and while I'm saddened that he's no longer here, I'm so glad he was able to make his legacy with the MCU. Overall, a great superhero movie with legitimate and personal stakes.
Avengers: Infinity War - 4.5 Stars
The beginning of the event we'd been waiting for for nearly six years. Thanos had finally decided to act and go after the Infinity Stones that had been teased for years leading up to this. Honestly, Infinity War works so well because it tells a new story while balancing three plotlines that all have great tension and progression. With Age of Ultron feeling a little bloated, Infinity War made it feel balanced and satisfying. Giving us important aspects to every single hero (besides Ant-Man and Hawkeye) was astonishingly well done and while Thanos' story was a little too prevalent, it did still feel like the Avengers story we'd been waiting for. A conclusion like never before, but still a truly awesome first half.
Ant-Man and the Wasp - 4 Stars
Like the movies that I didn't like, Ant-Man 2 doubled down on what worked but all for the better in my opinion. Infinity War devastated the MCU and Ant-Man and the Wasp was a breath a fun and fresh air. The villain was more intriguing than many villains from the last few years and everything that was enjoyable about the first movie was improved upon in this entry. Ant-Man is one of my favorite characters and this movie followed through with a fun sequel that provided some levity after the devastation that was Infinity War and the ending connected it all together.
Captain Marvel - 3 Stars
Exactly in the middle of the road. The story was more intriguing than some, but the writing, characters, and arcs seemed bland, stilted, or boring. Captain Marvel wasted their main character, specifically Brie Larson, in this origin story. The connections to the Marvel universe's history was not only cringeworthy, but offensive as a longtime fan. The Avengers name originated from Captain Marvel? 🙄 Unbelievable. Nick Fury's eye? Are you kidding me? 🤦🏻♂️ Again it felt like Marvel was trolling their fans and it wasted their opportunity to make a great first female-led superhero movie. Let's hope the future installments understand how they want to actually utilize this character.
Avengers: Endgame - 3.5 Stars
This movie...had way too many expectations to ever be able to make it worth it. 😞 Honestly, I would've preferred if they had stuck with the idea of Infinity War Part One and Two--told one complete story, split, instead of two connected stories. Endgame had me worried from the beginning when the beginning had a prologue, then introduction, plot twist, time jump, and then the actual beginning of the movie.😳 I appreciate that the Russo brothers wanted to show the devastation of Infinity War before jumping into how the Avengers were going to reverse it, but it was REALLY disjointed. After the time jump of five years, I was just like 😟😵😧. Since the first act was so heavy, the second act had to completely flip the board over and be a light-hearted time-travel romp with callbacks (which were great for the most part) and a lot of unnecessary humor. Phat Thor, The Dark World bashing, Fortnite (really?!?!), Smart Hulk, Cap's ass, AMERICA's ass, Hail Hydra, the list goes on and on. It just felt so inconsistent tonally, while being fun in a callback kind of way. I guess I'm just sick of properties just trying to maximize fan service in lieu of never telling new stories. Also, introducing old Thanos to be the new Thanos villain was just like WTF!? We waited 8 years for you to just kill Thanos and replace him with...another Thanos!? That's so...lazy!! There was no sanctity of new story being told and I just didn't like that. All that being said, the last hour of glorious callbacks and battle was perfect. Cap wielding Mjolnir 👌 perfect. The "last" movie of the Infinity Saga ended on a sour note for me. It didn't feel like the massively satisfying end I expected and I'll always struggle with how invested I was for it to end in a way that was really just an introduction to the next set of phases, yay...
Spider-Man: Far From Home - 3.5 Stars
The epilogue to the Infinity Saga. Why did it need an epilogue? Well, to remind you that these movies are just going to keep going, that's why. And also to make fun of and troll everyone who enjoys the stories in all the seriousness too...that's why. Far From Home is a better Spider-Man story than Homecoming was, while also being too similar to its predecessor. Things that were better included: Nick Fury recruiting Spider-Man, Mysterio, trust issue sequences, and Peter and MJ's relationship. Oh, was this supposed to be a fun way of acknowledging that Iron Man died? No? Oh right...who cares...that's...cool. 😐
The end of the Infinity Saga was a grand adventure that won't be soon forgotten by moviegoers and comic book fans, but the end of it definitely didn't feel like the epic conclusion I think many people were hoping for. Ultimately, Marvel has opted to make enjoyable "popcorn flicks" that people will go back to see over and over again instead of cultivating good storytelling. While most of them are good movies, it makes you wonder how the industry will change because of this shift in purpose.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this topic, other reviews, or talk movie recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.