Preparing for Civil War - 5 Favorite MCU Films

Some may be feeling the superhero fatigue, both from the volume of films being released from the sub-genre and also the vitriol being spewed from the fans from each side (call me an optimist, but I root for them all to be good), but I doubt any of this will harm the box office totals that are about to roll in for Captain America: Civil War. The film is going to be insane business, and from the look of it rightfully so because I am expected something special.

As this will be the 13th film released since the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems like a solid time to run down the best of the bunch, my personal five favorites thus far. I hope to amend this soon when I get a chance to see Civil War.

5. Iron Man

The one that started it all eight years ago. It seems crazy to think of all that has happened since the first Iron Man was released, seeing as how it isn't even an old film by any standards. The MCU has done a magnificent job of world building since it kicked off and Robert Downey Jr. has been the engine that made the whole universe go. The first Iron Man film also happens to still be the best Iron Man film.

4. Captain America: The First Avenger

This one being in the top 5 may surprise people because I know loving it is a somewhat unpopular opinion, but I think the introduction to Captain America is an absolute blast, beautifully standing up as an action packed superhero film and also a fun period piece. The aesthetic of the era really stands out and the chemistry between Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones and Sebastian Stan gives the entire picture a heavy dose of charm. I have come to realize that Cap is my favorite Avenger and it all starts with this movie.

3. The Avengers

I still remember how much I doubted that this whole thing would really work when it all came together. I didn't quite appreciate just yet how the patience of Marvel to establish all of their characters before delivering the big show would pay off so wonderfully, but Joss Whedon found a way to balance all of the big personalities and make them each shine thanks to delicious dialogue and an exciting plot. So much fun, a Blu-ray I can put on anytime and just sit back, relax and admire the spectacle.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Prior to seeing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, I had one major complaint about the MCU solo films: the villains. They never really did much for me, and that is such a let down. Ever since I was a kid, I loved being unnerved by a great bad guy. Enter the Winter Soldier, a kick ass character that owns the frame when he is a part of it and the entire film turned out to be absolutely terrific. I had such severe doubts about this movie because the choice of directors seemed so random and out of place, calling on Joe and Anthony Russo to take the helm when they had previously been focused on comedy, and yet they crushed an absolute home run here. Now I am thrilled that those same brothers have taken on Civil War and will also be behind the camera for the Infinity War. 

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

If a film based on a comic book wants to win my heart, it needs to feature a terrific script, outstanding characters and a stunning aesthetic. Guardians of the Galaxy fits the bill and thus is my favorite film from the MCU thus far. Endlessly clever and exciting and utilizing grandiose world building by writer/director James Gunn, I can't stop smiling watching Guardians and the fact that it also hits me pretty hard emotionally at times only adds another layer to why I love it so. This movie is one of those releases that exemplifies why I love going to the cinema.

Will Civil War push its way into my top 5? As I said earlier, I am an optimist and my anticipation for this one fits right into that mold as everything involved in the marketing and the proven talent involved tells me this is going to be a film I adore in 2016. Can't wait to see it, but for now revisiting these joyous MCU entries will have to do.

Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

Who gives a shit about Hawkeye? Honestly? No one gives a shit about Hawkeye. Hawkeye barely gives a shit about Hawkeye. In a battle involving a genetically enhanced super soldier, a playboy billionaire in a flying iron suit, a pretty girl in a tight leather costume, a god and a hulk, why should we pay mind to Jeremy Renner with a bow and arrow? 

Well, I just got back from my screening of Avengers: Age of Ultron and I figured it out. Joss Whedon gives a shit about Hawkeye. Joss Whedon values character and relationships and brilliantly clever dialogue amidst all of the expected chaos of battle, and that is why I admire the hell out of him and his work. With modern day technology and bloated budgets, it's easy to make things look pretty and then have them explode. Pretty much anyone can make an audience gasp at the sight of a collapsing building, but it takes actual talent to make them honestly, deeply care about the people inside it. 

Now let me get some of the brief negatives out of the way before I continue gushing about everything Avengers: Age of Ultron did right. This isn't the game changing, defining moment of the MCU that some may be hoping for. I entered the theater with a mentality that this would be not just Avengers 2, but Avengers 2.0, and with an expanding cast and elevated stakes the entire experience would be bigger, bolder and more bombastic, but really this didn't feel like it was on a different level than either the first Avengers or Captain America: The Winter Soldier. What I am trying to honestly figure out at this very moment though is whether or not this is really a flaw or just a matter of perception? I may have been expecting a new level of epic, but was that ever the intention? Would that have even been a good thing had it pulled a Spinal Tap on us and gone to 11?

Also, there is a love story going on here that I can admire the attempt, but I didn't really buy it. Giving these characters a deeper connection seems like a smart way to make an audience care more, as their fates suddenly transcend being merely their own and instead directly relate to each others mental well being, but I didn't feel the chemistry that Whedon tried pretty damn hard to build through multiple quiet scenes between the two characters. Actually, despite very little screen time devoted to it, I was more captivated by the bond between newcomers Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver as twins than I was by the romantic angle. Did you noticed I am being vague about who exactly is in love here? That's on purpose in case you haven't seen it. Some people get pretty pissed about even the less consequential spoilers. 

While the love story may not have completely worked for me, on an individual level I probably cared more about the members than I ever have before. That is because over the years and multiple films I have grown to really like these characters and I think I know why: because despite their status as superheroes, they are just vulnerable enough to feel real. Avengers: Age of Ultron does a fantastic job of continuing that tradition, showing us that every single member regardless of the strength of their powers is, on some level, human. They are haunted by their dreams, the visions that bring about their deepest fears, and it is becoming more and more clear that every one of them is mortal and could meet their demise at any moment. Underneath the costumes and weapons and capes and shields are beating hearts, blood that can be spilled and minds that are capable of being shattered.

At the end of the day, Avengers: Age of Ultron works for the same reasons the first Avengers did: because it is written by a man with an immense amount of talent who knows how to hit all the notes needed to make people buy in. We laugh, we gasp, we are in awe of the action and we are moved by the heroism on display. Most of all, this is pure, joyous entertainment, the type of picture that leaves absolutely no doubt regarding whether or not the experience was worth the price of admission. 

Joss Whedon gives a shit about Hawkeye, and Avengers: Age of Ultron is all the better for it. 

4.5/5

Thor: The Dark World Review

I don't know Kat Dennings as a person. Perhaps she is quite lovely, a gentle soul whose friendship is the kind worth having. I have never sought out any anecdotes regarding her off screen persona because frankly, I don't really care. I only care about one part of her life: her inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's too late to fix the mistakes of the past, the way she was involved in far too many sequences during Thor: The Dark World, and to be clear here, none of this is actually her fault. She does what I assume she was asked to do in that film, and technically I'm sure she does it well. The problem is what she was asked to do. The problem is that someone wrote these scenes and the words said during them and thought it was a good idea. 

See, I know going into a film like this that accepting silliness is mandatory in order to enjoy the picture. It is a superhero film based on a comic book about people living in a fictional world named Asgard wearing costumes and the one dude in particular carries a giant mythical hammer with him and throws it at his enemies, only for it to return to him like a boomerang. You can't enter the cinema for a movie like this and demand gritty no-nonsense realism, if you do you are setting yourself up for failure. Still though, there needs to be a limit on the amount of comedic bits that are forced into a less than two hour long film that still asks its audience to take the overall vision seriously.

Little moments pop up here and there throughout the entire movie that I find unsavory, but for the most part nothing so egregious that it actually ruins the entire experience. For whatever reason though the writers and director Alan Taylor felt the need to ramp up the amount of Kat Dennings in our lives to maximum overdrive. Enough already. With literally less than 20 minutes left to go in the film, Thor is facing off against the bad guys of the story, a race of creatures known as the Dark Elves, and I thought alright, this is where I end up blown away by breathtaking set pieces, amazing action sequences, slick direction and so on. This is where I leave the flaws behind and walk away from the film remembering the stunning conclusion that leaves me wanting more.

What actually happens during the last 20 minutes? Instead of anything I said above, we are treated to a non-stop barrage of cutaways from the action so we can be beaten over the head with comedy involving Kat Dennings and some intern assistant guy, running around, narrowly avoiding death and saying little quips regarding the situation. Why would I, or anyone, give a shit about what is happening with these inconsequential secondary characters during the most important sequences of the movie? Why isn't the entire focus at this point on Thor and his seemingly important plight to save the day yet again?

The moral of the story whether in regards to Kat Dennings or anyone else inside the world of Thor: The Dark World is please stop trying so hard to be funny. When you try too hard, it is noticeable and thus it is far less funny than if you space these moments of relief out and make them mean something. The Avengers was clever and funny because Whedon had such a confident grasp of the material and knew exactly when to deliver a hearty chuckle, a moment to break up the chaos and carnage that made up every second of the previous ten minutes.

Thor: The Dark World is a pretty darn decent, fun film that should and could have been so much more, and you know what? I have picked on Kat Dennings far too much in this review. Time to call out another problem here. Stellan Skarsgard, put your damn pants on. A scientist in his briefs isn't inherently funny, if that is all a writer has in his comedic bag of tricks he needs to invest in some better material.

2.5/5

The Avengers Review

The first phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was solid, but nothing that occurred prior to the moment when the Avengers would assemble had me believing that the result of their team up would be stellar. Even as a fan of the work of Joss Whedon, I had trouble buying into the idea that you could include so many characters that required their own share of the spotlight into one coherent film.

Obviously Joss proved me wrong with his sublime, measured screenplay that not only found a way to balance all of their personalities, it exceeded anything that came before it from the universe. The Avengers was their first truly great film, a picture that demanded to be seen on the biggest screen in town and was worth every penny of the inflated ticket price.

You know what crucial aspect this one got right that the five films before it failed at? A major reason why I love The Avengers on a whole other level than the solo films leading up to it? It finally, FINALLY got the villain right. Tom Hiddleston as Loki is a home run, as he steals scenes with his menacing smile and delightfully perfect dialogue, and it didn't take long for me to realize we were in for something special in this regard. Literally the opening sequence of the film, the exchange between Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Loki put a giant grin on my face that stuck around until the very end.

I walked into the theater to see The Avengers expecting to have a bit of fun, not much more, and I walked out feeling euphoric about the scale of the spectacle and the suddenly bright future of the MCU. Prior to this, I didn't see a single of the releases in the theater, choosing to wait patiently for their Blu-ray release instead. This was the moment the game changed for me, and I knew going forward I would be eagerly waiting for each new entry to dazzle me as soon as I could possibly see it.

4.5/5

Thor Review

Some films grab you early on with a killer first act that instantly promises something special. Thor doesn't.

Some films don't kick it into high gear until the final act, with a stunning conclusion that elevates the entire work to a new level. Something I like to refer to as The Phantom Menace effect, you walk out of the theater buzzing about the end and you forget entirely that almost everything before it wasn't very impressive. Thor isn't one of those films.

My biggest problem with Thor, a fun slice of cinema that I like but certainly do not love, is that the middle portion of the movie is by far its strongest section. The way we first meet these characters is lackluster at best and the way we say goodbye to them is a major disappointment. In the end I couldn't shake a feeling of being entertained but let down, reflecting on the many scenes that were done so right and yet the complete vision just didn't rise up to expectations.

Once the material allows the performance to make us give a shit, we do because the characters start to get fleshed out and what we see is endearing. Forget throwing hammers and running down Asgardian Mario Kart Rainbow Road, give me more scenes in which the aesthetically pleasing couple of humans known as Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman are sitting next to a fire and start to connect on a deeper level. These are the type of sequences that are needed in a work of absurdity like a super hero comic book film, the moments in which the characters feel like real human beings and not just actors in ridiculous costumes. Unfortunately they are few and far between in Thor, giving way to more silly humor that isn't very funny and action sequences that don't exactly get my pulse racing.

Thor is a solid entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not even remotely close to their best achievement but also a whole lot better than its worst. Entertained? Certainly, but it feels like it could have been so much more. 

3/5

Iron Man Review

While I am now an excitable fan of comic book/superhero films just like the vast majority of the planet, not long ago I was completely in the dark regarding the sub-genres as a whole. I literally did not see a moment of the first set of films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe until a month or two before the release of The Avengers, when I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

I quickly ran through the five preceding films, learning about the characters, discovering their connective tissue, exploring their worlds, and I realized what I was missing out on during those years of ignoring the existence of characters like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and Hulk: a whole shit ton of fun. Are any of the Phase One films perfect cinema? Modern masterpieces dripping with rich subtext and art house sensibilities? Of course not. Hell, I think one of the movies is flat out bad, although the revisit coming soon will be approached with an open mind. The point is, I don't demand perfection nor do I desire losing sleep as I ponder the nuance of a movie about a guy in a cool metal suit. It's okay to crave simple, flashy fun.

Even with their shortcomings, films like the original Iron Man manage to warm my heart and put a giant smile on my face because I look over at my daughter and realize that in this moment, she thinks the images on the screen are the coolest thing imaginable. At one time, I was that kid too. I refuse to let go of the part of me that still recognizes and cherishes that, the part of me that holds those memories near and dear, the days when the sights and sounds of cinema felt like a magic trick and I didn't even feel compelled to peak behind the curtain. 

I just wanted to see it again and behold the wonder of it all. 

4/5