Marvel Cinematic Universe review thread

[Keth]

SPOILER WARNING

I'm just going to put it here, that if you are not caught up with every movie in the MCU, it isn't a wise decision to be in this thread. I would invite all that are 100% caught up to have a spoiler tag free area for easy lengthy discussion/reviews. Of course if you don't mind the spoilers come on in, either way have fun!

 

 

Ok so I've started from the very beginning of the MCU and am working my way up to Ant-Man, watching each movie in order of release date. I'm doing this in conjunction with trying to create a piece of artwork for each movie, but that's a side note here. I'm making this thread as a means to easily post thoughts/retrospectives about the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially for marathon/consecutive watches without having to bump individual threads since they take up alot of this space already. Just thought it could be a fun space to discuss the whole universe without derailing specific threads.

 

I'll kick things off with some mini reviews of each movie as I go.

 

Iron Man: One reason I wanted to go back and watch all of the movies was to see the characters pre Civil War and how they have changed. It's amazing how consistent Marvel's vision has been, and the first Iron Man holds up incredibly fucking well. When Tony gets out of the cave we see the seeds being planted already for his view on wanting to protect people to the best of his ability. The fear he shows when he realizes his weapons are being used to kill civilians by terrorists almost exactly parallels his conversation with Alfre Woodard in Civil War. And the post credits moment no one expected still holds up as one of the most badass scenes in the whole franchise's history.

 

The Incredible Hulk: Personally this is one of my favorite movies in the MCU, and quite underrated if you ask me. Edward Norton doesn't quite make as good of a Bruce Banner as Ruffalo has gone on to become, but I think when this first hit he was as perfect as we could of asked for. It's not the deepest Marvel flick either, eventually boiling down to a punch mattch against two video game characters, but it works really well. The easter eggs were aplenty and William Hurt was a highlight as Thunderbolt Ross (another welcome return for Civil War, finally acknowledging this movie happened).

 

Iron Man 2: I know alot of people that truly hate this one. I just don't understand why, especially when it lays th groundwork for so much awesome stuff to come. Nick Fury gets his first proper role, Black Widow shows up, fucking War Machine, and we even get to see Cap's shield in a scene that further sets the stage for Civil War in it's own silly way. And while Ivan Vanko was kind of a poor adversary for Tony (with an even poorer final fight sequence) Mickey Rourke still is entertaining as fuck in the movie. "I want my bird"

 

Also Sam Rockwell is brilliant here. I'd love to see him come back in some form.

 

 

And that's where I am so far! And while we all kind of know each others' thoughts on each of the movies, I think it'll be fun to revisit them in this capacity, and keep going with the future releases.

[The NZA]

yeah, i love how the character continuity really builds, and how it reminds me of this old stan lee interview that talked about why he thought kirby was a madman for letting all these fan-favorites share a book, but the vision was that if they liked them individually, they had their solo adventures - here, you could see them come together for larger threats/etc. it's very clearly the template MCU was built on

 

i too think it's a bummer Hulk gets left out, with no plans for another go...but then again, he did get 2 proper films, 1 of which i likewise thought worked.

 

Iron Man 2 just kinda suffered from the biggest single weakness this universe seems to have: villains. RDJ pretty much carried that trilogy on his own charisma for me, cause at no point did i think they had an interesting villain, really....whiplash had that cool scene fucking tony's shit up at the racetrack, but then i recall blinking at the end and tony/rhodey unleashing an ultra combo and the fight being over. nuts to that!

 

so what's next, Cap: First Avenger or Thor?

[Little Nemo McFly]

I liked both Hulk films. I really liked the first one and how it was presented all...comic booky. I dig different. The FX were awesome - it was kinda emo, but the Hulk's tale is a pretty damn grim plight. Sure, it could've been more - but I found it to be an interesting / engaging one-off (shrugs)...plus, Jennifer Connelly.

 

 

FUN FACT: Didja know Vision is hittin' dat?!

 

I remember how exciting the 2nd Hulk was - it being connected to the eventual Avengers movie. 'You see that lightning strike? That's Thor!'...Cap frozen in ice in that deleted scene w/ Hulk in Antarctica. 'Super-soldier - he said, Super-soldier!!!' Aaaah, the hype.

 

I remember being bothered and wondering why in the hell Abomination was missing his most distinct feature: dem ear-fins! I actually did a bit of research and I think it ended up being on the actual commentary of the film itself, where it was surprisingly addressed - they were going w/ that design, but in getting into how brutal the tone of the film would be: their Hulk - would've been instantly inclined to yank or bite 'em off. Brutal.

Edited May 25, 2016 by Little Nemo McFly

[Keth]

 

so what's next, Cap: First Avenger or Thor?

 

Thor is next, but I kinda wish I did it in Chronological order and started with Cap. Still the timeline is more or less happening at the same time so it isnt that big of a deal.

 

Also watching Iron Man 2 there is that moment during the big robot chase at the end, Tony lands next to a little kid wearing an Iron Man helmet. The kid is facing one of the bots and holds up his hand like Tony's just before Stark zooms in and blasts the Hammeroid. Tony looks down and says "nice work kid" or something like that. As soon as that happened my first thought was how cool that would be if that was Peter Parker. If that movie takes place 7-8 years prior to Civil War, the age of the kid matches a bit. And we already know Peter is somewhat a fan of Tony's, to have him there at the Stark expo would make sense. And that moment would be what started Peter's penchance for heroics. Too much coincidence though? Or would that fit into a universe where fate exists in that capacity? I just think it would be fun to have Peter say something like "you saved my life you know" or something, embedding Spider-Man into the MCU lore even further.

[Little Nemo McFly]

I just think it would be fun to have Peter say something like "you saved my life you know" or something, embedding Spider-Man into the MCU lore even further.

 

That's actually a great idea.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

Sounds cool, but his duty to help others/be a hero has to come from Uncle Ben, not Tony Stark.

 

It wouldn't make sense for him to let the burgler go, all those years later, if his motivations come from Stark.

[Keth]

Ah good point, I didn't consider that.... Uncle Panch ;) watch yoself

[Da Cap'n 2099]

DON'T TRY TO CHANGE MA SPIDER-MAN!!!

[Keth]

Phase 1 complete!

 

Thor- This one is still on my list as the weakest of all of the Marvel films, but it's still pretty impressive. It has the big job of introducing aliens into the universe, and after a second watch, pretty much introduces magic. they try and do the whole "Magic and science are the same!" thing, but in the end, Loki is a goddamn magician and you can't explain Mjolinir. It's still a fun movie, if not the most action heavy.

 

Captain America: The First Avenger-This one was weaker than I remember, but I would still put it a notch above Thor. Hugo Weaving played The Red Skull awesomely, and as far as origins go, it was one of the more interesting ones. Plus knowing that Winter Soldier happens makes things alot more engaging.

 

The Avengers- One of the best superhero movies ever fucking made by far. It is really enhanced by rewatching the previous four films. And Marvel finally does a great job with a villain and solidifies Loki as one of, if not the, best character in the whole MCU. Not to mention the pleasant surprised of the superior version of Bruce Banner that Ruffalo plays. It's gonna be great to see what he does in Thor 3.

 

 

 

Having finished that I've started Phase 2 tonight and watched Iron Man 3. Alot of people deem this as THE worst Marvel movie. Well...

 

 

 

Iron Man3-Now this one definitely benefits from multiple watches. It's just so different from all of the other movies and I feel like this is where Marvel decided to let directors sort of have their own identity in the storytelling. Not that the other movies didn't, but they were all pretty much cut from the same cloth. Shane Black manages to create something that barely even resembles a superhero movie, yet somehow makes it more superhero-y than anything else. Tony's character examination here is at it's thickest and is done in such an interesting way by showing his unstable mental state and anxiety.

 

I'm especially in love with the chapter set in Tennessee. That whole section of the film is amazing, and his relationship with the kid is one of the best friendships in any movie.

 

Speaking of friendships, let's talk about Jarvis. Because by this movie, he's barely even Jarvis anymore and it's basically Vision. It's really fun to hear Jarvis talk to Tony now that you know who he becomes and you get the sense that he was there from the very beginning. He's basically sentient at this point, and clearly cares for his creator.

 

As for The Mandarin stuff, I really think people should go back now that they know the twist. Sure, it would have been cool to have gotten a proper Mandarin (

), but it was a fun twist, and Ben Kingsley was hilarious. And after a rewatch Guy Pearce did a pretty good job as the villain. Hell even the henchmen had some entertaining, 90's cartoon style personalities.

 

 

Also I really love the end credits

 

[Little Nemo McFly]

Yeah, I wasn't disappointed w/ Iron Man 3. I thought it was good - I'm glad they weren't afraid to take it somewhere different...I mean, he's out of the suit for most of the movie. I liked that.

 

As for Mandarin - I loved the twist! It's a great statement - I thought it was delicious! Sure, it was a missed opportunity to bring the Mandarin to the big screen - but, like Axels said, he still might. Maybe once the cosmic side of the MCU is set in stone - Mandarin might make his appearance. (shrugs) I wasn't pissed at all about the twist.

 

Personally, I think Thor is one of the stronger ones - same w/ Cap...maybe 'cuz they were more character driven.

 

I don't know about Ruffalo's version of Bruce Banner being superior...he doesn't seem tortured at all and he never felt like a 'ticking time-bomb' for a moment. The other Bruce's in the other Hulk films - felt more like poor Bruce than any of Ruffalo's appearances. He's got the Hulk in check - that shit's boring.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

But he's always angry.

[Jumbie]

Man, now I wish I'd seen Abomination with the ears even more. LET Hulk tear em off! I'm not spotting the objectin here unless it was a PG-13 thing.

 

Trevor the Mandarin was AMAZING. It's hard to get a twist over on me AND make it logical. It was a good commentary on the way perception and reality shape politics and all 3 iron man movie were deliberately played as Tom Clancy style techno-political thrillers.

 

And the story didn't suffer because the real villain had been present from the start. (heard a rumor that originally the girl (Maya?) was supposed to be the villain and then the script got changed. I think it worked out either way because the villain wouldn't have come out of left field.

Edited June 17, 2016 by Jumbie

[Mr. Hakujin]

I finally rewatched Avengers: Age of Ultron for a second time and I liked it much more than my initial viewing in the theater. I also had forgotten there was that scene where Cap and Tony basically do a mini-Civil War right before Vision is "born." The blu-ray looks great but ain't so hot on the special features. You get a short gag reel, two deleted scenes and one extended scene, a light 26 minute doc on the film, and a short recap of the four Infinity Gems Stones revealed thus far in the MCU. The best feature is commentary by Joss Whedon, who gives a pretty insightful commentary. As both writer and director he manages to include a well balanced mix of technical and character details.

[Little Nemo McFly]

You've only seen it twice?! Did you just get it on blu?

 

I agree - looks great on blu, but the special features were slim as hell compared to the other MCU flicks on blu. Extremely disappointing.

 

I wish Age of Ultron went the way of Iron Man 3 - in that it was a sequel very different from it's predecessor. I've expressed this in another thread - but I was really hoping for a more brainy film. In the first one, you had the team getting together - a cinematic event of most epic proportions. (Not just in-universe...but cinematically. That venture had never been done before - let alone, attempted)

 

I felt the sequel shouldn't have just been 'another one'. I would've liked a brainy film that went into - I guess, what Civil War attempted to do - the ramifications and a testing of what makes heroes...heroes. 'They're together...here are the consequences of that.' I thought Ultron was the perfect launching point of a story like that. "I'm here to save the world." Playing w/ the definition of peace - and what exactly are...the Avengers.

 

I was really disappointed, to say the least - that AoU just ended up being a 'punch-shit' movie. I've seen it dozens of times, I don't hate it - I appreciate it for what it is - but, still a damn shame at the same time. (My fault for injecting my expectations into it).

 

Vision was great - but, I wish there was more use of him. I would've loved more conversation between him and Ultron - clashing ideologies n' view points. I guess what I expected out of this film was a clear definition of what the Avengers stood for and are about. They saved that for Civil War, but even in that one - 'these heroes aren't in-line...punch-shit!'

[Keth]

I think you need to watch Civil War again

 

AoU is next on my MCU list. I could have sworn there was something between it and GotG. Surprised I got here so quick.

[Little Nemo McFly]

I think you need to watch Civil War again

 

LOL - Why? Did I miss something?

 

Didn't that movie end on a 'who-are-we' - 'what-are-we-doing' cliffhanger? Weren't they ready to kill each other over...not agreeing on the mission statement?

[Mr. Hakujin]

Nemo, I've had it on blu-ray for a few months and was trying to go through the MCU chronologically again like axels before I watched it, but there's just too damn much good TV to watch to prioritize re-watching movies. However, I got a wild itch to see Hulk v Hulkbuster so I popped it in the other night. I've only seen Iron Man 3 and Thor two once as well.

 

But back to Age of Ultron, I really wish I'd rewatched this before Civil War. I remembered that scene with Tony & Cap chopping wood at Hawkeye's place vividly, but I genuinely forgot all about that physical fight between Tony & Cap before Thor electrocuted Vision into life. Basically CW:Round 1. I also forgot how Thor backed up Tony in creating the Vision against Cap's protest, which makes me think The Odinson would've stood on #TeamStark had he been on Midgard during Civil War. Joss' commentary on AoU helped clarify that Cap "dream" Wanda put in his head during their battle for the vibranium. Cap is basically a man who sees war everywhere even in aparty celebrating the end of WWII; he is a man most at home during conflict, which reinforces my siding against Cap in Civil War. He was really picking a fight more than he needed to with Tony over these Sokovia accords. Also, for a man who is all about freedom and doing the right thing, Cap was very happy to defend murderers like Wanda and Bucky, neither of which paid for their crimes with any jail time. Bucky was understandably brainwashed during his time with the Soviets. However, after Cap2: Winter Soldier, Bucky created a lot of mess on his own accord by not turning himself in. That's a handful of laws Bucky broke right there, which Cap was happy to make sure Bucky never answered for by letting him vacay in Wakanda in Civil War. Ultron said it himself, he and Pietro could hurt the Avengers but Wanda could "tear them apart." And that's what comes to fruition in Civil War.

 

Speaking of Wanda, after rewatching AoU I have to wonder how the fuck she is not in jail. In AoU Hawkeye gives her that rousing, "If you walk out that door you're an Avenger," speech which I remember mostly because of the meta moment where he admits it makes no sense how they're on a flying island and he's fighting an army of robots with a bow and arrows. Buuuuuuuut that whole scene begins with Wanda freaking out because her entire city and now likely the whole planet will be destroyed because it's ALL HER FAULT! She put the "dream" in Tony's head that led to the creation of Ultron, she teamed up to help him destroy the Avengers, and she is the reason the Hulk went on a murder spree in South Africa! And as punishment she gets to chill out at the Avengers compound. At the very least she should be treated like a Suicide Squad member and have an explosive chip implanted in her skull and/or neck then put back in a cage when she's not out Avenging.

[The NZA]

Speaking of Wanda, after rewatching AoU I have to wonder how the fuck she is not in jail. In AoU Hawkeye gives her that rousing, "If you walk out that door you're an Avenger," speech which I remember mostly because of the meta moment where he admits it makes no sense how they're on a flying island and he's fighting an army of robots with a bow and arrows. Buuuuuuuut that whole scene begins with Wanda freaking out because her entire city and now likely the whole planet will be destroyed because it's ALL HER FAULT! She put the "dream" in Tony's head that led to the creation of Ultron, she teamed up to help him destroy the Avengers, and she is the reason the Hulk went on a murder spree in South Africa! And as punishment she gets to chill out at the Avengers compound. At the very least she should be treated like a Suicide Squad member and have an explosive chip implanted in her skull and/or neck then put back in a cage when she's not out Avenging.

 

haha damn, totally forgot all this - yeah, it's a mess, i guess they're just following the history of them being fucked-up magneto kids, even if that's now somehow retconnned