Avengers: Endgame

Endgame hit the world by storm, and most people (me included) are still reeling from the insanity of this movie. This will be a shorter review, since going into too much will for sure spoil things for you (and I wouldn’t want to do that!).

I was really worried about this movie. After my disappointment with Captain Marvel, I wasn’t sure how Endgame was going to play out. I was worried Carol would get all the screentime and the other, veteran characters would be tossed aside. I was worried about people dying, my favorite heroes from the very beginning of this crazy journey. I was worried that this movie would be a total disappointment, and I would walk away from the theater not with happy tears, but with sad ones.

So, how was it? Well, I can tell you right now, it was pretty epic. (Quick note, if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want even the most remote spoilers, I’d suggest going to watch the movie, and then come back and read my review.)

The grave course of events set in motion by Thanos that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios’ grand conclusion to twenty-two films, Avengers: Endgame.

 

A lot happens in this movie. A ton. So much. I could go on about each characters journey, their growth, their touching moments, but that would take forever. Instead, I’m going to focus on the movies before, that brought us to this grand finale of the Avengers.

The first Iron Man movie was an interesting take on the superhero genre. Superhero movies hadn’t been as insanely popular as they are now, and I think it started a spark for all superhero movies to come after that. To see the entire journey this one man has been, this ten-year journey, the man we’ve all come to love, it’s amazing to see how everything wraps up so well at the end of the last film. It was emotional, it was epic, and I’m really going to miss being excited for the next movie in the saga.

The first Thor movie almost didn’t seem like a superhero movie. I mean, Norse mythology? Being associated with superheroes? What kind of movie would that be? A really good one, turns out. In my opinion, the Thor movies only get better as time goes on. The first one was fun, the second was surprisingly emotional, and the third one (my favorite Thor film, possibly my favorite Marvel film) was just flat out hilarious. Seeing my favorite Avenger battle his own struggles in Endgame was both sad, but also really funny. He retains a lot of his humor from Ragnarok, and it was really interesting seeing him as almost the comic relief character.

Captain America was a really unique take on superhero movies. A 1940s man who gets tossed into modern day life and expected to deal with it. It’s been fascinating, seeing how Cap does a nearly 180-degree turn from his starting point as a Nazi-pounding, all-American, war hero, to a mysterious rebel, defying the government by living in the shadows and doing what he thinks is right. In Endgame, Cap hasn’t changed from his rebel alignment, but when things really start to get bad, he knows he needs to team up with his former friends and fight to save the world. It was so powerful and his role in the movie was so interesting.

If I’m being honest, Endgame isn’t as funny as Infinity War was. Everything is toned down, a little grimmer, a bit more dark and gloomy, and nobody wants to joke much. That’s not to say there aren’t funny moments, but the emotional part of these characters comes out much more prominently than anything else. And I actually enjoyed seeing my favorite heroes so vulnerable. It was a nice change from the usual, happy vibes that Marvel films give.

The action scenes were really fantastic, as they should be. (I’m trying really hard not to spoil things but the final scene, the climax, is so amazing. Everyone is giving it their all to end Thanos, and I got chills multiple times.) Everything in the film, in the entire Marvel saga, has been leading up to this point, and it’s an epic battle I won’t soon forget.

Of course, seeing all of the characters interact with each other is always a blast. (And surprisingly, Captain Marvel didn’t bug me as much as I thought she would, which was nice. It almost seems as though she has a bit more of a personality in this film than she did in her origin movie.) The setting was also such an interesting part of the movie. It’s been five years since Thanos wiped out half the universe, and people have been struggling with finding their identity after the horrible apocalypse. The streets are in ruins, thieves run rampant, and the whole world has an eerie, sinister vibe to it.

Everything else in the movie is venturing very much into spoiler-y territory so I won’t say anything else about it. There are so many characters I could talk about, so much I could go on about, but that will have to wait. And chances are, if you’re a huge Marvel fan (like me), you’ve probably seen the movie by now, and we can hopefully have a nice, unspoken agreement that it was a satisfying end to the Avengers saga.

And now, Thanos demands my silence. I will say no more. (But perhaps in a few months time, I’ll give a more fleshed out review, when people have had a chance to watch it, and won’t be so upset by spoilers.)

Final Rating // Five Reels

Shazam!

I’ve been waiting eagerly for this movie to come out. I love superhero movies, I love comedy, and I love Zachary Levi, so this seemed like the perfect film for me.

I was worried this would just be another disappointment (DC and I haven’t been the tightest), but I was thankfully mistaken!

We all have a superhero inside of us — it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In 14-year-old Billy Batson’s case, all he needs to do is shout out one word to transform into the adult superhero Shazam. Still a kid at heart, Shazam revels in the new version of himself by doing what any other teen would do — have fun while testing out his newfound powers. But he’ll need to master them quickly before the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana can get his hands on Shazam’s magical abilities. [from Google]

This was really a typical superhero movie. Hero receives great power, learns to use it, and defeats the villain in the end. But I think that’s why I loved it most. It was cliche in an almost nostalgic way, with a super evil villain, lots of chases, and fun superpowers. It felt like the plot of an old superhero flick from the 80s, and it made me smile.

The humor was on point. I love dry sarcasm, and this movie had it. Freddy’s and Billy’s dialogue was fresh and hilarious and at times, really touching and real. The characters were all unique, with interesting personalities, and seeing them interact was my favorite part of the movie. Darla was an adorable little sister, and Freddy’s and Billy’s budding friendship I felt really drove the plot and made the movie great. The villain, Thaddeus, was really interesting and well done, with an incredibly dark backstory and even darker abilities. I would go so far as to say that he could be the poster child for evil mastermind. And I loved it! He was cliche, delightfully evil, and had me rooting for the heroes the entire time.

Another reason I loved this film was it’s welcoming story! I feel like most DC movies are mostly made for the fans of DC comics, the characters are already developed and anyone who hasn’t seen read the comics will be lost if they try to watch a new DC movie. This wasn’t the case with this movie! I really got into the story and related to the characters, and even though there were hints of the DC universe, it almost didn’t feel like a DC movie, which I found fascinating. Nothing from previous movies was mentioned in great detail, and it worked well as a standalone film.

I also really appreciated the strong message of the importance of family this movie portrayed. In the garbage-riddled world of Hollywood, constantly having agendas and feeding their audience with whatever they deem right, it was a very nice change to have a movie so family-centric. Foster families can be just as strong and close as a blood family, sometimes even more so, and this movie really embraces that. It was a touching theme that I really enjoyed.

The ending, I will admit, is possibly the cheesiest part of the entire film, with a crazy plot twist that made me laugh a bit more than I probably should have. It was really goofy and almost unbelievable, but that’s why I enjoyed it so much! The movie didn’t feel the need to be so grim and dark about its ending like DC movies usually are. It clearly wasn’t trying to be serious, and I loved that.

All that is to say, I found there was a lot of unnecessary violence and language, which greatly upset me. I’m usually not too terribly upset by some violence in movies, but this pushed it a bit farther than I would have liked. There was also a lot more language than I expected. DC isn’t like the family-friendly Marvel, but I was quite surprised by the amount that they let slip. But aside from a few scenes, it was fairly easy to (grudgingly) let it go.

Would I recommend? Yes, I would. It was a fun, goofy superhero movie with a sweet message behind it. I feel this could really help improve DC’s image, which I’ve noticed has been suffering for the past few years. I really hope that we get to see more movies like this in the future. Maybe a sequel? That would be nice.

Final Rating // Four Reels

Captain Marvel

Marvel is one of my favorite franchises when it comes to movies. I’ve always loved superheroes, and nothing brought them to life better for me than the people at Marvel. (Though after the events of Infinity War…I don’t know quite what to think.)

Captain Marvel was a movie I didn’t have very high hopes for. I thought it would be halfway decent, but it wouldn’t be anything noteworthy. And with all of the feminist propaganda being shoved at my face with the trailers and advertising, I went into it expecting it to have a pretty big agenda.

And it did. But that’s not what bothered me the most about this movie. (Mild spoilers ahead!)

After crashing an experimental aircraft, Air Force pilot Carol Danvers is discovered by the Kree and trained as a member of the elite Starforce Military under the command of her mentor Yon-Rogg. Six years later, after escaping to Earth while under attack by the Skrulls, Danvers begins to discover there’s more to her past. With help from S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury, they set out to unravel the truth.

I think the best way to sum up this movie is it didn’t feel like I was watching a Marvel movie. It didn’t have that signature pop that Spiderman: Homecoming or any of the Avengers movies or even Doctor Strange had. It felt like just another superhero movie.

The plot was rather dull. Nothing particularly shocking or exciting happened, aside from a few plot twists that I saw coming at the beginning of the movie. And even those managed to be dull.

I didn’t like how Carol’s character was portrayed. She wasn’t the compelling, powerful hero that I thought she could’ve been. She had a few rare funny moments, where I could see a bit of a personality peeking out from behind a bland shell, but then it would disappear just as quickly as it came.

Her amnesia was a convenient reason to move the story forward, and it felt really cheaply done. I may be biased since I don’t like flashbacks per se, but if it had been done well, I might have enjoyed it more. Carol’s memories are really choppily thrown in throughout the course of the movie, and in order to understand what’s happening, you have to remove yourself from the story, in a way. It was really disorienting.

Setting that aside, her origin wasn’t really that great. She got her abilities by accident, not through any means of her own. The movie wants me to believe she has a hard time controlling her abilities, while also showing me scenes that suggest she is perfectly capable of handling her powers with ease, confidence, even.

There’s no discernable reason to side with Carol except for the fact that she’s the main character. I guess because…she’s the good guy?  She didn’t earn her abilities; she did nothing to deserve the power she was given (except for at the end, where she finally fights back against the enemy ships). She even brings it up in the movie, saying to her enemy, ‘I have nothing to prove to you’. And while, yes, I get what the movie is trying to get across, but seriously? Of course you don’t have anything to prove, you’ve just discovered the extent of your extremely over-powered abilities with no visible weaknesses. Why on earth should you have to prove yourself?

Which leads me into my next complaint which is Yon-Rogg, Carol’s mentor. Now, up until about half-way into the movie, the Skrulls have been the major antagonistic force, fighting against the Starforce for undisclosed reasons. It’s never really explained why they’re fighting. But when Carol and her gang finally meet and talk with a Skrull named Talos (he’s a great character by the way, definitely deserved more screentime), they discover that in a surprising turn of events, the Skrull are really just refugees, trying to escape the Kree. The Starforce are actually the villains.

Now back to Yon-Rogg. He’s the guy who’s kind of been heading this whole annihilation of the Skrulls and is actually the main villain. And what a lame villain he is. There was no drive in Yon’s motivation. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason for his hate toward the Skrull except for a strange type of prejudice.

As far as villains go, he was one of the weakest. Any Starforce employee could have replaced Yon and the story wouldn’t have changed since there was no real tension between Carol and Yon anyway. There was no epic final battle between the forces of good and evil. Instead, the movie’s climax is Carol finding her true power and beating the heck out of everyone. Carol’s and Yon’s last confrontation is disappointing, to say the least. They exchange a few words (‘I have nothing to prove to you’), Yon looks like he’s going to change his mind, doesn’t, and then the scene is over.

I wish the Supreme Intelligence had turned out to be the main villain of the film. It could have worked so much better, and even though there is a fight scene with the AI and Carol, it’s not as great as it could have been. The SI could have been a genuinely chilling bad guy, and I feel like there was a huge opportunity missed there.

The action scenes were boring and hard to follow, the only good one, in my opinion, took place at the end, and even then, there was no weight or tension, because you knew the entire time that the good guys were going to win. Usually, in superhero movies, the good guys do always win, but there’s a sense of urgency. You’re worried for the characters, hoping that they’ll make it out unharmed and alive. Captain Marvel didn’t have me worried too much. I always knew they would be alright.

Part of the reason I was at least partially excited about this movie was that it took place in the 90s. I was hoping for some great nostalgic moments, but it was sorely lacking in that department. There were a few nods to the 90s, a Blockbuster, payphones, some fun music choices and references, but overall, it could have been in the present and I wouldn’t have questioned it.

There were also a few inconsistencies that threw me off, though I’m just being nitpicky at this point. Things like S.H.I.E.L.D. not having their name yet, despite being referenced in the movie many, many times by the name that it was given in the first Iron Man movie, and also the fact that Carol hasn’t been mentioned once before in the MCU. I thought that would be explained in the film, why she didn’t come sooner, for example during the monster attack on New York City, or Sokovia being demolished by evil robots. But apparently Nick Fury didn’t see those attacks as something the Avengers couldn’t handle?

I’m being really harsh, this movie really wasn’t bad. There were a few characters that I really, really liked, such as Maria Rambeau and her daughter Monica. I thought they were great side characters, and I wished they had had more screen time. Same with Talos. Ben Mendelssohn did a great job and he deserved more characterization.

Nick Fury was one of the best parts of this movie for me. It was so interesting to see how he had morphed into the person he is now, and he had a hilarious character and some genuinely great lines. I’m quite disappointed with how he came to wear the famous eye patch he’s known for now though. I won’t spoil anything, but I’ll just say, it was extremely dumb and anything meaningful that he’s said about his scarred eye will just make me cringe now. It’s not the explanation I wanted and I felt ripped off.

But maybe the most frustrating thing of all about this movie was that fact that absolutely nothing about Endgame is hinted at. No secret weapon, nothing that would remotely help the Avengers defeat Thanos in any way. If the movie wants me to believe that Carol is the key to saving the universe from Thanos’ tyranny, that she is somehow more powerful than all of the Avengers, new and old, mixed together, then I have a feeling I’m not going to like what they’re selling. I suppose it’s too much to hope that Ant-Man with his quantum physics or Iron Man, the one who started it all, will be the one to end the evil raisin man, but I will still be holding out hope.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad movie. It had some funny moments, and a few great characters, but it definitely isn’t the best movie Marvel has put out. If you’re a superhero fan, I’d give it a try. But don’t stay for the final end credit. Trust me, you will be disappointed.

Final Rating // Three Reels