Spider-Man: Far From Home

        It always seems that an insect or an arachnid would end the individual phase in The Infinity Saga. No one would ever believe that a Spider-Man film would follow up what happened during Endgame. I think it speaks about the brand and how they’ve been consistent with delivering a good product. Inconsistent at times, but when it hits, it hits. So this is really considered an epilogue to the whole saga, and it was a journey to witness all of it. 

1. European Vacation

        As I mentioned earlier, this film is like an epilogue where it closes the book of the entire saga. We even have a memoriam montage of the heroes that passed after the events of Endgame. Keeping with the lightheartedness of the Spidey films in the MCU, they mentioned the snap but call it “the blip”. And as much as it was devastating to see, the way it’s shown is mostly to comedic effect. And that’s what kicks off the film, since the core members of the Avengers are gone and there’s a void. 

        We see that Peter and his class are going to take the end of semester vacation to Europe. Peter has feelings for MJ and is meticulously planning on telling her during the trip. Thinking that he’ll be on vacation he decides to not be Spider-Man on the trip, albeit trouble arrives when his class is in Italy. Amid the weird stuff that’s happening, Peter feels that he must be the next Iron Man due to the responsibilities and legacy that Stark has placed on him.

        And we see him grapple with that when he sees a massive mural of Tony where it starts to weigh in on him. What I like is that it keeps the vibe going from what we saw in Homecoming. The whole film is a high school movie at its core, and we see just how Peter is trying to juggle being normal and having to help Nick Fury for the seemingly new threat that has appeared. I’ll talk about the main threat in a second, but I feel like with the recent Spider-Man films in the MCU, there’s a hero that must show up to help Peter.

        The last one was Iron Man, and this time it’s Nick Fury and the remnants of SHIELD. While Stark was used to discipline and level with Peter, Fury is more of a ball buster since he chastises Parker for not having his priority straight. To me it kind of reinforces that the wall crawler is an underdog among the heroes that have popped up in the cinematic universe. And it reminds us once more that he’s just a kid that hasn’t figured anything out and is still finding a way to be a hero. 

        So with that European Vacation, I like how it practically compounds Peter’s issue as he’s trying to tell MJ his feelings towards her. Like we see where they go and it’s never half-baked in the least bit. And well the occasional hijinks that Parker causes due to his involvement with Fury’s operation. Just the chemistry between Tom Holland and Zendaya is great since they’re both awkward and just dancing around the fact that they have feelings towards each other and ultimately his identity. 

        I really like the inclusion of Happy Hogan appearing in the sequel. Aside from the fact that Jon Favreau directed the first entry in the MCU and has sporadically appeared in films here and there. I feel that his presence is more of like a passing of the torch kind when the film plays out. He was a bodyguard to Stark and helps Parker when he’s in a jam. Just seeing him give the pep talk to Peter and giving him the tools to create a new suit is great since we want Peter to be his own hero and walk his own path. That montage of him building his new suit is great, especially with the addition of Back in Black. A callback to the first Iron Man. 

        Lastly, I was surprised how many people consider this film a weak entry in the MCU version of Spider-Man. Now, no one could’ve thought just how great the recent entry was since it had one trick to make it the best one of the bunch. Back when I talked about Homecoming, most of these films can be interpreted as a longform origin story for Peter to be a hero. The first one was him dealing with danger of what’s above him, and this one the responsibility of balancing his wants and identity. All of them are great, but this one is sandwiched between two great entries in what’s considered the best comic book films in general. 

2. Quentin Beck

        When I saw the trailer, I was hesitant with how they were going to portray Mysterio. In the comics, his main gimmick is that he can create elaborate illusions to fool Spider-Man and to get an upper hand. I can assume that the public didn’t know anything about him and bought that he was a seemingly good guy as the new threats popped out around the globe. With that, just the dramatic irony that was used is great since he fooled everyone. 

        What makes him so well aside from Jake Gyllenhaal doing a good job with what he’s got, is that has that charm factor where he fools Fury and especially Peter. We see just what Beck is facing as he explains a really elaborate story of how the Elementals are appearing and that he must stop them. Prompting Parker to volunteer to help Beck and to gain sympathy points when Fury rips the teen a new one. I think that’s real malevolent than anything involving powers. 

        That dramatic irony works when we see Peter and Beck talk and ultimately let his guard down to be slightly manipulated. Like Beck’s whole MO is that he wants to be the next hero after what happened with the Avengers. So much so that he’s psychotic to one up Tony Stark to be the new public figure. To me, it’s reflective of the time since there was a massive distrust of just the news and what we see. One detail that I like and again, I didn't catch this on my first viewing but I never knew that Beck had eyes on Peter during the trip. Just they arrive in Italy, Beck and his partners are in the background spying on them.

        Am I saying that the movie is reflective of the public climate? No, but using it to show that Mysterio wanted the publicity to look good. We even have shots of the students watching the tv and seeing the footage of Mysterio “fighting” the Elementals. I love how we slowly see that the whole thing is an elaborate ruse when Peter fights one of the creatures in Prague. I missed it when he unintentionally landed on a drone as the fight is happening on my initial viewing. 

        With how the illusions set up, I think it’s best when Beck is just messing with Peter. I love the whole moment when they’re in Berlin and Beck mocks and hurts Peter with the illusions. It’s a mind bender since Parker hasn’t figured out what’s fake and real, and I love how creative it is and to really hammer home that Peter isn’t good enough to be the next hero like Iron Man and Captain America. One detail that I like is that he fools us as well when that whole moment ends. 

3. The Brief Divorce

        Just after the film came out and broke multiple records and being the first Spider-Man film to gross a billion dollars, no one could’ve imagined just how much bad publicity that Sony would receive after pulling this stunt. During Disney’s convention called D23, news reports surfaced that the two companies couldn’t negotiate a deal to continue sharing the character, thus prompting the recent film to seemingly be the last appearance of the wall crawler. 

        I remember the entertainment media just asking everyone for the 2 cents and just seeing it play out as Disney was the sympathetic ones and Sony being the bad faith negotiator. All of it blew up on Sony’s end since they reneged on the thing and just how it made them look bad after delivering a good movie. Long story short, it all got immediately resolved and a third entry was announced, and it even topped this one in box office returns. 

        So, I bring this up as a historical context of the film’s release and just how it’s a lingering issue just after Marvel has most of their ensemble of characters under their corporate media control. Sony hasn’t released a Spider-Man film in live-action but only in animation where it’s been met with universal praise and winning awards. Their attempts with using the villains and characters of Spider-Man have been met with near derision by most of everyone. 

4. Overall

        Spider-Man: Far From Home is a great movie that hasn’t gotten the recognition of being a good movie. It’s a nice epilogue to the Saga and sets up what’s coming for the next phase. 

Avengers: Endgame Review

        It all comes down to this. Of all the films that came out during the initial three phases that were hyped or generated keen interest, this one was easily the one to look out for. In one way, it was a pay off for a decade long gamble to showcase some heroes and an overarching storyline where it really made an impact. One could say that the whole cinematic universe was a gamble since they didn’t have any recognizable heroes aside from Spider-Man. Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of the saga, and it made an immediate impact. 

1. Time Heist or The Rat That Saved a Universe

        After witnessing what we saw in the prior Avengers film, we finally had a chance to see where Hawkeye was. The first scene is just heartbreaking in the context of what happens. Seeing him enjoying his life then the snap happens. I just love how it’s played out with him teaching his daughter how to aim a crossbow while his family are playing. Like it’s sudden how all of them disappear, especially in the shot where Clint’s daughter just vanishes out of thin air. 

        The detail is punctuated even by the Marvel Studios title card. Heroes are missing and some of the clips used are just location shots or shots where the characters are edited out. Just the whole approach where the heroes are so beaten were we see them trying to avenge, hehe, their lost friends. Tony even looks disheveled and argues that the whole thing could’ve been prevented. Like this is the point where we see everyone at their lowest point. 

        Obviously, the whole story is centered around the team attempting to bring back the fallen. Like they find where Thanos has stayed put and attack him as they try to find the stones. As if we didn’t see just how low the heroes are, now things are in the ground since they effectively lose when Thanos gloats that he destroyed the stones. I was surprised that Thor decapitated the mad titan. Some people were laughing from what I heard, but I was shocked more than anything that he would do it without hesitating. 

        From there we see just how gloomy the snap has devastated everyone. Punctuated with establishing shots of New York where it looks cold and empty. This is something where it would’ve been better to see how else the snap practically changed everything. I mean we do in the ensuing films and shows, but I wish we saw more of the devastation of how this cataclysm affected everyone. Like we see how San Francisco was affected as Scott Lang walks around as sees vegetation that has outgrown and sees a memorial monument. 

        For as much as it’s a gloomy film from the start, there’s a bit of levity among the characters. From Tony teaching Nebula how to play paper football to Rocket trying to break the ice from something they were doing. All of it just represents how the characters don’t take themselves seriously unless the threat comes their way. That’s why when we’ve been following these characters for a decade now, we are heavily invested in them as more than characters. 

        If there’s one thing or a tiny detail that isn’t talked about is just how one rat practically and unintentionally saved a whole universe. Since this takes place after the Ant-Man and Avengers sequel, Scott had to come back somehow. Lo and behold he reappears in only a way that’s appropriate for him. I think it’s one thing where the whole idea of bringing the heroes back relates to his own experience and just how his character is so positive despite everything that’s happening all around him. 

        Even though the film clocks in at 3 hours, there’s never a moment where the whole film slows down or where your posterior starts to feel numb. Pacing wise we see just how the surviving team plots to get back at Thanos, to show them their lives after the fact. One thing that is brought up is the subtle character moments that were referenced in past films. Like the rivalry between Tony and Steve, and how Rogers accuses Stark of not being the bigger man when he’s called to it. 

        So, the main highlight or part of the highlight of the film is seeing the team use time travel to retrieve the infinity stones. Never thought that this film would be like the Ocean films where there’s a plan to execute the steal and then see it all play out. The whole act plays like a greatest hits for the MCU. Like we see past moments in 2012 and 2014. And more importantly to see the team evenly split so we can have time with them. Of course, you have the moments where things don’t go right and how we see yet another tragic death before the main tragic death.

        I think the bigger question in the context of the film was how exactly where they going to bring back Thanos. Time travel basically fixes that, but I love how Nebula casually brought him up as he was searching for the stones in the past. Some consider Thanos a downgrade compared to when we see him. We see who he is, and that this is a younger version of him makes him a wildcard. Now, I’ll give it a pass since 2014 Thanos is way harsher and hellbent that he’s more motivated than ever to get the stones and go all in with his plan. 

        Lastly, I’ll talk about that scene in the next tab. What I will say is that the whole movie really does feel like a culmination of plot lines and character moments. I brought this up before, but I want to elaborate further by saying that when the MCU at the time was at the peak, many other studios tried and failed to start their own cinematic universe. You have Universal Studios try to bring back their horror icons but failed after one movie.  As well as Warner Bros. attempting a cinematic universe but taking every wrong step of being cohesive and comprehensible. 

        The movie made 2 billion not because it was just a Marvel film, but because of the overall investment in the characters and the overall plot of how they’ll be able to right the wrongs that happened in the prior team up film. Many films that tried their own series failed at making the characters the main star by focusing on the big picture instead of the anchor of the franchise. Seeing the trio of Tony, Thor and Steve confront Thanos made us care that this was going to be the fight where one of them wouldn’t make it. 

2. The Portal Scene

        Rewatching the film again, I love the musical tease when Captain Marvel brings back Tony and Nebula, the small musical motif of the heroes coming back. Since this is an epic superhero film, it had to go all out in the presentation as to how the heroes come back. They don’t just come back, hell we see the main trio try and kill Thanos to no avail. Especially Cap being more determined to stop him by strapping on his damaged shield, prepared to literally go down with the ship. The long shot of him against the alien army is probably one of the film’s best as far as capturing the full scope. 

        Then we get to see the scene. The moment where theaters across the country and globe went ballistic in pure joy and circumstance. Like, rewatching the YouTube videos of the scene playout with the theater in a ruckus will be the definitive highlight of the entire franchise. How it’s played out is just perfect. The portals used by Doctor Strange appear as we see the resurrected heroes pop out alongside the Wakandans, Asgardians and the Ravagers. All set to the music where it sounds like something you’d hear at a graduation or a grand event. 

        All of it apexes when Cap calls for and grips Mjolnir and whispers “assemble” is just pure radiance as far as everything firing on all cylinders. There’s no other scene in the ensuing films that can capture this moment in either the context or the direction of the story. Now since this is a massive fight against the heroes and Thanos, I like how it’s not too discombobulated when we’re seeing who’s fighting what. It’s dark yes, but the main reason why the fight works is that it’s practically like a game of hot potato when the heroes are attempting to escape with the stones and gauntlet. 

        You have other films like Ready Player One and either cut of Justice League where there’s a massive battle that happens near the end or in a plot point. None of those work in their context since it’s too loud and lacks the reason why their fighting. What I mean is that they’re fighting but it’s an obstacle for the characters to jump over to advance the story. Here, everyone is attempting to get rid of the gauntlet before Thanos uses it. 

        The whole sequence doesn’t go on for too long and it all climaxes when Tony makes the play that Steve calls him out for. This one moment was spoiled so severely online where it was a challenge to basically avoid that spoiler on how Thanos dies and who also died. All of it is gritty as Tony makes the ensuing play and how Thanos reacts to his defeat. Some would think that he would be killed in an epic way, but with how it’s done here. It’s like a warriors death and I love how he doesn’t mock or gloat but let’s his death consume him. 

3. Legacy

        This movie made bank at the box office and was for a while the highest grossing movie of all time. Not to beat the dead horse’s skeleton but it was the most hyped, marketed and talk in the public sphere. Like, it’s almost impossible to even believe where this was the highest point for a comic book film or just with any film in general. In some way the film and franchise in general is the representation of the summer blockbuster. Action oriented and surprisingly had a lot of pathos for the individual heroes. 

        To me, this film can be interpreted as the ending of the MCU or the long watch of being so dedicated to watch the film from the start to the end. I feel that it’s a challenge that even the studio will find daunting as they put out more films and content where it could top or even insert itself in the conversation among the public. I feel that there are fans of the series, but some may have dropped off after the release of this film. That’s one of the detriments that the film has as far as it’s legacy. 

4. Overall

        Avengers: Endgame is the definitive Marvel film. Representing the long gamble of making the most obscure heroes into pop culture icons. 

Captain Marvel Review

        It took a matter of films where Marvel Studios finally released a female superhero film. As I mentioned back with Ant-Man and the Wasp, those type of films didn’t do financially and critically well. Wonder Woman broke that mold, and it made bank in the box office and was a darling when it came out. With Captain Marvel, a lot of hype occurred since her appearance was teased at the end of Infinity War. As well as being the film before the subsequent Avengers sequel. In my opinion, this is the weakest entry in the 3rd phase of the MCU.

1. Carol Danvers

        I doubt anyone has read my review for Shazam! since there’s a lot of backstory to the Captain Marvel name. To make the history short, Shazam’s comics was originally called Captain Marvel. The publisher who prints copies of Superman sued the makers of the Captain and ultimately won the court case. The name remained in limbo and Marvel Comics swooped in and made their version of Captain Marvel by trademarking it. By doing that, they continually publish titles to retain the trademark. 

        With all that out of the way, no there’s one more thing. 2019 was probably the rare year where two comic book films came out that literally have a direct connection to each other. Both Shazam! and Captain Marvel came out mere months from each other. While the former I feel is an underrated film, this one grossed a billion dollars. And wouldn’t you know it, the sequels to the films came out last year. 

        Alright so let’s talk about this one. This is an interesting film in the context that it’s a quasi-origin film where we see how she gets her powers. With the caveat added that she suffers from amnesia and we’re with her trying to figure who she really is. Story wise it can be a challenge since the film uses flashbacks to show the main character before we see her. So, we see Carol living in another planet and join the Kree military group called Starforce. They only refer to her as Vers.

        Involving her and Jude Law’s Yon-Roth, the team is tasked with stopping the Kree’s enemy the Skrulls. Green aliens that can shapeshift to anyone’s appearance, right down to their voice. What I like about the film is that it seemed that Carol’s team is the quintessential good guys trying to stop the evil looking aliens. Right down to the one scene where we see them analyzing Carol’s memories to find something they’re looking for. 

        All the action takes place on Earth during the 90s. It was great seeing a young Nick Fury and Agent Coulson again. The whole film has a buddy action film with Fury helping Vers figure out why she has memories of a woman who she thinks is a target of the Skrulls. Most of the action is great since we see just how Vers uses her powers. It reminds me of a fighter jet exhaust, well duh since she was in the Air Force before her fateful encounter. 

    I think the biggest misstep in the whole film is that we don’t really get to know who Carol is as a person. The film tries to go about it by having her flashbacks when she was in the Air Force and when she was with her wing mate Monica. Although, while we see tiny glimpses of her past life, we are only told stuff about her that really hampers the relatability we are trying to get with her. The studio prides itself on making relatable characters but this is the rare mistake that they did. One scene in particular highlight the problem. Before we see the initial action take off, both Yon-Rogg and Vers are training. Rogg has the upper hand and scolds her for holding back by saying her emotions hold her back. 

        Now, of course this is a female centric film. It’s going to go the way where we see some restrictions that Danvers has where she can’t use her abilities to the max. In one way, I wish the film was structured where we at least see a glimpse of her before we transition to her being part of the Kree. That way we at least get an understanding with her with who she is before her abduction. 

        While that aspect really hampers the whole movie, I feel that the supporting characters save the film from being a dud. I might as well talk about the Skrulls since halfway through, the whole story practically changes the whole perception of them. Seemingly we are led to believe that they’re evil, but then the leader Talos tells everyone that his race is near extinction and that they’re refugees. To me he saves the whole film since he subverts the type of casting that the actor usually plays. 

        One last thing is that it sort of utilizes the 90s aesthetic while not being to obvious with references and what not. Just seeing Danvers crash land at a Blockbuster Video hits the nostalgia button for me. What makes the whole emersion work is just having the details that tell audience that we are in the 90s. We have the soundtrack that contains TLC, Elastica, Garbage and Nirvana to name a few that adequately capture the time. Especially the old computers that had slow dial-up load times.

2. Review Bomb

        While the film was met with just a shrug of okay, it made a billion dollars. Mind you, it didn’t have either of the core MCU heroes and was the first debut comic book film to ever achieve that. But while it made and broke records, the discourse of the film was toxic from what I can recall. The gist is that Brie Larson made a comment of movie critics harshly reviewing films where it didn’t align with their ethnicity. Which then prompted that multiple users in Rotten Tomatoes to review bomb the film. 

        Basically, attacking the film for its representation of feminism. Whether it had a correct view or not, it didn’t matter since they practically wanted the film to fail. This prompted the company to change their algorithm to reflect the user score. And it’s still rotten even after the change in the system. The reason I bring it up here for this film was that it was this one and with the 2016 release of Ghostbusters where it was common for some female centric films to be outright rejected before anyone even had a glimpse of it. 

3. Overall

        Captain Marvel is one of the weakest films in the 3rd Phase, while it did offer some comfort that the Endgame is coming. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp Review

        It always seems that Ant-Man must follow up after a massive team up film. Like, it must be a near daunting challenge to be as good as the decimation we just saw in the prior film. Much less following up with one of the most heartbreaking and emotionally driven movies within the comic book sphere. Ant-Man and the Wasp is much like it’s first entry but keeps it low where it’s at least therapeutic, I mean it’s needed after what came before. 

1. House Arrest

        Continuing the thread from the first film, we see that both Hank and Hope are attempting to find their mother who is stuck in the quantum realm. The realm where Scott went subatomic in his debut film. Speaking of him, we see that he’s been under house arrest after the events of Civil War. And typical of Lang, he mostly goofs off with his daughter and tries to kill time before being free.

        Just seeing Paul Rudd acting goofy practically adds some level of levity that’s needed for the whole cinematic universe. For one thing, I’m glad that the film doesn’t retread with the whole heist angle that the first one did. Specifically, there’s not really any villain that wants to unleash an evil weapon or suit across the world. That’s where we are introduced to the main antagonist, but not entirely. Like, the film is more lighthearted than anything. Whether it was by choice or just something where it was needed after the events of Infinity War. 

        While the film adds a bit of levity tone wise, the action is still part of the main highlight. It’s more creative this time around since Scott isn’t alone. Most of the action sequences featuring the Wasp is great since she has more abilities such as being able to fly and shoot stingers. The shrinking aspect is even amped up since it’s not just the heroes who can do it but also the cars that they used. It’s ingenious to store them in a Hot Wheels bag and have a chase sequence where the car racing looks like a toy car.

        Just before I delve into the sort of villain, everything is not the same between Scott and the father/daughter duo. We see that there’s animosity between the father and daughter and Lang from the start. It keeps it fresh in the context where Scott took the suit without their permission and basically handicapping himself when he’s needed. Just the banter Hank, Hope and Scott is great. Especially, when Scott and Hope try to retrieve an equipment for the machine to bring back her mother.

        This is probably the most interesting film among the entire entries in the MCU where the villain isn’t inherently evil. I feel like we have a bunch of lower tier antagonists ranging from Ghost, Walton Goggins’ character and FBI Agent Jimmy Woo. I’ll talk about Ghost since she is heavily marketed during the film’s promotion. She’s technically not a villain since she was caught during an experiment which left her intangible. Specifically, having the ability to phase through anything and was used for SHIELD’s dirty work. 

        One thing that I must comment that this is the first time in the MCU where a heroin gets second billing alongside the title character. Before 2017’s Wonder Woman, female comic book films generally didn’t do well reception and box office wise. With Wonder Woman breaking that trend, it made sense for Marvel to finally have a heroine be part of the marquee title. And it would continue that trend in the ensuing sequel of this particular series, Marvel took a while to finally have a female-centric superhero film with the next one coming up. 

        So yeah, even though the film isn’t a heist film in the least bit. It’s more along the line of a runaway film since we see that the team that we see is constantly on the run. To the point where their research lab is literally a building where it can shrink like a rolling bag. We see that it leans to the family movie angle. Since the whole point of the movie is for the team to bring back Hank’s wife. I think it’s also practically the whole entire theme for the movie. 

2. Parenthood

        Right where we begin the film, we see a flashback of Pym’s family before their fateful mission to stop a Soviet missile. Even though the moments between Janet and Hope are brief, we see just the dynamics that is being played here between the mom and daughter. We even see once more just how Janet seemingly died during that mission and how Hank practically lived with that guilt. Aside from the play full banter among the characters, I feel that the movie is more akin to a family movie. More so, mothers and fathers are in the forefront in the whole film. 

        For instance, this idea of parenthood is practically what makes the Ant-Man films different since it’s mostly about rehabilitation. Scott is still trying to have a normal relationship with his own daughter all the while being under house arrest and suiting up as the hero. When we first see him, Lang and his daughter Cassie are having fun albeit in an ant-centric way. To the point that Cassie wants to join Scott in his adventures.

        That whole opening, I think in some way showed that Scott wasn’t in control but that he was possessed by Janet. It’s established within the film that Scott and Janet were entangled when he went subatomic. So much so that his own vision kicked off the events in the movie. I say this because while it’s played for laughs when we see Scott be motherly to Hope, in one way it helps Lang be more active with Cassie.

        With the rehab angle it’s used when we see Ghost being helped by a former associate of Hank Pym. We see that Dr. Ben Foster has been helping Ghost regain her tangibility, and even goes along with her when she captures the trio. Obviously, what makes them different is that the bond was him seeing her as a child and spending his whole life trying to fix. I mentioned earlier that while they are seemingly antagonists, I mostly place them as soft villains. Meaning that they aren’t wanting to cause harm but just fix what’s plaguing the villain.

3. Overall

        Ant-Man and the Wasp is part of the one better sequel category in the MCU. It’s especially a lighthearted one that’s needed from the prior film but manages to keep the stakes high for the next one.