Ant Man: A Discussion

I never forget about a series. So, of course I’m continuing on with my Marvel series! I watched Ant Man yesterday to refresh my memory and God so I love this movie.

This movie is one of my all time favorite marvel films. Here is why:

1. This Guy:

Luis has the funniest lines in the whole film. Every single time he’s on screen it makes everything that much funnier. Plus, he shines from the very beginning talking about all the sucky things that happened while his friend was in prison, but saying he has his van.

2. This scene:

https://youtu.be/Oj2u_obs3n0

3. Everything about the film is on the border of what can and cannot be accepted as reality, but the perspectives in all the scenes are done so well that it brings you in because it looks cool. It’s artful, but at the same time still a little too out of reach.

4. Ant Dog!!!!!

I want a giant ant friend!!! No one can convince me otherwise.

5. The Daughter dynamics:

Ant man has a daughter and does everything for her. The relationship between then is very real and it’s also real in how there are tensions between him and the mom. It’s not perfect, but he loves his daughter and would do anything to redeem himself to her.

But, I also love that it mirrors Hank and Hope’s relationship:

While there is more tension here and higher stakes Hank really does love his daughter. He just feels it’s too late to repair his relationship with her.

6. The Incredible imagery:

https://youtu.be/54h7QYEkkBk

Shown best in its final battle scene linked above the perspective shots in Ant man are incredible! I love seeing something being done so uniquely. They took as many opportunities as they could to showcase perspective in really interesting ways.

7. Ant Man in its entirety:

Even without saying specifically what I love so much about this film, I enjoy the whole thing. It’s funny in its entirety, yet it’s balanced by some serious topics. The villain may be a little too cliche, but with everything else the film has to offer I don’t really care. It’s fun. It’s different. Maybe a little strange, but that’s what makes it so great.

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Watching: Marvel’s Runaways: Season 1

Runaways is a really great teen tv show following a group of friends who find out their parents are not at all who they believed them to be.

What interests me most about the dynamics of this show is the idea of the parental and child relationship that each of them has that is never broken in spite of any of the transgressions on both sides. All the parents here have done absolutely awful things, but they still have this something about them that is redeemable. Especially with some of the parents more then others.

Especially Victor Stein who is the father of Chase and is an abusive asshole. Yet the show showcases unhealthy relationships in a way that doesn’t glorify them while showing real cycles of abuse that play off in abusive relationships in real life. I really enjoy a show that does that. Shows morality and immorality in a way that is clear, but also glorifies neither.

Then there is the casual relationships that happen between the characters that show them discovering the kind of people they are and who they want to be with.

The is especially apparent with Nico who spends half of the show dating Alex:

Then discovering that he wasn’t quite what she wanted and exploring a new relationship with Karolina after she expresses her feelings for her.

Life and love is a fluid thing and I really like seeing that fluidity expressed in a matter of a fact way throughout the show.

As far as the powers go my favorite was by far Gerts! Having a Dino that listens to you and is your constant companion is so cool! Also the fact that they call her Dino an emotional support Dino for her anxiety is so beautiful!

I love that it’s that Gert is a person first and she happens to deal with anxiety. No one in life is there mental health issue or disability. Everyone is themselves first and foremost. I love this characterized in a marvel tv show.

But I love that we also have a character that is a part of the group that doesn’t have a specific power. Alex is a leader that doesn’t have any powers, but that doesn’t make anyone respect or love him any less.

All in all, Runaways is a great tv show that showcases diverse characters in a very well represented way living their lives and navigating school, love, and saving the world from their parents. It’s complicated and well-written. I loved the first season and I can’t wait to watch season 2!

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Avengers: Age of Ultron: A Discussion

Age of Ultron was another one of those films I didn’t appreciate to the full extent till another go-around. I liked it well enough the first time, but now, I feel that I understand and appreciate Age of Ultron so much more.

Age of Ultron is one of the more nuanced films in the MCU. The motivations of the various characters clash against each other and everyone is trying to do what they believe to be right and all of them have very different ideas of what that is.

Ultron himself has a twisted idea of “saving” the universe. Which umm.. has to do with destroying everything living on the earth.

Iron Man wants to put a ‘suit of armor’ around the world after being attracted by aliens in the battle of New York. This is what ends up creating Ultron in the first place, but also the next character I’m going to talk about: Vision.

Vision simply wants to be on the side of life. To be a bringer of peace. He doesn’t even want to kill Ultron, but knows it is necessary for the safety of the Earth.

The twins want peace for their country and vengeance for the death of their parents. Their parents were killed by a bomb that came from Stark industries and so of course they have a special hatred for Stark, but they change their minds after Scarlett sees into Ultron’s mind and find inside only destruction.

The Hulk or rather Banner helps out Tony, but not fully thinking it through. He is driven by the science, but doesn’t fully realize how far Tony was willing to go.

Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Captain America are the damage control. They didn’t realize what was going on with the others, but once mistakes were made they came in to help reduce the damage done.

My favorite moments:

Every time Ultron was on screen made for great scenes. Slowly he became a more and more formidable opponent and he was so much fun to watch. His hatred for Tony despite speaking just like him was fascinating. I think one of the best parts of the films was how imprinted in Tony’s way of thinking Ultron is in simply a twisted way. He really is Tony’s creation in every sense. Yet the creation hates the creator and acts in a similar way, but just twisted towards darkness. I love that.

I think it took me watching all the other films to care more about this one simply because I see the evolving of everyone and how interesting it is that the line of morality in this film is so blurred. Seeing your heroes make mistakes remind you that they are as human as you are and how you can get this one twisted idea in your head and it transforms the way you see the world in a grayish manner. It’s the mistake of one bad experience coloring the rest of how you see a group of people or organization in life. It’s cool that that kind of social commentary can be made by watching this film.

In this film it’s not a battle between good and evil in the strictest sense. But a battle between the mind of doing what you think is right and your beliefs tailoring what decision you make.

This movie has some really incredible fight scenes and lots of action, but at its core it’s the exploration of the mind and morality that makes this movie great.

Also, the party scene was fantastic..

What a show captain put on.. no one believed him for a second. Least of all Thor. Though I would argue most of the Avengers should be worthy of the hammer. Everyone’s sacrificed much in the name of justice.

Also, I loved the little early Black Panther references. Like the one shown in this photograph and video:

https://youtu.be/oytnbiux_lk

Marvel is really good at fusing humor and seriousness into its films. Sometimes it’s a little jab of humor, but at the same time it always gets some sort of reaction out of me.

I very much have a higher sense of respect for this film and it’s not the best of the marvel universe by far, but it is great in its own way.

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-Till next time!

Marvel Phase 4 Timeline!!!

At this years Comic Con Marvel announced its Phase 4 timeline and I am so ready for some more great films to enter the MCU!

1st up May 1st, 2020 is Black Widow!

I’m so excited for this! After the events of Endgame I’m so curious about how they are going to go about Black Widow’s storyline.

November 6th, 2020 Eternals

I don’t know much of anything about the Eternals, but I am very intrigued by any films in the MCU having more of a space setting and I’m excited to watch it!

February 12th, 2021 Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings

I love seeing martial arts fights and I’m very excited to see a diverse character coming into the marvel mix.

May 7th, 2021 Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness

I loved the first Doctor Strange movie! It was inceptionesque, but in a way I enjoyed so much more then inception. I am excited to see what they do with his second film!

November 5th, 2021 Thor: Love and Thunder

They are having Natalie Portman play a female version of Thor and not necessarily the role of Jane Foster which is… interesting. I’m very intrigued by this film and will probably be a little hesitant about it Till I see it, but I’m excited for it all the same!

As, for the rest of the titles shown here, they are all the new TV shows that will be airing as a part of the marvel universe, however, I’m not sure when I will watch these or if I’ll be able to as they are all streaming on Disney+ which I may or may not have in the future. But, I’m really excited for Loki and Wanda Vision! If I get the chance to see those I think I’m going to really love them.

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-Till next time!

Guardians of the Galaxy: A Discussion

Continuing on with the Marvel content, I have a discussion of one of my absolute favorite films from the MCU, Guardians of the Galaxy.

This is one of the marvel movies I had seen long before I decided to watch all of the films in the universe. It also happens to be one of my favorites. But, of course upon rewatching, like I have with every other film before posting these discussions, I find that I love the film all the more.

I think that Guardians of the Galaxy has one of the best and strongest openings of all the Marvel films. You get some back story it’s pretty quick and sweet, but then you see Peter in his star lord get up just walking up to steal this silver orb and at first he looks kinda evil.

I mean look at him? The first time you think is this guy actually a villain or what, but then he has the mask come off and you see Cris Pratt’s adorable little face underneath. He takes out some headphones and puts on a cassette and starts dancing and singing and it’s then you know, this is a whole unique kind of film.

I mean.. look at him.. singing into some sort of mutant freak rat all weird like. All to the sound of ‘Come and get your love’ it’s truly pretty much perfect. (I love this scene so much that I just replayed it in my head so much that I couldn’t think about what else I wanted to talk about for this movie for way longer then is necessary)

Then, the assembly of the Guardians take place and of course it’s as wonderfully ridiculous as it is. They all meet on Xandar. Rocket and Grott see Peter and realize they can make some big bucks by capturing him and proceed to try and bounty hunt him. The reason Peter is there is to sell the silver orb behind Yondu’s back. Then, Gamora shows up and also finds herself after Peter because she’s after the orb to sell it to someone else to escape the claws of Thanos. But then, they all get captured.. and Drax of course joins in because he wants to kill Gamora because Ronan killed his family and he wants to kill anyone associated with Ronan.

The entirety of this plot is so good, but it feels so silly. Yet, it’s believable. They, put together something that in short seems convoluted and spread it out in such a way that it’s very comedic in timing and visually interesting to watch.

But, that’s not even close to the half of it. Every single scene is gorgeous. There is so much detail that goes into this film not just visually, but in the music and the dialogue. No other film in the marvel is quite like Guardians of the Galaxy. The ship fights and the weapons. The part where all the guys get drunk and bet on the freak rats… because they were bored and had nothing else to do.

The detailed backstories for each character Peter who didn’t hold her dying mothers hand when she asked. Gamora taken from her family by a man who destroyed half (though I’d say all) of all the people who lived on her planet. Rocket who was pulled apart and put back together again and again to turn him into the creature he is. Groot.. who we don’t really know anything about actually. Drax who lost his wife and child to Ronan. Nebula who is tortured again and again by Thanos who still wants his approval.

Every one of them has something dark of their past. Yet they come together and form a true bond and protect each other as friends. Something that many of them didn’t have much of. They seem to be the least likely crew to be true heroes or even to care at all about what happens in the Galaxy, let alone save it, but at the end of the day, they do their part and they save the Galaxy and the people who live on it.

A major part of the film I truly enjoy is the music. Especially the music that Peter’s mom gifted him as a kid. I created a Spotify playlist of all the songs in the Vol. 1 cassette for your listening pleasure down below:

https://open.spotify.com/user/wolfet98/playlist/2dMwOXRvmc3ZrCfaGjuQs6?si=OEPjUcsMSpaXd2jJa7rJYg

I love the way the music was used in the film to add both humor and life to it. It makes this film one of the most genuinely hopeful films of the marvel universe and it even creates a sort of innocent feel to the film. It’s what makes this movie not only funny and adventurous, but beautiful too.

One thing I do want to do is a character appreciation:

For one Yondu:

Yondu is kinda evil, but mostly a cinnamon bun. He’s the tough-lovin’ father Peter never realized he had. He has an image to put up in front of his crew, but inside he truly cares about Peter. I believe he truly doesn’t regret not letting his crew eat Peter as a boy.

Groot:

Sweet sweet Groot. One of my favorite sci-fi characters of all time. My dream is to give this mythical tree a hug. He’s the wettest of all the Guardians, but I believe he is probably the most dangerous. Especially, in one of the final scenes (pictured in the second half of the video below) where he smashes his arm through several people’s bodies and utterly annihilates them then smiles afterwards like he did a good thing (which he did, but it was terrifying as heck).

https://youtu.be/dcc5KWftKeA

THANOS the Inevitable:

Thanos looks kinda like a derp here, but it’s the only time he ever looks like a derp so.. it’s the only time I get to say that. The truth is, I love to hate on Thanos. He destroyed my entire soul in infinity war, so any little thing I can nit pick on him in any of the films I am going to do it. I don’t care how childish that is. Thanos doesn’t have the biggest part to play in Guardians of the Galaxy and I didn’t think much of him the first time I saw this film, but now.. now things have changed.

The Collector:

I almost think this man is the most evil of all the characters in Guardians of the Galaxy (minus Thanos). The way he treats his “servants” is absolutely awful. He sees everything and everyone as an object to add to his collection. The way he spoke to Gamora made my skin crawl. I don’t like this man at all. His only redeeming quality is that he looks cool, but i don’t put much stock in people’s looks, especially when they make me as viscerally sick as he does.

Drax:

I love Drax. He adds the sort of dry humor that really makes me happy deep inside. He’s god awful to Gamora most of the time, but redeems himself by blasting Nebula into another dimension when Nebula stars talking trash to Gamora. Someone so literal about everything can be frustrating to deal with, but he ends up being a true asset to the team so, he has a special place in my heart.

Corpsman Dey:

The true MVP of the film. Corpsman Dey is the Nova corps man who listened to Peter and decided to accept his help. He is also the first person to acknowledge Peter as Star-lord. I have so much respect for this man.

In Conclusion:

I love every aspect of this film. i love the characters, the story, the music, the humor, the fight scenes, everything. To me, this film is perfection from beginning to end. I will always have a deep love for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Thanks for reading! I’ve worked on this post for an inordinate amount of time, but I love this film so its all worth it. James Gunn outdid himself directing this film. It is one of the top films in all of the Marvel Universe. Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below!

-Till next time!

Captain America: The Winter Solider: A Discussion

My Marvel series continues with a discussion on Captain America: The Winter Solider. Which I now appreciate so much more after having watched Endgame and Captain Marvel.

The first time I watched this film I enjoyed it, but I don’t think that I fully understood what was going on. Or rather, I understood, but there was more to it then what I had thought initially. Plus, there was a lot of smaller lines and parts that I appreciated so much more this time around.

What I appreciated both times around was how the movie starts off. The humor of Captain America running laps around Sound with the witty remark of “On your left.” Which was an all around fun scene. Followed by Captain jumping out of an aircraft without a parachute which is just straight up badass.

What I also loved both times was the fight scenes. All the action sequences were entertaining to watch and visually interesting to the eye. Particularly, the fight between Cap, and this martial arts guy that I don’t think was named in the beginning of the film. They do this hand to hand combat with all these jump kicks and flips and it looked so cool!

Other then entertaining fights I also enjoyed the relationship between Black Widow and Cap.

They have this friendship between them that I find to be very sweet. Even in the most inappropriate times black widow tries to get cap to ask out this girl or that girl (which I do find endearing even though his heart belongs to Peggy). Sometimes it’s nice to not force every character to fall in love with each other just because they are a man and a woman in the same environment.

The other relationship I enjoy a lot is the one between Cap and Bucky.

Cap may have fought Bucky a lot in this film, but at the core of himself he doesn’t want to hurt his friend. Cap has this deep set integrity that is rare to find in anyone these days let alone a character and it’s really great to see. He stays true to his values no matter what the circumstances. Cap set his mind that he was going to get through to Bucky and it worked. He didn’t give up on his friend or think he was too far gone to save.

*spoilers for Captain Marvel ahead*

One of my favorite lines in this film comes from Nick Fury who says, “The last time I trusted someone I lost an eye” which is a serious line in the film, but it was funny to me because I realized this:

Was caused by this:

Which made me laugh because the last person he trusted was a cat or really a Flerken named Goose and that feels so fitting to me. It makes me think of Fury’s soft side and I love it!

Another little thing I noticed was a line from this guy:

The shield agent black widow kicked off a roof. He said something about keeping track of persons of interest and he mentioned Steven strange amoung others, which felt like a cool Easter egg to notice of hints for what would be future films in the universe.

*spoilers for Endgame ahead*

The other part that I saw completely differently this time around was the scene where Cap sees Peggy in the current time:

The first time I saw this I was bawling my eyes out. It broke my heart to see what was an unfortunate circumstance tear apart a couple that truly loved each other. It was the one thing about Cap that continuously broke my heart. Yes, he was saving the world, but I had always wished that he could do all that with his best girl by his side.

Little did I know that he does spend a full life with Peggy as is shown in Endgame and it changed this scene completely for me. It no longer caused me to feel heartbroken. Yes, the scene still hurts, but there is a beautiful end to the story. That love won in the end. That that kind of love doesn’t die. They literally had decades of time pass between them with the biggest hurtle imaginable, but they still got their life together and that makes me happy to no end.

But it made me notice something about the lines. In the past tape of Peggy talking when she was young she calls Cap her husband.. something I didn’t notice the first time. Plus, old Peggy has a photo on her bedside with children, but not showing her husband at her side. Which means that Cap is the father to her children and realizing that made me smile from ear to ear.

Rewatching The Winter Solider I realized how much I genuinely care for and enjoy Caps story. He’s one of my favorites of the avengers along with Ant man, Iron man, Hawkeye, and black widow. I love The first avenger with Caps back story the most out of his films, but I have a special place in my heart for The Winter Solider.

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.

-Till next time!

Thor: The Dark World: A Discussion

Welcome back everyone to my Marvel movie series! I’m kicking it back up with a discussion about Thor: The Dark World and I can’t wait to discuss the rest of the films in this super fun and exciting universe.

What I love most about the Thor films is how it feels like it’s in a universe all its own even as it connects back to earth for different parts. Half the time during the film my brain goes into full art appreciation mode and I think “wow.. that’s so cool” approximately every 5 seconds, but I mean.. look at Asgard:

Plus look at the ships and say that doesn’t spark some childlike excitement:

But, what I also loved the most was the brothers working together after Loki being arrested in Thor.

I loved the humor between them and how Loki was proud of Thor for being distrustful of Loki and tricking him a bit for once. But, I also love that no matter how mischievous and evil Loki can be in his heart he is in his own way loyal to his family. Or at least to his mother. But, I would say that he does hold a brotherly love for Thor deep down in that grey green soul of his.

I like each Thor movie more then the last. (I can’t wait to discuss Thor: Ragnorok: A+ film). This go around I noticed a few things in the film I didn’t notice before.

One the green flash surrounding this guard:

Which was a tell tell sign that no Loki wasn’t actually dead (though I doubt anyone really believed he died).

Two professor Erik Selvig says there was a God in his head?

Which after some digging is related to when Loki controlled Erik’s mind with the staff in Thor, but why has no one else ever gotten mad from that? Hawkeye has been controlled and he’s mentally a-ok.. why did it make Erik crazy, but also filled with so much more knowledge then everyone else. It’s a bit of a curiosity for me.

3 this was the beginning of Jane moving on and honestly she deserves someone who can be by her side always and not just sometimes:

Honestly, I never really liked Jane and Thor’s relationship. Yes, they have physical chemistry, but I don’t really see it being much more then that. Yeah it looks great on screen, but there’s none of the balance in the relationship like there is with Tony Stark and Pepper or even Hawkeye and his wife (though we never get too much of their relationship). But, this dinner shows that Jane doesn’t want to be left alone with no explanation anymore, yes Thor has a fantastic reason, but he doesn’t really give Jane anything to work with.. and when you loose all communication in a relationship with no precedence for it the relationship starts to die. It’s hard to be on your own making up a billion stories in your head about how someone else is thinking or feeling when everything could be cleared up with a simple bit of communication in some way. Either way, she doesn’t like feeling left out in the cold and she deserves to have someone whose there for her, just like everyone does.

In general, I really enjoyed this film. The battle scenes were great. I love the humor. Love the brotherly relationship. Love the mix of science and magic. The convergence parts were super cool to look at. The antigravity parts too were super cool. In my nerd brain I brand this movie as cool. It may not be my favorite in the marvelverse, but it’s a fun movie all around.

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.

I wanna know, whose your favorite marvel hero?

-Till next time!

Iron Man 3: A Discussion

I know not everyone agrees with me, but Iron Man 3 is my favorite of the Iron Man films and I won’t apologize for it. It’s a well-balanced, funny yet emotional film that shows no matter what demons you have inside you, you can still be an incredible hero.

I love Iron Man for his wit and for how genuine of a human being he is. His past is checkered and he doesn’t always say or do the right thing, but he tries his best to do what is right for those he loves and also for the world.

This movie starts out with one of the most Tony Stark trade marked quote ever. He says “A famous man once said, “We create our own demons.” Who said that? What does that even mean? Didn’t matter. I said it ’cause he said it. So now, he was famous and it was basically said by two well-known guys.” This feels so classically Tony Stark and I love how it ties in to what he says at the end as well. It shows his arrogance, but also his wit and it sets the tone for what the rest of the movie perfectly.

I love even the little moments like when Tony is arguing with James about Tony’s health and James says ‘I’m not trying to be a Dick-tator.’ switching his word slightly because a little girl is present. Something about the slight jabs and sarcastic humor makes Iron Man one of my favorite marvel heroes. He’s always fun to watch.

In this movie the villains were all of Tony’s making. The ex-lover, The guy he ignored at a party, and his own mental hurtles. It really felt like everyone was someone he needed to fight off himself. Who had a personal vendetta against him. Yes, a lot of it is posed as a villain plotting against the world, but the real motive was to get back at Tony and it made his eventual triumph at the end all the more exciting.

But, what I love most about this film is seeing one of the earths mightiest heroes deal with a demon that so many of us face everyday.. anxiety. The mind is the most powerful force on earth. When Stark has his first major panic attack he thinks he must have some heart or brain injury and his body is perfectly fine. It’s his mind that created the danger and as the movie goes on and he continues battling his mind as well as all of the other demons he created you see someone defeating their demons and coming out on top. That’s a message that so many of us need at some point or another.

Then how deeply it’s connected to Pepper and how much he wants to protect her. That kills me. Because there is only one person on this earth that he has and that’s her and he realized there’s more on the earth to be afraid of then he ever first realized. He’s not sure if he’s strong enough to keep her safe and nothing hits him harder then that.. so he tinkers. He makes things to feel better, but by doing so he looses time just enjoying being with her. Tony may be a jerk at times, but he’s real with Pepper. I think that’s the truest kind of love. The person you can be your truest self with. The person who’s flaws don’t sway you because you can see how hard the other tries in spite of everything. The person who lifts you up and who you lift up. That’s the kind of love you never let pass you by.

Then, Tony gets arrogant again and gives the world his address. That ends in absolute catastrophe as well as Pepper being captured. But, it made for one of the funniest and best relationships in the whole MCU… the relationship between Tony and a kid named Harley. Tony is rather mean to the adorable little kid, but the kid holds his own anyway. Honestly, I think they both irritate and love each other equally. Tony needed Harley and Harley, well, Harley found a father figure. It’s the sweetest thing to watch.

I know a lot of people don’t like this, but I love the mandarin being a fake. I know that it would’ve made for a completely different movie if he wasn’t, but he just played the part so well. Plus, the part where this gets revealed is probably the funniest part of the movie for me. For me, it balances the film out. It put a smile on my face and that’s worth a lot to me. I’m always up for some good comic relief and that’s what the actor behind the mandarin is for me.

As far as the battle scenes go, there was plenty of action. The power set was unique from all the other films and that made the fighting style and overall feel of the fight scenes their own. Then, we have the final battle where Tony calls in all his suits and it creates a busyness that keeps your eyes engaged and gives a sense of urgency to the overall scene.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love Iron Man. I love a good flawed hero. Iron Man is truly human in every sense of the word. In this final solo film of his we get to see him at his very best in spite of everything that mentally wants to bring him down. Iron man is a true hero and I will always have love for his films.

Thanks so much to all of you for reading! I’m back once more and better then ever. Thanks to all of you for sticking with me. I have a lot planned to read, write, and discuss with you all in the future.

-Till next time!

The Avengers: A Discussion

One of the world’s most beloved band of superheroes unites for the first time in The Avengers to make their stand against Loki the God of Mischief.

As always in these films there is some level of in-fighting. This time it’s Hawkeye fighting alongside Loki thanks to the mind control abilities of Loki’s staff. But, also a bit of fighting between black widow and The Hulk. Then of course there was everyone against Loki. Then, everyone against everyone in their battle of wits filled with too much testosterone. I guess in a way there’s nothing more fantastic then the good guys fighting each other and then putting aside the fight in the name of justice. Plus, a lot of their fights between each other can be pretty funny so it’s fun in that way too.

But hands down one of my absolute favorite scenes to ever grace a Marvel film ever is the one where the Hulk smashes the crap out of Loki. When I first saw this scene I was in tears of laughter. I love it.

Watch it for yourself here:

https://youtu.be/31ZjnrHR8EA

It is pure gold.

What I find to be interesting about The Avengers is that you can split it up into parts. The beginning where all the main players are gathered up on the ship. A very long middle part where they are on the ship and fighting mostly with their conversation until they finally do battle on the ship. Then, the battle where the heroes all come together in New York where Loki summons these Alien things that are apparently called Chitauri. I know this is a little bit picky, but I felt those two beginning parts where a little slow. It’s what makes this film not quite make it on my favorites list of all the marvel films, but still it does have great humor and one of my favorite scenes ever so.. take that as you will.

But, for sure my favorite parts of the film were the battles. Especially the final one. It’s where the heroes themselves finally believe that working together is actually possible and they do work together seamlessly. Captain America comes into his own and leads the entire thing. The Hulk kinda excepts himself and uses his power to his full potential. Hawkeye and black widow fight with their typical badassery. Iron Man sacrifices himself (again). Thor uses his lightning to an amazing affect. Together they realize that they do make quite the team.

There was something so beautifully cinematic about that last New York battle where they fought the threat and still did their best to protect the people who were there and afraid. Then the way they added the newscast to the film at the end where people shared their gratitude, but also their fears and it felt very true to life if superheroes were real in society today.

All in all, the original Avengers film sets up the team of a lifetime. It sets the tone of humor and interaction that we see again and again in later films. It’s the beginning of the greatness that shines brightly in the later films of the franchise. This film is fun, witty, and a great ride. I enjoyed watching it immensely!

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.

-Till next time!

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse: A Review

Once more I’m back to blogging and this time I interrupt the Marvel movie discussions to talk about another marvel film albeit of a different universe. I got to see this film today and my God did I love it.

I wasn’t expecting to feel so into this film, but from the very beginning I adored it! I loved the fact that they brought the Peter Parker we all know and love and brought back memories of those original spider-man films that brought me and many others into the superhero universe all those years ago.

If there was ever a film that made me want to get into reading comic books it is this one. If only to get to know the universe of the other Spider-Man characters that appear in this film more intimately.

I’m trying so hard to make this spoiler free, but I have too much to say and I want to express myself freely so that’s what I’m going to do. So alert to everyone there will be spoilers below!

Ok so, back to the beginning. Being re-introduced to the original spider-man we know and love, then having him die almost immediately and then introducing a different older and a bit thicker Peter Parker just from the get go was awesome. It played with my emotions immediately and I started bonding with all the characters as they appeared immediately.

But, the character I loved the most was definitely Miles.

Miles is love-able from the get-go. He’s smart, artistic, a bit clumsy, and anyone whose ever gone to high school or any school at all knows the feeling of the entire school putting their attention on you when something unfortunately embarrassing happens. His relationship with his dad is sweet and slightly up and down, but ultimately the love is there and that is really cool to see. What I also loved is him singing along to Sunflower with his headphones on kinda off-key, but you can tell how much he loves the song and that makes the moment super endearing.

Also, I need to say the art of the animation in this film is STUNNING! I was in awe of the mix of styles and how modern yet unique, but also full of nods to the typical comic style. The colors were stunning and the interdenominational moments had the most amazing sort of pixelated details. Some moments I was staring at the screen just thinking ‘wow’ because that’s how beautiful the imagery was.

But the moment where I came to fall in love with the art of the film completely is when all of our heroes finally made themselves known:

Each character is so unique in style and having them all represented in the same space was stunning in an almost odd way. Especially with spider-ham and Peni-Parker. Seeing the striking anime style along with the older cartoonish style of spider-ham was incredible! I wish I had better words for it, but that’s what it was.

Then there’s this detail that someone on Pinterest put into words beautifully about how Peter Parker put himself together before returning to the love of his life:

I also haven’t even touched Miles relationship with his uncle. Which I also loved. Despite his uncle being one of the bad guys, there was a sweetness in their relationship. At the very end before his uncle gets killed he shows that family was always the most important thing. That’s an awesome quality for a ‘villain’ to have. A lot of times a villain will betray family in a moment like that, but not in this film and it made him getting shot all the more painful to watch.

Also, seeing as many villains in the film as heroes was awesome as well. Kingpin, Tombstone, Scorpion, Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and Prowler (Mile’s uncle). All of them together making the various fight scenes incredibly dynamic. Seeing different fighting styles and weapons kept the movie engaging and made the stakes feel much more elevated.

I also loved the mirroring of Miles learning to use his powers and Peter learning to use his originally. The similarities gave me a lot of nostalgia and I really appreciated that.

I don’t know. There were so many minute details and fun dialogues in this film that made me laugh and then made me feel sad and hopeful at the same time. Plus the music in the film was also incredible throughout! I love the Into the Spider-verse soundtrack and I highly recommend everyone to give it a listen. All in all, this film made me happy and it put a smile on my face. It was incredibly well made and I can’t wait for the universe to continue building in the near future!

Also, this post couldn’t be complete without bringing up the beautiful end-quote from the beloved Stan Lee.

And this final thank you:

“Thank You. Stan Lee & Steve Ditko. For telling us we aren’t the only ones.”

After watching this film I feel rejuvenated, peaceful, and delightfully happy. I can’t wait to rewatch this someday. Into the Spiderverse was a complete knockout of a film.

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts down in the comments below.

-Till next time!