Movie Review: Marvel Studios' Avengers: #InfinityWar

Avengers: Infinity War
Release Date: April 27 2018
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writers: Christopher Markus (screenplay), Stephen McFeely (screenplay), Stan Lee (Marvel comics), Jack Kirby (comics)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Idris Elba, Danai Gurira, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Sean Gunn, William Hurt, Letitia Wright, Ross Marquand
Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, language and some crude references.
Offical Sites: Marvel | Web | Facebook | Twitter | IMDb

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

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The day has finally arrived after waiting for so long for this Epic film. Avengers: Infinity War is out in the universe for everyone to see, and from the tickets sales, I believe everyone did this weekend. I know I'm ready to go see it again. I'm sure many are still processing everything, like I am. So how does one review such a film? I'm not sure, who knows what this review will become. Just know that I will stay spoiler free (I hope). What ever I do mention, happens previous to Avengers: Infinity War.

So much to talk about in this film, but very little can actually be said without giving away major spoilers. I will say, you have to make sure you see all previous films (including Black Panther) before seeing Avengers: Infinity War, if you haven't yet. So we know we left off that the Avengers had broken apart (Captain America: Civil War). Captain America and Iron Man, were not in speaking terms after their major fight. Thor was dealing with the destruction of Asgard (Thor: Ragnarok), Spider-man was sent back to just being a local hero by Tony Stark (Spider-Man: Homecoming), T'Challa goes home to Wakanda (Black Panther), Guardians are out there doing their thing, etc...

So we know that Avengers: Infinity War is set around 4 years after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 happen (Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said). We knew Thanos was coming, but we did not anticipate how they would introduce Thanos in Infinity War. Talk about ripping the band-aid off, the opening scene is brutal and we are introduced to how evil Thanos is. And the thing is while your trying to process those first scenes, your immediately thrown into something just as gut-wrenching as the beginning. The death count begins right away and I won't sugar coat it, they continue throughout the film. They are all hard to watch but some leave you confused and angry, while others you will cry.

Thanos has begun his plan to obtain all the Infinity stones, some are located on Earth, and others in the galaxy. His goal is to wipe out half of universe with the stones. I will say that the scenes for the Soul Stone and Mind Stone were the hardest to watch compared to the other stones. The whole ordeal of obtaining the stones is just hard to process, Thanos will stop at nothing to acquire them.

This movie is so condensed with moments, places and people, so its hard to sum up in a couple of paragraphs. It's heartbreaking but has its funny moments, and I mean, laugh out loud funny. The action in Wakanda is fantastic. You experience so many emotions,  but I have to say the gut-wrenching kind happens more often than others. I really don't want to say anymore, because I feel it would spoil the movie. If you haven't been out to a theater yet, then hurry up and make it happen. Oh, make sure to stay for the after-credit scene. Its literally at the end, so you have to sit and wait.

Movie Review: Marvel's Captain America: Civil War

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Captain America: Civil War
Release Date: May 6, 2016
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writers: Christopher Markus (screenplay), Stephen McFeely, (screenplay), Mark Millar (comic book), Joe Simon (characters), Jack Kirby (characters)
Starring: Chris Evans, Robery Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 147 minutes
Official Socials: Web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

After another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps, one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark's surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.

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On Thursday, April 14, me and 300 or so movie nerds packed into an auditorium to be the first super fans to see a screening of Captain America : Civil War, and I have been dying to tell everyone about it since! Don't worry. I will not spoil anything. Everyone should get to enjoy the film as I did, spoiler-free. 

It's a must-see, action-packed, movie. I loved it! Go see it when it opens. Now, to be fair, I would tell everyone to go see it even if I didn't love it because this film is an important cog in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you're at all invested in the MCU, like I am, you have to keep watching all of the films. 

The Captain American films in the MCU have not been my favorite. To me, The First Avenger was one of my least favorite Marvel movies and The Winter Soldier, while better, still isn't one of my faves. Captain America : Civil War is the best Captain America movie and a great addition to the MCU. It wasn't perfect, but still very good. 

I loved the cast. I'm not going to tell anyone which Avengers are in it, in case someone doesn't know, but it's a lot.  All of the favorites are back, in all of their glory, and a few new characters are added. It was super-hero galore!  The introduction of the new heroes worked better for one of the new heroes than the other.  A minor imperfection. Just as an example, when one of the new characters appeared on-screen, the audience cheered audibly. For the introduction of the other new character, no cheers. I don't think that either of the characters was disliked or un-welcomed, I think that one of them needed a bit more explanation.  I'm sure that the fact the I needed more background on one of the new characters means that there will be a new movie with a new origin story, and that isn't a bad thing. 

The script was great. Captain America movies tend to have the best dialogue, and this film is no exception.  It's all there.  There are some great heart to heart conversations and funny one-liners. It is all made more impressive by sheer number of Avengers in this movie. The fans, the MCU diehards, were going to know if someone spoke out of character. Thankfully, there was none of that. 

The plot kept me entertained. This installment is a sequel to both The Winter Soldier and Avengers : Age of Ultron.  It even ties back to Steve Roger's WWII days. It all works seamlessly.  The story has the right amount of history and the right amount of future.  I had a tiny issue with War Machine's story, but that maybe because I have never cared about War Machine.  To me, War Machine is just an unpainted, lesser version, of Iron Man with none of the personality. The movie is two and a half hours in duration. If War Machine's story was cut down, the movie wouldn't have to be so long. 

Nevertheless, by the end of this adventure, there is a definite end to some story arcs and a definite path to future story arcs. The future for the MCU looks good.  I will probably see this again when it opens. Don't forget to stay for the credits. See Captain America : Civil War when it opens on May 6.

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Movie Review: Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Release Day: May 1st 2015
Director: Joss Whedon
Writers: Joss Whelon, Stan Lee (comic book), Jack Kirby (comic book)
Main Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and for some suggestive comments.
Genres: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller


Official Sites: Web | Facebook | Twitter | IMDb

Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

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Avengers : Age of Ultron is the newest superhero movie in the Marvel world of movies based on comic books. The film brings back returning favorites Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye and Anthony Mackie as Falcon. To the favorites, this film adds Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlett Witch and Paul Bettany as The Vision. Oh yes, and Don Cheadle is in the film as War Machine. I think that is everyone. The film is chock-full of superheros. Everyone is bound to find a favorite. How many superheros is that? Did anyone keep count? Eleven. If you’re thinking that’s a lot of Avengers, it is, but in this newest installment, they must all work together to defeat a villain intending to annihilate the human race into extinction. James Spader plays the voice of this film’s baddie, Ultron.

Avengers : Age of Ultron is a lot of fun and visually exciting. If you’ve seen any of the movies in the Marvel cinematic universe, you HAVE to see this. The films each build on each other and there are a lot more of these films slated for the future. To miss this edition would be to miss a key part of the superhero saga. I think that as they go on, the director, Joss Whedon, is amping-up his game to keep the audience interested. This latest edition certainly lives up to the hype. Go see it as soon as you’re done with this review. If you wait, someone who has seen it will surely spoil some of the film’s gems for you. I don’t want to spoil any of the movie, so I am going to keep this brief.

The humor is witty and smart. It’s everywhere. It challenges the audience to really pay attention to the little details. One of the funniest moments is brought on by a glance from one of the Avengers. I appreciated that. If you look away from the screen to take a sip of your movie beverage, everyone else will laugh and you won’t know what happens. So stay alert. Also, be alert for Stan Lee’s cameo. I appreciate when the audience has to work to find him.

The action is so much fun. I love when the Avengers take their defensive-stance in a circle. You know the action that follows is going to amazing when the Avengers stand like that. My kids were regularly throwing fist pumps in the air out of excitement. I saw this film in 3D. It was fun in 3D, but I don’t think that you have to pay the up charge to enjoy the film. So keep that in mind.

This film is unique in that it offers arcs into the minds of many of the Avengers. Think mini movies. I was especially interested in Black Widow’s mini movie because it offers portions of her origin story. Thor’s arc is also great.

The only thing that really bothered me about the film was the opening scene. Something was off in the visual effects. Thor looked like a cartoon for a second. No complaints about anything else. So, go see it. Take the family. The action is mild enough for people of all ages. Thanks to Captain America, the Avengers are even watching their language. I am sure that you won’t be disappointed. But don’t take my word for it, See Avengers : Age of Ultron for yourself in theaters now.

* Don’t forget, when the credits start to roll, stay in your seat or you’ll miss it… What will you miss? Stay in your seat if you want to be in the know.

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