Vin Diesel

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Director:

Anthony Russo

Joe Russo

Writers:

Christopher Markus

Stephen McFeely

Starring:

Robert Downey Jr.

Chris Hemsworth

Chris Evans

Chris Pratt

Mark Ruffalo

Don Cheadle

Benedict Cumberbatch

Tom Holland

Chadwick Boseman

Tom Hiddleston

Anthony Mackie

Sebastian Stan

Bradley Cooper

Paul Bettany

Vin Diesel

Scarlett Johansson

Zoe Saldana

Karen Gillan

Elizabeth Olsen

Danai Gurira

Pom Klementieff

Letita Wright

Gwyneth Paltrow

Plot:

The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

Review:

Thor, Chris Hemsworth, and the Asgardians that escaped from Hela have been decimated by Thanos, Josh Brolin. Well, half of them, I’m going to assume Valkyrie got away with the other half because she’s not seen in the movie. Thanos beats the shit out of The Hulk, Mark Ruffalo, and for what might be the first time The Hulk gets scared and for the rest of the movie refuses to come out which puts our heroes at a disadvantage. Bruce may be smart, but they needed brawn more than another brain.

Tony, Robert Downey Jr., is settling into life, still not really facing his fears, but wanting to make a commitment to Pepper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and become a family man. I feel like I think he’s got certain issues, but he believes he has other ones entirely, and that’s why I never get to see any movement on his PTSD and anxiety. Seeing him and Doctor Strange, Benedict Cumberbatch, interact was one of the highlights of the movie. I also really enjoyed how each group or individual still had their own style. It was very clear when you were with Strange or the Guardians or the others, which I appreciated.

Star Lord, Chris Pratt, is the real fuck up of this movie. Everyone else is heroic, but he decided to lean more toward his roguish nature. He reacted entirely in character, which is annoying, cause everyone else rose to new heights with this challenge, but he was an ass and ruined everything.

Is Thor the mightiest Avenger now? I think there’s got to be a strong case for him. The Hulk is hiding inside Banner and Thor withstood the power of a dying star, after surviving floating in space for an undetermined amount of time. He’s grieving but still did what was necessary, plus he’s a cross between an angel and a pirate, I’d read that romance novel.

The final battle takes place in Wakanda, but Black Panther and his crew probably have the least amount of screen time, with maybe Cap and his people coming in next. There are a TON of people in this movie so it’s not entirely unexpected but I’m hoping that they all have more of a part to play in Endgame.

So many people are “dead” but you don’t see a lot of them actually disappear on screen so who exactly is gone isn’t quite clear. I believe the directors may have confirmed a few people, but I refuse to believe that Loki, Tom Hiddleston, is actually dead. He’s died too many times and he had to know what Thanos was going to do, he’s alive somewhere in the universe.

This movie felt more inspired by the older movies, so some of the things I’ve loved in the last few movies weren’t here. Thor was still awesome, but apart from Gamora, Zoe Saldana, and Scarlett Witch, Elizabeth Olsen, the female representation was light. Scarlett Witch and Vision, Paul Bettany, and their relationship felt really weird, in my opinion. I’m assuming it was something in the comics. I guess it was teased in Civil War, but it came off as more Vision being kind of creepy and Scarlett Witch being polite about it in that movie. I don’t know, they’re probably my least favorite characters, so while their story plays a key part to the movie it’s my least favorite. It doesn’t help that this is the most we’ve ever really spent with them so there hasn’t been as much buildup.

The end credit scene is nothing but hype for me, especially after watching Captain Marvel. Seeing Fury, Samuel L. Jackson, and Maria Hill, Cobie Smulders, again was just so exciting!

Infinity War is technically a complete story, but not really. We all know there is no way all of those heroes are staying dead and that Thanos is going to win. It just can’t/won’t happen. It is basically a two part story with an excellent first part, but what happens in Endgame is going to make a huge impact on it and could completely change my opinion of Infinity War. We’ll just have to see what happens.

Original Review

4/5

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Director:

James Gunn

Writer:

James Gunn

Dan Abnett

Starring:

Chris Pratt

Zoe Saldana

Dave Bautista

Vin Diesel

Bradley Cooper

Michael Rooker

Karen Gillan

Pom Klementieff

Kurt Russell

Plot:

The Guardians struggle to keep together as a team while dealing with their personal family issues, notably Star-Lord’s encounter with his father the ambitious celestial being Ego.

Review:

We find the Guardians of the Galaxy fighting a giant alien as hired mercenaries for a race of snooty gold people. Rocket, Bradley Cooper, steals something he shouldn’t because he’s seemingly testing the boundaries and strength of his new relationships. Things don’t go well for the Guardians, but it’s okay Star Lord’s, Chris Pratt, father shows up and saves the day.

Yeah, so apparently Star Lord’s father, Kurt Russell, is an immortal planet, or something. He has spread his seed far and wide in the hopes of creating a prodigy that can help him destroy the universe, well create it in his own image.

Each of his children have failed, but when he learns Star Lord has held an infinity stone and lived he has hope. Unfortunately for him, being a being alive for millennia, he doesn’t understand that killing your child’s loving mother is like the worst thing you can do.

This movie was about Star Lord and Rocket’s stories. There were some dashes of Gamora, Zoe Saldana, and Nebula, Karen Gillan, they started to work out their issues, but probably not. We also got little doses of the odd relationship between Drax, Dave Bautista, and Mantis, Pom Klementieff. For the most part, though, it was Star Lord. We saw more of his backstory, more of his family, and the ending was mostly about him as well. The movie is called Guardians of the Galaxy, it would have been nice if it had more of an ensemble feel, like Avengers. Star Lord had 11 more minutes of screen time than the next person, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but even when he was not on the screen a fair amount of the story revolved around him.

Part of why I enjoyed the first movie was the other characters and by far my favorite parts of this movie had almost nothing to do with Star Lord. Basically, anything with Groot and Rocket was awesome. I really liked Gamora and Nebula working on their shit too. The weakest part of the story, in my opinion, was Star Lord’s.

Overall, I’m not sure what impact this movie had on the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe. We now have Mantis, who plays her part with trying to distract Thanos in Infinity War. There are some allusions to a future Guardians plot, but no idea if that will impact anyone else.

The movie was a step down from the original. Oddly enough, I loved it on my first viewing. So what’s changed? Is it because I watched it so closely to the first? Is it because this is the first time I’ve watched it since Black Panther, Thor Ragnarok, and Captain Marvel? I don’t know. I still enjoyed the humor at least.

Original Review

3/5

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Director:

James Gunn

Starring:

Chris Pratt

Vin Diesel

Bradley Cooper

Zoe Saldana

Dave Bautista

Lee Pace

Karen Gillan

Plot:

A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.

Review:

Peter Quill aka Star Lord, Chris Pratt, has a mother that loves him and apparently inspires a lot of love in those around her. When she dies, leaving behind a young, scared boy, he runs out of the hospital and is promptly abducted by aliens. Twenty years pass and we find Peter dancing and singing with a Sony Walkman that has somehow survived two decades while scavenging for a orb to sell.

Meanwhile, Gamora, Zoe Saldana, finally sees a chance to escape from the man that killed her parents and raised her to be a deadly assassin. The two meet while also running into bounty hunters Rocket, Bradley Cooper, and Groot, Vin Diesel. A somewhat unlikely crew is formed and further cemented when they are joined by Drax the Destroyer.

The group wind up learning exactly where their line is. They’re thieves, killers, not exactly the best of the universe, but even they won’t stand by and let someone destroy a planet.

Marvel movies have always had a shade of humor in them, but Guardians of the Galaxy adds more than usual. There are quips and one liners as well as gags and it makes what could easily be a dark movie significantly lighter. Which, again, is common with Marvel movies, but they take it a step further without taking away from the seriousness of the story.

The music in Marvel movies is mostly forgettable, in my opinion. You’ve got what Tony decides to blare, but the background music, besides the theme, is generally unobtrusive and forgettable. It sets the tone well, so does it’s job, but that’s about it. With Guardians of the Galaxy music played a much bigger role. Peter’s mixtape is filled with classic hits and is basically another character. This sets the stage for how music is used in the following movies, especially Guardians of the Galaxy 2, but also Captain Marvel.

Gamora and Nebula, Karen Gillan, were some of the most interesting characters of the movie, though, they contributed very little to the comedy side of things. Both were abducted and raised my Thanos so they have not had the best life experiences. Like Thor and Loki, though, they’ve reacted in different ways. Nebula seems to blame Gamora for the fact that her father prefers her. Gamora just wants to be free.

Drax with his inability to understand sarcasm and metaphor is freaking hilarious and a character you don’t see often. Rocket and Groot are wonderful together and alone and easily two of my favorite Marvel characters.

If I had to live anywhere in the Marvel universe I’d pick Xandar, though, I think Thanos ends up destroying it, so…bummer.

Guardians of the Galaxy is a nice change of pace from the mainline Marvel movies. It is still connected, but it’s so different that it shakes things up nicely and provides a needed break from the usual superhero movies.

4/5

Furious 7 (2015)

Furious 7 (2015)

Director:

James Wan

Starring:

Vin Diesel

Paul Walker

Dwayne Johnson

Plot:

Deckard Shaw seeks revenge against Dominic Toretto and his family for his comatose brother.

Review:

I’ve seen all the Fast and Furious movies, but I’m not really a fan of them. They’re merely okay at their best, in my opinion. Furious 7 was no different.

The best part was when the Rock flexed and his cast burst off, that was pretty awesome. The rest of the movie was just eh. The action scenes are poorly shot so they could be good but you’d never know. There were also scenes where the camera was rotated and I assume I was supposed to think that was cool but it was just stupid. Since I’m not emotionally invested in any of the characters the parts where they were all being introspective were just boring. Which is just about my view of the whole movie.

I am excited about the idea of a Rock+ Jason Statham spin off.

2/5

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

guardians of the galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Director:

James Gunn

Starring:

Chris Pratt

Vin Diesel

Bradley Cooper

Zoe Saldana

Dave Bautista

Lee Pace

Karen Gillan

Plot:

Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted, Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.

Review:

I am so glad I got to see this movie in theaters. It is AMAZING! Holy cow, I’m just going to come out and say it, this is the best Marvel movie. I know. Crazy! Who would have thought that a movie that has almost nothing to do with the main Marvel story would be the best, but it is.

Chris Pratt played the leader of the bunch, Starlord, but only kind of. Rocket, Bradley Cooper, was the brains and Bautista and Saldana were the muscle. Starlord was the glue that kept them together and it worked.

My husband, having seen Bautista perform in the WWE, wasn’t sure about his casting, but because of the alien race they made him it was perfect. In fact he provided some of the funniest moments in the movie. When he’s laughing like crazy while everyone else is afraid for their lives it’s hilarious.

I really liked how they played the villains. I liked the fact that after the hulking mass of Dax, Bautista, couldn’t defeat Ronan, Lee Pace, they didn’t even try to have Starlord take him on physically. I liked the fact that Nebula, Karen Gillan, didn’t die and you know she’s coming back. Ronan came off as a complete fanatic and the fact that he wasn’t easily killed was perfect.

The only part of this movie I didn’t like was the end scene after the credits. It didn’t give us anything about what’s to come. Unless they’ll be doing a Howard the Duck movie and I doubt that’s happening any time soon.

I can’t wait for this movie to come out on Blu-ray because it is a day one purchase.

5/5

 

“… pelvic sorcery.”