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Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Avengers: Infinity War holds a unique place in my cinematic adventures. Infinity War is a unicorn, a film that I have seen more than once in the movie theater. Admittedly, the second screening was a bit under duress although it did manage to clear up a few plot points and details. But overall it did not do much to sway my opinion.

Of course I have put it rather late to post my reaction to the film, but I think that it is still a worthwhile exercise that will serve to help me for whenever Avengers 4 comes out. And – YES – I know that the official title has been released along with a few other spoilers, but I figure it is best to leave well enough alone 🙂

Due to my delay, I will keep my recap to subheadings and short list items …

Avengers: Infinity War

Overall Thoughts on Avengers: Infinity War

  • I liked it. Personally I think that the Russo Brothers did a good job in gathering all of these characters and their uniquely crafted standalone stories into one cohesive story. As a person who has seen most (but not all) of the films in the MCU, I think that is a big win.
  • I know some are critical of the lack of full continuity with the most recent MCU entries (Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther). For me, any incongruities are inconsequential since I expected as much – within reason. In my opinion, it is a credit to Marvel and Disney that they give each artist some leeway in how they tell the story, as long as the “big stuff” remains fairly consistent. A little ‘retconning’ it is okay with me.

Things that Worked in Avengers: Infinity War

  • Chris Hemsworth’s Performance. This turned out to be a pleasant surprise. His arc as Thor really ran the gambit of emotions – from the lighthearted comedy to the semi-defeated warrior who is at the end of his rope with nothing left to lose. That is quite a range to pull off in the same film and he did the thing!
  • Bring on the Theories! Because of where we leave the story, there are lots of unanswered questions – we know things cannot end or move “forward” in their present state. Over the past several weeks since seeing Infinity War, it has been fun, if not frustrating at times, to discuss what it all means.
  • A Feeling of Stakes and Consequences. The impending sense of peril and loss were quite pronounced throughout the film. It was clear that for our heroes, not only was the fate of the universe a big deal, but the personal stakes also weighed heavily in motivating their (in)actions.

Things that Did Not Work (as Well as They Should Have)

  • Post Credits Clip. This one has bugged me more than many others in the past. It was a direct reference to a character that I have never seen. And without any in depth knowledge of the machinations of the MCU, left me a bit perplexed.
  • Thanos. He just annoyed me. To the creators of Infinity War, I guess ‘mission accomplished.’ After all, the point of creating a villain is to get your audience to generally loathe them. Full marks on that account! As a baddie, Thanos comes off more like a petulant man-child wanting his own way more than anything.
  • Just Say No (to 3D). This does not have anything to do with the film itself, but it is worth noting. Having seen Infinity War in both cinematic dimensions, I do not think anything is ultimately lost in seeing this in 2D. The only loss I suffered was in my wallet after shelling out the extra cash for the additional ‘D’.

So that’s it. I enjoyed Avengers: Infinity War and look forward to seeing how events will unfold come May 3, 2019 (subject to change).

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Some Thoughts on Ant-Man (2015)

In its second week of release, Ant-Man just did edge out Adam Sandler’s Pixel to obtain the weekend box office crown. Good stuff.

Although I saw it over a week ago, it is only now that I am sharing a few thoughts on the film.

First for the good news:

Overall, I liked the film. For someone whose expectations have constantly been tempered and well documented as it concerns superhero films, Ant-Man brought a level of cinematic satisfaction for me. It is a film that takes the unlikeliest of scenarios (yes, even for a comic book hero) and makes it enjoyable, fun and worthy of a few chuckles. It also benefits immensely from having a central cast who give very solid performances, notably Michael Douglas as the “original” Ant-Man, Hank Pym. And oh yeah – Paul Rudd as ex-con come superhero Scott Lang – is always a pleasure to watch.

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 It’s a matter of scale … Once I found out more about the background of this lesser-known Marvel superhero; one thing I was curious about was how the effects would look on screen. Sure, it is a film with some money behind it (albeit a relatively ‘modest’ budget of $130 million), but as a point of comparison, during moments of the earlier Marvel summer mega-release Age of Ultron, I felt a bit of CGI overload. Not so much here. Maybe because of the scaling down, the film felt like a more immersive experience. Note: I did not see the Ant-Man in 3D, although I can imagine how cool some of the set pieces would look coming right at you!

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As you know, with every point of light, there is a ‘dark’ side; here are a couple of less positive observations I made in the aftermath of viewing Ant-Man:

Diversity at a cost? Sure on the surface, one looks at the players and go, “Wow — what a diverse cast.” But there seems to be a fine line with respect to caricatured stereotypes. Of course, when you have a set of secondary characters (sidekicks of a sort), there runs the risk that they will not be fully drawn out and you are headed down the road to Tropesville. In fact, the argument can be also made that Darren Cross (Yellowjacket) is also a cardboard cutout villain, replete with the trademark bald head. But ultimately I leave that for you, the viewer, to make of it what you will.

The ghosts of creators past. As I watched the film, I am afraid I found myself guilty of recalling thoughts of Ant-Man’s intriguing production history and subsequently playing the game of Who Wrote that Bit?. With a story by Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish, the screenplay clearly includes some of Wright and Cornish’s dialogue, no doubt with “additional contributions” by Rudd and Adam McKay (probably added once Wright and Cornish left the project; also worth noting Peyton Reed took over directorial responsibilities as a result). For more details on this matter, I refer you to Superhero Movie Talk’s discussion on the topic from April. Needless to say, at times I was taken out of the story as I tried to calibrate all of this in real time.

But in the end, credit where it is due, because in spite of these ‘issues,’ as I previously mentioned, Ant-Man fit the bill for a requisite summer entertainment at the multiplex.556cccf19f438

 

Stills credit: Marvel.com

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