The last Phase and then finally we all have been waiting for the #Endgame! This Phase is a lot bigger than the last two. There's a total of ten in this phase including Infinity War and Endgame; the first two only had six. I'm tempted to just say that Infinity War and Endgame count as the 'epilogue' phase or something. Regardless, let's get started with my thoughts on the final chapter of the First Ten Years of the #MCU.
Phase Three starts out with the underlying theme of a disassembled Avengers. Finally the years of the heroes' heroic acts have taken its toll on the world--basically not everyone saw them as heroes and the events in this movie really set it off when Scarlet Witch fumbled in the battlefield. General Ross gave the team conditions, some fell in line, others didn't. Captain America and Iron Man really fell on the opposite sides; also, this is truly a finality to the Winter Soldier story. While the title of the third Captain America film has the underlying statement of "Civil War", it's not as close to the comic book as one would want/or not want. It definitely has some hero vs hero premise going on. It's got a lot of that and some very good action sequences too. This was definitely a tease to what we would see in Infinity War and Endgame! As a side note, this movie introduces us to two new characters: Black Panther and Spider-Man, both who eventually get their own movies within the #MCU.
While it's a big and competent movie, it does have some issues, especially with Zemo's plans. It's a bit murky and depends a lot on chances. But make no mistake, despite how grand the cast is, no matter how big the story is outside the Avengers, this movie still focused on Captain America, his trials and tribulations, along with the heartbreaking moment of the two friends splitting off because of their different ideals.
Post Credit: Continuation to Spider-Boy's story. Meh. Oh and Bucky Barnes in Wakanda.
Grade: A-
Much like Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy, Dr. Strange is #MCU's next possible hurdle. Sure extraterrestrial and highly advanced technology isn't grounded by any means, but seriously, magic? Plain mystic arts magic. Not to mention we are saying "Sorcerer Supreme" in a cinema! Though Marvel has something going for them at this point of its time: they have credibility. They made Thor respectable. They made a bunch of D-lists characters become the Guardians of the Galaxy that most can relate to. Captain America and Iron Man are household names. So mystic arts, magical talismans, and godly fiends like Dormammu is just another page that fits in Marvel Studios' book. So what became of Dr. Strange? I think one of Dr. Strange's biggest fallback is the fact that it is an origin movie--something that kind of falls short with how grand Marvel has become at this point of time. But that's a small complaint considering that it has a lot of spectacles going for it, adequate world building, and the magnificent performance of Benedict Cuberbatch and Tilda Swinton. This movie as a whole for the Infinity Saga does hold weight since it introduces the Time Stone. Overall it was a pleasant experience.
Post Credit: There are two and they both hold some significance. The first one is a scene from Thor Ragnarok--I wonder what was going on with the gloves that Dr. Strange was wearing? I mean, I know it's true to the comic books but he didn't wear it again. The second post credit is a glimpse on what Baron Mordo is up to and how this will play for the sequel of Dr. Strange.
Grade: B-
The inevitable sequel and more hilarious adventures from the ragtag group known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. This movie did not lose any of the flavor that the first one started--as a matter of fact, it only continued the beauty of it. What stories were left dangling, Volume 2 really built up on it and then some. This, out of all the other sequels really built on the stories of the core Guardians and didn't so much worry about world building--they didn't have to right now since Guardians Vol. 1 did a lot of it. This was about the characters and their progress. This was about their hardships, their personalities, and an unexpected connection between Yondu and Rocket. The action was great. Ego was fantastic. The comedy was on par like the first. They even made someone like Mantis funny as all hell. Having rewatched this the second time around made me really appreciate it more than I did the first time!
Post Credit: Adam. A little late for the Infinity Saga but I want to see what they do with. Oh, the special bonus "Guardian's Inferno" is a must!
Grade: A
I really wish I can skip talking about this movie. I wish the nerd in me allowed me to skip watching this movie again but alas, I had to. His introduction in Civil War had a lot of fans going haywire for love but not me. Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man may have had some issues but at least it was SPIDER-MAN and not SPIDER-BOY. Tom Holland's Spider-Man can't stand on its own leg without the Avengers--without Iron Man. his Spider-Suit is freaking an Iron Man suit! It has an AI! The casts are all wrong and Peter Parker is such a wimp! Spider-Boy may give Tony Stark another layer in his character but in the grand scheme of things, this was the character that I feel the #MCU really mishandled--they wanted to make sure that the fans knew that this Spider-Man(boy) is Marvel Studios branded and far away from McGuire and Garfield version. Oh, Michael Keaton was great. Everything else in this movie was horrible.
Post Credit: Scorpion and Vulture. I wouldn't care if Michael Keaton wasn't so damn good.
Grade: F
For a lot of fans, Thor: Darkworld was the lowest the #MCU got. I personally disagree but there was some truth to say that Thor needed a change if he was going to last in the bigger universe of Marvel; enter Thor: Ragnarok, the 3rd installment of the Thor movies. What they really did with Thor in this movie pushed him towards the comedic side of things. And honestly, it worked. This was the biggest and most successful Thor thus far and while I have qualms with a few things that was done in this movie (the Warriors 3 being throw away characters, the story of Planet Hulk condensed, Thor's too much out-of-character and too wimpy persona), I do adore the overall work that was done. I love Hela and I wish she was somehow connected to Thanos as the Mistress of Death in some way. Oh well. Very enjoyable and it leads directly to Infinity War.
Post Credit Scene: There are two and one literally leads to Infinity War as I mentioned. A giant ship looms over The Asgardian's ship and we all know it's Thanos and the Black Order. Then the second one is just a comedy relief with the Grandmaster.
Grade: B+
Then there was this hit of a movie that not a lot of people thought would do what it ended up doing. After his presence in Civil War was well received (though, at times, overshadowed with how many characters were in the screen), people flocked to see what he had to offer in his own story. Not an entirely origin story so that's a plus; it acted more as a refocusing on his story, building the world of Wakanda, and obviously it was giving the character some depth considering we only knew the basics (though the vital ones) about T'Challa in Civil War. While we have been treated with what Marvel sees as the Cosmic world, Black Panther brings us back to Earth, to a place where technology overshadows even Stark's (in some ways, in more ways). We get a good villain that is actually easy to relate to, and obviously we are given a glimpse of the next person who is going to play a vital role in the incoming Infinity War! Not my favorite Marvel movie, that's for sure, but it's definitely good.
Post Credit: Bucky Barnes ends up in Wakanda after Civil War and he is shown finally awake.
Grade: B
((WILL BE SKIPPING INFINITY WAR FOR NOW. WILL DO AN INFINITY WAR "THOUGHTS" SEPERATELY"))
I just recently found out from a few vloggers that Ant-Man and the Wasp is one of #MCU's worse? I don't know if I can agree to that. Sure, after Infinity War it seems that the stakes isn't up there, as in, it's not universe collapsing or anything, but it does serve to continue Scott Lang's story. Also, it has a key element that will end up being used in #Endgame. While Ghost isn't exactly the best villainess that we have seen, nor is the revival of Janet something I wanted to see, I do feel as if Evangeline Lily was a fantastic Wasp. They completely went with the second generation of Ant-Man and Wasp and it honestly works. There were several hilarious moments in this movie and that's become a staple of MCU, yes, but there was something corny and somewhat innocent about the way the jokes play out in this movie. Probably my favorite part about Ant-Man and the Wasp other than Evangeline Lily. All in all, it was an entertaining ride with a good little touch of Infinity War.
Post Credit Scene: The dusting of everyone that wasn't inside the Quantum Realm. It sent a message, that's for sure!
Grade: C+
The only one on the Phase 3 list (not including #Endgame) that is still out in theaters. The only one that I watched once. And, oh boy, does this movie have a lot of bad PR! Is it relations with the public or is it just a certain loud crowds' distaste for what Brie Larson said? Whatever the deal was, I do feel as if this movie got a lot of shade for what happened outside the movie itself. I'm not saying either side is right or wrong, but I can say that as for the movie, it was alright. It's barely passed mediocre. As far as the character, I'm not really a big fan of Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. I like the original Mar-Vell more but for those who watched the movie are aware what that character turned out to be. All in all, I wanted a different female character to represent the Marvel A-Force, but we all know that a Spider-Woman movie is far from home. At any rate, it's definitely not my favorite #MCU movie. One of the lowest for me, not because of what happened outside and the PR, but really, it's not a captivating movie for me. There is ONE great thing about this movie: The Stan Lee Marvel logo introduction. Thank you, Stan Lee indeed!
Post Credit: Ties back in with Infinity War. Captain Marvel goes to back to Earth to respond to Nick Fury's call. It's actually a pretty cool end credit scene.
Grade: C-
(Will also skip #ENDGAME "review"; will put Infinity War and Endgame on its own post, me thinks)
Supposedly this movie is going to be the end of Phase 3. Obviously, I have not seen this movie since at the time I posted this Far From Home is not out yet. I'm not sure how having Spider-Boy as the end to the Infinity Saga is the best way. I'm not even sure if I am going to watch this movie. I hated Homecoming and Spider-Boy's only redeeming quality in #ENDGAME is his interaction with Tony Stark. Enough said. I'll end this rant here.
Well, that conclude my rambling thoughts about Phase III. It took me quite a bit to get this out; I finished the entire Infinity Saga prior to watching Endgame but I wasn't able to fully jot down my thoughts. All in all, I still think Phase two and Phase one were the better ones but this Phase had Civil War and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. There were a lot of good set ups and it introduced some new characters--origin stories this late in the game doesn't sit well with me unless it's a character I really like. All in all, it was a fun trip down memory lane, that's for sure! Hoping to get some thoughts into Infinity War and Endgame; hoping to watch both one more time before jotting down my thoughts!
Until Next Time!
