Iron Man 3
This is the first movie after The Avengers, so it has a lot to live up to, not only for wrapping up a lot of Iron Man stuff, but also for showing what these movies were going to be like in a post-Avengers world.
To be honest, this movie doesn’t click with me as well as the other two in this trilogy. While they have a handful of good ideas, I don’t know if they’re presented very clearly. The second act in particular feels a little off-kilter as Stark is still pulling the pieces together of a new puzzle regarding the location and methods of The Mandarin. (And The Mandarin himself ended up being a mixed bag for me as well, when all the cards were finally on the table.) I also don’t know how I felt about Stark losing his suit for much of the film. Sure, the scene where he goes all MacGyver is neat, and it builds on the theme of Stark proving to himself that he’s more than just a mechsuit, but overall, it leaves me feeling underwhelmed, even with the explosive finale.
If there is one thing the movie does well, though, it’s in providing closure. Pretty much all of Stark’s personal loose ends get tied up, which, from a larger perspective, makes sense as his character arc will shift more into how he interacts with the world around him. The action scenes are also pretty good, making for a decent movie, in the end.
Rating: B-
Thor: The Dark World
As I was rewatching this movie, I made a realization that I like Thor’s setting more than I like the stories. The Dark World really sells itself on visuals and exposition, but the story and characters seem rather perfunctory. This is partially due to this movie being the one that really sets the Infinity Stones lore in motion for the overall MCU story arc. Malekith and the Dark Elves are just a barebones-type villain to help introduce these elements and set the stage for things to come.
Still, it’s not a bad movie, with glimpses of the various fantasy realms setting the scope of serious the Dark Elves intentions are. Also, having Thor and Loki work together made for some very fun scenes, both for banter and for action. You can really understand why Thor wishes Loki wasn’t so power-hungry as they seem to get along so well.
The special effects team is certainly having fun as well, has characters zip from world to world through the various gaps caused by the apocalyptic events of the film. And as I said before, it all looks so good! Asgard, the Dark Elves, the lore. I feel like I just want to spend more time here and learn more about the realms and their histories. Unfortunately, the movie just skims across them, resulting in a lackluster experience.
Rating: C+
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
After the first two films of Phase Two felt like such “meh” experiences, I was naturally worried about the sequel of one of my favorites from Phase One. Fortunately, those worries were mostly swept away as this movie is pretty dang good.
Of course, having to take a character from the past and bring him to the present day was going to be a challenge, but they provided a solid story and characters to help Cap settle in, while still letting his classic sense of morality provide a sense of clarity on the situations at hand. Basically, by putting the pure do-gooder in the middle of a classic spy thriller, they allowed the character to realize his differences and how they could be put to good use.
And the thriller stuff is handled fairly well, to be honest, as Rogers is thrown off the deep end, not knowing who to trust, and following the thinnest of clues to find out what’s going on. Unfortunately, once all that’s cleared up, and all the twists are revealed, the movie seems to fall back on more explosions for the finale. To be fair, it’s not a bad ending, as it’s all well-directed and fun to watch, but one can’t help but wonder if a less showy ending wouldn’t have fit better. Still, these are minor complaints for what is a very solid movie.
Rating: B+
Guardians of the Galaxy
Well, here’s a bolt out of the blue! After a number of films that mostly focus on Earth and its problems, the next film in the series takes us deep into space, full of aliens, lasers, and starships! Full of characters that even Marvel diehards aren’t that familiar with, this seemed like a strange and precarious shift after all the success the series had.
As it turns out, it didn’t matter, as this movie really is a lot of fun, and frankly very refreshing. Introducing a whole new cast of characters, species, planets, and stakes, Marvel’s cosmic side feels very plausible and lively! And to go along with it is a snarky, comic tone that really provides space for its more emotional moments, as each character has their own troubles to set aside for the greater good. Seriously, the cast is great, and the soundtrack, if maybe a bit gimmicky, keeps spirits high and things moving along, making for a very well-paced experience.
If there are any flaws, it might be that the movie does come across as slightly self-aware, which can undermine some of the tension a little. While we’re nowhere near Deadpool levels, it can be a little off-putting. However, that’s just nitpicking. This is movie is a blast, and probably holds up better as a stand-alone film than many of the others in this phase.
Rating: A-
Avengers: Age of Ultron
The second big team up! At this point, Marvel is feel pretty comfortable, as is the cast and characters. While the villain this time has more of a personal grudge against the villains, which requires our heroes to be more introspective about their roles, it still serves up a great movie with lots of good scenes.
Here, we have Joss Whedon at work again, mostly keeping things balanced again between all the characters and the stakes at hand. Unfortunately, this film is also where that balance seems to get a little top-heavy, as the weight of the heroes gets turned up a few levels, resulting in some heavy melodrama. It’s also hard to not feel a sense of deja vu when we see our heroes going through wave after wave of mooks, preventing the villain from activating a doomsday device.
That being said, there is also a lot to like about the film, especially the little moments: letting the other characters lift Thor’s hammer, Ultron’s bits of banter with the Twins, the softer moments at the farm, Hawkeye helping Scarlet Witch settle down by explaining that none of it makes sense. The emphasis on escorting civilians was also great, as it makes the stakes feel more immediate. While it’s not as good as the first Avengers, it’s solid enough.
Rating: B+
Ant-Man
While we knew Guardians of the Galaxy was going to be different and refreshing, getting the same thing from the Ant-Man was a pleasant surprise. Having more in common with the Phase One films, we get a movie that feels more personal than the grand epics we’ve had with the past handful of films, resulting a very good movie that doesn’t drag much at all.
A lot of it has to do with the cast, as Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, and Evangeline Lilly really sell their parts, resulting in a relationship triangle that augments the experience. Having Scott Lang’s buddies around (especially Michael Peña as Luis!) adds just the right amount of spice to the structure. (The handful of cameos doesn’t hurt either!)
The other thing that makes this movie is how different it is with its set pieces and special effects. By focusing on the world from a small point of view, we get some very imaginative action scenes that are a delight to watch. I mean, how often do you get to see an epic fight in a suitcase or on a child’s train set? Sure, I could point out a few flaws (like making us care more about the ants than we really need to), but that doesn’t really change how much fun this movie is!
Rating: A-
Well, that’s it for Phase Two. Kind of an strange place to stop, but I didn’t come up with these groups. It’s an odd mix of films, but they also help set the foundation for the cosmic side of the epic story they’re building. Now that we’ve got a couple of Infinity Stones kicking around, the threat of Thanos really starts to build.
Phase Three has 10 movies in it so far, so I’ll be breaking that up into two articles. Keep an eye out for Part 1 of that next!
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