Marvel Phase 3

Captain America Civil War

Another banger from the Russo brothers, and another outstanding Captain America movie. This is my favorite of one. We get a great bad guy, Zemo, who really makes a lot of sense for a dude who lost everything from a city being dropped down. Then you get to meet the Black Panther. This movie is easily the best in the OG infinity war saga. A great story, full of great characters, and convincing bad guys.

Doctor Strange

Reading the synopsis of this movie makes me think of Bulletproof Monk which is not a good thing. That movie is a travesty, where this one isn't. There is a lot of wit in this and it plays well, especially when trying to present an idea of mystical actions and a world beyond our own. I know comic book readers have no issue with that, but for people watching the movies alone, it might be harder to digest. The comedy helps with that. I like Cumberbatch a lot. I think he brings a lot of grounding to the movie and the entire Marvel Phase 3. Which is more about his acting than the character.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Much like Guardians of the Galaxy, this is a comedic hero movie. There are a ton of jokes in here that I loved the first time I watched this and the other day. Specifically, when Peter calls Rocket a "raccoon" and then a "trash panda". It just makes me chuckle and is easily one of the best jokes in the movie. With that in mind, the comedy is the best part of this movie hands down. This is a fun movie. It isn't bad, and it is far, far better than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. I just checked that movie to see what I gave it and I gave it a 7. This one's story is better and I love Baby Groot. Who doesn't?

Spider-Man Homecoming

When Spider-Man showed up in Civil War, it was amazing. Then to have his own movie makes it just a great cherry on top. It is a movie that just keeps on giving. The action and slap stick comedy works so well with the Friendly vibe. I must applaud Tom Holland for the shape they got in, and his American accent. His chemistry with MJ and Ned is so good. How can you not like this movie? It is sweet, funny, honest, and very well told. It really does have everything you want from a movie and is smack-dab in the middle of prime MCU making it need to hold its weight against the others, and it does.

Thor Ragnarok

This was my first experience with Taika Waititi and it was funny. I thought it was really well told story about redemption and really finding out who you are inside. I think that is something that the whole of Marvel Phase 3 really works on is pushing this idea that we are more than our name. We can make new decisions. I really think the acting is done well. People kind of rag on this, even more so in Thor Love and Thunder, but in this one it works so well. The pacing is solid throughout the movie. It flows well from one point to another point.

Black Panther

I think this is a wonderful movie, but there are some things that I cannot stand, and they are extremely consistent in the movie. Let us start with the things that really upset me. As I have said in Without Remorse and Highest 2 Lowest, Michael B. Jordan is mostly an entitled person who thinks he is owed something. I enjoy this movie. It is fun to watch, the pacing is really good, and the story makes sense from a story arch perspective. No issues with that. I have issues with the thinness of some of the characters that are supposed to be pretty big villains. Killmonger is a beast, I mean look at the costume design for his armor, and Jordan did a fantastic job of just proving that, but his performance/the writing just killed the character for me.

Avengers Infinity War

This was a great movie when it came out and is still a great movie. The storytelling from start to finish is layered in itself so much that comments and mentions from the beginning are slide into the ending. I really enjoy this movie. I like the fighting and the tactics from both good and bad forces. I like the emotion you get from the entire cast about the events at the end. “I don’t feel good Mr. Stark” is such an important line for him and it requires you to have paid attention.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

This is the only Paul Rudd I know. Funny and passionate about what is going on. I love the montage of his daily routine and I am honestly more curious about how he affords that house. It is an awesome house and I really like what he does to transform it to be a place for him to play with Cassie. Their relationship is a defining moment for most of the cast honestly and really makes for a bonding point for everyone. One last thing that I want to talk about and where I am sure either can be explained via Marvel science or was just forgotten is the building and the wheel of cars. I am pretty sure that the mass is supposed to be the same no matter what so how are they carrying around a 200 ton building like a suitcase?

Captain Marvel

The chief complaint for this movie and EVERY SINGLE TIME she shows up is the inconsistency in her powers. She can do so much, but a little microchip is stopping her? Then a little antigravity fan stops her at full form, but not in the end. It is just unbearably frustrating. This isn't a bad movie, but it sure isn't good. It needs some life to it. The acting is nothing special so you constantly feel like you are looking for someone to step up.

Avengers Endgame

What an amazing movie. The culmination of 20 some odd movies that brings the story to finish the circle. It allows for the first character we fell in love with, Iron Man, to be able to finish on the high that this really started with. The story here is excellent. I cannot tell you how amazing this movie is. Getting through all the movies for this epic finale is worth it. Some of them are a rough process to get through, others are outstanding. No matter what this is one of, if not the, the best movies ever made.

Spider-Man Far From Home

I think one of the major themes here that is so well presented is grief and closure. The only father figure we have seen for Spider-Man was Iron Man and now he is gone. You also have just the idea of missing 5 years and trying to figure that out. The idea of angry people about how Tony passed on his tech is for sure something that is real in that work. The action is good, the character portrayal is good. I just feel the story is forced at times and doesn't live up to a post Endgame World, which is going to be hard.

My Rating

This is the end of the "Infinity Saga." It is also the end of the high point of the MCU. Which hopefully will return with Avengers Doomsday. However, overall this was peak MCU and was very fun to watch. The story and the way everything ties together, the bow at the end, is wonderful, and amazingly told. I look back at this with fondness, even with the number of 7s that I gave this phase. Looking back at these movie scores, I do think some of them are a little low, maybe Spider-Man Far from Home and Black Panther are good examples of me being overly critical of things that I didn't notice when I first watched it. However, that is what the critical eye is about. I still think this phase is a 9.

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