'Avengers: Infinity War' Review

Sorry that I wasn't able to share this review as soon as I would have liked, but I had finals to worry about and that took precedence over writing this review. However, that did enable me to see the film a second time after my last final and the poll I put out on Twitter indicated my followers would rather wait to read my thoughts after two viewings rather than my initial take on it. This review will in-fact be spoiler-free so I'm taking great care not to discuss plot points in detail and remain as vague as I possibly can while providing my opinion. Now with all that out of the way, let's get going.

'Avengers: Infinity War' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects. 

Avengers: Infinity War follows the Mad Titan Thanos as he and his henchman, the Black Order, seek out the six Infinity Stones in order to fully assemble the Infinity Gauntlet. Once the gauntlet is complete, it can grant the wielder control over all space, time, reality, mind, soul, and power, giving Thanos the means to bring balance to the universe as he sees fit. With the universe at stake, the Avengers must reunite and ally themselves with the likes of Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy if they're to have any chance at stopping Thanos.

At long last, the decade long Marvel journey has brought us to this moment... Avengers: Infinity War is an unprecedented cinematic event that has truly been ten years in the making thanks to an interconnected series of of eighteen films preceding it. The history of what's come before only enabled directors Anthony and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to hit the ground running at a breakneck pace because all the pieces were already in place for this cinematic culmination. While longtime Marvel fans who've diligently kept up with the films in the franchise won't take issue with this, I imagine someone who's only seen a few Marvel movies or none at all would be fairly lost. This isn't to say you "have" to go marathon them all beforehand, but the dramatic weight of it all desperately depends on a familiarity with the universe so seeing the others first will only enhance your experience. Otherwise, you may be a bit confused as to why everyone else is crying and cheering around you.

On that note, it's almost impossible to go into Infinity War without a certain set of expectations because it's meant to be the pay-off for watching ten years worth of Marvel movies. After The Avengers, the door was blown wide open for these characters to come together so, naturally, fans have been antsy to see certain characters interact as Marvel expanded its universe. Being a fan myself, I was incredibly excited for Infinity War. However, accompanying my immense expectations were a few concerns. First of which was wondering how in the world were the Russos, Markus, and McFeely going to balance an ensemble of over twenty heroes while adapting such beloved source material?

 

Well, I don't know how they did it, but they pulled it off... Not every character has a complete character arc per-say, but they all get their moment in the spotlight and that was more than enough for me. Infinity War also gets a lot of mileage out of bringing many of these characters together for the first time as it's remarkably entertaining. This film's nearly three hours long, but I've found myself invested from start-to-finish both times I've seen it because it's such an emotionally-charged experience. When leaving the theater, you may not quite know how you're supposed to feel because there will be so many complex emotions for you to unpack thanks to an insane ending.

Visually, the film's chocked full of stunning spectacle with illustrious cinematography, outstanding visual effects, and action that's both epic and engaging. And I'd be remiss not to mention the costuming, production design, or editing, which are also quite impressive. To make matters even better, Alan Silvestri returned to score the flick with a compilation of sweeping, grandiose compositions that further bestow gravitas to the proceeding events. 

Which leads to my other concern... Marvel doesn't have the greatest track record with its villains, so while recent Phase 3 installments have turned that around, I was still anxious that Thanos may not live up to his comic-book depiction or the hype built up around him, and I couldn't have possibly been more wrong... At the end of the day, Josh Brolin steals the show as Thanos and proves to be one of the best comic book antagonists put to screen yet. Thanos isn't really "relatable," but his twisted methodology is understandable while his conviction is respectable. Thanos is a being who's willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal and that makes him quite intimidating as he leaves a terrible trail of death and destruction in his wake. Nevertheless, Brolin brought a layer of humanity to the Mad Titan that caught me totally off-guard and made me somewhat sympathetic to his cause. Additionally, Thanos is one of the best examples of motion-capture done right in a mainstream blockbuster. Brolin's performance shines through the visual effects wizardry in such a way that the intergalactic tyrant feels grounded and real as opposed to over-the-top and cartoonish.

Filling out his Black Order are Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Terry Notary, Carrie Coon, and Michael James Shaw as Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive respectively. Each proves to be a worthy adversary for the Avengers, but they're ultimately lackeys for Thanos. Ebony Maw definitely stood apart from the others though.

In regards to the immense ensemble, almost every living Marvel character makes their way into the cast of characters, so I could go on all day if I were to list every character since they're each perfectly cast to begin with. Instead, I'm going to simply spotlight the standout heroes in no particular order. First up, there's the grouping of Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Holland as Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, and Peter Parker (or Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man if you want to use their "made-up names"). These three made for a fascinating trio who exhibit some extraordinary acting chops with a great group dynamic amongst themselves. 

It should then come as no surprise that I'd bring up Chris Evans' performance considering Captain America is my favorite Marvel character, but Evans does a swell job returning to the role once more as he brings a new spin on the character to show how he's changed as a result of the events in Captain America: Civil War.

Others I feel obligated to mention are Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen in the roles of Vision and Scarlet Witch. It may seem odd, but the romantic relationship that's been developed between them really takes off as one of many emotional tethering points spread throughout the film thanks to a believable chemistry between Olsen and Bettany. 

Perhaps the most surprising standout for me though was Chris Hemsworth's Thor. Till Thor: Ragnarok, I never really cared much for Thor as a character and found him to be one of the least interesting Avengers. However, I'm really liking the recent progression of his character and the Russos, Markus, and McFeely did a marvelous job furthering his arc after all that happened to him in Ragnarok. Hemsworth seriously steals the show with some of the best moments of action and humor while his rapport with Rocket and Groot was delightful to say the least. 

Lastly, Gamora plays a pivotal role as a daughter of Thanos, and Zoe Saldana really steps up to the plate. Gamora proves to be one of the significant emotional lynch-pins of the film due to her relationship with Thanos. The dynamic between Saldana and Brolin really sells that complicated connection in ways one wouldn't really expect. 

In summation, Avengers: Infinity War doesn't simply throw down the Infinity Gauntlet for contention as Marvel's best film yet. It does so much more. The Russo brothers slam the gauntlet down and assert the film's irrefutable dominance over all that's come before it. I never thought I'd say this, but the preceding Marvel films look cute in comparison. 

Film Assessment: A+ A-

'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 commences shortly after the events of Guardians of the Galaxy as our heroes are tasked by an alien race of supremacists, the Sovereign, to guard some big ticket batteries from a ferocious beast known as the Abilisk. The Guardians defeat the monster, receive their bounty, and are on their way. At least till they discover Rocket snatched a few of the batteries and the Sovereign are hot in pursuit. After a series of events I won't go into, the group stumble across Peter's father and Quill begins to learn the truth behind his ancestry. I won't delve into any further plot details because that sums up the first fifteen/twenty minutes of the movie, which is almost everything that's been showcased in the marketing material.

James Gunn returns to write and direct Vol. 2, taking the unconventional sequel approach by providing meaningful character exploration as opposed to substantial spectacle. If the first was about bringing the team together, this installment's more about fleshing out the dysfunctional family. The characters you've come to adore are back and the team dynamic is as enjoyable as ever, but I found it interesting how Gunn paired characters we hadn't really seen together and utilized those respective dynamics to bring out their subsequent backstories. 

One example being the role reversal between Rocket and Groot. Where Groot was Rocket's muscle in the first, this time it's the opposite as Rocket (and the team to some extent) really have to watch out for Baby Groot seeing as he's just a little sapling. While this may not be one of the new pairings, it's something familiar that feels fresh thanks to the spin Gunn employs. Of course Gunn has more hilarious zingers up his sleeve and just about every scene featuring Baby Groot had me laughing my head off, one in particular left me chuckling for a good minute or two. I was most impressed that Gunn and his crew didn't exploit Baby Groot to be the sole provider of the film's levity or charm like I was expecting. 

Every character has their time to shine with a few stepping up to the plate as standouts I didn't see coming. The story of Vol. 2 navigates plenty of surprise twists and turns and creeps up with some intensely emotional moments that certainly had me welling up unexpectedly. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of Vol. 2 though was that the story being told was never compromised to set-up another Marvel entry down the line. If you're hoping for some Avengers: Infinity War groundwork to be laid, you're going to be woefully disappointed. However, the traditional Stan Lee cameo arises with some insane implications for those of you who read Marvel comics and there are five post-credits scenes so you know the drill, stick around till the screen fades to black one last time. 

The cinematography captures the neon-florescent aesthetic to paint a breathtaking backdrop composed of hauntingly marvelous hair and makeup, professional production design, and vibrant visual effects. The tracks wound in the Awesome Mix Vol. 2 cassette tape and Tyler Bates' sensational score play just as well as the tunes featured in Vol. 1 and Bates'  prior compositions. There's a fair share of toe tappers on the mix tape like "Mr. Blue Sky," "Fox on the Run," and "The Chain" and Bates' "Dad" is epic and emotional, making the ideal accompaniment to the film's third act showdown. 

The enlightened ensemble returns and successfully elevate everything you came to love about their prior portrayals. Chris Pratt brings the star power to Peter Quill, projecting the guise of a confident criminal with an underlying tenderness. Kurt Russell... Well... He does his Kurt Russell thing... I don't want to really talk about him to stray from spoiling anything about his character but Russell's Ego the Living Planet is as charming as you'd expect Kurt Russell playing a humanized planet could possibly be so you see where Peter gets it from. Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan have far more to do this time around with the sisterhood between Gamora and Nebula further explored. Both actresses prove up to the task of kicking butt, taking names, and occasionally wearing their hearts on their sleeves. 

Dave Bautista's Drax lets out his hearty chuckle and some self serious one-liners that bode well when juxtaposed with the naive nature of Pom Klementieff's Mantis. Their interaction is incredibly amusing because neither characters truly grasp social norms, leading to the film's funniest moments. 

As for the rest of the crew, Bradley Cooper imparts all the sardonic sarcasm to Rocket you can possibly imagine and Vin Diesel projects a soft-spoken sapling as Baby Groot that's absolutely adorable. Gunn's brother Sean Gunn not only lent himself to Rocket Raccoon's motion capture portrayal but returns as the Ravenger Kraglin and served as an amusing source of comedic relief in a larger capacity. It was also awesome to see Sylvester Stallone pop up in a minuscule supporting capacity that shows promise for future outings. Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha and her Sovereign race were more a nuisance than actual threat as supposed antagonists and Chris Sullivan's Taserface is as big a joke as you'd imagine someone with that name to be. 

The surprise standout though was undoubtedly Michael Rooker as Yondu. Rooker's performance puts forth more of Yondu's heart and explains the gruff, hardened exterior with such a delicate balance between the two that plays out beautifully in the film's conclusion.

I'm sure it will be a source of contention to decide whether Vol. 2 reached the heights of its predecessor but I personally enjoyed it more. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a blast! Vol. 2 amplifies everything you loved about the first; the characters, the sights, the sounds, and most importantly, the story. Vol. 2 rocks and rolls its way into your heart with the cheeky charm and ostentatious enjoyment of the original, deepening your love and appreciation for these characters along the way.

Film Assessment: A-

Recollection Reflection Review: 'Guardians of the Galaxy'

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is nearly upon us and while I won't have a review for that installment up till later this week, I figured this would be an appropriate time to revisit the original. Keep in mind this review will be include some spoilers though considering it's been nearly three years since the film's release. The review's a bit long but I promise it's a significant improvement over my last attempt.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Review

Nominated for: Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Recollection- Guardians of the Galaxy Review

Reflection- I remember around Guardians of the Galaxy's initial release when it was predicted to be Marvel's first flop yet caught the world unawares, bursting onto the scene and becoming an instant pop culture phenomenon! I love the first Guardians but I'm admittedly not over-the-moon on it as many other people I know seeing as it's not quite my favorite MCU film (read more about this at my most recent Marvel Cinematic Universe Ranking). That's one of the reasons I thought it would be fun to revisit this one on-top of the fact I reviewed it back in 2014 when I was relatively new to blogging. Really, the most interesting part of these Triple-R Reviews, as I like to call them, is that I can show how much I've improved and grown as a writer and critic. I plan on introducing other new review formats soon that will be more akin to short essays on behalf of a detested film and against ones I consider over-rated.

Review- Guardians of the Galaxy opens in the year 1988 as a young Peter Quill must watch his terminally-ill mother pass away and is immediately abducted by a crew of space pirates known as Ravengers. Fast-forward to 2014, Quill now goes by the monicker Star-Lord and has stolen an ancient intergalactic artifact resembling an orb for an intermediary broker. Quill soon discovers about half the galaxy wants the orb, including the militant Kree fanatic Ronan the Accuser, and winds up working alongside a rag-tag group of misfits to save the galaxy when the orb ends up in the wrong hands.

Guardians of the Galaxy was something no-one expected to succeed, making it all the more exciting when it was launched to interstellar heights at the box office for a property practically no-one was familiar with. For starters, the team included a talking raccoon and a tree whose vocabulary consists of the three words "I am Groot." Writer-director James Gunn had to sell audiences on these obscure characters if he was going to pull this off, and fortunately he did. Gunn understands that these characters are weird and kinda messed up but finds touches of humanity within them all so that these characters can not only be likable but relatable. Gunn succeeded in spades on delivering Marvel's most outlandish property yet by trusting in the unconventional nature of the cosmic characters.

The script penned by Gunn and co-writer Nicole Perlman focused first and foremost on bringing out character and succeeded in making the most of a roguish outlaw, an assassin, a vengeful maniac, a smart-aleck raccoon, and a walking, talking tree. Every character has his or her own arc that plays out beautifully, the only flaw lies in Ronan the Accuser coming across as yet another forgettable baddie. However, I must credit the duo for crafting heaps and heaps of quirky quips and hysterical one-liners, resulting in Marvel's consistently funniest entry to date. I've seen Guardians of the Galaxy countless times yet still find myself chuckling at just about every single joke the Guardians have at their disposal.

Another element that makes Guardians of the Galaxy so great is that Gunn and Perlman never lost sight of an emotional through-line when striving for a light-hearted affair, I'll even admit to welling up at the film's devastating outset and towards the stirring conclusion. Not only are the characters and story in the far reaches of Marvel's cosmic space interesting but the sights and sounds of Guardians of the Galaxy are simply out of this world! The visual effects remain among Marvel's best-to-date with stimulating space battles and motion capture that's probably the closest you can get to bringing a talking raccoon and amiable arbor to life. The unique production design meshes with the visual effects seamlessly to make numerous wacky worlds plausible and the hair and makeup team responsible for the looks of Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Yondu, Nebula, and Ronan the Accuser do an exceptional job.

That's not even to mention the stunning cinematography capturing all the cosmic craziness, the aesthetic is astounding from start-to-finish, and I absolutely adore the full aspect ratio that enlarges during some of the film's key action sequences. On that note, the action to be found in Guardians is a stirring spectacle that's only enhanced by the film's rocking Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack and Tyler Bate's incredible score. The Awesome Mix Vol. 1 has plenty of retro-hits that will get your mouth moving and your toes tapping like "Hooked On A Feeling," "Spirit in the Sky," "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)," "Cherry Bomb," and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to name a couple. Don't count out Tyler Bates' sensational score though, because none of his compositions miss a beat!

While all the aforementioned components are crucial to the film's success, none of it would have worked if it weren't for the correct cast. Chris Pratt lends the ideal mix of charisma and space swagger to Peter Quill that makes his Star Lord alias click perfectly with his personality. Pratt's leap to stardom basically began here and he exhibits all the qualities of a memorable movie star audiences have come to appreciate. Pratt's able to serve as the unlikely hero, but simultaneously exhibited roguish charm that made it seem like it couldn't have happened any other way. Zoe Saldana brought the right mix of sentiment and grit to Gamora that makes the claim she's a killer with a conscience seem all the more real. I appreciate that her character doesn't fall into the camps of being subservient sex appeal or the conventional love interest but rather something in-between that stands apart from the archetypal heroine. My one gripe about Gamora is that her character doesn't come across to be nearly as complex as the source material, but I guess that could change in Vol. 2.

Dave Bautista hits it out of the park in his feature film acting debut, I truly believe he will stand alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as one of the best wrestler-turned-actors in Hollywood. Bautista's got the bulk that you'd imagine would accompany someone going by the designation Drax the Destroyer and gets so much mileage out of being the moronic muscle. Bautista's blunt, straightforward line delivery matches Drax to a tee and allows some of the film's funniest dialogue exchanges to occur.

Bradley Cooper's snarky demeanor matches the wisecracking Rocket Raccoon eloquently, while Vin Diesel lends his oaky voice to Groot. If it weren't for these two, the entire enterprise would have fallen apart, but luckily Marvel's casting department haven't floundered yet. On that note, I've gotta credit Sean Gunn and Krystian Godlewski for providing the motion capture element to the portrayal of these two character.

Among the supporting ensemble, Micheal Rooker injects a sleazy, roughness to Ravenger captain Yondu Udonta, Benicio Del Toro lets loose as the eccentric Collector, Laura Haddock will bring tears to your eyes as Meredith Quill, and John C. Reilly, Peter Serafinowicz, and Glenn Close play straight laced space cops known as the Nova Core. Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser makes for another vaguely-motivated Marvel menace with Djimon Hounsou and Karen Gillan by his side as cyborg Korath and the inscrutably freaky Nebula.

Oh, and Josh Brolin sits in Thanos' throne for a bit as the Mad Titan. Maybe we'll see him get up from that chair in a little indie called Avengers: Infinity War coming next May but only time will tell.

To sum it all up, none of the individual elements of Guardians of the Galaxy could work independently and they actually rely on one-another to collaborate as one grand, booming superhero space opera that's forever fervent fun. Guardians of the Galaxy may not be the best Marvel Studios release in my eyes, but for the time being stands as their most amusing and entertaining effort yet!

Film Assessment: A-

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Review

Nominated for: Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

This is definitely one of my top 3 Marvel movies now! It was just as good as The Avengers! The visual effects are incredible so I plan on seeing it again in IMAX 3D! I didn't see it in 3-D, but I definitely wish I had. The film had more humor than any other Marvel movie. I enjoyed every part of the film and the acting was great! The standout actors/characters were Groot, Rocket, and Star Lord. Chris Pratt did a wonderful job portraying Star Lord and I'd love to see him and Robert Downey Jr. together in a future Marvel movie. Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel each also were great voicing Rocket and Groot. Those two provided some of the best moments in the movie for sure, which is surprising considering considering that all Groot can say is "I am Groot." I was very surprised by Dave Bautista, who played Drax the Destroyer because he is a professional wrestler and despite never acting before managed to deliver some great jokes and some epic action sequences. Zoe Saldana played Gamora and did a great job though she didn't have as many memorable moments as the rest of the Guardians. Lee Pace played Ronan the Accuser, a menacing villain who was definitely one of Marvel's better villains, although not as good as Loki but he certainly a large threat. Overall, an amazing film and I'm glad there's a sequel in the works for 2017. But the post credits scene was disappointing so don't be surprised if you don't feel it was worth waiting. I highly recommend you go see this film!