That movie that came out today from Marvel Studios?
Meh.
Not the hot trash/end of Marvel/garbage that some people say it is.
It was okay.
Heckuva credits scene, though.
Loki Season 2
This is the only MCU Disney+ show that has a second season (so far) and deservedly so.
While I did feel that the first couple of episodes meandered a bit, the last two gave us a solid resolution to the story IMHO.
I know that won’t be how everyone who watched this sees it, though.
Overall, it was better than Secret Invasion, which isn’t saying much.
Secret Invasion
Roller Coaster
They were right: this is the best Marvel film since Endgame.
I still like Shang-Chi a little bit more, but I’ll give credit where credit is due.
As my nephew said, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is as good as the Captain America trilogy, it holds up as it’s own sub story.
It’s no secret that this subset of the MCU is my favorite.
This movie was an emotional roller coaster from start to finish, mostly stemming from the story of Rocket.
Just when you think the story is going to throw you into total sadness it comes back to an action or comedy or drama scene, shifting how you feel at that moment.
There were great moments throughout the movie, including the two credits scenes, and even the imagery during the credits themselves.
There’s a couple of great cameos in this one, too.
Highly recommended. Go see it!
Quantumania
I liked it.
Of course there are better movies, and better Marvel movies.
But this? More entertaining to me than I expected.
Maybe that’s the secret, which I’ve been saying for a while, the newer Marvel films (i.e. post-Infinity War/Endgame) can’t be fairly compared to what’s come before.
Rather, they have to be looked upon on their own, despite having familiar characters from previous films/Phases.
They’re telling another story, the next big saga in the Book of Marvel.
Don’t expect them to wow you, just be entertained. And I was, to be honest.
And if this Phase of movies don’t appeal to you, go back and watch the older ones, or wait for what comes after Avengers 6.
The only thing lacking in the film was an appearance by Luis.
And M.O.D.O.K. was more awesome than I expected him to be.
And if I’m being totally honest, you can probably wait for it on Disney Plus to see it, but the film looks great on the big screen.
Recommended.
Thor: Love and Thunder
In the words of my nephew Joseph, “it was fun.”
I find it hard to get too excited about any Marvel film after Endgame, to be totally honest.
That said, it was an entertaining film, though it felt a bit rushed at times IMHO.
It moves the story along, that story being the almost 30 movie (and a few TV shows) story called ‘Marvel’.
I loved the goats.
I especially loved the mid credits scene.
Is it worth seeing? Yes.
Is it worth seeing in the theatre? Sure, but I’ll wait until it’s on Disney Plus to see it again.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
It was good.
Not as good as, say, Shang-Chi or No Way Home, but better, IMHO, than Black Widow and Eternals.
It’s just hard to rank them in a post-Endgame world, what with 28 films on the list as well.
If anything, this felt more like a non-superhero Sam Raimi film.
The cameos were great, especially the one during the surprising mid credits scene.
It certainly felt like a shorter film than many of the other MCU movies. Which isn’t good or bad, just an observation.
Just make sure you’ve at least seen Wandavision before seeing this film.
Recommended! Go see it!
No Way Home
I left the theatre saying that I liked it.
After sleeping on it, I was wrong.
I loved it.
This movie reminded me of everything that I love about Spider-Man and these movies.
I can’t say much more without spoiling A LOT of the film, I’ll just mention that I need a scene translated by my aunts or uncles.
Recommended. Go see it!
Eternals
I really liked it.
In the past I’ve described these movies as”[genre/trope] with superheroes”.
This was… indescribable in those terms.
Superhero movie with superheroes, maybe.
But yeah, I really liked it.
On it’s own, one of the best films I’ve seen this year.
In MCU rankings, this one doesn’t crack my top 5, maybe not even my top ten.
What little I know about the Eternals didn’t sway my enjoyment one way or another.
Though the end credits scene has me more intrigued than the mid-credits scene, which was also intriguing.
I kinda wanna see it again already, but I think I can wait for Disney+ to pick it up.
We’ll see.
Oh, and it appears that another trailer scene was absent from the film.
Shang-Chi
Confession: I didn’t think I was gonna like this film as much as I do.
I remember being genuinely happy when it was announced that Simu Liu was cast in the lead role, having been a big fan of Kim’s Convenience.
That said, I was having a hard time *not* seeing Jung Kim whenever a trailer for Shang-Chi came on.
But once the movie started and he appeared on screen, he was Shang-Chi.
Or Shaun, initially.
The action/comedy/pacing on this film were about as perfect as I expect from a movie. The only other film I put in that category is Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I daresay it’s my favorite Marvel film not called “Endgame”.
It’s certainly the best origin film that they’ve put out.
And I wonder how many non-Asians understood the line, “I speak ABC!”
Highest recommendation possible for this one.
It’ll be on Disney+ in a month and a half, if you can’t or don’t want to hit your local theatre.
The only thing that bums me out about this film?
I have to clear a spot in my all-time Top Ten Movies for this one.
It’s already taken the #5 spot in my All Time Marvel Movies list, bumping Ant-Man down a spot.
While both take place in my hometown of San Francisco, the inclusion of one of my all time favorite songs puts it over Ant-Man in the list.
As of this post, I’ve seen it 3 times, opening weekend. Last movie I saw that many times was The Rise of Skywalker.