movie reviews – The Movie Chronicles

Avengers: Endgame

Natasha Romanoff: “It’s going to work, Steve.”

Steve Rogers: “I know it will, because I don’t know what I’m going to do if it doesn’t.”

Let’s be honest here – Avengers: Endgame doesn’t really need too much of a summary. Why? Well, it’s been a highly anticipated movie that has been eleven years in the making. It is only the epic finale to a decade long story arch. Therefore, the only summary that will be provided is that it is an emotional ride. While this should be expected, there will be spoilers throughout the review. So, if you have not seen it yet and do not want it to be spoiled for you – it is suggested that you stop reading at this point.

Also – my apologies for posting this later than other reviews. I wanted to ensure that people had ample time to watch the movie for themselves first as it has been highly anticipated by many.

Liked:

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts as parents. I absolutely loved seeing Tony as a father figure to his daughter Morgan. I do not think them having a child was something that was expected by fans, but it was welcomed warmly. Tony interacting with Morgan was a shift in his character arch as it added another side to him. It was adorable to see him tuck Morgan into bed and her saying “I love you 3000” to him. It had me smiling like crazy because he and Pepper were finally able to settle down and have a life together even after all of the destruction Thanos created. However, seeing that Tony had Pepper and Morgan as family made his death more saddening. It goes without question that it was a heartbreaking end to Iron Man’s story as he grew so much throughout his journey.

Captain America’s happy ending. I greatly appreciated that he was able to have a life with Peggy. However, the only part I am iffy on is the whole time traveling part as this would have changed his past. It was unclear as to what happened to the Captain America from the altered timeline. Additionally, I loved the scene where Captain America wields Mjolnir. It was funny and a nice nod to Avengers: Age of Ultron. Something that did bother me though was that he was willing to sacrifice Iron Man’s new family to undo the destruction that Thanes created.

People as a whole have complained on social media about Thor’s appearance in the movie. I think it is important to note that he was clearly depressed after failing to stop Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War – it cannot be forgotten that he lost his home Asgard in Thor: Ragnarök shortly before the events of Infinity War occurred. That’s a lot for someone to deal with. I thoroughly appreciated that Thor was seen as being depressed in Endgame because it is realistic and needs to be normalized more. Furthermore, the scene where Thor summons Mjolnir when he and Rocket were retrieving the Reality Stone was beautiful and inspiring. Why? Because he was able to reassure himself that he was still worthy. It shows that it is what inside that counts and that struggling with mental illness doesn’t make you any less of a person.

Conflicts:

It was tragic that both Iron Man and Black Widow died in the movie. The funeral scene was a beautiful sendoff for Tony Stark. It was well deserving, especially since he had undergone great amounts of growth throughout the eleven-year run. However, there should have been an on-screen funeral for Black Widow. Her death was just as tragic as Iron Man’s was and her last words “it’s okay” to Hawkeye had me crying. Black Widow deciding that she had to be the soul sacrificed to receive the Soul Stone instead of Hawkeye because he had a family was a powerful and emotional scene, especially since right before they got there, they said “We’ve come a long way since Budapest.” It really hit me in the feels. Both Tony and Natasha had honorable deaths in their fight to undo the destruction caused by the mad titan Thanos. There was no way to predict the outcome of the battle with Thanos. For all they know, it could have ended the same, if not worse than it did in Avengers: Infinity War. Therefore, I found Natasha’s death to be a bit sadder as she sacrificed her life to undo the destruction when there was the possibility that it would not have worked out in their favor. Her sacrifice would have ultimately been for nothing then.

I am always conflicted when time travel is used to try to change something as there are many factors to take into consideration and several things that could go wrong. There are two things that bothered me about it: Thanos from the past came to their timeline and the idea of removing an item from the past. One thing that I am questioning is what happened to the timeline past Thanos left? Do the events of it never unfold because he is defeated in the post-snap timeline? There are a number of questions and uncertainties about it. The Avengers time traveling to collect the Infinity Stones before they were stolen seemed iffy to me. Do their actions of removing the Infinity Stones from their respective timelines create alternate timelines? I know that Captain America returned the Infinity Stones to their respective timeline, but the logistics and the repercussions of it are uncertain and sort of nerve wracking.

Additionally, Hawkeye going on a murderous rampage after his family was dusted by Thanos raised some questions, uneasiness, and several red flags. Sure, it might have been a nod to whatever terrible decisions Black Widow had made in her past that he didn’t judge her on, but it was ultimately glossed over. Yeah, Rhodey did mention that he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to find him. However, it makes me wonder if Hawkeye’s actions would have been overlooked if he wasn’t a white male. It didn’t sit right with me.

Overall:

Avengers: Endgame is a solid movie despite some of the aforementioned conflicts and I highly suggest that you see it on the big screen. It was an exceptional conclusion to the eleven year long and twenty-two movie story arc. The battle scene is a bit rushed, but ultimately does it justice even though it is essentially an over glorified game of football. It will be interesting to see how exactly the events of Avengers: Endgame will be incorporated in Spider-Man Far From Home.

Aquaman

Plot:
Following the battle of Steppenwolf, Arthur Curry aka Aquaman must go against his half brother Orm (in the comics he is know as Ocean Master and the the movie he’s the current king of Atlantis) who plans to go to war against the surface people which means us humans. In order the save his home and possibly take his place as the true king of Atlantis, Arthur and Mera (love interest) must find the Trident of Atlan, the first king of Atlantis. Along the way Arthur over comes his fears of being a child of two worlds embrace his role as king.

Thoughts:
I enjoyed the movie, first out I didn’t really want to see it with DCEU not having the best of luck with their shared universe unlike the MCU with the exception of the movie Wonder Woman which was a start of process in the right path. Then after hearing the purchase of tickets for the movie were very high demand and the trailer sold me on seeing it. Those the movie got criticism for the convoluted plots with having two villains ( one being Orm and the other being Black Manta, one of Aquaman’s villains. In the movie he was a pirate who father was killed by Arthur himself) and digue which I had to agree with the dialogue. There were times it was similar to a soap opera’s, I agree the story. With the even incredible actor Jason Momoa return as the titled role was one of the highlights of the Justice League movie. I mean when Jason came out of the water fell in full costume with the trident was beyond fucking awesome. But I do have admit he did look ridiculous with the orange and green colors. Then again I can’t denied he also did look awesome with the suit on. I also enjoy the relationship with Mera and Arthur. The audience briefly met her in Justice League, she was far from being his love interests with her disliking of him and the way he spoke about his mother/her queen. In this time the disliking still there and her view of him being the true king is to her a joke but over the course of the movie she view h charge to the point of him truly worthy of the throne. And I did like even those they were in battle she still kiss him and he was really catch off guard did made it a little better. To wrap this up, Aquaman was a surprise hit at the box office with a sequel and a spin off focus on one of the creatures feature in the movie, does show the movie proves that Aquaman isn’t a totally joke for only have powers similar to SpongeBob. Any who I’m looking forward to the upcoming movies and when this movie comes out on DVD.

The Darkest Minds

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Quote: Rudy Daly “This is so not like riding a bike.”

Plot: After an illness kills person under the age of 18, kids who survived the illness develop powers depending on what color their eyes are when using them. The colors are easy to understand, kids who display greens have enhance intelligent, blue have telekinesis, golden can generate electricity, red can generate and manipulation fire and kids who are orange can enter and control other minds. Red and oranges are highly dangerous while greens, blue and golden are not so dangerous. The government fear of the surviving children takes them away from their family and brings them to internment camps. A girl named Rudy Daly the only orange left because orange kids are killed on sight, escapes the camp and finds Liam a blue, Charles a green and Zu a golden who are traveling to a place where other like them can live free from the government.

Thoughts: I thought the movie was good. The characters were fine, the action was fine, and the story was entertaining. The camps right away give you a feeling of how the Jews were treated during the holocaust, because the kids are separated into group of kids with the same eye color as them. The actors were good, specially Amanda Stenberg who plays Rudy Daly. I have never seen any movies of her’s. But I really enjoy her in this movie, her character went from a person scared of letting someone touch her (because she can’t control her power by of skin touch) to willing erases her love interest’s (Liam) mind of her which was sad because I really wanted them to have a happy ending but that what happened in the book of the same. The movie has received negative reviews by critics, I personally hope there’s a sequel in the future depending on how the DVD sells, Because I really would love to know where it goes from the ending of the movie. Anyway I for one strongly encourage you to go to see the movie while it’s still in theaters, Because it’s defensibly not a bad way to spend an hour in a theater seats.

Deadpool 2

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Cable: Dubstep’s for pussies!

Wade Wilson: You’re so dark. Are you sure you’re not from the DC universe?

If you like the first Deadpool movie, then you’re going to love its sequel. The sequel brought the laugher, refences, the 4^th wall breaking, and they double it all for this movie. The film about Wade Wilson aka Deadpool (portrayed by the great and perfect for the role Ryan Reynolds) protecting a young mutant name Russell from Cable a time traveling mutant (portrayed Josh Brolin from The Goones, which in my option was a good choice for the role.), Cable traveled from the future to kill Russell before Cable’s family dies by the hands of future Russell. The film features an appearance from blink and miss it camos from the X-Men and Brad Pritt. No, I’m not mess with you he’s in it.

Now what I liked about the sequel because the portrays of Deadpool and Cable were beyond great, they’re like classic buddy-cops characters from 80’s movies with one cop being the class clown and the other cop being completely the opposites or my brother and I. And the sequel’s borrowed the mid/post credits scenes from the MCU and made them with their own brand of humor. The characters were great especially two characters Negasonic Teenage Warhead and Domino, Domino with her back-and-forth banter she not dealing with Deadpool like two siblings, matter of fact it reminds me of my relationship with my closest siblings and Negasonic Teenage Warhead, in the film she’s in a same-sex relationship with a fellow mutant and I just like it because it’s different from the usual style where there boy, girl relationship. It’s more realistic to her character and it a milestone in the LGBTQ Community. To end this review, go this movie. You will have a great time.

Avengers: Infinity War

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Peter Quill: I’m gonna ask you this one time: where is Gamora?

Tony Stark: Yeah, I’ll do you one better. Who is Gamora?

Drax: I’ll do you one better. Why is Gamora?

If you have not seen Avengers: Infinity War yet I highly encourage that you back away from this review because there are spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

Summary: The Avengers and their allies continue to protect the world from threats too large for one hero to handle while a new threat appears from the shadows of space. Thanos, with the aid of his intergalactic army, have one goal: collect all six Infinity Stones. The Infinity Stones are artifacts of power that cannot be fathomed, and he wants to use them to twist all of reality to his will. Essentially, everything the Avengers have fought for have led up to this moment in time. They must protect the fate of the Earth and existence itself – even though it has never been more uncertain.

Review: The Marvel Cinematic Universe has never felt like more of a universe until this movie, which is in both good and bad ways. Infinity War is a narrative that juggles a myriad of characters and locations. The packed film includes an array of superheroes from the Avengers, to Spiderman, Black Panther, the Guardians of the Galaxy and more. To my surprise, they left out Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Valkryie, Nakia, and Everett Ross.

Thanos is by far the biggest villain we have encountered in a Marvel film. I was incredibly surprised to find that I not only liked this villain, but I also sympathized with him. I am not entirely sure why, but my guess is because he had to sacrifice Gamora, the person he loved the most, to be able to accomplish his goal of “saving the universe”. While Thanos is a good villain, he’s no Killmonger with his problematic but hard-earned racial politics. In my opinion, he is one notch below him.

Moving on with the review, I would like to highlight three problems I noticed in Infinity War.

Problem One: There are too many moving parts for one movie

I am in no way, shape, or form saying that this was a bad movie. I understand that the Avengers movie is all about the Avengers assembling and it makes sense to add a bunch of new heroes in the movie as the cast of them grow. But jumping around from Earth, to Space, to Wakanda, etc., became a bit of a clusterfuck and difficult to follow location wise. Just when the scene was going into more depth or something would happen the movie would shift gears and move to a different location with different characters. At times this became difficult (and annoying) to try to follow.

Problem Two: The movie should have ended before the ending with Thanos

I thought the most frustrating thing about Infinity War to me would be all the characters that died. It wasn’t. The most frustrating thing was how it ended. After collecting all six of the Infinity Stones, Thanos snaps his fingers and half of the universe’s population disintegrates meaning that he achieved the balance he wanted. After that we see a myriad of characters who we know can’t die, disintegrate before our eyes. It was incredibly irritating because the Guardians of the Galaxy have a third movie, a sequel to Spiderman: Homecoming is in the works, and there’s rumor of a Doctor Strange and a Black Panther sequel. Personally, I think Infinity War should have ended after Thor hit Thanos in the chest with his axe. Thanos could have said his line, “You should have aimed for the head.” Then it could have rolled to the credits. I understand that in a war there is loss, but it seemed meaningless because of the already confirmed movies that are coming out about some of the heroes that “died”.

Problem Three: Lack of backstory for Thanos prior to Infinity War

Don’t get me wrong, I thought Thanos was a great villain. However, I think Guardians of the Galaxy 3 should have been released before Infinity War. Who knows, maybe Guardians of the Galaxy 3 would have further developed Thanos’s backstory. We could have seen more of his relationship with Gamora and Nebula. It could have also introduced us to his plan earlier and see it develop across the movies.

What I liked about the movie:

There were a lot of things that I liked about the movie. I really liked seeing Vision and Scarlet Witch’s relationship brought to life on the screen. They were definitely the heard of Infinity War and seeing their relationship blossom more throughout the film made it even more devastating when Scarlet Witch had to be the one to destroy the Infinity Stone in Vision’s head. To make it even worse, Thanos brought him back to life so he could rip the stone out of his head and collect it.

Personally, I am a huge fan of the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Therefore, I really enjoyed seeing him in this movie. His humor definitely provided comedic relief when it was needed and when he met Doctor Strange and said his line about using their made-up names was such a power move. I genuinely enjoyed seeing Peter Parker interact with Peter Quill as both make pop culture references (obviously Quill’s are a bit dated). I greatly appreciated seeing the father/son dynamic that Tony Stark and Peter Parker had as well. It has been in the works since Captain America: Civil War and it was nice to basically see it in full swing. It made it more heartbreaking to watch Peter disintegrate in Tony’s arms while he begged and apologized to Mr. Stark

I enjoyed that essentially picked up where Thor: Ragnorak left off and showed everyone on the (destroyed) ship. It showed that life does not hesitate to kick you while you’re down. Thor had already lost his home and continued to lose his people.

Overall, I highly encourage that you see this movie in theaters! It is a definitely a film that you will want to see in theaters and to see with other people. The reactions of those around me in the theater when major events took place made the film that much better.

Ready Player One

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What can I say about ready player one that I dislike about it, none thing I really like it. I like the special effects and the characters. And if your a science fiction nerd, your going to love it. Now the plot follows Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) as he try to find three keys to get the “Easter Egg” left by the late creator of the OASIS, a virtual reality world that allow people to escape from their poor reality. The creator announced a contest in which whoever finds the three keys to the gate that hides the “Easter Egg”, will have complete ownership and control of the OASIS. Basely whoever controls the OASIS, will control the world!!!!!! And of course there’s industries that want the “Easter Egg” so they can have the OASIS. Anyway back to the one of the main characters. Wade and his friends try to get the “Easter Egg” before the industries can. They find the first key by winner a race, the second key was find in the recreation of a little movie call The Shining and third/final key was earn by winning a old video game call Adventures. Wade wins the contest and shares ownership of the OASIS with his friends.

In my option, Ready Player One is a very great science fiction movie. It has references movies from the past decades. Which to me, is why it’s a great movie. And like other movies, the messages the movie makes is that people need to take a leap of faith in life, so at the end you don’t have anything that you said to yourself “I wish I did that, why didn’t I do that?” Which the creator of the OASIS had at the end if his/her life. Want my two cents, go and see Ready Player One. You going to have a great time or a bad time, I don’t. Just think about it seeing the movie and form your own option of the movie.

CM Young