Board 8 > ITT I re-watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) (spoilers, obviously)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Safety bump. We're watching Daredevil and dragging our feet on watching Thor 2. You probably can't blame us.

I dunno if we'll watch Thor 2 today or tomorrow, but I'll be on vacation all of next week sooooo.... we'll see.

I dunno why people like Justin Hammer. Always hated him.

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

We're watching Daredevil and dragging our feet on watching Thor 2. You probably can't blame us

Certainly not.

Good luck

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

what bothers me about the mandarin twist is that that aspect of the plot goes absolutely nowhere. maybe i would have been fine with it if it had an awesome, well thought out payoff. instead, we get "killian is the REAL mandarin! ...well, not really. we later find out that another guy is the REAL real mandarin!" what the hell? it seems like they just wanted to troll fans of the mandarin from the comics and then had no idea how to proceed after they did that.

Dont know responses after this one, but I rather like the twist.

Killian Dain's work with Extremis is a great third act in the Stane-Hammer-Dain of awful magnates. While the NYE backstory is absolutely terrible and really deadens the personal connection with Stark, him as just a straight corrupt businessman trying to create the next super soldiers? The investigation into the explosions/suicide bombings was a great and intriguing thread. The discovery that it's failed science experiments using volunteer veterans is a jawdrop, and the way all these explosions use the fear The Mandarin and the terrorist Ten Rings as cover for it is just brilliantly evil pr and use of the media to hide lies and genius on Killian's part as manipulation.

Killian himself is terrible at having a personal connection at all to Tony, and Extremis definitely falters with him as the final fight, but cooking a conspiracy of terrorism to cover the explosions was vile. It's ballsy, too, because there's only so long before someone else or the government figures it out if Tony wasn't involved, but by the then, Killian's banked on Extremis finally being workable to produce his own private superpowered army. But then again, Winter Soldier's not out yet so we don't know how deep Hydra is or how much latitude and cover they give towards Dain (since Tony refused to cede his suits and weapons to the government in 2, and Hydra wants power.)

[[And even though it's not part of the movie, I do really like how Extremis/Project Centipede is used in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Deathlok and, iirc, the main villain of Season 1.]]

I will say, though I like it and am most fond of the Tony and the kid scenes, it is definitely a flawed movie and get why people dislike it.

Your spoiler tagged point is in fact correct, the entire villain arc of Season 1 is how to fix Extremis

Killian Dain the pro wrestler was in Iron Man 3?

Counterpoint: Aldrich Killian is also a painfully boring and insipid character with awful writing, and having him be the lead villain as the most boring villain in the MCU as a twist over one that was far more entertaining and looked like he was going to be a legitimately awesome villain sucks.

Like if you want to have this twist, at least make Aldrich Killian even a little bit entertaining. Because as it stands, I wanted him off my screen every time he was there because any scene with him sucks.

I am halfway through Thor 2. Tbh it's not great but it's not as terrible as I remember.

Thor: The Dark World
Release Date: November 8, 2013
Stand-Out Character: Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston)
Best Scene: Great Asgardian Escape

So I went into this expecting it to be total shit but honestly... it's not as bad?

Thor: The Dark World is about Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves, being awakened and trying to take the Aether which is stuck inside Jane Foster so he can destroy all nine realms while the Convergence, a once-in-an-Asgardian-lifetime event happens, and Thor and friends all stop him.

So I dunno what to start with. I feel like I should start with the bad so I can justify the good here.

Let's start with the Dark Elves and Malekith being utterly boring and pretty awful. It's a shame, but from what I've read him and Kurse were supposed to get a lot more development that was cut, and I think that would have helped the movie tremendously.

Thor's Asgardian friends are underutilized, I felt. You couldn't have some kind of excuse to involve them in the last fight, at least? The movie is at its most fun when they're involved, honestly.

The humor does not land at least half the time. Some of Darcy's stuff lands, anything with Thor and Loki lands, and Natalie Portman is able to get some humor out there too. Stellan Skarsgaard as Erik Selvig manages to be the most consistently funny though. That guy just nails every bit of comedy he's given.

There's a lot that feels... meandering, a bit. Like I just don't care about Frigga at all, even though they really tried. I know it's Thor's mama but she's such a nothing. The attention given to her kind of brings the movie down. Especially because they found a way to keep Odin away from most of the plot like what? How? Come on now. You have Anthony Hopkins: write this man as much as you can into this movie god damn.

It feels almost like they get too lost in the weeds with all of these new powers and LORE for Dark Elves. I am a nerd about this stuff but I even found myself lagging behind on making the connections with everything. Aether, Kurse Stones, Conversions, Yggrasil, Bifrost, blech. It's a lot.

So alright, here's the good.

Loki is the god damn best and Tom Hiddleston just makes this entire movie worth it. Every scene with him is perfect. He's an actor that conveys so much with so little. Telling Kurse the way to the throne, revealing he's actually devastated by his mom dying, the rest of the scenes with Thor, the "death", and the surprise reveal at the end? Nah, it's perfect. Best part of the movie, hands down. Nothing comes close.

Other than that, everyone does a fine job with their script. I don't outright dislike any performance in particular. We can complain about how much Malekith sucks, but that's not Chris Eccleston's fault. If anyone knows his work in The Leftovers, you know he's a guy who is absolutely a blow away actor. But nobody stands out as a lacking performance. Even Kat Dennings is fine in this as Darcy. It's just a lack of characters we care about, I think.

Natalie Portman has a charm to her performance, and they don't bog us down with a lot of romance. We get surprisingly minimal amounts of it, thankfully. Her presence is kind of nice to have, even if there are parts where I kinda wish she wasn't involved?

They also had a very distinct vision with this film. It's a dark, dreary movie, and it could stand to be a bit brighter in parts. But damn, it has a cool style to it. The Aether stuff looks rad, Kurse looks really cool, the Dark Elves ships are actually really awesome. I think it's to contrast the look of Asgard being bright and gorgeous.

Further to that, I think most of the action scenes are pretty enjoyable. In particular, my favorite is the Escape From Asgard. Everyone gets their part. Thor and Loki get plenty of time to snipe at each other, Heimdall, Sif, Volstagg, and Fandral all get a chance to shine there and show off. God, I miss those guys. All of them. They were so fun here and barely got a chance to really show off. But there's a lot of fun stuff that takes us around Asgard in an entertaining spot.

The initial invasion of Asgard is also cool. Specifically when Heimdall takes down the one invisible ship when they realized they need to give Idris Elba more stuff to do now that he's more famous. Kurse wrecking fools is good too. Loki just chilling in his cell was a nice touch.

The whole scene with the deception and attempted destruction of the Aether and Loki's death was great too. The one drawback was that they should have spent more time with Thor grieving. It seems like they jumped fast from that. Loki has some good stuff when he takes out Kurse though.

And then the final battle is great too, but I feel like it could have definitely have been more crazy though. Malekith with the Aether power is just a great villain and I think if this movie was done in modern MCU with a better actor, we may have gotten a better fight with this concept in mind. Reality breaking, teleporting everywhere, Mjolnir just flying erratically. All good stuff. And never forget that Selvig was the hero who saved Thor and Jane at the end what a boss give us back Selvig for the love of god.

So I know I may seem like I'm gushing over this film, but I think I'm gushing over the elements of Thor I just remember fondly. The Warriors Three, Sif, Heimdall, Thor and Loki, Jane's presence, Odin. It's all great stuff that I feel sad we didn't get to explore more. Asgard is far more interesting than the New Asgard stuff, at the very least. There's a lot I forgot entirely that I really liked in this movie though, and coming back to watch it and get to see those things I really liked was enjoyable. I hazard to say it's anything more than decent though. As far as MCU outings go, it doesn't feel terrible like, say, Iron Man 2 & 3. It feels shakily on par with Incredible Hulk too.

It's a movie that has issues that hold it back, and ideas that feel like if we had a re-do in modern MCU they may be more fun. And I think studio meddling, from what I've read, actually played a big part in the problems this film had. So yeah, Thor 2 is nobody's favorite movie, it has some issues, but I appreciate a lot in it after a re-watch.

Girlfriend Thoughts: About halfway through this movie, she said, "So why do people hate this movie again?" I had trouble kind of explaining it at that point, honestly. It's kind of why I ended up having this thought after all. She had to second guess whether or not Loki actually died as well. She loved the Thor and Jane romance stuff. She still loves Loki and was complimenting him a few times. She also took Frigga's death harder than I ever did. I also made her try to figure out who Fandral's new actor was until she finally realized it's Zachary Levi, Shazam! She really seemed to enjoy this far more than I expected, but she seemed to be checking out towards the final battle.

I think Asgard mixing with more conventional aliens and outer space shit as just a really pretentious planet is such a jarring idea that it doesnt work unless you spend the movie focusing on it. Like this is the first real confirmation that theres nothing godlike about them, theyre just a culture of strong people who love ornate dress and ceremony.

Asgards place in the wider MCU universe always kinda bothered me. Maybe I should watch Ragnarok

Also its misleading to call this a Thor movie; Loki is really the main character here, and I wish the entire movie was more focused on him

The Warriors Three (and Sif) are awesome and I will always be upset at how the MCU wasted them.

Funny that you appreciate it more after a rewatch since I had the opposite experience. On my first time I thought it was alright but I checked out pretty fast on a rewatch out of boredom.

I've seen Thor 2 like 3 times and I still have a lot of trouble remembering what it is about. I can't really pin point any particular reason it doesn't stick with me, but there also isn't anything that particularly makes me dislike it either.

Jakyl25 posted...

Also its misleading to call this a Thor movie; Loki is really the main character here, and I wish the entire movie was more focused on him

Loki is not the main character and he's not even in it for a long time. lol Like I'd be surprised if Loki was in it for even 20 minutes of the full runtime. But it's the only 20 minutes that really sticks with you. I remember feeling actually gutted when Loki died and hoping it was a trick the first time I watched this.

Maniac64 posted...

The Warriors Three (and Sif) are awesome and I will always be upset at how the MCU wasted them.

Seriously. The fact that The Warriors Three just fucking die in Ragnarok without anything and now we're stuck with Korg and his unfunny ass hanging out with Thor instead is terrible. Sif is missed because she's just an actually badass female character who had a lot of heart to confide in with Thor, and you can feel how much she cares for him every time they share the screen together. Whereas with Valkyrie there's barely any chemistry there with Thor and they have nothing interesting to talk about since she's just a snark machine.

The supporting cast for Thor now is just so gutted and they don't feel like they really belong. It was fun for Ragnarok since it's an out of world experience, but trying to make them mainstays is just bad.

But yeah, I think "Forgettable" is probably the key word for Thor 2 here.

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

"So why do people hate this movie again?" I had trouble kind of explaining it at that point, honestly.

Our thoughts mostly align on this movie, and I've always felt the same about it. To me it's just not really in that bottom tier. I mean it's among the lesser of the MCU movies that AREN'T there and I don't completely love it or anything but there is stuff I like and I don't mind watching it. Like I'm in the minority but I'd rather watch The Dark World than Thor. To say nothing of the real crap like Iron Man 2/3 and Age of Ultron.

I've always written it off to two things.

I love Loki, and Tom Hiddleston in general really. So all of his stuff here is slam dunk for me.
I like Kat Dennings and Darcy is a fun character. I unironically enjoy Two Broke Girls-- like it's not my favorite show but it has funny episodes and is above average for sitcoms of that era. So I'm not cringing at her comic relief stuff here and more of it is probably hitting for me than most.

I'm not sure if it's quite that simple but that's been my best guess as to why it's hated. There isn't much going on that isn't related to Loki, and Darcy gets a lot of stupid comedy. If the former isn't a big thing for you or the latter irritates you, then you probably hate on this movie.

what i don't get is that darcy was generally disliked in dark world but then everyone seemed to be totally cool with her in wandavision.

i personally haven't liked kat dennings in anything i've seen her in - including wandavision. her style of comedy just doesn't work for me at all.

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

Loki is not the main character and he's not even in it for a long time. lol Like I'd be surprised if Loki was in it for even 20 minutes of the full runtime. But it's the only 20 minutes that really sticks with you. I remember feeling actually gutted when Loki died and hoping it was a trick the first time I watched this.

What I mean is that hes the one with a character arc in the movie. He develops from beginning to end

To me its somewhat of a funhouse mirror of the first movie where Thor learns what it means to be worthy and why hes not ready to be King

Mr_Lasastryke posted...

what i don't get is that darcy was generally disliked in dark world but then everyone seemed to be totally cool with her in wandavision.

i personally haven't liked kat dennings in anything i've seen her in - including wandavision. her style of comedy just doesn't work for me at all.

Well I can argue from the point of view of a person who likes Darcy.

She's definitely making a lot less jokes in Wandavision and the character comes off as a lot more competent in general. There's a clear difference to me and I actually prefer her in non-Wandavision appearances because of that, because I'm not ready to see her in a role where she seems like she knows what she's doing-- it's a bit abrupt.

I myself never thought Thor 2 was bad. Rather enjoyed it, including on a rewatch years later.

I too echo thoughts on how the Warriors 3 weren't used nearly enough and that was a part of Thor lore that they didn't need to essentially get rid of. Thor 3 is great, but Korg is a Hulk character and I hate that he hangs around with Thor.

I like the other broke girl in The Neighborhood a lot. And I've also really enjoyed Kat Dennings in Dollface.

But I have never watched both broke girls together.

Dark World is the only Thor movie I have never seen. I have no interest in rectifying that anytime soon given how mediocre I found the first Thor - even Love & Thunder, flawed as it is, is still way better IMO.

I've been curious about Dark World in the past just on a sheer "how could you possibly mess this up" level in similar vein to the early DCEU movies but there's so much I'd rather watch. That being said, how could pitting space Vikings against space elves be anything but awesome?

For what it's worth there's this one ranking of every MCU movie on Collider I follow that keeps getting updated with every new release. That ranking has Dark World ahead of both Doctor Stranges, both Ant-Men, the first Thor, Iron Man 2, Eternals, Black Widow, The Incredible Hulk, and Shang-Chi. So, it's not like everyone rags on Dark World.

LinkMarioSamus posted...

For what it's worth there's this one ranking of every MCU movie on Collider I follow that keeps getting updated with every new release. That ranking has Dark World ahead of both Doctor Stranges, both Ant-Men, the first Thor, Iron Man 2, Eternals, Black Widow, The Incredible Hulk, and Shang-Chi. So, it's not like everyone rags on Dark World.

the only inclusion on that list that's really surprising is shang-chi imo. i didn't care much for the movie but most people seem to love it.

I'm in a similar boat.

For what it's worth though that ranking also has Love & Thunder ahead of Civil War, Infinity War, and the first two Spider-Men, Iron Man 3 above all those plus Guardians of the Galaxy, and Age of Ultron in the top 10 above all those and Ragnarok. Though on the flipside regarding Age of Ultron, while I don't necessarily think Joss Whedon's fall from grace isn't undeserved it's not like every problem people had with the movie was his handiwork. Same with the theatrical cut of Justice League.

Back from vacation and watching Winter Soldier.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Stand-Out Character: Nick Fury (played by Samuel L. Jackson)
Best Scene: Team Cap vs. Winter Soldier & Goons

So watching this again, it absolutely holds up, and this feels like the first legitimately next level MCU movie in every aspect. Until now, I can find enjoyment with these as popcorn pop action movies, but I don't think I'd ever think any of them were more than that. CA:TWS is absolutely the first one I consider is heads and tails above what we had here for multiple reasons.

But first, plot summary: A HYDRA takeover within SHIELD wherein they want to wipe out many innocent people brings Captain America, Black Widow, Nick Fury, and Maria Hill together, along with newcomer Falcon! However, HYDRA also has the Winter Soldier on their side, who is Cap's thought to be dead best friend, Bucky Barnes. Ultimately, they are able to stop this plot and wipes out SHIELD in the process, and Cap is able to get through to his brainwashed friend, Bucky, by the end.

This is pretty much going to be all good, but I'll start with the characters. Nick Fury is my absolute favorite character in this movie. Samuel L. Jackson just brings such life to this character that is perfect. In this movie, Nick Fury is kind of gone for a lot of it because, can you believe it, he deceives everyone and fakes his own death. But he still gets a lot of memorable interactions with Cap and Pierce before that. And good lord, they make him an absolute badass in this and he doesn't even have to leave his van to do it. And everything towards the tail end of this movie is just great and perfectly done.

Captain America is also a delight in this film. I feel like there's a lot of really solid character building scenes, like Cap walking around the Captain America exhibit in that museum. Chris Evans really is a perfect Captain America, and everything he does just makes me feel like he's the real truest hero. No fear, wants to help everyone, regardless of how he can do it, and doesn't give up at all. All heart. When Cap is on point, it's just outstanding to watch. Not to mention he looks like a turbo badass during this film too. So many scenes make him look like every bit of the super man that he is.

Black Widow is back and she's got her best performance so far. I feel like Scarlet Johansson finally feels comfortable with the character, and we get a lot more personality with her that was sorely lacking in her first two appearances. I thought she was great in this, and I like how her and Rogers has such a strong friendship now.

And Falcon is great. Anthony Mackie does a wonderful job in this role and I love how he just jumps in, wanting to help however he can, and he brings a much more casual energy to the heroes to round them out. It's especially great how he and Cap just immediately get along really well, and it feels very natural.

Notable on the villain side is, of course, Winter Soldier. I frankly don't have much to say about Sebastian Stan's acting here since... well, there's not much to it. But the way that Winter Soldier is presented is beyond perfect. He's freaking terrifying, fearless, vicious, and focused. Everything he does is with purpose and it's unnerving each time you see him. The little bits where Stan gets to be more than a robot are well-done and I think you can tell he wanted to make them count.

Robert Redford of all people was Alexander Pierce, who I would say is probably the main villain here. He's just a casually evil politician that is kind of desensitized to all of it, and Redford plays it so well. He's a shitbag, and that's very clear, but the confidence and subtle swagger he has about it is really key here. He's easy to hate, and his role really solidifies how corrupt SHIELD is and how HYDRA got their hooks in.

Secondary villain Brock Rumlow, played by Frank Grillo, is also worth mentioning here. But mostly because I love Frank Grillo as an actor and any time I got to see him I always thought he stood out as their main heavy in that group. He's a corrupt soldier, and although he doesn't do much, he's pretty effective at being hateable and really pushes things forward a lot. Ultimately, Brock Rumlow is entirely wasted in the MCU, but that's something I'll discuss later.

And I need to give a shout out to Arnim Zola as well. I don't know how it took me until now, but Arnim Zola is actually the guy that makes HYDRA exist this long, and allows it to live on as such a controlling force. He literally infiltrates SHIELD as it's built and builds his own army. He creates this algorithm and everything to set forth all of these issues in the present. Arnim Zola is the fucking HYDRA MVP. It's a bit weird though considering he seemed so reluctant about the evil shit that Red Skull was up to in the first movie, and it always struck me that Arnim would have been fine with his SHIELD role, living peacefully. To see him so cold, evil, and vicious in this was almost jarring having seen him in the first film so recently.

Characters aside, this plot and writing is so on point. It gives us real, intense stakes, and personal strife with each character. The villains are great and really give us reason to want to see their downfall. Every hero in this movie interacts with one another so well too--I loved seeing them all talk with each other. The movie is paced so well also, and I don't think there's a dull moment here.

The cinematography really has some of the best action of the MCU. Just the way this is filmed stands out to me, and it definitely was the right call having the Russo Brothers take over the Avengers movies, because man they get it. I loved watching Captain America go off on people. Falcon flying around was a complete visual delight. Black Widow's unique brawling was good too.

And so many of the action scenes stick with me. The chief of which is when Cap, Black Widow, and Falcon fight against Winter Soldier and his goons on the street. The carnage involved and everyone getting notable moments. And Winter Soldier being such a force of nature, casually demolishing anything in his way. It all opens with Sitwell getting thrown into incoming traffic and does not quit. Winter Soldier rips out a steering wheel wholesale. Just such a jolting beginning to this fight.

But aside from that, I fondly remembered so many more. Nick Fury's car chase in particular really stands out. I almost gave it the best scene because of how intense it is and just how great Samuel L. Jackson is in it. It's just the epitome of what Nick Fury is. Plans on plans on plans, blasting through cars and traffic, causing issues to get away because he ascertains the risk. Soooo great here.

The elevator scene is also such a brilliant fight that is so creative. Really, kudos to them for putting that together. And then they follow it up with Cap destroying an entire fucking fighter craft on his own. The absolute unit that is Captain America, and he's built up so well you just kind of shrug and say yeah that makes sense he could pull that off.

And towards the end, Falcon racing through the skies as missiles and explosions go off around him. Cap is fighting through an army. Black Widow unveils her costume to stop Pierce. Winter Soldier just destroys an entire SHIELD resistance group. The build up to the end of this movie is wild and the action is all on point. Looooved this.

I would say the only thing I don't like here is how SHIELD is already done with. I've always really enjoyed SHIELD as a presence and I'm kinda bummed that we still haven't seen them come back yet.

Like I can talk for a long time about everything that is great about CW:TWS, but there's so much wonderful about this movie and I only have so much time. But it's really a top level MCU film, and I think it really set forth some of these films becoming such legitimate cinema. Without this vision from the Russo Brothers, I just don't see Marvel movies getting as ambitious as they ended up being. I think that's something that deserves more credit.

Girlfriend Thoughts: She really enjoyed it. She asked me if I knew the twist with Bucky and I was like "uh, yes" and I busted out the initial Winter Soldier trade I have. She really enjoyed the Nick Fury car scene too, and seemed to be giddy at that carnage. She said the only scene she remembered was the elevator fight though. She definitely ships Black Widow and Captain America though. She was very sad that Pierce's housekeeper was killed. And she hated when Rumlow was threatening that one guy after Cap makes the announcement that HYDRA has infiltrated. She thought the Arnim Zola AI scene was really cool. And she loved Black Widow in this movie. She also reacted a lot at the brutality of Winter Soldier.

Ahhh. When the movies start to become unquestionable good imo. First one that was really amazing to watch start to finish since IM. I remember when I got my sister and cousin getting hooked on MCU and I said CA will become one of your favourite avengers. They told me I told some lies after we watched all of phase one. Come this movie then they got hyped and shipped Cap and Widow big time. This was all in run up to Civil War of course. Payoff ended up being so good.

But yeah, still a shame that SHIELD kinda went and hasn't really come back. Maybe we'll get SWORD instead?

Not entirely on topic but for all the crap Joss Whedon deservedly gets thrown at him, it's not like he's singlehandedly responsible for everything people don't like about Age of Ultron and the theatrical cut of Justice League.

most_games_r_ok posted...

But yeah, still a shame that SHIELD kinda went and hasn't really come back. Maybe we'll get SWORD instead?

We're definitely getting SWORD and I'm excited about Abigail Brand but like nothing else about SWORD honestly. Abigail Brand will be a huge fan favorite for sure though if she's done right.

Hey guys, SHIELD persisted for the next 6 seasons of Agents of SHIELD, lol

Watch Coulson rebuild them from the ashes! Its neat!

The Zola scene is my favorite scene from any Marvel movie. For one Im a sucker for lore dumps, but also it really raises the stakes incredibly well

Also shout out to GSP as Batroc, another perfect MCU casting

I showed a picture of Batroc the Leaper to my girlfriend from the comics and she cackled.

Now when you say your girlfriend ships Widow and Cap, is that just because Peggy is near death, or does she actually think Widow is better for Steve?

I would need to ask for clarification, but she thought Steve and Peggy were really cute together. She felt sad about Peggy being in such rough shape now though, but I think she just liked Natasha and Steve's flirting with one another.

For what it's worth Chris and Scarlett had been in two movies together before the MCU even existed, so it was easy for them to have such a strong rapport with each other.

That also makes me want to bring up how Johansson was asked in interviews about how it felt to be wearing such a skintight outfit she didn't even have underwear. You can see the problem with this picture, I hope.

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

I would need to ask for clarification, but she thought Steve and Peggy were really cute together. She felt sad about Peggy being in such rough shape now though, but I think she just liked Natasha and Steve's flirting with one another.

Sounds like she ships a three way

Winter Soldier is probably my second favorite MCU movie, and I agree with pretty much all the beaming praise you had for it. This is almost as much a Black Widow movie for me as a Captain America one as to me this is really the movie where her character peaks in that franchise, and it's another one where you really don't need any of the previous movies to follow what's going on. It's a sequel but yeah, easy to understand in a vacuum-- the Bucky twist is really the only thing you lose by not watching any of the lead in movies, but again it's not like you'll be lost because the movie does a good job on letting you into the idea that Cap knows this guy without dwelling on it a lot.

One thing you didn't mention that I absolutely adore is the soundtrack. Soundtrack is a thing that the MCU tends to be lacking in-- there's the Avengers Theme with 5 million variations, and that's like it for the most part. This movie the Winter Soldier theme totally kills it, along with the haunting shrieking effect with it-- really adds to his killing machine aura.

I actually meant to mention the soundtrack. It is absolutely top notch too. A few of them are very much memorable, but Winter Soldier's theme is definitely among them. The beat that escalates like a rising heartbeat to that shriek is outstanding. The Fury chase scene music is awesome too.

Winter Soldier's theme is one of a few themes I can instantly recall. Among others I've remembered are a couple songs from Iron Man (mainly when he's working on the armor and during the flight test), Iron Man 2's Black Widow theme, Avengers theme (obviously), and Iron Man 3's end credits theme that is a jazzy remake of Avengers.

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

We're definitely getting SWORD and I'm excited about Abigail Brand

Excellent. I haven't really been keeping up with phase 4 at all so this is good to know.

Bump. I dunno when I'll keep watching with spooky month here!

Another bump

Oop, saving this. This likely continues in November!

Flu bump

And I'll be picking this up again this week with Guardians of the Galaxy.

Yes, Winter Soldier is next level compared to what came before... and after.

Ahhhh bump soon soon

I lied about soon.

But we are making more progress on Daredevil Season 1! We're close to the end.

Watching Guardians of the Galaxy right now! It's happening!

The Guardians of the Galaxy
Release Date: August 1, 2014
Stand-Out Character: Drax the Destroyer (played by Dave Bautista)
Best Scene: Escape from Kyln

So this film was the first big risk that Marvel really took. It could have easily failed. It could have been lame. But James Gunn is such a visionary that he came up with something that was equal parts stunning, intense, hilarious, and touching.

I have very, very few bad things to say about this movie because damn, everything really works so well. But one has to be the underutilization of Korath the Pursuer. Hell, if you aren't plugged in enough, you might not even know who I'm talking about. You got Djimon Hounsou in this film and you barely have him in it! He absolutely deserved better.

I also have my issues with the conclusion, in which we see Ronan the Accuser distracted by a dance and then killed with the power of friendship. Like it's all entertaining, and outside of a vacuum it's not a big deal, but I think the bigger deal is that Ronan dies at all. Because god damn, Lee Pace just absolutely kills it in the little we get. Ronan is a force to be reckoned with and easily one of the best villains in the MCU, even without us getting a lot of backstory or development for him. Any time Ronan is on screen, he commands the attention with a fiery vengeance. He could absolutely have been a player throughout the rest of the films. And no, Captain Marvel is certainly not enough.

Besides that, there's so much more to love in the movie. Star-Lord played by Chris Pratt is just outstanding. He really manages to bring so much charm to the character and give a full array of a performance. It's easy to hate on Pratt nowadays, but he absolutely kicked ass with this role. Zoe Saldana does a great job as Gamora, being a strong straight man character through all of the nonsense, but she does feel like the least memorable in this film.

The wise-cracking Rocket voice acted by Bradley Cooper is also great too. They took a talking raccoon and made him just so damn cool. His resourcefulness throughout the film really carries it to prove he's not just a cute mascot or anything. That's more, kind of, Groot for some reason voice acted by Vin Diesel. The way James Gunn manages to pull so many poignant scenes from a tree fella who can only say "I am Groot" is astonishing. This should be awful, bad, and corny, but you come away loving this tree guy.

And then there's my man, Drax the Destroyer by Dave Bautista. I expected literally next to nothing from freaking Dave Bautista. And yet Dave just launched his career with this movie single-handedly. He showed such a knack for comedic timing and just ended up being a delight throughout the entire film. He's a dummy, but he has a heart. And when he has a chance to show that heart, he's great. The humor from this character just delights me, even re-watching it now.

Yondu by Michael Rooker is just so damn good. His scenes just pop and Michael Rooker is really a brilliant actor. The way he plays Yondu is just wonderful, and the subtlety of a lot of it behind the brashness of his character is outstanding stuff. He gets more play in the next film, but in this one we really get a short but sweet taste of what an entertaining badass he is.

For less important characters, Nebula is played by Karen Gillan and is as much the cold force of nature she needs to be as an antagonist who certainly got her importance upped in future films. Benicio Del Toro as The Collector seems like the most perfect casting. You can tell he completely loved being such a bizarre, eccentric weirdo in his scenes while he delivers what is probably the most important dialogue for the entire MCU as he describes the Infinity Stones. It was short but delightful. The little stuff Sean Gunn does with Kraglin always cracks me up. "Captain's gonna teach stuff!" Just seeing him in the background is great.

But with all of that out of the way, I need to gush about the creativity here. James Gunn created an entire alien universe here, before the MCU really started to get into it too much. And god did he ever make sure it came to serve with great action as well. I put the Kyln Escape as my favorite because I think it's such a brilliant way to show off the entire team at first. Drax as a gleeful psychopath, Gamora as a femme fatale, Groot as a terrifying monster behind his soft, kind exterior, and Rocket showing all of his cleverness and know-how. It's all built up so well and we see the chaos ensue and it delivers something memorable as Rocket saves the day last minute and heads out. Star-Lord gets a bit part in this as the butt of a joke, but the entire sequence ends with him kicking ass and getting his cassette player back. Just a tremendous introduction.

Aside from that, the other scenes are outstanding too. The entire sky fight against Ronan's ship and the Nova Corps putting up their shield is awesome too. And then the battle inside is just so great and memorable as well. I really love Ronan's ship. The way it moves, transforms, and looks like such a menacing force is great. And Ronan himself being an absolute tank against it all just tops it all off.

But it's really the world building and set pieces. Kyln rules as a prison. Xandar is beautiful and when it's destroyed, it has a ton of impact. Knowhere is so fucking cool for what a dump it is and I love they got that in there. The Collector's museum is also great with a lot of easter eggs in it and it looking like such a shady and disturbing place. They really went all out and completely delivered on how creative and great everything looks in this movie.

So yeah, suffice it to say I love Guardians of the Galaxy. It holds up extremely well and is just a fun, action-packed movie and one of the strongest in the MCU by far. Always great for a re-watch.

Girlfriend Thoughts: I showed her the multiple outfits for the characters from the comics to compare. She was most shocked by Gamora's outfit, and Drax's original look. Real ones understand why. She was most amused by Yondu because she loves Michael Rooker, and Rocket. She also thought Groot was absolutely adorable and was talking about how sad his sacrifice was. Honestly she was mostly just glued to the movie. She was blown away by John C. Reilly being in this movie too. And Howard the Duck at the end just confused and slayed her.