Phil discusses some big plot points for Avengers: Infinity War below the break. If you are metaphorically Captain America pushing back against the Thanos fist of spoilers, stay away.
Avengers: Infinity War is given a very difficult task in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). With a whopping 18 movies preceding it and already all but confirmed to be a “part 1” sort of movie, Infinity War had to juggle a dizzying number of characters and plotlines while also providing a satisfying self-contained story. We’ve seen the MCU attempt to tackle this before in Avengers: Age of Ultron. While that movie suffered from muddled confusion without a good central focus, Infinity War manages to involve more characters and more plotlines while avoiding the pitfalls that Age of Ultron fell into. “Infinity War” takes a different approach to the MCU structure and while it doesn’t stand on its own, it does solve many of the issues that have plagued the MCU and accomplishes its ultimate goal of setting up on epic conclusion to the original Avengers saga come 2019.
One thing I’ve come to respect about the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is their willingness to gamble by straying away from the standard superhero genre. Whether it be creating a ragtag underdog team like “Guardians of the Galaxy” or going full-on heist movie with “Ant-Man,” The MCU has never feared a little genre bending. So, what does it opt to do once it finally gets its hands on the coveted “Spider-Man” franchise again? Of course, make a teen comedy out of it! “Spider-Man: Homecoming” successfully manages to be a teen comedy with superhero trappings thanks to a strong cast of characters and the proper grounding of a universe often lacking exactly that.
Sequels for movies that don’t demand sequels are always dangerous territory. Too often they don’t understand what made the original great, sign on writers/directors/actors that don’t fit with the original mold, and focus too much on rehashing the original story. “John Wick Chapter 2” commits none of these sins. It sounds so cliché, but it’s true here: if you liked “John Wick,” you’re going to love the second chapter.
In a year bombarded with half-baked sequels and pedestrian rehashes, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a pleasant surprise. It’s no masterpiece by any means, but when it comes to creating characters I cared about and telling a self-contained story while still laying pipe for future installments in the new franchise, “Fantastic Beasts” gets the job done.
Captain America: Civil War is going to be a divisive movie. Even though it feels like another Avengers movie, there’s something decidedly different about it, both structurally and tonally. It feels like the first step to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) really growing up. Civil War is both reflective and forward-looking, which comes a bit at the expense of the movie itself. While there’s a great story here with one of the most inventive villains in recent MCU memory, what ultimately weighs it down most is what also props it up – connecting more threads to the conclusion of The Avengers as we know them.
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