Part of the journey is the End[game]
So this should be a post about day one of the comic book expo, but there was a little movie I had to go see instead. Man, seeing movies on your own is no fun. I had no one to talk to at the end. And man, there's a lot to talk about.
Overall, I think Infinity War is the better movie. It had a more focused plot. Endgame still knew where it needed to go, but it kind of meandered.
But let's first talk about the things I didn't like (which aren't a lot):
- And let's start with the big one. Black Widow/Natasha is dead. No bringing her back from this one (unless a future movie explores the Soul World, which resides inside of the Soul Stone). It's not even like Tony's death, which is a big sacrifice to save the universe. Sure, Natasha sacrifice's herself to get the Soul Stone, but it's still a waste. I would have preferred if Clint had been the one to jump. You already killed one prominent female character to get the Soul Stone the first time; why does another woman have to die to get it again? I also don't get why Nebula didn't tell Natasha and Clint what was involved to get the Soul Stone. She would have worked it out that Thanos killed Gamora. A little head's up would have been nice.
- God damn time travel. I had really hoped they wouldn't resort to time travel to reverse the Snap, but I guess it was the only way. It just felt kind of... out of place. Time travel as a concept hasn't come up a ton in the MCU. To suddenly have it be front and centre was weird. I can see why they did it, to revisit old movies and characters and tie up arcs and build some more character development, but just because you can doesn't mean you should. And this leads into my other beef...
- The thing with time travelling Nebula getting her wires crossed with past Nebula was so clunky. It only served as a way to get Thanos to the present so he could get his ass kicked.
Things that were great:
- Again, let's start with the best. Captain America wielding Mjolnir!!! Oh my god, I didn't see it coming. Though, when the fight with 2014 Thanos started, I did think to myself, "Gee, Cap doesn't bring that much to the fight. Thor has lightning, Tony has his suit." And then, whoosh! There's Steve with the hammer. I like to imagine that while Steve was time travelling to put the Stones back that he was having some fun times with Mjolnir. And speaking of time traveller Steve...
- Peggy! And Jarvis! And a happy ending for Steve and Peggy! The timeline makes no sense now but whatever. I suspected we would see Peggy in some fashion the moment they had a shot of Steve's compass in one of the trailers, but I never would have guessed that Steve would go back and have the life he never had with her. It kind of doesn't make sense in regards to Steve's arc, since he seemed like he had moved on, but I guess I'm just glad that they didn't kill him. Now he's just old and he has passed his shield on to Sam. But seriously, I squeed when I saw Jarvis. This has to be the first time that a character from the Marvel TV shows has popped up in the movies.
- Women of the MCU unite! The whole thing with the Iron Infinity Gauntlet turned into a glorified game of Hot Potato, but it was so just damn amazing seeing all of the major female characters banding together to back Carol. I didn't expect to see Pepper in a suit, but hey, why not. She's been there since the beginning.
- Might as well as mention the big scene where everyone assembles. Steve finally got to say "Avengers Assemble!"! You knew everyone would show up for a big battle, but it was still a little spine tingling just to see the scope of it.
- Going back into the old movies was fun. I may not agree with the how and why they get there, but I'm a sucker for when characters go back to previous scenes. And it makes sense to revisit things since this is the end of an era. The Cap vs Cap fight was great and there's a reference to the elevator fight from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And they managed to lure back Natalie Portman to film a quick scene! Thor getting to talk with his mother was also very sweet. It's too bad they couldn't get back into an Iron Man movie, but the trip to 1970 covered all of the necessary bases for Steve and Tony.
- Oh yeah, Tony. He saves the day but dies in the process. I wasn't surprised when he died. He's the character who's been around the longest and it makes sense for his character arc. It just hits a little harder when you know that he and Pepper have the cutest daughter ever. I love you 3000, Tony.
And some random thoughts: Carol had her short hair from the comics! She better be rocking the short hair or a faux hawk in her next movie. Fat!Thor was hilarious. Maybe it was a touch too much, but you do have to show how messed up Thor is. I really hope people cosplay him. Korg survived the Snap! And Valkyrie, too! So, is Thor joining the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3? Does Gamora still exist? 2014 her is around for the battle, but Quill can't seem to find her later on. Merged Bruce/Hulk was a little weird. It's just a bummer that Mark Ruffalo had to be CGI for the entire movie. I laughed really hard at Stan Lee's cameo. His appearance was peak 1970s Stan Lee. No one in my theatre really reacted, though, like they didn't recognize him or something. Or maybe everyone was just sad because this is likely his last or one of his last cameos. No mid or end credit scenes, which was so weird. There is the sound of a hammer striking metal at the very end. I don't know if it's just a reference to the first Iron Man movie or a hint of things to come. Maybe Spider-Man: Far From Home will establish the future of the MCU. The timeline is so messed up now. So, Peter missed five years but he still appears to be in high school for his next movie. I guess the people who were Snapped just pick up where they left off? I'm a little bummed that Cassie Lang is a teenager now. I will miss the actress who played young Cassie. But hey, at least this opens up the possibility of Cassie becoming a hero alongside her dad.
I will have to watch the movie again, in 2D this time. 3D is just so distracting. Okay, now I have a very full weekend of geeking out ahead of me.
Overall, I think Infinity War is the better movie. It had a more focused plot. Endgame still knew where it needed to go, but it kind of meandered.
But let's first talk about the things I didn't like (which aren't a lot):
- And let's start with the big one. Black Widow/Natasha is dead. No bringing her back from this one (unless a future movie explores the Soul World, which resides inside of the Soul Stone). It's not even like Tony's death, which is a big sacrifice to save the universe. Sure, Natasha sacrifice's herself to get the Soul Stone, but it's still a waste. I would have preferred if Clint had been the one to jump. You already killed one prominent female character to get the Soul Stone the first time; why does another woman have to die to get it again? I also don't get why Nebula didn't tell Natasha and Clint what was involved to get the Soul Stone. She would have worked it out that Thanos killed Gamora. A little head's up would have been nice.
- God damn time travel. I had really hoped they wouldn't resort to time travel to reverse the Snap, but I guess it was the only way. It just felt kind of... out of place. Time travel as a concept hasn't come up a ton in the MCU. To suddenly have it be front and centre was weird. I can see why they did it, to revisit old movies and characters and tie up arcs and build some more character development, but just because you can doesn't mean you should. And this leads into my other beef...
- The thing with time travelling Nebula getting her wires crossed with past Nebula was so clunky. It only served as a way to get Thanos to the present so he could get his ass kicked.
Things that were great:
- Again, let's start with the best. Captain America wielding Mjolnir!!! Oh my god, I didn't see it coming. Though, when the fight with 2014 Thanos started, I did think to myself, "Gee, Cap doesn't bring that much to the fight. Thor has lightning, Tony has his suit." And then, whoosh! There's Steve with the hammer. I like to imagine that while Steve was time travelling to put the Stones back that he was having some fun times with Mjolnir. And speaking of time traveller Steve...
- Peggy! And Jarvis! And a happy ending for Steve and Peggy! The timeline makes no sense now but whatever. I suspected we would see Peggy in some fashion the moment they had a shot of Steve's compass in one of the trailers, but I never would have guessed that Steve would go back and have the life he never had with her. It kind of doesn't make sense in regards to Steve's arc, since he seemed like he had moved on, but I guess I'm just glad that they didn't kill him. Now he's just old and he has passed his shield on to Sam. But seriously, I squeed when I saw Jarvis. This has to be the first time that a character from the Marvel TV shows has popped up in the movies.
- Women of the MCU unite! The whole thing with the Iron Infinity Gauntlet turned into a glorified game of Hot Potato, but it was so just damn amazing seeing all of the major female characters banding together to back Carol. I didn't expect to see Pepper in a suit, but hey, why not. She's been there since the beginning.
- Might as well as mention the big scene where everyone assembles. Steve finally got to say "Avengers Assemble!"! You knew everyone would show up for a big battle, but it was still a little spine tingling just to see the scope of it.
- Going back into the old movies was fun. I may not agree with the how and why they get there, but I'm a sucker for when characters go back to previous scenes. And it makes sense to revisit things since this is the end of an era. The Cap vs Cap fight was great and there's a reference to the elevator fight from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And they managed to lure back Natalie Portman to film a quick scene! Thor getting to talk with his mother was also very sweet. It's too bad they couldn't get back into an Iron Man movie, but the trip to 1970 covered all of the necessary bases for Steve and Tony.
- Oh yeah, Tony. He saves the day but dies in the process. I wasn't surprised when he died. He's the character who's been around the longest and it makes sense for his character arc. It just hits a little harder when you know that he and Pepper have the cutest daughter ever. I love you 3000, Tony.
And some random thoughts: Carol had her short hair from the comics! She better be rocking the short hair or a faux hawk in her next movie. Fat!Thor was hilarious. Maybe it was a touch too much, but you do have to show how messed up Thor is. I really hope people cosplay him. Korg survived the Snap! And Valkyrie, too! So, is Thor joining the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3? Does Gamora still exist? 2014 her is around for the battle, but Quill can't seem to find her later on. Merged Bruce/Hulk was a little weird. It's just a bummer that Mark Ruffalo had to be CGI for the entire movie. I laughed really hard at Stan Lee's cameo. His appearance was peak 1970s Stan Lee. No one in my theatre really reacted, though, like they didn't recognize him or something. Or maybe everyone was just sad because this is likely his last or one of his last cameos. No mid or end credit scenes, which was so weird. There is the sound of a hammer striking metal at the very end. I don't know if it's just a reference to the first Iron Man movie or a hint of things to come. Maybe Spider-Man: Far From Home will establish the future of the MCU. The timeline is so messed up now. So, Peter missed five years but he still appears to be in high school for his next movie. I guess the people who were Snapped just pick up where they left off? I'm a little bummed that Cassie Lang is a teenager now. I will miss the actress who played young Cassie. But hey, at least this opens up the possibility of Cassie becoming a hero alongside her dad.
I will have to watch the movie again, in 2D this time. 3D is just so distracting. Okay, now I have a very full weekend of geeking out ahead of me.