Right, so I'll just free-write rant for a bit, in case we still need to do that. But I just got back from seeing it with my nieces.
Ho. Lee. Shit. Despite criticisms, they really did stick the landing. They stuck the HELL out of that landing.
(Note: I ranted about this a LOT more than I intended. Sorry, there's lots I wanted to cover.)
Okay, quick things I
loved:
-That ballsy opening. Given that they used technology before to find the Tesseract in Avengers (it emitted gamma radiation, as noted in this as well), it made sense how they could track him down. Combine it with alien tech and combined genius of Tony, Rocket, and Bruce, and it makes sense. But WOW, I didn't think they'd jump right to Thanos right off the bat. A HELL of an opening.
-Forced or not, I loved the "girl power" and I hope it means we get an A-Force movie. Watching it with my niece helped, who cheered right alongside me. I get that Captain Marvel is over-powered, but you could say the same of Thor, who cleaned out armies no problem in Infinity War and felt kind of de-powered here. Maybe it was the beer gut. But it was still an awesome moment.
-All the little callbacks. "On your left," was a really great surprise.
-ANT-MAN PUNCHING A SPACE WHALE.
-I was in tears watching everyone come out of the portals. I did NOT expect so many armies, but it made sense. Sorcerers, Asgardians, Wakandans. Probably one or two I missed, like some people from space?
-REALLY cool, quick shot with all the sorcerers creating shields around the battlefield.
-Nat & Clint's very emotional fight because it could have EASILY been either one of them. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering which one could go.
(Sidenote on that: No one knew how Gamorra died. They just knew Thanos got the Soul Stone and she didn't come back with him. Even Thanos and Gamorra were surprised to hear how the Soul Stone could be retrieved. Thanos didn't explain anything aside from "He mourns" and "I had to." So they had no clue that they were sending Nat or Clint off to die.)
-The time travel was kind of a highlight reel or clip episode from a TV show. But it worked because each timeline was basically for the Big Three (Thor, Steve, Tony), both as a final send-off for each and gave them character development. Plus, the elevator scene was perfect. From what I could tell, they had ALL the same actors who played the thugs in Winter Soldier's scene.
-Times I cheered: Cap using the hammer (and like a pro!) and "Avengers Assemble!"
-I loved how everyone at the funeral was grouped by their respective franchise. That was a really nice touch. (Didn't know who the kid was until I looked it up: apparently the kid Tony was with for part of Iron Man 3)
Things I
liked, but kinda iffy on:
-Thor letting himself go. I just saw an interview where he wanted Thor to return to the more comedic side like in Ragnarok. And we got that. I think they leaned a little too hard on the comedy, but it makes sense for his character. We've seen he doesn't deal well with things that don't go his way. So, living with the guilt that, even though he vanquished Thanos, it wouldn't bring anyone back? That he blamed himself for even letting Thanos win in the first place? It makes sense.
-Professor Hulk. I agree with
@Dave that it came out of nowhere. But it was also 5 years of development. Personally, if I'd written his part there, I would've maybe shown him having sessions with Doc Sampson or something, as a nice return for a character from that solo movie. Plus, it was Uncanny Valley City watching Ruffalo acting and voice coming from Hulk. Especially the face. Still, he was a great addition to everything, with a lot of comedy. That said, with Thor now leaning more on comedy, he'll fit right in Asgardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Plus, he has Stormbreaker. Who's to say they don't meet Beta Ray Bill? (who wields it in the comics)
- I think the time travel stuff, while fun, ran a little too long. It felt very Back to the Future 2 (which, to be fair, was on the sleeve blatant about that), with a lot of sneaking around, watching stuff play out while hiding, and a bunch of jokes. There's questions on how it might mess up the timeline (Cap & Peggy, Loki), but as with all time travel, it's best not to think about it too much and just enjoy the ride.
-Were Nebula and War Machine a couple? It seemed like they grew close, but it's kind of vague.
-Falcon getting the shield. I'm all for it, but I think it would've been better suited to Bucky, as a final cap-off to his and Steve's story. (Heh, Cap-Off)
-Nat sacrificing herself was great and made sense, but man, she really got the short end of the mourning stick compared to Tony. Which, I get. RDJ started it all and we all knew he
probably wasn't making it out alive in either Infinity War or this. But I kinda wish they had a duel funeral for them both or something.
Criticisms
-No Vision. I get that he was a pre-dusting death and they stuck to those (with some workarounds), it didn't feel right he wasn't there at the end. I'd hoped they did it by explaining he was MOSTLY separated from the Mind Stone by the time he joined the fray in Infinity War, and it was a matter of piecing him together. But with everything going on, that would've needed more running time in an already long movie. But I thought there were designs or set photos of him in an all-white look similar to how he's looked in the comics at one point or another. I was just disappointed he wasn't there for the end.
-I wasn't crazy about Stan Lee's cameo in this. I thought maybe he could've been among the funeral. No need to explain it. Just let him be there. But I know they filmed a lot of cameos far in advance. I think his last one is Spider-Man: Far From Home.
-This is kind of my
big takeaway, but...
This felt like such a satisfying conclusion to the past 10 years and 20-some movies that...I'm not sure I really feel like seeing anything past this. Sure, they set things up for the future and hinted at others, but I'm honestly not sure if anything will ever top this build up and finale. I'm not sure if I'm game for another 20 movies culminating in another big, operatic finale. Not because it wouldn't be awesome, but I don't think they can accomplish the same trick twice (maybe me in 2029 will think otherwise). There's so many emotions that I don't think they could evoke a second time.
I'm not saying I won't see future movies, but I feel a lot less inclined to see them, now. On the one hand, I wish they'd set up some kind of tease at the end of this (ala Thanos in the first Avengers), but on the other hand, it wouldn't have felt like a definitive conclusion then. Of anything from this, I'm probably most looking forward to Guardians 3. The solo movies should still be fun, but I just don't see what they could build up to if they use a similar formula for the next phases. My first thought is all the time-travel catches the attention of Kang.
But yeah, I don't know. I felt so definitively satisfied by this that I don't think the magic will ever be recreated. Even though I have a feeling they'll try.
