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Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Perfect movie to kick start Phase 3! This is it people!
When Marvel first announced they will be adapting Civil Wars for Cap 3, many fanboys out there like myself were completely blown away by the very idea of Captain and Iron Man fighting each other on the big screen! While I was very excited, I can't help feeling skeptical about it as many of us were worried that it might become an Avengers 2.5 rather than a Cap centered story. Marvel certainly didn't disappoint, in fact it is the perfect movie to kick start Phase 3!
Continuity is getting more and more important in the ever expanding MCU. Cap 3 serves as a direct sequel to both Winter Soldier & Age of Ultron. Unlike Age of Ultron which in a way ignore the events of Iron Man 3 & Thor 2, it builds on top of the events from all previous films. Many people complained that these movies are no longer just about the titular character instead it is now very common to have an ensemble cast. After all this is the idea of a shared universe right?
Spoilers ahead
The film started off in 1991 where the Winter Soldier was sent to intercept an automobile carrying a case of super soldier serum and assassinate its occupants. We all know that it is Howard Stark as it was pretty much hinted in Cap 2 when Zola said "when history did not cooperate, it was changed. Accidents happen." Of course this was shown during the climax of the film.
We then fast forwarded to modern day Lagos where the Avengers were on a mission to prevent Rumlow (Crossbones) from stealing the biological weapon which devastated a nearby building, killing a number of innocent people. I didn't like the treatment towards his character, felt like a waste really. Despite the dramatic entrance, he was only there for 5 minutes and only to be seemingly killed. Hopefully this won't be the last of him, he "temporary" killed Cap in the comics! Just want to add on here, if I am the editor of the film, I would actually start off the film with Rumlow which builds up intensity of what's coming later similar to how Cap 2 started with the rescue mission in the Lemurian Star.
Back in the Avenger's headquarters, US Secretary of State Thunder Ross informs the Avengers that the UN is preparing to pass the Sokovia Accords which will establish an international governing body to oversee the Avengers. Welcome back to Thunder Ross, we last heard from him in the Incredible Hulk which I am not sure if it is still considered canon. The team is of course divided where Tony Stark supports oversight because he feels responsible for creating Ultron and the destruction of Sokovia, while Rogers has more faith in his own judgment than the governments after what happened with SHIELD. This officially kicks start the ideological battle between Cap & Iron Man, similar to this year's Batman v Superman except this was carefully planned out since the first Avengers back in 2012. Black Panther and Spider-Man are the latest addition to the MCU, not only they were able to steal the spotlight from Cap, they are actually integral to the story (more for Black Panther). Together with Marvel, Sony is finally able to do Spider-Man justice by casting Tom Holland as the young Peter Parker. By now I am sure audience are getting tired of seeing all the origin stories so Cap 3 was the perfect way to set up these new characters.
The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery and sacrifice. It started from how he became the world's first super soldier who fought in WW2 to a man out of time, struggled to be relevant again in the modern world after being frozen for 70 years and only to be betrayed by SHIELD, the only people he can relate to. The Russo brothers were able to redefine Cap's character and had us emotionally invested into these films. It is also the perfect way to close out the story arc for Cap and I am genuinely looking forward to what they have installed for us in the Infinity Wars.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Batman v Superman: Do it Justice
In an attempted to replicate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Warner Brothers gave us the Man of Steel 3 years ago to layout the foundation of their multi-verse. It did a decent job of reintroducing Superman in the modern world although not on the same level as "Batman Begins" as many of us were expecting. The ending remains controversial today nonetheless I was genuinely looking forward to the sequel.
When they officially announced the title Batman v Superman, l was speechless and worried at the same time. To witness the two most iconic heroes battling one another is almost the biggest thing that could happen in the comic book cinematic history besides Marvel's Avengers, however when a franchise is moving towards something vs something, you know something is not right. Take a look at Jason vs Freddy or King Kong vs Godzilla, OK not exactly a good example but you get the point. Let's dissect the film:
Spoilers ahead
The film started off with the death of Thomas & Martha Wayne again. I am sure even for casual moviegoer, they are all well aware of Batman's origin by now, how many times do you think we need to see that on screen again? Studios never learn do they? Look what happened to the Spiderman reboot
We were then given a whole ten minutes of the ending of Man of Steel in Bruce Wayne/Batman's angle. In short, Superman accidentally killed those who worked for Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor who tricks Batman (by the way the greatest detective/ hero in the DC universe) into hating Superman by framing him in Africa and suicide bombing at the congressional hearing which Superman should have heard the bomb..
Then Superman is fighting Batman because Luthor captured his mom, setting him up against Batman who by this time still doesn't realize he's being manipulated. The situation gets worse, Superman actually told Batman that he's fighting because his mom has been captured. Batman came so close in killing him until he finds out their mothers share the same first name and they suddenly become best friend. There is no weight and resolution to their fight.
Don't even get me started with the creation of Doomsday which was spoiled for us in the 2nd trailer, it is so obviously that it is somehow linked to General Zod but how did Luthor gain access and control to the genesis chamber and come to know about the Krytonite? It's just lying there in India Ocean for 2 years for random divers to pick it up
Countless of script convenience and plot holes..
This film is supposed to weigh on the consequence of Man of steel and yet the ending is pretty much the same as previous film with half of the city being leveled again. I might not be a die-hard comic book fans but this film failed to highlight what Batman & Superman stand for and what made them great. On top of these, it spent too much time re-establishing Batman in this universe
I honestly think they should go for a Batman Solo film before this and stop having so many dream sequences (the cameos are pushing it)!
Hey suddenly Iron Man 2 isn't that bad. What do you guys think? I will be watching Justice League regardless, I mean why not?
PS: Batman is the only reason I am giving this film a 5
Fast & Furious 7 (2015)
For Paul
When Justin Lin announced he would be stepping down as the director for Furious 7 following Universal's decision to fast track the sequel before the release of Furious 6, a lot of fans like myself were wondering who could possibly replace him!? The franchise wouldn't be what we've come to know without Justin, he has been around since the Tokyo Drift (which is way too under-rated) and saved the dying franchise from being released direct to video.
Fast & Furious is never just about street racing but family & heist. Before you hate me, watch the first movie and Fast Five again then compare it yourself. You see the evolution of the characters and from robbing trucks with DVD players to heisting 100million.
Now back to Furious 7.. When they announced James Wan will be taking over the franchise, a lot of us were worried as he was most well-known for his work in horror genre, particularly SAW & Insidious. Nevertheless James has proved he is perfectly capable of big budget action movies, just look at the air drop or the Abu Dhabi sequence!
Spoilers ahead..
The film started off with Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) talking to the coma-tonic Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), promising to avenge him. Just pause and think how he could have survived the fall from the plane!? If that's the case I think Gisele & Han can too.. I mean they did bring Letty back right?
With all the hyped built up from the post credit scene of Furious 6, I was genuinely interested to see how Deckard Shaw hunt down the team and continue where Tokyo Drift left off. Instead we were introduced another villain, Mose Jakande, played by Djimon Hounsou (which is unnecessary and dull), Shaw was pretty much cast aside as a secondary character. We never get to see the team from the hunted to the hunter as Shaw kept showing up from time to time. Other than the impressive action sequence, it didn't really add much to the overall story. Sean Boswell played by Lucas Black showed up for 1 minute or 2 talking to Dom and you would at least think he might want to avenge Han right? But no we don't see him for the rest of the film.. I guess we just have to wait for the sequel. Shaw brothers might be teaming up, you never know!
Furious 7 was originally intended to be the first of a new trilogy but plans were scrapped due to Paul Walker's untimely death and instead the filmmaker decided it was all about making this movie for Paul. A lot of moviegoers like myself were very emotional by the credit rolled. It felt like the end of the journey with these characters you come to love and it was the perfect send off to Walker's character, more importantly farewell to Paul himself. The crossroad scene is definitely the highlight of the film and the reason I am giving this an 8 out of 10.
Part of me wishes they end the franchise here but with the highly impressive box office number, a sequel is nothing but guarantee. . I am very curious to see where the franchise is heading without the essence of Paul Walker. It just does not seem right without one of the core family member.. What do you think?
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
Mission Accomplished!
The year 2015 is again all about sequels (Age of Ultron, Furious 7, Jurassic World), every studio is trying to prove who has the most successful franchise not only financially but how well it was received by the audience. Just take a look at Terminator Genysis, it did double its production budget and yet to open in China but it was panned by a lot of critics. Well luckily the Rogue Nation is nothing like that; it is a solid entry to the Mission Impossible franchise. We see the return of Tom Cruise as the titular Ethan Hunt, Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn and Jeremy Renner as William Brandt.
Spoilers ahead
The film started off where the Ghost Protocol left off and Ethan Hunt is wanted for questions as if we haven't seen that before. We were then introduced an organization named the Syndicate, a beta program introduced by the British Government, in simple term an anti-IMF as mentioned by Benji in the trailer.. In a nutshell, the IMF saves the day and gets reinstated with a new Mr. Secretary. Does this sound familiar? This is exactly the plot of Skyfall, where we had rogue MI6 agents vs James Bond and we get a new M.
The action sequences are beautifully shot and I really have to praise Tom Cruise for his stunts especially on the roof of the military aircraft though in my opinion they are not as appealing or as the climbing of the Burg Khalifa in Ghost Protocol. They are trying too hard to top the last entry!
As a direct sequel to the 4th film, there were little to no further character development for the rest of the team. They were just there but didn't contribute much to the overall story and I don't recall any major scene for William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) after they introduced him as a skilled agent out of retirement. I would like to see more of him teaming up with Ethan Hunt in the future.. Just like talks been going on with Renner teaming up with Damon for future Bourne movies..
To conclude the Rogue Nation is definitely a must see movie for the holiday season and the good news is we don't have to wait long for the 6th entry. How many good 5th films are out there honestly? I can only recall Fast Five in recent years..
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
The X-Men still got it
There wouldn't be so many comic book movies if it wasn't for the success of the original X-Men back in 2000. After several misguided entries, X- Men: Days of Future Past shows us there are still plenty of gas in the franchise and all thanks to the return of Director Bryan Singer.
Spoilers ahead
Days of Future Past is the one of the highest grossing film in 2014 and arguably the best entry of the franchise (not bad for the 7th film of a franchise). It not only corrected many mistakes in X3 (notably the death of Cyclops and Jean Grey) and it also brought back the original casts (Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian Mckellen and Patrick Stewart which was what the First Class lacked).
Many argued there wasn't enough of the original cast in the future timeline when the film came out last year and I totally agreed. I personally prefer the original cast than the new generation well maybe except Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Thanks to the newly released Rogue Cut 2015, fans would not be disappointed. We are thrilled to see the return of Rogue, just because she was part of the original core team although rescuing her felt a bit too easy except Iceman had a much more painful death than the original cut
She basically stole the show from Kitty Pride (after Wolverine slashed her) for the rest of the film. It felt much more appropriate and personal as she's assisting Logan this time round whereas Logan was protecting her in the first film. We can see the evolution of her character.
To conclude, the Rogue Cut is more or less what the original Days of Future Past should be and it is a bittersweet to say farewell to the original cast even Jackman has announced he will be hanging up his claws after his third solo in 2017.
Looks like X-Men Apocalypse has a big shoe to fill, I have no doubt in Singer's ability.
Ant-Man (2015)
A worthy entry to the MCU
Once again Marvel has pulled a bunny out of the hat! Ant-Man is definitely a worthy entry to the MCU! Following the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel has continued to show us you don't need an A list hero to make a great movie.
I was disappointed when Edgar Wright pulled out from the film nevertheless I think Peyton Reed did an absolutely fantastic job in bringing us one of the funniest film in the franchise.
Spoilers ahead
The film started off with Hank Pym and SHIELD parted ways but it was good to see Peggy Carter and Howard Stark running SHIELD together (I wish they have kept Dominic Cooper even as the aged Howard Stark which would be consistent to photographs in Cap 2 where Cap & Black Widow located the original SHIELD headquarter)
Skipped right where Scott Lang donned the Ant-Man suit for the very first time, the bath tub scene provided us a genuine thrill experience of what the miniaturize world would look like! It was perfectly captured and I have always been a fan of a superhero's origin story. It was just very entertaining to see Hank passing on the mantle of Ant-Man to Scott (I am talking about the key hole scene).
For most part of the film, I think it holds pretty well as a standalone film until the inclusion of Falcon & the new Avengers facilities but I guess this would serve as a bridge to the rest of the MCU particularly next year's Captain America Civil War.
Finally, we have the showdown between Ant-Man & Yellowjacket (what's more fun when you see Thomas the tank engine crashing into Yellowjacket) and well Hydra did get away with the Cross particles right.. I guess this would serve as a cliffhanger to the upcoming sequels or maybe even for the Agents of Shield? It could be they are now working for Grant Ward after the fall of Strucker, Whitehall or whoever is left
To conclude, Ant-Man has been a fun ride and easily one of the best films of the holiday season. Marvel had us worried after the disappointing Age of Ultron but this proves that Marvel has still got it!
Terminator Genisys (2015)
A sequel tries to justify its existence
Terminator Genisys is a long waited sequel after Terminator Salvation. Part of me wanted them to continue where they left off. Nevertheless I really admired the effort of Director Alan Taylor, recapturing the magic of the original 1984 arrival scene with combination of impressive visual effects but that's pretty much what I liked about the film..
Spoilers ahead
The film started off with again the narration of the future war which was repeated again for the 5th time.. We get it, the humans, known as the resistance, are fighting against Skynet... the only good thing is we finally get to see the time displacement machine..
By the time Kyle Reese arrived 1984, everything has changed. Sarah Connor knows exactly who Kyle Reese is and is already a trained warrior. However if they already have the knowledge to the dark future, couldn't they do a better preparation in defeating the terminators (T800 and T1000)? Pops (Old T-800) only brought with him a shotgun and the acid trap nearly failed...
We are introduced to an alternative timeline, what happened to the old timeline? Is it completely erased or does it co-exist? Kyle Reese now possessed memories to a life he never lived. This whole timeline fractured reminds me of the time travel in the TV series Sarah Connor Chronicles..
I really like the idea of John Connor being compromised, this would have been a very nice twist IF they didn't spoil it in the trailer.. Just like the alternate ending in Terminator Salvation, Marcus Wright was given John Connor's face to continue to lead the human resistance against Skynet. That would add new life to the series and huge impact to the sequel.. Instead John Connor/T3000 is dead I assumed and Pops had been upgraded to T1000 like
Many fans like myself are wondering who send Pops back to 1973? I guess we will just have to wait for the sequel assuming if they are still pursuing one after the disappointing box office.
To conclude Terminator Genisys could have been a much better film if the filmmaker aren't rushing for sequels before the completion of this film..
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
An entertaining popcorn movie
Age of Ultron is a long waited sequel after the tremendous success of the Avengers in 2012. It is a fun movie to kick start the summer holiday season and I admire Joss Whedon's effort in putting the team back together. Instead of going through what's good about this film, I would like to point out several problems the film suffered from.
Spoiler ahead..
The film started off with the Avengers going after Loki's scepter which was in the Hydra's possession, pretty much where we were left off from Cap 2's post credit scene. We see Iron Man and Iron Legion back in action with little to no explanation as to why, completely ignoring the consequence of Iron Man 3 which was disappointing.. Thor and Hawkeye are just there and the weirdness between the Hulk and Black Widow.. If any of us who watched Cap 2, it would make better sense if it was between Cap and Black Widow.. All the hype built on Strucker but he was defeated by Cap in 10 seconds and killed off-screen..
Skipped right to the party scene where all the supporting characters come together which was great! James Rhodes aka War Machine was there to discuss the threat of Ultron with the rest of the team but that was it.. You don't see him again until the third act where apparently he's Nick Fury's big gun!? Again here, no mentioned why he changed back from Iron Patriot to War Machine and since when the new Shield and US air-force are working together?
We can get to see Ultron Mark 1 built from the scraps of Iron Legion but after a brief battle, it evolved to Ultron Prime right away.. it is disappointing as Ultron is meant to be a robot/ artificial intelligence which is continuously evolving..
We were then given the back story of Hawkeye as he was pretty much a brainwashed zombie from the first film and with no ever mention where he was in the whole of phase 2.. Thor went off to find out about his hallucination and in the end just to justify the existence of Thor 2, telling us that Aether is one of the infinity stone and making a link with the Guardians of the Galaxy..
The Vision supposedly the all-powerful android is underused in the final act and was just there to save Scarlet Witch from the explosion.. Quicksilver is there so they could kill him off without crossing off any of the core team
Finally the Nick Fury shows up with the Helicarrier out of nowhere to evacuate civilians? How could they have hidden this without the knowledge of Hydra (assuming not everyone has watched Agents of Shield)..
In the end, Age of Ultron has its great and bad moment but it is definitely a good popcorn movie. It is a sequel to the 2012 Avengers rather than the sequel to the Phase 2 movies(IM3, Thor 2 and Cap 2) as I previously assumed ..