Tag: marvel

Review the MCU: Marvel’s What If?

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

It occurred to me less than four hours before my mom and I planned to sit down and watch Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness that I forgot to watch something. And that something was actually important to little bits of the plot.

I skipped Marvel’s What If?

Now, I will admit this was initially skipped for two reasons: Mom doesn’t like “What If” storylines on a good day and refused to watch it, and I just wasn’t feeling the animation. However, in the leadup to Doctor Strange 2, I heard from the grapevine that actually watching some of the episodes of What If was actually somewhat important.

So, we’ve pushed watching Doctor Strange 2 off until Sunday night, and I’ve spent most of my downtime blasting through all nine episodes. And here are my thoughts for each one. Well… kinda.

(My apologies, but you can clearly watch my descent on this one and it goes so so fast.)

What if… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?

As a first episode, I ended up somewhat surprised. While the story does follow the original film’s storyline, with changes to account for Peggy Carter switching places with Steve Rogers, it ended up working pretty well. I very much enjoyed the different scenes that highlighted that Steve couldn’t join the war effort the way he wanted to after being shot, and that Howard Stark came up with a way for him to help. There were a few things that just didn’t really click with me beyond the animation style and the shaky voice acting work (which is something across the board, but I respect Marvel Studios for bringing back all the voices of the original characters). For one, there’s a lot going on for just thirty minutes. Whole scenes of information were shoved down into thirty seconds. For another, character development was rushed: we don’t get to see Bucky become friends with Captain Carter, and hell, he spends most of the episode shafted to the side.

All in all, it was pretty solid, with some notable small issues.

What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?

I almost skipped this episode because I knew I was going to cry. And yes, I did cry, if anyone is curious. T’Challa’s portrayal as a hero is spot on, not just for the character, but also because of how inspiring Chadwick Boseman was in real life. By showing T’Challa as someone who goes on adventures, but also uses the spoils of those adventures to help the universe, is a tribute in of itself. I did enjoy the build with his character’s story, though again, it was rushed. This episode felt more solid and contained even with the timing issues. The only glaring thing I really saw was that there was no mention of Gamora, who should have already been by Thanos’ side by the time T’Challa talked him into changing his ways. I will say however, the ending was perfect (Peter Quill working at Dairy Queen with Ego appearing to talk to him). And the tribute? That was done well.

What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?

So, how does one kill every one of the OG6 in four days (baring, of course, Captain America, who is still frozen)? A mad Hank Pym, obviously. I wasn’t exactly surprised by who actually died, but the manner they all did. The worst, honestly, was Hulk, which made me gasp because of the brutality of it, followed closely by Natasha’s. Clint’s made me want to cry as Fury defended him to the end. I wasn’t at all surprised that Loki decided in the end to rule Earth. While this one didn’t have as many loose ends, I have to wonder (since I’m writing these blubs as soon as I’ve watched each episode and I’m not looking ahead), is everything going to end up connected in the end? Hmm…

What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?

Ugh. This was never going to be a favorite episode of mine, I knew it from five minutes in. But the entire premise just did not do justice to the MCU or to Strange’s character. The thing I dislike the most is that the whole thing revolved around Dr. Palmer and fridging her. Seriously, she “has to stay dead” is the theme of the episode. It’s so very disappointing. My only kudo goes to the voice acting, specifically Benedict Cumberbatch. If this is what I have to look forward to in Doctor Strange 2, I’m gonna hate those scenes.

What If… Zombies?!

… I hate zombies, I hate zombie stories, and I really dislike this episode. But Peter was cool, even if it was a dark and depressing episode. Seriously, like most of the currently MCU cast appears in some facet, and only three of them officially survive by the end. Nope.

What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?

Killmonger is one of my favorite villains in the MCU. This episdoe made me not like him. Also, Tony Stark is not this naïve, but wow he is here. I spent the entire episode rolling my eyes. Nope. I still don’t like this. (Did the writers just have a thing in their contract that Tony Stark must be killed off ASAP in every episode?

What If… Thor Were and Only Child?

Um.

What If… Ultron Won?

Well..

What If… The Watcher Broke His Oath?

So here’s the thing-

Season Thoughts as a Whole

Alright, confession time. I didn’t get past Episode 6.

I gave the show long enough to hook me, much longer than I normally do (which is two or three episodes). If only one episode out of the six I watched hooked me or impressed me enough to continue, then why would I continue on? I have far too much left on my summer watch list to be trying to force myself to continue watching something that just hasn’t hooked me.

However, in writing this review, I think I can identify exactly why I’m not a fan of this show. I’m not a fan of properties that are dark and depressing just for the sake of it. This show had most episodes end on a cliffhanger with something bad on the horizon, which just doesn’t work for me. But that’s just my opinion, not anyone else’s.

I’ve read the summaries for the remaining three episodes so that I have a basic understanding of what happens with the different metaverse characters. It will have to be enough in the lead into Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

I still give all the props to the creators and team behind the show. It was an ambitious endeavor, even outside these pandemic times! The idea was absolutely sound. Just because it didn’t get me excited doesn’t mean it won’t be something that you might not enjoy. I highly encourage everyone who hasn’t seen Marvel’s What If to give it a few episodes.

Just so it’s clear, I won’t be watching Season Two when it airs later this year. I’ll instead continue to read the detailed episode summaries (thanks MCU Fandom Wiki).

Until next time!

Ranking the Disney+ MCU Shows – Blogmas 2021

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

As of the other night, I’ve watched every episode of the Phase Four MCU shows on Disney+. And honestly, I’m glad that I took my time! Not that I didn’t love them (I did) but I was able to really stretch them out and enjoy the extra long films.

Before I get into “ranking” the shows, I want to kinda explain how I got my list. I enjoyed all four shows for various reasons. But I also know there were things that I wasn’t a total fan of. The ranking is more just like an order to just make things easier to read. I’m also not including Marvel’s What If? as I haven’t watched it yet. I’m also not entirely sure of it’s place in canon.

Oh, and just because something comes higher than the other doesn’t mean that I really didn’t like something. It’s an arbitrary ranking.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier

This one has to be on top. I was surprised when I got into this one. I absolutely love both of the main characters, but I wasn’t sure how their journey in this show would work. But wow this one blew me out of the park.

I was very impressed with the writing and storytelling. THe characters brought to the small screen worked well. I flat out cried during the final episode, because I really wasn’t expecting the ending to hit me the way it did. It blew my mind.

Hawkeye

I’ll be the first to say that I wasn’t expecting to love this one as much as I did. I love the story of Kate Bishop becoming Hawkeye, but I was worried about how it would translate to screen. But I was pleasantly surprised. Bringing back Kingpin was an amazing twist that I was hoping for, and I think it worked. Even the constant (heart wrenching) reminder of Natasha and her death worked. And the inclusion of Clint’s hearing loss, tied into this years being an Avenger was an amazing touch to bring the character closer to his comic book incarnation.

Honestly my one big issue was pacing. This could have easily been a five episode show. There were a few scenes that just felt tacked on. (Also the post credit scene wasn’t great. Just the inclusion of it. I’m fine with it as a whole.)

Wandavision

This show had to do a lot. It opened the door for more MCU shows, but it also had to continue the story of two main characters, introduce or reintroduce some other major characters, and set the stage for Phase Four as a whole. I give massive kudos to everyone for this show, because it was a major undertaking.

The only reason it is lower is because the shows that came after it stepped up just that much more. It’s crafted near perfectly, and really set the stage for the rumored Young Avengers film/series.

Loki

Something had to be at the bottom, and it could only be Loki. I have nothing against the show. It was well written, confusing as hell, and well acted. The biggest problem was that I found it incredibly boring. At least an entire episode could have been cut for time, and it still would have bored me. A lot is set up here, but… it’s probably not going to get a rewatch from me.

So that’s my “ranking”. There are of course other little details I could include, but I’m trying to be pretty spoiler-free. I’m happy that I watched them all, and I can’t wait to see what the MCU has in store for the fans next.

(BTW, I haven’t seen The Eternals or Spider-Man: No Way Home yet, so please don’t drop any spoilers in the comments!)

Until next time!

I’m Caught Up on the MCU! – Blogmas 2021

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Well, kinda.

For my birthday last month (dear God I’m 31, yikes), I finally got to watch Black Widow. I was actually very impressed! Though I’m also said, because it was clear that we probably won’t see that family dynamic again. Yelena ended up being a great foil to Natasha, while also being able to stand on her own two feet. It’s a great introduction for Yelena, as well as well as a respectful ending for Natasha. I actually managed to avoid all spoilers regarding details in the film, as well as the post-credit scene, so it was an amazing watch.

The next weekend, we watched Shang-Chi, and WOW, that one blew Black Widow out of the park. First off, there was something about the dynamic between Shang-Chi and Katy that drew me in and wouldn’t let me go. Heck, it was the dynamic between every character that made this film so amazing. While the story was a bit simplistic, it was engaging. It currently has the spot for top Phase Four film locked up tight. (Also, the fact that Wenwu wasn’t driven by anger, but instead by love, as the main “villain” was a great change to the formula. He just wanted his wife back, and was tricked into believing that she was in danger instead of dead. It was handled perfectly.)

I’m also halfway through Hawkeye, which is going well. I’ve always been a fan of the character, because I love the underdog. He’s not a superhero, he’s just a human that has trained himself without the help of science. This show has been touching on some subjects that I’m loving to see, including Clint’s hearing loss (the different levels of ALS have been amazing to see, and it seems to be handling it respectfully) as well as his depression and survivor’s guilt. And wow, that scene in episode one, when he’s seeing the musical? That hurt. But it hurt so good.

I’m still on the fence about Kate Bishop, but that’s because she still seems like the plucky teenage sidekick, instead of the adult sidekick that she’s growing to be. There’s a level of mystery in the show that’s keeping me coming back every week for more. I’m just worried that they stretched this out into six episodes, because the pacing seemed a bit… slow sometimes.

I unfortunately haven’t seen the Eternals yet. I haven’t felt safe going back to theaters (which is why I also ended up missing the SAO movie). I also wasn’t exactly excited to go see it, but that’s on a more personal level. This one will have to wait until after it comes to Disney+.

I also won’t be seeing Spider-Man in theaters for the same reason. I can’t justify seeing a film when I know I’m going to be uncomfortable the entire time. I just don’t trust people, and with news of the newest variant, I worry.

The only other piece of (semi-canon) MCU related content that I haven’t seen is What If? It’s been on my list, and I’ve been avoiding it. I just don’t really like the animation style, and honestly the concept doesn’t do anything for me. I’m going to watch it, but it’s not a priority right now.

So that’s it with the MCU. And here’s one other fun Marvel thing I’m going to be missing, well, next year when it comes out. It’s not a MCU film, but it’s still a Spider-Man film all the same. I’m going to be avoiding the sequel to Into the Spider-Verse. The animation actually managed to give me a splitting headache this afternoon, and that was just because of the trailer. I can’t imagine how much pain I’d be in if I saw it in theaters.

That’s all for tonight! Sorry for the short length, I ended up being behind with the Advent writing and had to cut something.

Until next time!

I Finally Watched Loki

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

To the shock of most people who know me, I held off on finishing Loki. Yes, I know, I’m incredibely late.

My inital thoughts on the series were mixed to say the least. I watched the series with my mom, and after two episodes (on debut night), we both decided to set the series aside for awhile. We weren’t exactly impressed. I’m not really sure what it was about it, but we just couldn’t get into it.

And then last night, while waiting for sushi to arrive, Mom turns to me and says, “Let’s finish Loki tonight.” Completely out of the blue. And so we did.

Having now seen the whole show, I’m mildly impressed. In my opinion, it doesn’t stand up to WandaVision or Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it’s a solid showing. I realize now why I wasn’t a fan: the pacing. There were many scenes that I would have condenced or cut all together. It felt like a lot of scenes were stretched out to meet the runtime goal, and it slowed down everything considerably.

The other issue was that many characters just wanted to info dump, especially in the last episode. Jonathan Majors (who portrays He Who Remains) has a massive speech that takes up the majority of that episode, only somewhat broken up with quick shots of what’s going on at the TVA. While I’m all for background information on characters, this took the cake. Pretty much the entirity of what the multiverse is, how it is formed (thanks Sylvie), and who our new big bads are get revealed in the speech. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good scene. It just goes on and on and on…

Early on, it was clear that this show wasn’t going to go the route of FatWS, meaning that there was less action. It also wasn’t going down WV‘s path, as the writing didn’t really let Loki get emotional. It was absolutely a show that spoke a lot, but most of the scenes consisted of conversations, then an establishing show, then another conversation. Most action scenes were limited.

I’d also like to have a conversation with the stunt and fight coorgraphers, as it was clear when characters were faking hits. It was sloppy. I know with the filming restrictions that were on set made things difficult, as well as the several month delay in the middle of the shoot, but it was noticable.

That’s not to say that I didn’t like the show. I did! I felt that it was well cast, as most of characters (excluding Loki and a brief cameo of Lady Sif) were new to the MCU. I had been nervous when I heard Owen Wilson was cast, but he brought out his drama chops for this film (can he do more drama films? He’s got good timing!). Sylvie is a character created from the comics, inspired by a combined Enchantress and Lady Loki. She is expertly portrayed by Sophia Di Martino, while one of her most emotional scenes is played by young Cailey Fleming when the character was a child. The introduction and portrayal of Ravonna Renslayer was supurbly done by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, towing the line between morally ambiguous to complex villain in such a perfect way. Oh, and we can’t for get voice actress veteran Tara Strong bringing the animated Miss Minutes to life (the character that ended up with a jump scare in the beginning of episode six, and scared the hell out of me).

I’ve become more critical of Marvel’s films and televisions shows as of late, because they have such a hold over the market. But I also know that a lot of what I dislike about the series was well liked by fans across the globe, and that’s okay. I’m allowed to not like things.

Next up for us is Black Widow in a few days. I’m curious to see how that one goes.

Until next time!

(BTW: Don’t ask my opinions on Eternals. I have issues with this film, and I haven’t even seen it yet.)

Ranking the MCU: Two Prospective (Phase One)

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

When Iron Man released in May 2008, I was still in high school. I saw the trailer one night when I was watching Criminal Minds with Mom, and thought it looked interesting. Since it was a TV trailer, it was only about 30 seconds or so long, but it peeked my interest. Mom, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care. Well, until she happened to see the cast list.

So we saw it. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So here’s the funny thing about Marvel for my family. Mom grew up reading some of the comics, usually the Avengers and the Fantastic Four. But never consistently. I wasn’t much of a comic fan (unless you count Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog, because if so…) and the only Marvel properties I really knew were the X-Men films (which I thought were fun, but nothing to write home about), X-Men Evolution, and the classic Spider-Man cartoon from the 90s. We were a DC family for the most part.

Well, until Iron Man.

Since that day, Mom and I have watched every single MCU film, as most fans have. I also watched most of Agents of Shield, though work got in my way and I never went back to it after season… four? I think? I also watched the Netflix series as well. I would dare say I’m the bigger MCU fan in the family, but that’s ok, because I get to share it with Mom.

Back in 2019, before Endgame came out and shattered our hearts, Mom and I rewatched most of the MCU. Ok, more like ten of the films. We wanted the highlights. And now, post WandaVision re-destroying what was left of our hearts, we decided to do it again.

We’re watching most of the films in order, hoping to finish by the time Black Widow finally releases (please Disney, do a simultaneous release on Disney+, Mom and I don’t want to risk the theater until at least late summer). There are a few we’re skipping through, only because they just aren’t films we want to rewatch. It’s personal preference.

And when we decided to do this, I though it would be fun to rank them, in order of favorite to least favorite. Again, personal opinion. So, after we finished Avengers last night, we sat down with the first six films in the MCU, known as Phase One. We ranked them from our personal favorite to our least favorite, which the understanding that our opinions could change once we added in the rest of the MCU together.

Our lists are pretty similar off the bat, especially our bottom three. To be fair, I’ll put up both of our current rankings, then explain why we put films where we did.

Mom’s Rankings:
1. Captain America: The First Avenger
2. Iron Man
3. The Avengers
4. Iron Man 2
5. Thor
6. Hulk

My Rankings:
1. Avengers
2. Captain America: The First Avenger
3. Iron Man
4. Iron Man 2
5. Thor
6. Hulk

Let’s start from the bottom. Hulk is easily the film that we always skip when we watch the MCU in order. Yes, it sets up some very important plot lines and characters, but it also just didn’t do it for us. (It also stars Edward Norton, and I have a personal dislike for his acting, so it was always going to get dropped to the bottom of the list in my opinion.) Since we didn’t want to waste two hours, we skipped through the film, watching the scenes that set up Hulk’s inclusion into the MCU, as well as the post credits scene. Oh, and the deleted opening scene referenced by Dr. Banner in Avengers.

Number five on the list was Thor. It’s arguably better than Hulk in a variety of ways, but we both have different opinions as to why we rank it so low. For Mom, she just doesn’t like Thor as a character (though he did grow on her by Infinity War). For me, it’s the filming style, with all the weird angled shots taking me out of the scene. Is there a problem with having important shots take place at a normal angle? Must every shot be shot at about 30 degrees to the side? Now, granted, there was a major reason we do enjoy one scene. That’s the introduction of Hawkeye, when Thor tries to take back Mjolnir. As with many others, I didn’t make the connection that Clint was even in this film until after The Avengers. And now it’s one of my favorite scenes. (Also, while Mom detests all of the Thor movies, I have a private appreciation for them, especially with their introductions of Loki and Darcy, and the major character change to Jane, going from a nurse to an astrophysicist. Great upgrade, girl.)

Fourth on the list goes to Iron Man 2, by virtue of just not really having a choice but to place it low. We are big fans of Tony Stark, and watching his continued evolution into this film was a blast. It also has one of the best casting changes in MCU history, with Don Cheadle taking over the role of Rhodey in a wonderful way (and his first line referencing it, perfection). Let’s also not overlook the introduction of Black Widow, who is amazing, and the fun little retcon intro of Peter Parker. Honestly, the only reason that this film is in the fourth spot is simply because the other three are just… better. But not by much. Seriously, it was a tight list for 1-4.

Third on my personal list, second on Mom’s, is the film that started the MCU, Iron Man. What is there to be said about this film that hasn’t already been said. It’s such a worldbuilding film that also works as a standalone, if you missed the post-credit scene the first time (like most of us did). The cast was amazingly strong, though I have always felt as though having Jeff Bridges in only one movie was a waste, since he’s such a good actor (thanks Spiderman: Far From Home for giving us another shot of him, even if it’s reused footage and flashbacks). Included in this film is just so many details that reappear in the rest of the series. Oh, and we can’t forget Terrence Howard’s unfortunate, and admittedly hilarious, line, “next time, baby,” considering the recasting of his role in the sequel.

Runner up on my list, and Mom’s top film, is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. A film that blew my mind… when I ended up watching it a week before The Avengers released, because of college. Chris Evans was the perfect casting for Steve Rogers, and his chemistry with the rest of the cast is perfection. The writing is on par, the soundtrack is wonderful. Bucky’s fall is heartbreaking, even though we now know he survived. This is a solid film in so many ways. (Oh, and shoutout to the 9-1-1 fans, Kenneth Choi plays one of the Howling Commandos and dear god do I see why I love him as Chimney in the show. He has this hilariousness to him that just fits well in both franchises. I’m so glad that he returned in Spider-Man Homecoming playing his character’s grandson.)

And then, there was only one. The top film on my list, third on Mom’s (she did say it was a close 1-2-3). The Avengers. Honestly, there’s a part of me that is still shocked that this film actually happened. You have a star studded cast, a director that was in hot demand (oh how the mighty have fallen), a script that has to carry the weight of six superheroes, the introduction of the series Big Bad… and Samuel L. Jackson. This should not have worked. And yet, it did. In spectacular fashion. We get the true introduction of Hawkeye, who is criminally underused (shush, I’m a Clint fangirl, I love him, bite me). You get Steve and Tony meeting, and arguing, and working together, which begins the set up for the heartbreak that is Civil War. We get our new Hulk, with perfect casting in Mark Ruffalo. But we also get one of the most shocking scenes, with the death of the Phase One favorite, Phil Coulson. It’s such a strong film. It had to be. If it failed, that would be it. No Phase Two. No MCU, really. Just a six film series that would have been left wanting for more. But it didn’t fail. It exploded. It set the stage for the next nine years.

I have always said that the Avengers films are some of my favorite. When I was in college, I’d put this film on in the background, and it helped me study. I’ve owned three copies, two DVDs that ended up scratched to hell from overuse, and now a Blu-Ray copy.

Rewatching the MCU is a source of comfort for us. We have loved these characters, this story, for so long. And taking the time to go back and relive it again is worth it.

With Falcon and the Winter Soldier starting on Friday, I’m honestly not entirely sure when we will start Phase Two (since we’ve been watching on Fridays and Saturdays, so…). Hopefully soon. When that happens, we will be ranking both phases together, and also separately. I can almost guarantee that there will be some disagreement in placements. Like, I’d put money down. But that’s the beauty of opinion, right? As long as it isn’t hurting someone, you can have your own.

Wait… Isn’t that what help cause Civil War? I’m scared now.

Until next time!