MCU Rewatch

Guardians two is interesting in that it does make the Guardians franchise richer while still not being as good a movie as the first one.

- The CGI fabric of this film definitely seems overdone, especially with Ego's planet.

- Zoe Saldena is great in this. Her character seems to be mostly reactionary this time around, but she delivers those reactions very well.

- They give far too much importance to Yondu's death at the end. It feels like he got more fanfare than Iron Man. It also probably doesnt help that I didn't buy the whole "He was actually a great father all along" sentiment. This is one of the biggest things that brings this movie down.

- Does anyone else get the feeling that Vin Diesel said "Okay, I'll be the voice of the baby Groot. But only if we make this more about family."

- The character work with Peter and Rocket works well. And Nebula for that matter, as ridiculous as she is.

- The gold people were kinda dumb.

- I really like the scene where baby Groot is trying to find the fin.

- Quite a few teases, including the old Guardians team-up (which will probably go nowhere) and Adam Warlock (who I suspect will be in the third movie?)

Overall, this movie adds a lot to the characters but isnt quite as tight or entertaining as the first.

7/10

Ranking:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Winter Soldier
3. Avengers
4. Iron Man
5. Iron Man 3

7. Ant-Man
8. Civil War
9. Doctor Strange
10. Thor
11. Captain America
12. Iron Man 2
13. Age of Ultron
14. Incredible Hulk
15. Thor: The Dark World

- I really like how the climax of the story is laid out for us in the opening scene with the fire monster guy, though the way it comes about at the end still has an unexpected aspect to it.

- Wow, Asgard really gets put through the ringer on this one. His three buddies die pretty quickly. Where was Lady Sif?

- The Sakaar stuff is wild and very fun. Jeff Goldblum really adds to it.

- The comedy is played up a lot more here, which is mostly in the movie's favour and is clearly where Hemsworth is more comfortable. However, a big criticism of Marvel films is that they rely on humour too often to undercut serious scenes, and that is evident here. The most egregious of these are Korg's comments while Asgard is literally being destroyed in front of them.

- It was fun having the Hulk in here, though having him so ever-present really makes the CGI noticeable.

- Anthony Hopkins isn't in it much, but he's really good. I especially liked when he played Loki playing Odin.

- Speaking of Loki, I really liked where his relationship with Thor went, even though it does spell doom for his character. Its too bad he won't be around anymore (except in bad tv shows where he doesnt feel at all like the same character).

- Where do Hela's knifes come from?? Does she just have a bunch of tiny knifes in her belt and uses Pym tech to enlarge them as she throws them? Also, how does she put that weird hat on her head just by running her hands through her hair?

- The giant wolf was awesome.

- Ragnarok finds a great balance of pure fun and enjoyment with the story of a civilization's fall with lots of great character beats, and makes it all work.

8/10

Ranking:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Winter Soldier
3. Avengers
4. Iron Man
5. Spider-man: Homecoming

7. Iron Man 3
8. Guardians Vol. 2
9. Ant-Man
10. Civil War
11. Doctor Strange
12. Thor
13. Captain America
14. Iron Man 2
15. Age of Ultron
16. Incredible Hulk
17. Thor: The Dark World

I don't think I've seen BP since the first time in theater. So here are some thoughts from this second time around.

- The combination of African cultures with science fiction is a very interesting blend, providing for some neat visuals.

- That being said, some of the tech stuff annoys me. There's some cool things, like taking control of vehicles remotely, but there's others that seem too much. In particular, I hate the way so many of these marvel heroes are able to just have their suits magically appear. I know its supposed to be nanotech or some junk, but it really takes me out. It happens with Thor, Dr. strange, Moon Knight, Iron Man (though at least we see the progression of that tech), and definitely here.

- Shuri provides some definite Q vibes.

- I really like Michael B Jordan as the villain. On this note, there's a great set-up and pay off with him when he lifts his sleeve to show his marks for each kill he has. This provides a very chilling moment when he removes his shirt later and we see just how many there are.

- The mountain tribe is pretty cool.

- Most of the action was good, but pretty standard. The final fight was disappointing and the vibranium- suppressor lights didn't turn out to be as cool as they were promising to be.

- Ultimately, while I admire a good amount in this film, I did find it a little boring, which is ultimately why this doesn't reach any levels or greatness or excitement from me.

7/10

Ranking:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Winter Soldier
3. Avengers
4. Iron Man
5. Spider-man: Homecoming
6. Thor Ragnarok
7. Iron Man 3
8. Guardians Vol. 2
9. Ant-Man
10. Civil War
11. Doctor Strange
12. Thor
13. Captain America
14. Iron Man 2
15. Age of Ultron

17. Incredible Hulk
18. Thor: The Dark World

9/10

Ranking:

2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Winter Soldier
4. Avengers
5. Iron Man
6. Spider-man: Homecoming
7. Thor Ragnarok
8. Iron Man 3
9. Guardians Vol. 2
10. Ant-Man
11. Civil War
12. Doctor Strange
13. Thor
14. Captain America
15. Iron Man 2
16. Age of Ultron
17. Black Panther
18. Incredible Hulk
19. Thor: The Dark World