MCU Rewatch

- The multiverse as a concept seems like it will be the true unraveling of the MCU. It really messes with the stakes of the stories, and leads to fan fiction level sequences, like the Illuminati here, which was pretty lame.

- Sam Raimi is able to allow his peculiarities peek through, but it feels more like he's caged for most of the movie, but is able to escape his bars every now and then. Its restrained Raimi. The level of humanity he is able to bring to the Spiderman movies is lacking here.

- I like America Chavez as a sidekick character. Wong is good also, but boy is he getting overplayed lately.

- I am really starting to have the powers in Marvel. Dr. Strange seems to be able to do anything. He can waves his arms around and magic coloured lines are able to create whatever or move things however. Even the musical notes scene, which I admit adds an interesting aural element to the movie, makes no sense whatsoever. Define your powers, people.

- I understand that having zombie strange and a bunch of demons is from Raimi's wheelhouse, but I don't like it here.

- Wanda's motivation doesnt't work for me. Its too extreme. And also, sending demons into other dimensions? Huh?

- Why is there a minotaur? With no explanations?? Is that just where this franchise is now?

5.5/10

Ranking:
1. Endgame
2. Infinity War
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Winter Soldier
5. Avengers
6. Iron Man
7. Eternals
8. Spider-man: Homecoming
9. Thor Ragnarok
10. Iron Man 3
11. Guardians Vol. 2
12. Ant-Man
13. Spider-man: No Way Home
14. Spider-man: Far From Home
15. Civil War
16. Doctor Strange
17. Thor
18. Captain America
19. Iron Man 2
20. Age of Ultron
21. Shang Chi
22. Black Widow
23. Ant-man and the Wasp
24. Black Panther
25. Captain Marvel

27. Incredible Hulk
28. Thor: The Dark World

I think I would argue that this is one of the few MCU movies you can look at and say that it really has the stamp/feel of its particular director more so than a lot of other movies in the franchise.  Then again, hardly any other MCU directors have as signature a style as Sam Raimi, but still.  Also, Raimi himself has since said that Kevin Feige got him to come on to this one because the two had an established relationship from the Spider-Man movies and that Feige knew he could ask Raimi to make sure the movie hit the points it needed to and deliver on the horror tone they wanted for it.

The only limitations they gave Raimi, really, were the Wanda-centric elements (why Scott Derrickson walked away) and the PG-13 rating.  But even then, he very much delivered a "Sam Raimi MCU movie."

What about Guardians bugs you?

Be aware that most people don't seem to like Eternals.  I also be aware I think those people are just wrong.

- I feel like Taika Waititi felt like he was gaining some sort of reputation as an irreverent comedic voice, and decided to lean full on into that persona with disastrous results.

- I still maintain that Christian Bale is quite good as the villain. But he's in a different movie than everyone else.

- On the flip side, Natalie Portman is surprisingly bad.

- Korg has went well being the funny/annoying line.

- What's the deal with sentient weapons?

- Russell Crowe's Greek accent is the star of the show.

- The movie also just doesnt look good. Thor's costume, for example, is awful.

- I don't know what else to say. It's irritating. The MCU's worst.

4/10

Ranking:
1. Endgame
2. Infinity War
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Winter Soldier
5. Avengers
6. Iron Man
7. Eternals
8. Spider-man: Homecoming
9. Thor Ragnarok
10. Iron Man 3
11. Guardians Vol. 2
12. Ant-Man
13. Spider-man: No Way Home
14. Spider-man: Far From Home
15. Civil War
16. Doctor Strange
17. Thor
18. Captain America
19. Iron Man 2
20. Age of Ultron
21. Shang Chi
22. Black Widow
23. Ant-man and the Wasp
24. Black Panther
25. Captain Marvel
26. Multiverse of Madness
27. Incredible Hulk
28. Thor: The Dark World
29. Thor: Love & Thunder

The threads of the MCU sweater are unraveling quickly.

- They travel to the quantum realm.  And the quantum realm is... lets face it, its just dumb. Its a bunch of weird creatures who just built a mirror society with bars and restaurants like ours.  Guardians is able to pull this off, but this doesn't.  Its imaginative, but also being incredibly unimaginative at the same time.

- By the way, the way in which they get to the quantum realm is so one-note.  They essentially just stand around a machine and then are sucked in. That's it.  Its about as well explained as "Somehow, Palpatine has returned")

- So remember in the first two films where there would be these really cool scenes where Antman would become small?  And we'd get fun action scenes in a bathtub, or a suitcase, or on a kid's trainset?  You know, the only parts that actually make these movies stand out?  Yeah, there is absolutely none of that here.

- There is so much forced, insincere, half-baked conflict here its eye-rolling.  "Oh dad, you don't want to stand up for the little guy!" "Oh mom, you wouldn't talk about your time away!".  If you are going to have conflicts between your characters, actually commit to it and make it feel natural.

- The decision not to have Michael Pena in this movie was the wrong decision.

- Kang is an intimidating villain, I will give him that.  But then again, he's defeated by Ant-man of all people.  Which is fine, though he's supposed to be the new Thanos,apparently.

- The ants... I don't know what to say, but the ants... so dumb.

- This movie strives so hard to be a visual feast, but it feels very computer generated.  Maybe I'm just spoiled as the movie I saw in theaters before this was Way of Water.

- I think I audibly sighed (hopefully not, because I realize how rude that is to other people in the theater) when I realize that one of the side plots was going to be some lame character with make-up on her face who only acts angry all the time, leading a revolt to "add" to the climax, like thousands of movies before it.

- So a lot of my points above are reflective of this, but this movie is such a wild departure from the previous two films, it really makes no sense.  Ant-man as a street-level hero is completely lost, and these characters are put into a story that just doesnt fit.  Its like the Friday the 13th movie where they go to space. Except that movie it fun.

3/10

Ranking:
1. Endgame
2. Infinity War
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. Winter Soldier
5. Avengers
6. Iron Man
7. Eternals
8. Spider-man: Homecoming
9. Thor Ragnarok
10. Iron Man 3
11. Guardians Vol. 2
12. Ant-Man
13. Spider-man: No Way Home
14. Spider-man: Far From Home
15. Civil War
16. Doctor Strange
17. Thor
18. Captain America
19. Iron Man 2
20. Age of Ultron
21. Shang Chi
22. Black Widow
23. Ant-man and the Wasp
24. Black Panther
25: Wakanda Forever
26. Multiverse of Madness
27. Captain Marvel
28. Incredible Hulk
29. Thor: The Dark World
30. Thor: Love & Thunder