Tag: Marvel

Categories
Arts

Another take: Spider-man ventures out and spins a new tale

Tom Holland is Peter Parker, in Columbia Pictures' SPIDER-MAN:™ FAR FROM HOME.

The first question that will inevitably come up regarding Spider-Man: Far From Home is: How  does it compare to the other screen portrayals that followed Sam Raimi’s landmark films? But let’s be honest, that train of thought goes nowhere useful. In terms of superhero movies and blockbusters in general, almost nothing is on par with Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2, and basically everything else Spidey-related from then until Civil War and Homecoming is a bust. (Into the Spider-Verse is an artistic statement all its own against which there can be no comparison, so let’s not even try.)

We need a better metric, so here goes: The Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation of Spider-Man is the most dependable when it comes to consistent entertainment—the kind we’ve come to expect from the MCU. Raimi’s take was a revelation that changed the way people looked at comic book movies, but as Spider-Man 3 showed, it was not built to last. The Amazing Spider-Man movies showed another take on Peter Parker was possible, and despite an admirable performance by Andrew Garfield, they were a rudderless, joyless mess.

However, there could be five more of these MCU movies, and Tom Holland would never wear out his welcome. The goofy, high school tone never aims too high, while the stakes are never minimized. The action is fun but the danger always feels genuine. The jokes are solid, even when they play on obvious tropes like teen crushes and Americans adrift in Europe. It builds on the success of Homecoming while expanding the idea of what an MCU movie can be, and that there is narrative life after Thanos.

Let’s see if we can get into the plot of a movie where even the trailer was once considered a spoiler. After the events of Endgame, Peter Parker (Holland) and the rest of the once-missing people of Earth attempt to return to life as it once was. With the death of his mentor Tony Stark and other key Avengers, Spider-Man returns to being a neighborhood hero, leaving space behind in pursuit of as normal a life as possible: to finish school and tell his crush MJ (Zendaya) how he feels. But nothing is normal anymore, especially for anyone with a connection to SHIELD. While on a field trip to Venice, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) comes calling, along with a puzzling arrival of Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), and Peter has some quick decisions to make about his future before it’s too late.

One of Far From Home’s strengths is its use of supporting characters. This is Spidey’s story first and foremost, but one trait he shares with Stark is his fear of unintended consequences from his actions, and he is similarly burdened with the knowledge that both action and inaction will affect the people he loves. Zendaya is as great as she was in Homecoming, and Martin Starr and JB Smoove are terrific as teachers out of their depth. Jacob Batalon deserves special recognition as Ned, Peter’s best friend, as does Jon Favreau as Happy; including the man who started this whole juggernaut as director of Iron Man as comic relief is pretty great.

If we have to give up the hope of Raimi-level greatness for Jon Watts’ consistency to avoid the disappointments of the past, it’s a worthwhile trade.

Spider-Man: Far From Home / PG-13, 129 minutes / Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema 377 Merchant Walk Sq., 326-5056,  / Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX The Shops at Stonefield, 244-3213,  / Violet Crown Cinema 200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 529-3000, / Check theater websites for listings.

See it again

The Dark Crystal / PG, 93 minutes / Violet Crown Cinema / July 10

Categories
Arts

Finishing touch: Avengers: Endgame opens up a future of possibilities

Avengers: Endgame caps off 10 years and 21 movies for the Marvel Cinematic Universe while opening the door for the next chapter. Photo courtesy Marvel Studios

The release of Avengers:Infinity War last year felt like the grand payoff of our decade-long investment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Twenty years ago, most of the public hadn’t even heard of many of these heroes, but their erasure from existence by the snap of Thanos’ finger and our resulting shock showed how entrenched they’d become in our psyche.

The second part of this saga, Avengers:Endgame, is not only the narrative completion of Infinity War’s breathless conclusion, but also the necessary tonal counterpart. Part one was Thanos’ journey, the execution of his lifelong plan to bring devastation to the universe in pursuit of his brand of justice. From his point of view, he was the hero of this story, while the Avengers were mere supporting characters and temporary obstacles. Endgame puts our favorite superheroes back in the spotlight for a more familiar MCU ensemble adventure, bringing hope and humor back to a world that had lost its reason to live.

To avoid spoilers, we won’t describe the plot in too much depth, but suffice to say there was always going to be a way out in a story that involves time manipulation at either the cosmic or microscopic level. Infinity War did an exceptional job depicting the emotional reaction to the possibility that a solution is even possible. After five years of accepting their loss, optimism is a risky prospect. What if they only make things worse? What if they believe in the possibility that they might succeed, only to fall even farther?

While there is little point comparing Infinity War to Endgame in terms of quality—picking a favorite is like asking which piece of bread is your favorite when both are essential to the sandwich—there is a unique joy to Endgame that was missing in its predecessor. In Infinity War, as Thanos collects more stones, we discover how fragile the universe is and how helpless mortals are against cosmic forces. It made for a compelling and tragic space opera, but stood apart from the rest of the MCU. In Endgame, the power of working with one another to overcome past mistakes for the sake of future generations is uplifting. Regret and failure make us want to retreat into isolation, but sharing it with each other, searching for the things that unite us, is a powerful way to confront these challenges.

One last significant distinction worth mentioning is that Infinity War felt like a tightening noose on the entire cinematic universe, one that condensed all of these disparate narratives and forever changed them. Its ending left us wondering how anything could follow it (putting aside the fact that “comic book deaths” are notoriously impermanent). Endgame opens up the story to limitless possibilities, bringing together characters in very unexpected ways and pulling others apart. This is a resolution to this chapter, but this is not the end of the story, not by a long shot. God help you if you’re a newcomer to the series, but if you care about these characters, even a little, Endgame will be the gratifying experience you’ve been hoping for.

Avengers: Endgame, PG13, 181 minutes. See it at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX, and Violet Crown Cinema.

See it again

True Grit

PG, 135 minutes. See it May 5 at Regal Stonefield Cinema.

Local theater listings:

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema 377 Merchant Walk Sq., 326-5056

Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX The Shops at Stonefield, 244-3213

Violet Crown Cinema 200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 529-3000

Categories
Arts

Movie review: Marvel notches another win with Avengers: Infinity War

Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Bautista, Chris Pratt and Pom Klementieff are just a few members of the high-wattage cast in Avengers: Infinity War. Courtesy Marvel Studios

Cutting right to the chase, Avengers: Infinity War is pretty damn good and may even be unpredictable for the Easter egg-hunting, online theory crowd —but how the hell do you even begin to describe a movie like this? Installment to installment, the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies work more or less as individual stories with just enough narrative crossover for each title to stand on its own. It’s helpful to know what happens in Civil War before seeing Black Panther, but if not, you’ll still get on board pretty quickly. Spider-Man: Homecoming ties into the aftermath of the first Avengers team-up but its story is appropriately self-contained. You may want to look up Loki and Odin before seeing Thor: Ragnarok, but let’s face it, the third Thor movie eliminates any reason to rewatch the first two.

Avengers: Infinity War
PG-13, 156 minutes
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX, Violet Crown Cinema

So here we are with perhaps the most ambitious blockbuster in history featuring not only some of today’s most expensive talent but the weight of 10 years of story building. Going on the assumption that you know who Dr. Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Vision and Scarlet Witch are, and how they got here, Infinity War still works as a standalone story of a true believer dedicated to the mission at all costs. The villain, Thanos (Josh Brolin), holds it all together, and even with all of the twists and turns, is the biggest revelation of all.

Explaining how we got here would be like watching the series finale of “Lost” while answering the questions of someone who’s never seen it before, but the simmering background plot of the entire MCU has been the location of the Infinity Stones. Possession of one means mastery of one of the fundamental truths of all existence: space, time, power, reality, mind and soul. Thanos, the Titan responsible for the alien attack on New York, has been pursuing them in order to achieve what he believes will be ultimate order in the universe. The disparate corners of the MCU, including those who have not met, team up to try to slow his efforts by either taking him on directly or battling his powerful minions.

MCU vets the Russo brothers, directors of Winter Soldier, Civil War and now Infinity War, show skill in combining established lore with new story elements and creating intrigue in situations that ought to have been predictable. Their understanding of the characters on a deep level means no one is wasted, even in a cast this large. And most refreshing of all, the action sequences, though frenetic, have clear stakes and make complete visual sense.

But no amount of technical wizardry could have brought this together as effectively as the character at its core, Thanos. Underneath all of the motion capture and special effects, Brolin brings a real physicality and tragedy to him and his mission. Watching him explain his methods to those who stand in his way is gripping, and his integrity is never cheapened by some revelation or crucial plot point that was simply hidden until an opportune moment. He is a monster, but he is not a hypocrite, which makes him that much more dangerous and compelling to watch. Viewers will feel different levels of attachment to the various characters, but Thanos is the reason to see this as quickly as possible.

There will come a day when it is no longer a given that a Marvel movie will be good, but the success of Infinity War means all bets are off as to when, why or how.

Playing this week

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
377 Merchant Walk Sq., 326-5056

A Quiet Place, I Feel Pretty, Super Troopers 2

Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
The Shops at Stonefield, 244-3213

A Quiet Place, Black Panther, Chappaquiddick, I Feel Pretty, Isle of Dogs, Labyrinth, Rampage, Ready Player One, Super Troopers 2, Traffik, Truth or Dare

Violet Crown Cinema
200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 529-3000

A Quiet Place, Bungo Stray Dogs: Dead Apple, The Death of Stalin, I Feel Pretty, Isle of Dogs, Lean on Pete