the game of ends
May. 5th, 2019 10:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sidewaysFriend and I completed what will probably be one of our last dual jaunts for a while, and thus did I see Avengers: Endgame.
I did not love it - but I didn't love Infinity War, and I haven't loved each and every one of the other movies, so I can peaceably accept that I am not the audience this movie was truly made for. Overall I thought it did enough clever and enough nostalgic things to be a fitting conclusion to a long and genuinely quite impressive cinematic series. In fact, it felt like a solid enough finale that it's a bit strange knowing there are still MCU movies to come. I could easily see it wrapping up in entirety right there.
The rest of my jumbled impressions exist below the cut. Beware hefty sprinklings of salt.
• I can't believe it's been a billion fucking movies and the team still don't actually act like friends.
• It did feel like a comic book story. Like, that's not a compliment in and of itself - I don't like most of the really big ridiculous mass crossover comic events, because they're big and ridiculous and almost nobody gets proper focus and the plot-lines are just obnoxiously contrived. But the movies are comic adaptations and don't shamefacedly pretend to be anything else, and thus in many ways they truly have captured the spirit of the stories. I can appreciate that, even if the end result isn't always my thing.
• It was amazing how many actors they managed to pull back! The walk back through all the movies was EXTREMELY indulgent and the "let's fix it with ~time travel~" solution felt, well, obnoxiously contrived, but it was mostly a nice touch.
• Bomb-ass final fight scene. They did get a grin out of me with the fifteen seconds of girl squad power walk.
• Kind of thought Captain Marvel would have more to do though? Meh.
• Ronin cameo: nice. Clint's haircut as Ronin: oh ym god.
• I honestly thought Clint and Nat's struggle to sacrifice themselves would end with it turning out that sacrificing yourself willingly would circumvent the death clause but nnnnope, she's dead forever I guess. Props for not taking the cheap cheat, I suppose, but oof. A harsh ending to a partnership that has survived with surprising strength given it has mostly had to exist between the lines.
• I ate a noisy rice cracker at the wrong moment and missed the first gay character in the MCU :/ Like, he was there, but I accidentally chewed over the important line and wouldn't have known otherwise if I hadn't already heard about the scene.
• I suspect Thor fans would not have had a good time. He's often seemed to be the character that troubles the writers most of the mains - his solo movies are regarded as some of the weaker titles (save Ragnarok, sort of, depending on who you ask) and his personality has flip-flopped around wildly depending on who's in charge. It's made for a confusing end to a confusing arc, in which he sort of learns about the responsibility of authority but then also sort of decides he has to be himself and himself isn't a leader except he still is, maybe. Also "sad mood-swinging alcoholic" isn't really a great punchline to a situation that, lbr, only occurred because the script said it had to, so having that repeatedly played for laughs was mostly an awkward chuckle zone.
• I actually think I laughed more often during Infinity War, which is. Odd.
• Speaking of responsibility... as a Peter Parker fan I continue to make faces. My list of grievances is long, so here's the short version: they are digging deeper and deeper into the hole of rendering one of my all-time favourite characters as Generic Chipper Teen Hero feat. Spider Powers, and so help me god I have never been particularly sold on the Tony Stark surrogate dad schtick so every time the movies go out of their way to throw it at me I have an emotional response more appropriate to being hit in the face with a cold, wet towel. This is one area where they have critically failed to capture the spirit of the comics and the character, and from the looks of Far From Home it ain't turning around any time soon. I am quietly suffering under a tidal wave of cinnamon roll memes.
• I also didn't quite manage to have the, um, proper reaction to the most emotional moments somewhat, but my friend was sniffling loudly enough for both of us as Tony gracefully withered off into the great beyond. I did get at least partway to misty at the hologram doing the "love you 3000" to Morgan, because my weakest point is parents loving the hell out of their kids.
• Black Panther was pretty rad.
• Yay for Steve being happy I guess but that seems like a dick move to pull on Bucky and every single one of his modern day friends and, like, Peggy's original timeline husband. I still went d'aww at them FINALLY getting their dance.
• And I did like that Sam got the shield >:) Hell yeah.
• How DOES time travel work in this movie? I have no fucking idea.
I did not love it - but I didn't love Infinity War, and I haven't loved each and every one of the other movies, so I can peaceably accept that I am not the audience this movie was truly made for. Overall I thought it did enough clever and enough nostalgic things to be a fitting conclusion to a long and genuinely quite impressive cinematic series. In fact, it felt like a solid enough finale that it's a bit strange knowing there are still MCU movies to come. I could easily see it wrapping up in entirety right there.
The rest of my jumbled impressions exist below the cut. Beware hefty sprinklings of salt.
• I can't believe it's been a billion fucking movies and the team still don't actually act like friends.
• It did feel like a comic book story. Like, that's not a compliment in and of itself - I don't like most of the really big ridiculous mass crossover comic events, because they're big and ridiculous and almost nobody gets proper focus and the plot-lines are just obnoxiously contrived. But the movies are comic adaptations and don't shamefacedly pretend to be anything else, and thus in many ways they truly have captured the spirit of the stories. I can appreciate that, even if the end result isn't always my thing.
• It was amazing how many actors they managed to pull back! The walk back through all the movies was EXTREMELY indulgent and the "let's fix it with ~time travel~" solution felt, well, obnoxiously contrived, but it was mostly a nice touch.
• Bomb-ass final fight scene. They did get a grin out of me with the fifteen seconds of girl squad power walk.
• Kind of thought Captain Marvel would have more to do though? Meh.
• Ronin cameo: nice. Clint's haircut as Ronin: oh ym god.
• I honestly thought Clint and Nat's struggle to sacrifice themselves would end with it turning out that sacrificing yourself willingly would circumvent the death clause but nnnnope, she's dead forever I guess. Props for not taking the cheap cheat, I suppose, but oof. A harsh ending to a partnership that has survived with surprising strength given it has mostly had to exist between the lines.
• I ate a noisy rice cracker at the wrong moment and missed the first gay character in the MCU :/ Like, he was there, but I accidentally chewed over the important line and wouldn't have known otherwise if I hadn't already heard about the scene.
• I suspect Thor fans would not have had a good time. He's often seemed to be the character that troubles the writers most of the mains - his solo movies are regarded as some of the weaker titles (save Ragnarok, sort of, depending on who you ask) and his personality has flip-flopped around wildly depending on who's in charge. It's made for a confusing end to a confusing arc, in which he sort of learns about the responsibility of authority but then also sort of decides he has to be himself and himself isn't a leader except he still is, maybe. Also "sad mood-swinging alcoholic" isn't really a great punchline to a situation that, lbr, only occurred because the script said it had to, so having that repeatedly played for laughs was mostly an awkward chuckle zone.
• I actually think I laughed more often during Infinity War, which is. Odd.
• Speaking of responsibility... as a Peter Parker fan I continue to make faces. My list of grievances is long, so here's the short version: they are digging deeper and deeper into the hole of rendering one of my all-time favourite characters as Generic Chipper Teen Hero feat. Spider Powers, and so help me god I have never been particularly sold on the Tony Stark surrogate dad schtick so every time the movies go out of their way to throw it at me I have an emotional response more appropriate to being hit in the face with a cold, wet towel. This is one area where they have critically failed to capture the spirit of the comics and the character, and from the looks of Far From Home it ain't turning around any time soon. I am quietly suffering under a tidal wave of cinnamon roll memes.
• I also didn't quite manage to have the, um, proper reaction to the most emotional moments somewhat, but my friend was sniffling loudly enough for both of us as Tony gracefully withered off into the great beyond. I did get at least partway to misty at the hologram doing the "love you 3000" to Morgan, because my weakest point is parents loving the hell out of their kids.
• Black Panther was pretty rad.
• Yay for Steve being happy I guess but that seems like a dick move to pull on Bucky and every single one of his modern day friends and, like, Peggy's original timeline husband. I still went d'aww at them FINALLY getting their dance.
• And I did like that Sam got the shield >:) Hell yeah.
• How DOES time travel work in this movie? I have no fucking idea.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-14 11:04 am (UTC)Yeah, Thor was 90% a gag character just about, and who wants that for their fave :( Sorry you had to sit through it. A friend of mine was very annoyed about the hammer thing, especially since Ragnarok had been all about showing he didn't need it to know his worth! The lightning was on the inside the whole time!
In a different set of circumstances I would probably eat the Peter and Tony dynamic up with a spoon, because I am all about cynical mentors developing soft spots for earnest young mentees. It's cute and I completely get why people love it. It's just such a weird choice for THIS particular character - and I really don't like how it pushes Aunt May and Uncle Ben to the side either.
PEGGY MOVED ON, GODDAMN IT. Cap got fridged for her character development and she had a perfectly badass life without him. Bucky, on the other hand, has barely even been around free of aggressive brainwashing? Why are you ditching your bff Steve. Why is this a good and responsible choice.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-15 03:33 am (UTC)Yes! I miss his overpowered lightning. That was one of the few really good things to come out of Ragnarok. o_o (But if he's going to get his hammer back, he should be the one using it all the same.)
Personally the super young Aunt May bugs me way, way more than the Tony stuff. I remember reading why they did that in nose, but it still bothers me. It still feels like a reason to write in a hot aunt instead of portraying the character of Aunt May as she is. She's supposed to be elderly and I can easily picture someone that old raising a teenager in place of a parent if they can't be there for whatever reason. They didn't need to change Aunt May's age for the story.
Which is probably why I focus on the Tony stuff. Lol. I don't like writing May out of the picture nine out of ten times, but in this particular case...I can live with it. Plus I'm a sucker for older cranky mentors and their upbeat partners (Batman Beyond, Tron: Uprising...the list goes on).
And, yes. Peggy moved on. I agree 100 percent. Sam and Bucky are right there.