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smokeybrandreviews · 5 years ago

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Cheeseburgers

The Infinity Saga is over. The MCU is moving forward into uncharted waters. Disney+ has pushed back certain shows and moved up WandaVision. Black Widow finally has a well deserved movie, postmortem. The future is wide open but, before we get on a brand new pain train, i wanted to take a look back and talk about some of my favorite movies from the first eleven years of the MCU.

Avengers: Infinity War

This movie, man, is probably peak MCU. There are better films in the series but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a film that walks the line of comic book and cinema to deftly. This is the penultimate tale for that first decade and what a f*cking climax it was. Holy sh*t! There was just so much good in this film, from character development to visual flair to legitimate stakes. I’m a massive Marvel fan and i am well aware of the Infinite Gauntlet saga in the comics but seeing this sh*t? Seeing Thanos actually Snap? I never though in a million years that would happen onscreen. And then it did. It was at that point i absolutely knew the MCU was about that life. I knew to expect the unexpected because , with the wealth of the Marvel universe to draw from, they were going to craft some motherf*ckers of stories.

Like, I f*cking cried when Pete got dusted. I shed legitimate tears and I’m not even embarrassed to say it out loud. For a film to move me like that? and it’s not Forrest Gump? Motherf*cker had to be on point, for sure. The entire theater was silent as those strings hummed and Thanos sat on his farm, smiling contently. I had never experienced that before The entire auditorium - completely silent. We were in disbelief. We were in mourning. I saw Infinity War in theaters four times and literally every time, the same thing happened. In two hours and some change, Marvel had gave a theater full of people straight emotional trauma. Your movie has to be absolutely on point for that to occur.

Speaking of Thanos, yo, how was this big ass purple grimace looking motherf*cker one of the best antagonists of film, period? How was this cat written so well? I lost my sh*t when they teased him at the end of Avengers and that little bit we got of him in Guardians was cool but i was not prepared for how goddamn formidable he turned out to be. Josh Brolin brought this character to life but the writing gave me real agency. I was flabbergasted by how great this character turned out to be. Thanos felt real. He felt flawed. He felt legitimate. Id have to put him up there with The Dark Knight Joker and Hans Landa as one of the best antagonists ever.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

I adore Spider-Man. Ive written at length about that love. He’s the reason i even picked up that Marvel comic all those years ago. I’ve seen every cinematic iteration of Webhead and i mst say, this portrayal is the truest to the source material i have ever seen. Cats get on the MCU about making him Tony Stark jr. but most people don’t understand that’s where he was going anyway. Most people don’t know that, in the comics, he’s basically Reed Richards jr. and since the MCU has no Reed, Tony is a pretty smart substitute. But that argument is inconsequential because the core of who Spider-Man is, the actual spirit of the character, has been captured so perfectly by this version of Pete, it’s borderline miraculous. I love Tobey McGuire’s take in Pete because he was the first to do it. Kind of like how i have such nostalgia for the 89 Batman. That version of Spider-Man felt like the old Lee/Ditko version from the 60s. Andrew Garfield was adequate. He didn’t get a fair shake though, mostly barbecue the writing in his run was so goddamn terrible. But this new kid? This casting was as perfect as RDJ was to Iron Man.

Tom Holland kills it as Spider-Man. His version of the character feels right. It feels modern. It feels like Ultimate Pete but grounded in the spirit of the 90s cartoon version. He’s this massive geek, this kid really, granted power in tragedy and it feels so goddamn authentic, i couldn’t believe it. The second he showed u in Civil War, i absolutely knew Underoos was about to be a star in these films and that is saying a lot considering how loaded this cast has become. Homecoming was the first film we got to see Pete stretch his legs and it was f*cking brilliant. Everything about this movie is what a great Spider-Flick should be and the MCU nailed it! if i never got another Spidey appearance, this movie was more than enough to sate my appetite. Homecoming is my second favorite MCU movie. I loved every second of it!

Also, how about that Aunt May stinger, though?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Look, i love the Dark Knight. For me, that is the pinnacle of a capeflick. That movie was a great crime thriller first, a Batflick second. Nolan approached it with a grounded sense of reality that left you, as an audience, breathless. It is one of the best films i have ever seen in my entire life and Ledger gave one of the most brilliant performances ever captured on celluloid. There is nothing as good as that film in the MCU. The Winter Soldier comes f*cking close, though. This movie made me sit up and realize that the MCU had some teeth. Until this thing came out, i thought we were going to get a bunch of flamboyant costumes and snarky Wedonisms. I wasn’t mad, mind you, Avengers was dope, but Winter Soldier took all that campy bullsh*t out back and murdered it. This movie was the MCU growing up and almost everything afterward has been brilliant. The Winter Soldier forced everyone to step their game up with how goddamn brilliant it turned out to be. I can’t say there were any performances as great as Ledger’s Joker but i can make the argument the overall writing was better than The Dark Knight, and that is stupid high praise.

Guardians of the Galaxy

This film has no right to be as good as it is. I went into this thing on a whim, mostly because I thought it was going ti be filler like Ant-Man or something, and then it wasn’t. It was great. Legitimately great. I had no idea the MCU could take a C-rate team like the goddamn Guardians and uplift them so beautifully. James Gunn took those characters and wrote the best Star Wars film since f*cking Empire and I didn’t think that was possible, not with this wayward branch of Marvel History. Seriously, if you do even a minuscule amount of research on who the Guardians are, they’re a joke. I mean, they have a f*cking talking Raccoon on the team! Gunn had the wherewithal to lean into that and he produced one of the best in the entire MCU. He took these loser clowns and injected so much emotion and humanity into them, you couldn’t help but love their rag-tag asses. This was the first MCU movie to move me to tears. That stuff about Quills mom? I felt that. Both times. On an extremely personal level. I was the young Quill. I watched my grandma, the only person who i believe loved me unconditionally up to that point, die just like Quill’s mom; Cancer and everything. I was about his age when it happened, too. That sh*t f*cked me up. To this day, i have nightmares about it. Seeing that sh*t so accurately captured in a capeflick was the most for me and I legit had to leave the theater until the first part of the movie passed. To this day, i can’t watch that scene. I can just barely make it through the Dance of to Save Th Universe, but that opening gambit? No way. It hits way too close to home for me. Still, for a comic book movie to solicit such a response? It has to be special and Guardians is one of the best.

Iron Man

Boy, we’ve come a long way since Tony Stark uttered those fateful word, “I am Iron Man.” But none of these other films would even have the opportunity to exist if he hadn't said them. Iron Man had the tall order of being the first, proper, MCU film AND compete with The Dark Knight. N one thought a film about B-List superhero, narcissistic billionaire, and straight up lush, Tony Stark, would amount to anything. How wrong everyone turned out to be. I knew, from that second i saw the teaser and concept art by Adi Granov, that Marvel was taking this sh*t crazy serious. Then there’s the casting of Robert Downey Jr. That sh*t was a boon, for real. The entire cast of this first film was impeccable but RDJ makes this movie. He IS Tony Stark. Even before he got comfortable with the character like in the later films, fresh out the box with the scripts, you can tell he knows how to bring this tinkerer to life. You had to nail that aspect in order to have any chance to build something great and Marvel hit a goddamn bullseyes, for sure. Revisiting this flick, Iron Man isn’t as good as the later films in the Infinity Saga but it still holds up against the vast majority of entries and that’s saying something.

I love these films, man. As a geek growing up reading these stories, reenacting them with their action figures, sitting glued to the television every Saturday as their cartoons aired, I never imagined id see such a berth of fantastic media brought to life on the silver screen. Seriously, some of my favorite interpretations of these characters appear exclusive in the MCU. War Machine, Thor until recently, Ant-Man, f*cking Hulk? i never gave these assholes the time of day in the comics but in the MCU? They’re fantastic! And it has everything to do with how well written they are in-universe. There are over twenty films in this run an i love all of them to varying extents. Spider-Man: Far From Home, Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 all could have made this list. For sure, they’re 6 - 11 or whatever, but that speaks to the sheer depth of the MCU. I’m not even counting flicks i would consider B-tier like Captain Marvel or Avengers or Iron Man 3 or Doctor Strange; All of which are still dope in their own right.

There is just SO much great in these films and i can’t wait to see where we go next. With Disney acquiring Fox, Marvel finally has the full toy box to play with and i am absolutely a tizzy with the potential arcs they can adapt. Secret Wars? Annihilation? Age of Apocalypse? Avengers Disassembled? Dark Reign? F*cking Onslaught?? I have no idea where we are going but i am, for sure, jumping on this pain train once again.

#Marvel #MCU #Infinity Saga

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smokeybrand · 5 years ago

Text

Cheeseburgers

Avengers: Infinity War

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Also, how about that Aunt May stinger, though?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Guardians of the Galaxy

Iron Man

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gestenger94-blog · 7 years ago

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The Tick Brings Bold, Blue Justice to a Grimdark Superhero World

The Tick: the brightest, boldest star in the world of superhero comedy. Since the late '80s, this confused cyan crusader has doled out comedic justice across indie comics, animation, and live-action television. Every decade has a defining and beloved iteration of The Tick. This time, The Tick and his begrudging, moth-suited sidekick, Arthur, are breaking into the world of streaming television over at Amazon. But 15 years after their last foray onto the small screen, the entertainment world has fundamentally changed, and they're not the only superheroes on the scene.

In theory, even with modern media jam-packed with comic-based programming, The Tick and co. would have no problem standing out from the crowd. (A huge, blue bug suit and a rogues gallery of characters like Bat Manuel, Chairface Chippendale, and Mucilage Man will do that.) However, when the pilot for Amazon's Tick appeared a year ago as part of a vote-for-a-show-and-we'll-green-light-it campaign, the suggested series was a far cry from the happy-go-lucky satire of superheroics the franchise is known for.

In this version, neurotic accountant Arthur (Griffin Newman) is the show's true leading man and now has a full-blown superhero origin story. When he was a kid, he had a front-row seat as his dad became collateral damage in a superhero tragedy that also took out Arthur's favorite team, The Flag Five. But unlike the Dark Knight, Arthur didn't focus this trauma into becoming the bane of all evil-doers. He's been dealing with massive psychological baggage and mental disorders ever since, and at the epicenter is the supervillain that ruined his life: The Terror (Watchmen's Jackie Earle Haley). The Terror died several years later, but Arthur is convinced that he's still out there, running a shadow organization. So by night the pencil pusher is a paranoid conspiracy theorist. The latest lead in his campaign to expose the truth, has Arthur crossing paths with the gigantic, cartoon-like Tick (Peter Serafinowicz), who might just be a figment of his imagination.

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Sound shockingly bleak and heavy-handed? It is. The Tick pilot was made the same year that gave us the pinnacle of convoluted grimdark garbage: Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Meanwhile, the industry was scrambling to pivot after the surprise success of Deadpool's rated R comedy romp. Unfortunately, the Tick team doubled-down on the grittiness of the former instead of letting their freak flag fly. However, one year later, we're happy to report that The Tick's creator/writer/artist/director/producer/jack of all trades, Ben Edlund, and his team did some tweaking. With five new episodes under their belt, they've polished this still quite different take on The Tick to a more appealing sheen of cobalt blue.

Taking The Tick seriously was the funniest thing I could think to do, Edlund said in this year's Tick panel at San Diego Comic Con. In theory, it could work. One of the Tick's indie comics bedfellows is Bob Burden's Mystery Men. Their bag was always darker, working-class superhero comedy. With that property woefully languishing in legal purgatory, and the world of The Tick only a slight tonal shift away, there's no reason we couldn't have the best of both worlds. Yet, The Tick's pilot episode is too dark, too sad, too raw. When The Tick finally shows up, his goofball lines and unwitting antics are clunky both in delivery and visual portrayal. The disparate elements have an impossible time finding equilibrium. There is satire loaded into the pilot episode, but it's not funny.

The tone of the pilot wasn't a fluke either; they went straight to the source for grim superheroics: the director of the first two episodes is Wally Pfister, Academy Award-winning cinematographer for Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy and Inception. Fortunately, the second episode does damage control for many of the failings of the debut. Most importantly: no, The Tick isn't in Arthur's imagination. As soon as the titular character gets a chance to live large in The City, bewilder the supporting cast, and deliver his trademark motivational ponderings, everything changes. Serafinowicz seems more comfortable in the role, too. Following the career-highlight performance of Patrick Warburton from the 2001 series is no easy task, and as the series progresses, the new Tick fills the suit admirably. A suit by the way that's also much improved from the pilot. It's a major change swept under the rug by a throwaway line and one that's forgivable for the tremendous visual overhaul the show has received.

What's most different between this series and prior iterations is its emotional focus. The animated series was pure surreal comedy; the prior live-action show was a slice-of-life sitcom, both taking full advantage of a supporting cast and backdrop hinging on a world of superheros. This series is more intimate. You won't see the Tick and Arthur playing off an egomaniac Batman and a patriotic superheroine every episode (the death of The Flag Five made sure that heroes steered clear of The City). Instead, they're paired with regular people, like the guy who runs the bodega down the street, a homeless dude, and most importantly Arthur's sister, Dot (Valorie Curry). This former side character has been upgraded to a major player in the foundation of Amazon's Tick. As a first responder, she's a hero in the real world, and she and Tick become the angel and devil on Arthur's shoulders, pulling him between common sense and the extraordinary.

Arthur's evolution from a bystander in a long line of bystanders has been a plot point throughout every version of The Tick, but this time it's the core of the show and is woven into a storyline that sees him literally facing his demons. His donning of the mysterious, moth-like supersuit puts him directly in the crosshairs of The Terror's associates, enemies, and the elderly, presumed-deceased villain himself. Miss Lint (Jane the Virgin's Yara Martinez) is a new character and the chief antagonist an electricity-tossing enforcer whose static cling makes her a literal dust magnet. She used to be The Terror's right hand, but his death left her diminished. Defeat at the hands of The Tick and Arthur is the kick in the pants she needs to get clawing her way back up the villainous ladder. Then there's Overkill (Scott Speiser) a dour, skull-faced vigilante who reads like a spin on the animated series' Punisher parody, Big Shot, but with a look and style more along the lines of DC's Deathstroke. He lives on a sentient boat, called Dangerboat, voiced by the new go-to for sarcastic A.I.: Alan Tudyk. Everyone want's what Arthur's got, except Arthur.

The new series' emphasis on serialized storytelling over episodic adventures actually brings it closer to the feel of Edlund's original comic books. The same can be said of the strong equilibrium between surreal comedy and life-and-death consequences. It's the first time in The Tick's history where a series has felt capable of adapting one of the most poignant panels in the comic; where, after a zany romp, The Tick cradles a woman who's just been stabbed, and as his personal illusion of the world breaks down, he muses aloud: This isn't supposed to happen. A moment like this hasn't happened so far, but it could.

With Marvel's Netflix shows leaning so hard on gritty realism, Amazon might have a sharply parodying antitheses on their hands. This would be doubly so if the new Tick takes on one of the comic's previously unadapted, and most memorable storylines: Night of a Million-Zillion Ninja. It's a send up of the same Elektra stories that season two of Daredevil was based on. The Tick's take on it is more relevant now than it was 30 years ago and just as hilarious. It could be Hot Shots to Daredevil's Top Gun! Again, not something even remotely hinted at, but the fact that the new series seems capable of pulling that off speaks to its success in striking the balance needed for a funny, yet serious Tick.

The best moments of the series so far are where the show's new dynamic meets what worked so well in prior iterations. The weird politics and social dynamics of a world filled with heroes was something done very well in the 2001 series and now, under a darker lens, it has a more Watchmen-like dymanic. But, like, a funnier Watchmen. For example, early on, Arthur gets arrested for being at the scene of an alleyway murder committed by Overkill. His identity is protected under an amendment enacted after a hero called Cat-Man-Dude was arrested and unmasked, allowing villains to rip his life apart. Arthur knows this, but slips up and gives his first name, thereby being stuck with his unassuming superhero moniker. Budget limitations kept the former live-action series from tackling the more absurd Tick-sized problems for instance, Dinosaur Neil, a scientist that accidentally ate some Dino DNA and grew into a towering half-reptile beast. Authorities tried to lure him with a gigantic pair of slacks. Similarly, we now have the Very Large Man, dubbed the VLM by the news. The nude, skyscraper-tall VLM doddering through the suburbs is a background crisis, drawing the attention of The Terror's arch-nemesis and Superman analogue, Superian (Brendan Hines). It's a hilarious plot point that could only happen in the world of The Tick and a great bit of world-enhancing flavor through the first several episodes.

These evolutions of The Tick's prior strengths are fantastic, but some of the series' most memorable moments are unique to this new slice of blue. In episode four, The Tick crashes Arthur's stepdad's birthday party. The quirky not-my-dad, Walter (impeccably played by Lost's Franois Chau), is delighted by the charming, childlike giant and their weirdness compliments each other brilliantly. Well look at you, says Walter, opening the door to the superhero. Impossible! plucks Tick in amusement at the strange man's request.

Classic! On a completely different end of the spectrum, the strongest scene of the pilot by far was also all-new: the horrific accident that kills Arthur's dad and The Flag Five. It's so savage. The violence is comedically overwhelming as Arthur's dad is crushed, superheros stumble around blinded by syphilis, and an inappropriately gleeful Terror executes Arthur's heroes in the streets, then eats Arthur's ice cream.

The Tick debuts on Amazon Friday, August 25th . Unfortunately it's not the entire first season, just the first six episodes. The remaining six come in early 2018, which is a damn shame because episode six feels like any other episode in the middle of a narrative - not a mid-season break. Hopefully lacking that punch will still bring audiences back next year. The team says they've got a five-year plan, and if it continues, we'll see more characters that have occurred before, and next season, the heroes will gravitate back to The City inviting in more absurd, slice-of-life superheroics.

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