AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (Malaysia, 25 Apr 2018)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:29
Cast:  Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Pratt, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Bradley Cooper, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista
Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
Screenplay:Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely

Passage taken from the Scriptures regarding the Rapture:

"Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."  Matthew 24:40-42

Indeed AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR was a spiritual experience for me! It felt like watching Armageddon unfold in-front of me, where the conflicts and battles are of Godly proportions. And the lives of the human race and other beings in the universe are at stake as our heroes are running out of time to save them.

What's this movie about?

Earth's mightiest heroes and other heroes from the galaxy have to team-up to prevent Thanos (Josh Brolin) from acquiring five infinity stones; which, if united, will give him so much power he could wreck the entire universe with the snap of his fingers.

What I like about this movie?

• The wait (10 years in the making) was worth it! This overall film is just one big satisfying climax. 
• Thanos. A protagonist is only as good as the antagonist. To me, this is actually Thanos' movie. He is not your traditional big bad villain who's out for power and dominion as his higher calling for his madness is definitely debatable. He's like this tragic Shakespearean figure. He's way more complex than what we've seen in the trailers. Brolin's performance here is very memorable. 
• The danger is real. I was complaining that Captain America: Civil War had no consequences whatsoever. Despite the massive trashing and bashing, no one really died. But in this movie, there are major deaths right from the start (kinda reminds me of the animated motion picture Transformers opening scene) and it sets the tone for the entire movie. Whenever Thanos appears, you know sh t is going to happen.
• The continuity is excellent. All the superheroes from Thor to the Guardians of the Galaxy carried the same style they had embodied in their standalone movies. These characters just picked up smoothly where they left off. The Russo brothers deserve high praises to be able to juggle all the different characters in this mammoth of a movie while still maintaining their unique personalities. 
• The pairing choices. It's a brilliant decision by the filmmakers to put different characters in a few core groups and sending them off in their own mini missions before getting them all back together. The choice of which hero to pair with whom made a lot of difference. For example, the banter of the egos between Iron Man (Downey Jr) and Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) was fun to watch. 
• The battle scenes. In most Hollywood movies, one can't really see the fight scenes with all the shaky and stylistic camera work. But in this movie, you can clearly see what's going on.
• Balance. There seems to be a good balance of almost everything; a solemn mood with fun bantering, loud mindless battle scenes with quieter dramatic moments. 
• The surprising ending. There was no evil "ha ha ha" gloating. Just like that, it was all over. 

What I didn't like?

• There isn't much actually except perhaps knowing that this is a comic book movie after all. I just hope the filmmakers don't undo much of the satisfying and ballsy ending of this film in the as-of-yet unnamed "Infinity War" sequel (2019).
• Okay maybe one more. I'm sure some audience who doesn't know much about the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movies could still follow what's going on but I think they will be bored out of their mind as half of the time, they would be wondering who's who. But this film was made for the fans or at least for movie goers like me who have been following the MCU movies. 

Despite being filmed simultaneously with the sequel, Avengers: Infinity War doesn’t feel like half a movie like Hunger Games or Harry Potter. Eventhough not much is resolved, it still feels like a complete movie. One thing’s for sure, I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel!

RATING: 9/10 

BLACK PANTHER (Malaysia, 15 Feb 2018)

Genre: Action / Adventure

Running Length: 2:14

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Sterling K. Brown, Andy Serkis, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker

Director: Ryan Coogler

Screenplay: Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole 

It's a good thing when days after I watched BLACK PANTHER, the things I remember most about this movie is not the usual superhero movie stuff but its characters and the film's political message.

What's the movie about?

T'Challa/Black Panther rises to the throne of Wakanda after his father's death. But his claim is challenged by a vengeful outsider.   

What I like about it?

• The villain. The protagonist is only as good as the antagonist. If it wasn't for Killmonger (played passionately by the intense Michael B. Jordan), our hero Black Panther would carry on leading Wakanda like how his father and his father's father would lead the nation. Killmonger's ambition forces our hero to make very difficult decisions which would break traditions and ultimately risk his country. 
• The hero's journey. It's great to see our hero questioning what he has always known and witness him struggling through it. 
• Its immersive-ness. The filmmakers really went to great lengths to create an immersive African movie; the language, the culture, the folklore,  the music and just the nuances. I didn't feel like a "tourist". It was just like the recent animated Coco which was steeped in Mexican tradition.    
• The cast.  The filmmakers have assembled a group of today’s best young black actors and actresses, with a few veteran black performers thrown in. The director (Coogler) has successfully drawn the best out of them in such an ambitious movie. The two white actors (Serkis and Freeman) were memorable too.
• Good balance of character building, action and a political message. Although it doesn't go deep, Killmonger's motive and brand of politics are thought-provoking. 

What I didn't?

• The CGI. It was terrible especially the final fight. Our hero pouncing around in the streets reminded me of the bad effects of Spider-Man swinging from building to building. It looks fake. 
• It took a while to warm-up. As much as I like the initiation ceremony and introduction to the Wakanda universe, I felt that the whole hunt down the bad white guy in the first half of the film took up too much time. I was waiting for Killmonger to show up again quickly after his brief charismatic introduction at the beginning. 

RATING: 8.5/10

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:26
Cast: Chris Evans, Daniel Bruhl, Martin Freeman, William Hurt, Tom Holland, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Emily VanCamp         

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Screenplay: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

There are two major themes in  CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR that are conceptually interesting on paper but wasn't fleshed out effectively in execution.

Firstly, the concept of a government body stepping in to regulate the honest actions of superheroes in causing civilian casualties during their epic battles with supervillains. (Interestingly, this similar premise was explored in the recent brood-ish Batman v. Superman). Among all the superhero movies, the X-Men stories have done a much better job at exploring this theme.

So, I personally found this reason a little weak for team Captain to clash with team Iron Man ("Lionheart" CapAm is against the accords while "pro-capitalist/anti-war" Iron Man is for it). As a result, the climatic royal rumble between the two camps felt restrained. Despite a lot of flying action, pummelling and blowing things up, it played out more like a spectacle than an all-out war. You can kinda expect no superheroes will die during this battle.

That said, somewhere towards the end of the movie, an intimate fist fight between Captain, Iron Man and The Winter Soldier is more dramatic and powerful. Because it's personal, there is a possibility that someone will die. It felt more real.

As for the second misstep, the theme of "a house divided against itself" is the most interesting but the journey to get to that point seems overly convoluted.

Although it's jam packed with characters, the movie doesn't feel bloated. It's probably because we are familiar with the back story of 90% of these characters which were introduced throughout the years across different movies in the Marvel Productions Universe (MPU). Not counting the re-introduction of a younger Spider-Man (brilliantly played by Tom Holland), the only new character is Black Panther.

Overall, Civil War is entertaining but it’s not as gripping and tight as Captain America: Winter Soldier. Oh, one gripe. As adorable as Marisa Tomei is, but as the new Aunt May...really?

Rating: 7/10