I watched Avengers: Endgame on August 27th. Did I cry? Almost. Did I like it? Mostly. Was it a fitting end to this 23-movie saga? That’s complicated.
However, as you may have observed from the title, this post isn’t about Endgame. It’s about the whole Infinity Saga from the MCU. There are still movies that I haven’t seen, and probably won’t see purely for content issues. But I’ve seen enough to grasp the storyline.
In this post, I’ll discuss my thoughts on the content matter, plot, characters, impact, and techy stuff. Essentially, I’m going to ramble about my favorite parts and rant about my least favorite and then try to organize those in a way that makes coherent sense to anyone outside of my brain. :P Let’s get started, shall we?
What I Saw
For reference, here’s a list of the movies I saw. They're not in order, and somehow Black Widwo didn't make it in the picture, but that's the general gist. If you want a chronological list I can get you one. XD Anyway, if you’re wondering why I didn’t mention so-and-so or that-one-plot-twist, it’s probably because I never saw the movie they’re in. XD
Content
Let’s just say there’s a reason I haven’t watched Marvel up until now. Language is probably the highest biggie, with words like “s***”, “h***”, “d***”, “a**”, and other “mild” vulgarities peppering the script. As you get farther along, you also hear multiple instances of “b****” and other “stronger” words. And while the f-bomb is never dropped, you see it mouthed and hear it almost said multiple times. God’s name is used in vain countless times, and he is disrespected in other ways.
Beyond the language concerns, I didn’t notice too much crazy. Sexual stuff is in there, though there’s only one sex scene I can think of and it’s about 5 seconds with clothes on, although the implications later are heavy. The only scene where someone is naked, nothing is ever shown and it’s used for laughs. The romance in general was kinda “meh” for me - basic but not dirty. Magic exists in that there are “sorcerers” who have learned the “mystic arts” and perform acts like creating portals and weapons and controlling things with telekinetic-like abilities. Multiple characters are seen and referenced to as “gods”, although in other movies it’s mentioned that they were only seen as such because of their long lifespan and supernatural abilities to humankind, where in reality they’re not deities. Someone mentions once that there’s only one God, then later on in the films he isn’t referenced except in disrespectful - even downright degrading - ways. Violence is high. There’s a lot - and I mean a lot - of blood shed, most of which you see. People are crushed, burned, mutilated, beaten, tortured, killed, etc. There was only one scene where I felt uncomfortable with the gore, but younger viewers would probably be disturbed. Characters drink often and make jokes about drunkenness. Occasionally you’ll see a side character smoking.
A good part about this is that the majority of the main characters have good morals: determination, loyalty, faithfulness, justice and mercy, kindness, gentleness, etc. Some even demonstrate self-control. They are human, though, which is good. Most of the flaws revolve around selfishness, pride, anger management, fear, jealousy, and other such normal, relatable issues. Like I mentioned, there are one or two characters that definitely have an alcohol addiction. There’s also a professional thief thrown into the mix. Morals that are condemned are things like seeking power at the expense of others, disrespect for life, torture, and most other serious things. The humor was spot-on and definitely one of my favorite parts, especially humor that stemmed from character interactions. There are a couple of crude jokes, but nothing worse than the language.
So yeah. Content is very high. Viewer discretion advised. XD
Plot
Guys. This story is so intricate that I’m pretty sure I only got the very basic part of it and missed most of the interlocking details. It’s very well-told, though. Marvel does a great job with applying plotting elements on the large 20-movie scale as well as creating individual movies with good, intriguing plot structure. I can’t say much as to the plot twists purely because I knew of so many of them beforehand, but the ones I didn’t know about were pretty good. The worldbuilding is insane. I really loved how each character’s individual story tied into the plot to bring them together in realistic ways. I only caught one or two plot holes (like what happened with Bruce’s girlfriend from The Incredible Hulk…? *blinkblink*), which is impressive considering the sheer size of this story. Most of the minor villains got kinda boring after a bit ‘cause they all seemed to follow the same Three Steps to Your Defeat, although the major villain was appropriately terrifying and understandable. He presented the best possible case for his goal, one that sounds good on the surface. He was also a lovely mix of both good and bad traits, which I love in a villain. Beyond that, I’ve only seen Marvel once and I can name all of the Infinity Stones without previous practice. Goes to show you that they’ve done a good job. :P
That being said, endings are super important to me for whatever reason. And Endgame just... didn't quite get there. It made sense on a plot level, and the way some characters' stories wrapped up was perfect and beautiful (*coughs* Tony Stark *cough cough*). But there were some characters whose story endings weren't so great - looking at you, Cap. Things could have used more foreshadowing, and some elements seemed rushed or forced or almost too easy. Plus, nothing really spoke to those intrinsic human desires to make you remember the movies forever. So... yeah. It was mildly disappointing.
Characters
Y’all. This is hands-down my favorite aspect of the MCU. There are… *counts* 16 characters with their own solo movies, at least in the ones that I watched. Then there’s at least two that have a solo movie that I haven’t watched. Bring them all together and you have my absolute favorite story ingredient ever: main characters of different stories being thrown together because of circumstances without any one character being a main POV.
*evil cackles* It’s the best. Add superpowers and it’s even better.
Something else I really appreciated about the characters was the way Marvel crafted each of them uniquely and equally. None of the main characters are flat (except Thor at the beginning… heh heh… he got fixed though) or confusing. They each have backstories which heavily influence who they are today, but those backstories don’t seem forced or exaggerated. There’s a good variety of backgrounds, too… *thoughtful nodding* Beyond that, each character has a clear goal, desire, and fear that aren’t explicitly stated. I love that. It makes you have to think for yourself. ;P
(P.S. Are you guys interested in a post purely on the Marvel characters? ‘Cause I could random for forever about them. XD)
Impact
This was a disappointing aspect of the movies. I love stories that change me, and these… well, they fell flat. They were entertaining for sure, and they had their moments, but so far they haven’t made me reflect on anything profound or life-changing at all. The emotional aspect of the story was there but lacking, the mental aspect did nothing to challenge my thinking, and the spiritual aspect was either degrading or non-existent. Some may feel differently, but… I wasn’t impacted by these movies. Like at all.
Techy Stuff
Now, I don’t know much about movie-making. I have a lot of random tips and tricks floating around in my head but no real knowledge. So take this with a grain of salt. XD
Apparently people talk about how bad Marvel’s CGI is. I strongly disagree - if you want to see bad CGI, watch the original Star Wars or The Princess Bride. XD While a few of the earlier movies were clearly CGI-ed (is that a word?), they were only the first few and I didn’t even notice until I compared some of the shots with some more recent ones. I will say that the sheer amount of CGI can be a little dizzying at times, especially in Doctor Strange and Spiderman: Far from Home where there’s a lot of illusions and visually confusing things purely for the plot.
The soundtracks vary in their awesomeness by movie, probably because there’s so many different composers. My personal favorite is Black Panther’s, mostly because I enjoy African-influenced music. Most of the Avengers soundtracks are also really good, and I enjoyed a few points in Black Widow’s soundtrack. Most of Spiderman’s songs are really good as well. Otherwise… I haven’t really listened to much of them. XD Those were the ones that stood out to me during the movies themselves, so I looked them up. Trust me, I’m getting around to the others. There’s just a lot of music - like almost 600 songs, not counting the first two Iron Mans either. XD
In Summary…
Marvel is a mixed bag. The content levels are definitely not for younger audiences, but the plot and character development is off the charts. It doesn’t really hold a lot of deep insights or questions, but the sheer visual and auditory awesomeness might make up for it. So… I’ll give it four stars.
What about you? Have you seen Marvel? What rating would you give it? Who’s your favorite character? Your favorite movie? Which was your least favorite movie? Any other thoughts?
Until next time,
Take courage, pursue God, and smile while you still have teeth!! :D
-Joelle
(P.S. Remember, the short story contest is still up and running! You've got just under a month left. :))
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