Marvel Cinematic Universe: Everything You Need to Know Before Watching Ant-Man

[P-89 Scorpion]

If the first Iron Man's villain is weak then Iron Man 3's, Thor: the Dark world's and Guardians of the Galaxy's are insubstantial to non-existent.


Which has been my big problem with the phase 2 film's, fine setup for no payoff. CA:WS got away with it by having an organisation as the villain with there primary 'The Dragon' (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheDragon) being a brain washed hero which added a lot to the feeling of threat to the hero's.


Ultron

Spoiler

had great setup but while having Loki beaten as comic relief worked for the type of villain he is doing the same for Ultron took away the excitement of what should have been an epic fight into just a combining of the final city fight and the heli-carrier battle from the first Avengers

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

Gah, already seen Age of Ultron twice and the urge to spoil is strong.

Sticking to what I can talk to, I'll agree thats there's been a too few many disposable villains in the MCU. Malekith is easily the worst of these, for the life of me I couldn't tell you what his character is, he just exists because they needed an antagonist to move the plot along. I'm hoping the villain of Ragnarok (I'm guessing Surtur) has a bit more personality, even if its just more along the lines of Ronan (who kind of gets away with being shallow by turning his outrageously pantomimic performance into a sort of weird charm).

I agree that Winter Soldier becomes a bit too much of a macguffin, but I'd also argue that (despite the film being named after him) his 'main villain' position really goes to Pierce. Who I actually quite like as a primary antagonist. Have you noticed he never actually lies in the film? I mean, yes, alright, you can say he lies by omission, but the things he does say are never deceptions or untruths (that I noticed anyway). It makes him seem a lot more sincere, so you actually kind of believe him when he says he trying to just make the world a safer place. Puts him a bit above other villains who are either out for their own interest or...well actually the rest of them are just out out for their own interests.

And personally I liked how they handled the Mandarin in Iron Man 3. Mandarin in the comics is a leftover from the days when we could have the Yellow Peril and not seem racist, a rather blatant Fu Manchu expy no matter how they've treated him in the modern age. His entire purpose was to be a symbol of everything America thought was its opposite. And the movie makes him that in-universe. It's pointed out that how Trevor portrays the Mandarin is specifically designed to trigger every fear and paranoid instinct the American people have. I thought it was an interesting commentary on how the media still uses that kind of stereotyping to manipulate its audience. And frankly I found Kingsley hilarious when he was in Trevor mode. I know something people complained about was yet another Iron Man villain being an industrialist, but sod it, all the industrialists I seem to hear or read about seem to be massive dickheads so hey, I can believe that. At least he had his own schtick and wasn't another dude in knock-off power armour

 

[Ocelano]

Trying real hard to keep this spoiler free but Ultron freakin rocked. I doubt I need to say that Spaders voice is a fun villain and the hulk vs hulkbuster fight is well played even if you do see it coming. Thor is still arrogant. Banner kinda a little more comfy with his role as occasional muscle. and that major rift they throw in between stark and cap to lead into the civil war arc is almost frightening, never expected cap to make the first strike like that poor Pepper but after Starks negligence got Natasha killed triggering the hulk like that what real choice did he have?.

as some of you may of guessed I may of wondered into BS a bit there mostly to disguise any spoilers I may of accidentally leaked in doubt. The honest truth If you have loved this franchise so far this is not going to be the one to ruin everything for you

Interesting side note Pietro is never referred to once as Quicksilver (copyright issues with Sony perhaps?) could anyone who has seen days of future past tell me whether quicksilver is ever referred to as Pietro

 

[P-89 Scorpion]

Trying real hard to keep this spoiler free but Ultron freakin rocked. I doubt I need to say that Spaders voice is a fun villain and the hulk vs hulkbuster fight is well played even if you do see it coming. Thor is still arrogant. Banner kinda a little more comfy with his role as occasional muscle. and that major rift they throw in between stark and cap to lead into the civil war arc is almost frightening, never expected cap to make the first strike like that poor Pepper but after Starks negligence got Natasha killed triggering the hulk like that what real choice did he have?.

as some of you may of guessed I may of wondered into BS a bit there mostly to disguise any spoilers I may of accidentally leaked in doubt. The honest truth If you have loved this franchise so far this is not going to be the one to ruin everything for you

Interesting side note Pietro is never referred to once as Quicksilver (copyright issues with Sony perhaps?) could anyone who has seen days of future past tell me whether quicksilver is ever referred to as Pietro

And Wanda isn't referred by the name Scarlet witch actually is Hawkeye ever referred to by that name on screen? I can't recall.

 

[ron1n]

lol I keep forgetting this hasn't dropped in the US yet. So weird.

Movie was good, very funny and entertaining. But in terms of repercussions for the wider MCU, this one felt very much like it was in a holding pattern. It's weird how they seem to be reserving all the big game changing events for the Captain America films.

I'm now extra pumped for Black Panther though after seeing Andy Serkis brief cameo as Klaw. Really good

 

[Jake Martinez]

I honestly felt like this movie was a bit of a let down. Without spoiling anything:

- The movie is too long. About 30 minutes could be trimmed from the running time, and there is a lot of stuff that could be trimmed because frankly it's either a tad boring or really repetitive.

- Joss Whedon is getting a little tired. Too much "Joss Whedon" doing his trademarked "Joss Whedon" bits, if you know what I mean. It's like, a joke in dialogue can be funny. A joke in every dialogue is a little strange. Every character joking in every dialogue is starting to border on really annoying. Then they do it 20 times in a row. Okay, please just shut up and punch something now.

- Really pointless subplot with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. It was honestly kind of a let down.

- Another pointless appearance by a major character which seems to have only happened because of a contractual obligation.

- Joss uses a McGuffin to move the plot along about 4 times in the movie. Maybe if you're dazzled by the action scenes you won't notice, but unfortunately I did and I just rolled my eyes.

- I didn't really feel any sense of impending doom or danger in the final big battle scene. Conceptually I get it, but it just didn't translate into any sort of tension. This is kind of a Joss Whedon trademark though, sort of like how Stephen King always meanders in the middle of a novel. Even if the first movie was a little hackney with the nuclear missle ending, that was a lot more enthralling than this one.

- Scarlet Johansson is still a bad actress. I guess we deal with it by now.

That being said, there were some parts I really did like:

- Hawkeye is a real character in this film, and surprisingly good.

- Rhodey makes an appearance - FINALLY. I mean, c'mon - you have this pal of yours flying around in another Iron Man suit and he never shows up to help out? Maybe that's a little spoilerish, but not really since it's not a plot point.

- Markedly better fighting choreography in this film than the previous one. Not as good as the Winter Soldier, but better than the last Avengers movie by a lot (slightly hampered by some bad/hammy cinematography in some of the "dramatic" fight scenes).

- The romantic subplot was actually interesting for once.

- Not a secret since it's in one of the trailers, but the Hulkbuster armor is pretty sweet. I really liked that scene.


Overall, this is a fine movie. It's not the best in the franchise, I think that title still goes to the excellent "The Winter Soldier". It's also not as funny as the first Avengers Movie, which is kind of surprising. I don't think people gave Tom Hiddleston's Loki portrayal enough credit for setting the tone of that flick. I know I didn't.

I'm sure this movie will make a bazillion dollars just because. I'd say if you're a huge fan of the MCU, try to keep your expectations in check and you'll probably be happy. It's a fine movie and really enjoyable, it's just not the crescendo of the franchise.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

My god I need a job so I can afford to watch this when it comes out.

Also nice re-cap Marter.

 

[P-89 Scorpion]

I honestly felt like this movie was a bit of a let down. Without spoiling anything:

- The movie is too long. About 30 minutes could be trimmed from the running time, and there is a lot of stuff that could be trimmed because frankly it's either a tad boring or really repetitive.

So I guess like me the idea of the over 3 hours long directors cut doesn't thrill you?

 

[Laughing Man]

And Wanda isn't referred by the name Scarlet witch actually is Hawkeye ever referred to by that name on screen? I can't recall.

Yes, he is by someone close to him when they are talking about Nat and Hulk, can't say who because it would spoil things.

Interesting side note Pietro is never referred to once as Quicksilver (copyright issues with Sony perhaps?) could anyone who has seen days of future past tell me whether quicksilver is ever referred to as Pietro

No they don't call him Pietro in DOFP

And Wanda isn't referred by the name Scarlet witch

Yup but their is a scene where Iron Man calls her a witch when talking to Hulk.

 

[Jake Martinez]

I honestly felt like this movie was a bit of a let down. Without spoiling anything:

- The movie is too long. About 30 minutes could be trimmed from the running time, and there is a lot of stuff that could be trimmed because frankly it's either a tad boring or really repetitive.

So I guess like me the idea of the over 3 hours long directors cut doesn't thrill you?

Not of this movie. I'm not even kidding about this - I was actually starting to get bored towards what should have been the final climatic scene. Just look at your own comment earlier in this thread - You're entirely right about the missing "pay off". I felt it and I got disinterested in what was an overly long battle that I felt was kind of pointless.

 

[MasterOfHisOwnDomain]

If the first Iron Man's villain is weak then Iron Man 3's, Thor: the Dark world's and Guardians of the Galaxy's are insubstantial to non-existent.

Massively agree. It seems to me a recurring problem with the universe that its villains are fairly insubstantial and get beat without much effort.

Spoiler: Avengers 2 Spoilers

Even Ultron fails to be much of a threat against the ... what ... 11? heroes that end up fighting him. He doesn't even get away with beating anyone individually: Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man end up holding their own against him in single combat.

 

[P-89 Scorpion]

If the first Iron Man's villain is weak then Iron Man 3's, Thor: the Dark world's and Guardians of the Galaxy's are insubstantial to non-existent.

Massively agree. It seems to me a recurring problem with the universe that its villains are fairly insubstantial and get beat without much effort.

Spoiler: Avengers 2 Spoilers

Even Ultron fails to be much of a threat against the ... what ... 11? heroes that end up fighting him. He doesn't even get away with beating anyone individually: Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man end up holding their own against him in single combat.

Oh yeah

Spoiler: Avengers 2 Spoilers

It's 10 heroes and that reminds of the dumbest bit of the film Captain America loses his shield fighting Ultron who then blasts a defenceless Cap and the only effect is that his outfit gets slightly burned, what the hell kind of shit blasters does Ultron have?

 

[Darth Marsden]

Back to the film recaps... I'd argue that Incredible Hulk isn't terrible. It's by no means brilliant, but I view it as a distinctly "OK" film. And by that, I mean that no matter what aspect of the film you're talking about, it can be summed up as "Eh, it was OK."

How's the acting? Eh, it was OK.
How's the music? Eh, it was OK.
How's the action? Eh, it was OK.
How's the direction? Eh, it was OK.

It's one of the weakest MCU films, sure, but I wouldn't call it out-and-out BAD.

 

[Evonisia]

Snip.

I thought the action of The Incredible Hulk was quite good. It worked well with making the Hulk really seem monstrous, but not entirely unstoppable (even though he is). I'll certainly take TCH's action over the Hulkbuster fight from Age of Ultron, at the very least.

Then again I'm the freak that wasn't all that impressed by the action in Guardians.

 

[FPLOON]

For some reason, I keep going back to re-watch The Incredible Hulk, thus making it the most-watched of the MCU so far... follwed by Captain America: The First Avenger and Gaurdians of the Galaxy respectively...

What? No mention of Bruce's cameo during the post-credit scene in Iron Man 3... I mean, I get it, but still...

Other than that, I really like the tie-ins to the MCU through Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter...

 

[theSovietConnection]

I plan to see this as soon as I'm able to, but lately, I dunno.

I have to agree with Marter on a couple of points almost word for word, really. Until Avengers came out, the first Captain America was easily my favorite Marvel film. After the release of Avengers, I'd have ranked it Avengers first, followed by Captain America.

However, Guardians of the Galaxy came out, and this is where things started getting weird for me. After watching Guardians, Capt America still remains my number 2 favorite Marvel movie, but Avengers had been knocked off in favor of the Guardians. What bothers me is I still don't know exactly where I stand on Avengers now. Something about it just doesn't click with me now like it did prior to Guardians, and I can't really explain it.

 

[Jake Martinez]

I plan to see this as soon as I'm able to, but lately, I dunno.

If I had known ahead of time what it would have been like, I would have gone and seen it at the 5 dollar movie theatre in a few weeks. Definitely don't spend 30 dollars on IMAX 3D whatever.

It's worth seeing, but it's not worth spending a lot of money on seeing it, if that makes sense.

Also, I have a soft spot for "The First Avenger" as well. I love pulp movies and Joe Johnston did one of my favorites in that style, "The Rocketeer" - so I knew what I was getting into and really enjoyed it. However, I still think "The Winter Soldier" is the best MCU movie to date - good intrigue, good pacing, no wasted scenes, great action (best fighting cinematography in all of the movies actually). It's really less of a "comic book movie" and more of an "action thriller" type movie.

That's probably the good thing about Captain America - he's just "normal enough" that you can make him Jack Bauer or Jack Ryan and it works really, really, well. I hope we get more of that in the future.

 

[Cowabungaa]

- The movie is too long. About 30 minutes could be trimmed from the running time, and there is a lot of stuff that could be trimmed because frankly it's either a tad boring or really repetitive.

Which is funny because if anything, I felt that the movie went way[i/] too fast. It felt sloppy, with many rushed and half-explained plotlines. Best they could've done is scratch some bits and flesh out the remaining bits a lot more.

Seems like Whedon wanted a little too much with Avengers 2. Even with seeing all the Marvel movies (never really been into the comics that much) by the end of the film I was still like "What...just happened?" A lot of what happened in the film just sort of...happened. There wasn't enough context.

 

[P-89 Scorpion]

Man I just don't get the love for Guardians of the Galaxy. That movie was NOT funny. Everything that came out of the racoon's mouth made me cringe, the whole plot was basically the Avengers formula all over again with the same exact themes, and the ending was... that the power of friendship LITERALLY saves the day with magic?

Fuck right off. I don't care how many people love that movie, I thought it was a piece of flaming shit full of plot holes and awful dialogue. The only good part of that movie was Michael Rooker.

Agree completely GotG and IM3 worst two MCU films of the lot so far.