Avengers: Infinity War

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Avengers: Infinity War is the nineteenth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and arguably the most anticipated movie of 2018. The movie deals with Thanos (played by Josh Brolin) trying to collect the infinity stones while the Avengers, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy team up in order to stop him. The movie is well-paced. It's two and a half hours long, and never feels like it. Thanos builds on Marvel's recent streak of great villains. He's someone who truly believes he is the hero of his story, and Brolin's performance adds a lot of necessary heft and menace to the character, but the filmmakers also give him a lot of emotion. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely really do their best to add some emotional weight to the movie. Without giving too much away, the movie really lives up to the "war" aspect of Infinity War. As much as I truly believe Brolin deserves praise, I don't want to take anything away from the rest of the cast. This is a movie with a lot of characters, and it could have easily felt too overstuffed, and too disjointed. It never really reached that point for me. Most of the cast gets a chance to shine in some way or another. The ending is something that will split people. It honestly worked for me, but I know there are going to be people who will get mad at this. The humor is something that could have easily been a problem, but I honestly felt that a lot of it worked because it comes naturally from the characters and how they would naturally react in that particular situation. Overall, Avengers: Infinity War worked on pretty much every level, and it does make me wonder what's going to happen in the next Avengers movie, and how that is going to be achieved.  

10 / 10 

The Hurricane Heist

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A group of thieves try to rob a Treasury Building located in Alabama. The only ones who are able to stop the thieves are a treasury agent (played by Maggie Grace), a meteorologist (played by Toby Kebbell), and a repairman (played by Ryan Kwanten). Despite a ton of plot twists, there really isn't a whole lot in terms of story. This is a movie I wasn't sure what to make of going into it. Neither Toby Kebbell nor Maggie Grace have ever been actors that I enjoyed watching on screen. They kind of worked for me in this, even with struggling with their southern accents. The effects are pretty bad. They never remotely look convincing. A lot of the character development feels pretty thin, and a lot of the time, when you do get it, it's actually pretty jarring. So, this isn't a good movie. At all. It works as something of a guilty pleasure, though. The movie was written in the 90s, and the script was just never produced. Watching this movie, it really did have a 90s feel. The best way I feel like I could describe this movie would be The Rock meets Twister. Based on description like that, you'll probably be able to guess whether or not this movie is going to be the right kind of stupid for you. I think it might be the right kind of movie to watch with friends while you toss back a few beers. 

6 / 10  

Thor

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Selfish, arrogant Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) is cast out and banished to Earth by his father Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) in an effort for him to learn humility. From there, he befriends and is humbled by Dr. Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy (played by Kat Dennings), and her mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (played by Stellan Skarsgard). Foster would become his love interest as the movie goes on. As he tends to do, Tom Hiddleston as Loki owns this movie. This is a movie that could have made him very one-note. Director Kenneth Branagh doesn't do that, he fleshes out the characters that truly need it. Loki is a far more complex villain than he would have been in the hands of a lesser director. He truly lends a Shakespearean feel to the family relationship between Thor, Loki, and Odin. Granted, there are some things that feel a little too rocky. Storywise, this your typical hero's journey, even if it does work. There are a lot of supporting players that honestly feel wasted (and too sidelined). The best examples of this have to be Idris Elba, Rene Russo, and Jaime Alexander. Elba and Alexander do own their roles when they have the chance to be onscreen, but they just aren't in the movie enough. I did like Russo's performance, but her character truly feels underwritten. There isn't nearly enough of her to make the relationship she has with Loki feel justified. The comedic elements of the movie can be incredibly off-putting for people. Kat Dennings never really bothered me, but I can easily understand how she does annoy other people. Overall, Thor is well directed, well acted, and has some strong character development. It also suffers from some under-written and under-used supporting players, and potentially off-putting comic relief.

7 / 10 

Ranking the Friday the 13th Movies

#12: Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning: I get what they were trying to do with this movie. They attempted to kill Jason off for good in the previous movie, and wanted to pass the torch off to someone new. The problem is the final result was an unfocused mess that didn't really feel like a new beginning (or justified) in any way. It seemed closer to falling back on all of the old tricks. The kills were pretty tame for the most part, and the killer reveal (and motivation) didn't make any sense. 

#11: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan: When I first saw this movie, I remember thinking it was my least favorite. My opinion ultimately hasn't changed much because I still find it relatively dull in the long run. The one thing I definitely think puts this a notch above A New Beginning is Kane Hodder as Jason. The man was committed to the role, and actually gave the character something of mean streak. 

#10: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday: I respect that this was an attempt to really try something new and different with Jason. Kane Hodder's back for about five minutes, and he is my personal favorite of the actors who have played Jason. The main problem I have with Jason Goes to Hell is that it tried something different, and it just didn't work. I'm not sure why, but I can believe Jason going to space,  Jason coming back as a zombie, and Jason fighting a teenage girl with telekinetic powers before I could honestly believe him being a demonic creature that jumps from body to body. 

#09: Friday the 13th Part 3: This might be the dullest movie in the franchise. One or two deaths might stick out, but that's about it. Richard Brooker is fairly underrated as Jason in my opinion, and I give the movie credit for being the originator of the now iconic hockey mask. My biggest problem with this movie is that this was actually the first time they tried ending the franchise, and I'm glad the series didn't end with this movie. If it had, then this franchise would have gone out with a whimper instead of a bang.  

#08: Freddy vs. Jason: The stuff between Freddy and Jason is awesome. I love their fights, and there's some pretty creative kills. The problem is, there wasn't enough Freddy vs. Jason. You don't really care that much about the dumb teenagers that are just there to die. I actually enjoy this movie, but when I really think about it, I can't put it any higher than this. 

#07: Jason X: I wasn't sure where to put Freddy vs. Jason and Jason X, I settled on ranking Jason X above Freddy vs. Jason for a couple of reasons. The first one is that this is the last movie of the series where Kane Hodder played Jason. The second is this movie has my absolute favorite kill in the entire Friday the 13th franchise.

#06: Friday the 13th (2009): Of all the horror remakes to come out of the 21st century, this is the one I think is kind of unfairly hated. I'm pretty sure the filmmakers were just trying to make a Friday the 13th movie and ran with it. Derek Mears is a solid Jason Voorhees, and some of the kills are pretty entertaining. One or two characters are enjoyable (and the actors actually give pretty good performances). 

#05: Friday the 13th Part 2: This is the first movie in the series where Jason was the killer. Ginny was a solid heroine, and actually uses psychology to try and stop Jason's rampage. One of the things that I think works about this movie is that the first two victims are the only two survivors of the first film, so it gives off a feeling of legitimate uneasiness because it tells you that anybody can go this time around. 

    

#04: Friday the 13th (1980): Aside from some of the acting being pretty underwhelming, the original Friday the 13th movie is a good slasher with a decent mystery aspect to it. Some of the kills are pretty creative. I enjoy seeing a young Kevin Bacon. Betsy Palmer as Mrs. Voorhees steals the show, even though she's hardly in the movie. Adrienne King as final girl Alice is pretty good, and honestly seems like she gets overlooked a lot. 

#03: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood: After Jason Lives turned Jason Voorhees into a zombie, having him fight a girl with psychic abilities felt like the logical next step. The character Tina Shepard is my favorite final girl of the franchise. Kane Hodder is my favorite Jason actor, and this movie is a big part of why. This is the movie that cemented the character's (and actor's) brutal streak. The fights between Jason and Tina are also pretty fun, especially because Jason doesn't often have a hero figure that's actually a match for him. 

#02: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives: After Part 5 seemed like it was going to kill and bury the franchise for good, Jason Lives was a shot in the arm for the franchise. Zombie Jason is pretty entertaining, and some of the best kills come out of this movie. Standouts include the paintball scene and the scene in the van. Out of the three actors to play Tommy Jarvis, this verison is my absolute favorite. 

#01: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter: This might just be the most brutal movie in the series, and actually succeeds as a "final chapter" where part 3 and Jason Goes to Hell failed. I mentioned that Jason's kills are some of the brutal in this movie. There's a guy who has his head twisted around after his throat is cut with a saw. Crispin Glover gets stabbed in the face with a meat cleaver. Even Jason's own death is pretty nasty. Corey Feldman as Tommy Jarvis also provides the first time the series played around with what the main protagonist in one of these movies could be.   

Iron Man 2

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Iron Man 2 came out in 2010, two years after the first movie and was the third film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This time around, Tony Stark has been living a life where his secret identity has been exposed. The son of a man his father worked with wants vengeance against Tony. Also angry at Tony is a business rival. I'm not going to lie, this is probably the weakest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. I like the performances from Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell as the film's villains, but the development to both characters felt very thin. Mickey Rourke's character feels especially weak. I remember a couple of his lines because they were being delivered by Mickey Rourke with an over the top accent. I remember that he wants revenge, but I don't remember why he wanted revenge. Black Widow (played by Scarlett Johansson) is first introduced in this movie, but she feels fairly tacked on. I'm glad the character got more development as the movies went on, because there doesn't feel there's much to her in this movie. A lot of the movie feels like a giant advertisement for future Marvel movies. It doesn't feel like you get subtle hints at what's to come. It feels like you're being beaten over the head. Now, I don't want it to necessarily come off as though I didn't like this movie. I did. The performances are strong. Robert Downey, Jr. owns the role of Tony Stark. Despite not being very developed, I still think Johansson, Rourke, and Rockwell gave really strong performances. This is the movie that replaces Terrence Howard with Don Cheadle, and I personally think Cheadle just does a better job. Gwyneth Paltrow also does a solid job returning as Pepper Potts, and their relationship does feel like it has some expansion. The action scenes and visual effects are excellent as always. Iron Man 2 is a fine movie, it's just the weakest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

6 / 10 

The Incredible Hulk

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Bruce Banner (played by Edward Norton) has spent years in hiding, living in South America. The whole time, he has been struggling to keep the Hulk at bay, and has been trying to find a cure, keeping in contact with a man named Samuel Sterns (played by Tim Blake Nelson). Things eventually go awry, and the U.S. army, led by General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross and mercenary Emil Blonsky (played by William Hurt and Tim Roth respectively) tracks him down. Bruce's love Betty Ross (played by Liv Tyler) gets caught up in the whole thing, and does everything she can to help Bruce. This is the one that is probably the most disjointed from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, outside of a quick cameo from Robert Downey, Jr. But, I do think this may just be the most underrated of the MCU films. The action is pretty fun, and I like Tim Roth as the villainous soldier who eventually becomes the Abomination. This truly feels like a main villain that's a perfect rival for both Bruce Banner and the Hulk. The Abomination rivals the Hulk in terms of pure strength and force. As Emil Blonsky, he is the exact opposite of Bruce Banner. Banner is a scientist who views the Hulk as a curse more than anything else. Blonsky is a soldier who wants the untamed power that Bruce possesses. I can't call this the best MCU movie, or even one of the best. There are some issues with it. There is a character who doesn't get any real resolution. What I mean is that they teased a potential future villain at the end of the movie, and that's something that doesn't end up going anywhere. I can admit that this wasn't really on the fault of the movie when it first came out. This feels like the one that gets swept under the rug the most out of all the movies within this vast cinematic universe. Edward Norton was recast and replaced with Mark Ruffalo. We haven't seen anything of Betty Ross or the Abomination since the events of this movie. Nothing comes of Samuel Sterns's mutation. We don't see William Hurt as General Ross again until Captain America: Civil War. I'm not going to call this one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's finest outings, but I also think it's the most overlooked and underrated.

8 / 10     

Iron Man

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So, Infinity War comes out at the end of the month. I figured this is as good a time as any to cover the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I haven't reviewed yet. The story of Iron Man is that weapons dealer Tony Stark is attacked and injured by his own weapons. He is taken hostage and tasked with building weapons for a terrorist group called the Ten Rings. He escapes and decides to rid the world of his own weapons simply because he saw the evil they were being used for. This is easily one of the most important movies in the MCU. For starters, this is where it all started. This movie was the biggest risk. A huge sprawling cinematic universe hadn't really been tried before. This movie was the beginning of Robert Downey, Jr.'s comeback tour. He wasn't the mega star he was before and is now. Robert Downey, Jr. is Tony Stark. The action scenes are pretty fun to watch. Robert Downey, Jr. is one of those actors who just manages to have a good back and forth with his co-stars. The first act is easily my favorite. I love the interactions between Tony and Yinsen (played by Shaun Toub). There is some genuine emotion and dramatic acting between the two. There are things that build up the future movies in this giant universe. They are very small and subtle. Some of them actually took me multiple viewings to truly notice. The only real issue I have with this movie is Terrence Howard's performance as Rhodey. He felt a little too whiny, and a little too much like a pushover. I just didn't buy him as a war veteran. Ultimately, even ten years later, Iron Man still holds up as a good movie, and as a good starting point for one of the biggest franchises of all time.

9 / 10