Right. Here are all my spoilery thought about Avengers: Endgame, I highly recommend not reading this if you haven’t seen the film. My spoiler-free review is here.
I probably haven’t mentioned everything I noticed or wanted to say because there was so much and I see new things every time I see it. I’ve seen Endgame three times now and still think it’s an incredible end to a series of 22 films. My comments are a mixture of stuff that happened in order, and character focussed stuff. This post is probably a mess so you’ve been warned. (more…)
There are a lot of great characters in the Thor films, and the Thor films generally have more female characters than most MCU films, but Frigga stands out to me. That is due to Frigga being one of those quietly badass characters that deserved better.
I really like her relationship with both of her sons because, unlike her husband, it’s clear she loves them both equally and it’s obvious that she has influenced them both as they’ve grown up. The similarities are more obvious with Loki. He practices magic and illusions like Frigga, and they fight in a similar way too, but over the course of the films you see that Thor is kind, thoughtful and understanding much like his mother.
Frigga is kind-hearted, fair and wise. She’s a skilled fighter and diplomat and unlike her husband, she’s ready to forgive her sons for their misdeeds and wants to be able to help them. While in the films, she’s very much given the mother-role, I liked the moments where you could see Frigga talk with Sif or other Asgardians and get to see who she is outside of her relationships with her sons or husband.
There’s me thinking, “Oh dear I haven’t got a post for blogmas planned for today, will have to write something when I get home from work.” And what do you know, the first trailer for the next Avengers film was released earlier today and I have a lot to say about it.
First of all, beware spoilers for Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp and my thoughts and predictions on what might happen in Endgame – which probably won’t be in any real order and I’ll have probably forgotten some stuff. I loved this trailer, and to be honest I think it’s going to be the only trailer for the film I watch. I want to know as little as possible before seeing this film.
I loved the way it started with Tony seemingly alone in space (I say seemingly as he’s going to be with Nebula and my hopes that they will bond in space and become besties haven’t been dashed yet) leaving a farewell message for Pepper. His message makes me so sad, he’s one of my favourite characters and he’s been through so much. He had nightmares and suffers from PTSD from his first trip into space, and now he’s stuck floating through space, running out of oxygen. There’s a sort of symmetry with the trailer starting with Tony as he is the character that started the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I predict either Carol, aka Captain Marvel, will find and save Tony and Nebula as she’s on her way to Earth to answer Fury’s message, or Pepper is going to come to Tony’s rescue. I think it could be Pepper mainly because of Tony’s use of the word “Rescue” as that’s the name of the armour Pepper has worn in the comics.
I love that Clint is shown in the trailer, especially as I spent so long trying to spot him in the Infinity Ware trailer and he was never there! It looks like he’s taken up the role of Ronin which means that his family has almost certainly turned to dust. I predict a very different Clint Barton to what we’ve seen before, and I’m looking forward to seeing how he fits in with the rest of the Avengers that are left.
When Bruce looked at the wall of missing heroes, aka people who may have turned to dust, Shuri was on there! That was a surprise and then leaves me wondering if she has turned to dust, or is generally MIA, who’s now leading Wakanda. Okoye and M’Baku both survived Infinity War so maybe between them they’re trying to keep the country together?
Also, because none of the heroes on Earth know what happen to Tony, does that mean his face is going to be on that wall of missing people? Because if it is I’ll probably cry. But then it makes me think about how all those who are still alive, Thor, Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Rhodey, will react when Tony does get back to Earth presumably with Nebula and Carol in tow.
Then there’s the ending with Scott! I have so many questions right now about him. How the hell did he get out of the quantum realm if everyone who knew where he was turned to dust? Does he know what’s happened to the rest of the world? Because he’s quite cheerful if he does! What about his daughter?
I really liked the vibe this trailer gave off. Here’s a bunch of heroes, the original Avengers, all at their lowest point, but they’re still going to try and find a way to fight. I love that it doesn’t show that much, mainly just shots of the characters, and that there’s no real scenes of action. I don’t need that. I know I’m going to see Endgame as soon as it’s out and I know there’s a good chance I’m going to love it. These characters have been a part of my life for 10 years now. I’ve written two dissertations on Marvel Studios. My love for these characters and this whole universe is a big part of me. And while I know there’s a good chance that some of these characters will die – the most likely of them being Steve and/or Tony – I don’t want them to. Even if at the same time I think that narratively speaking it might be kind of poetic if they do die, especially Tony because as I said, he started it all.
There’re rumours that there’s going to be a trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home released soon, but I’m not going to watch it and do my best to avoid everything to do with it. Like, I know that everyone who turned to dust is going to come back somehow, so it’s the how that’s interesting to me, but I still don’t want to see a trailer of Peter Parker swinging around all OK.
If you’ve watched the trailer for Avengers: End Game, do let me know what you think. I definitely feel the MCU won’t be the same after this film. After this, it’ll be the start of a new roster of “Avengers” and the older ones take a step back, in whatever shape or form that may be.
WARNING! This is my spoiler-filled review of Infinity War, if you haven’t seen the film or just generally don’t want any spoilers my spoiler-free review is here.
Now I don’t think this will be in any particular order and I definitely won’t manage to talk about everything, these are the things that stuck with me the most that I wanted to talk about. (more…)
After Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) reckless behaviour, his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) banishes him from their home in Asgard, to live amongst humans on Earth. There he must learn to be a better man and face his jealous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston).
Thor combines the action and adventure of superhero films with royal family feuds. Thor is a Prince and so is his brother Loki, but Loki has forever been in Thor’s shadow and wants to be seen as his brothers equal in their father’s eyes. Loki is a fascinating character and is one of the best villains in the MCU. His jealousy over his brother is justified from what you see and when its revealed how his father has been lying to him all his life, his actions are somewhat understandable, although very misguided.
On Earth, Thor meets scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her friends and colleagues Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings). They attempt to show him how things are on Earth which allows for many fish out of water scenarios for Thor which are played brilliantly by Hemsworth. Thor is a more serious film, but its humour comes from its characters in a really honest and unforced way.
Thor’s fantastical elements come from the idea that science and magic are one and the same. The scene where Thor explains how he see’s the universe to Jane helps to fully ground Thor and his people in the everyday world Jane, and us as the viewers, inhabits.
Asgard is a beautiful place. The camera work along with the tech wizards who brought Asgard to life, show off this world in all its glory. The score helps with that too. Composed by Patrick Doyle the score is as magical and epic as it should be, and is worthy for the story of a God. Thor is directed by Kenneth Branagh and he handles the grandeur of this royal family in conflict brilliantly. By focussing on the family dynamics between Thor, his brother, and their father, it makes them all seem more human and relatable while still being incredibly powerful Gods.
Thor is a sweeping drama with battles, humour and romance. It’s a solid first outing for the character, setting up his world and people near-perfectly, and gives us a star performance in Hemsworth and one of the most interesting characters in the MCU in Loki. 4/5.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself imprisoned on Sakaar, a planet ruled by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), and is forced to battle in gladiator-style events where he is reunited with the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Thor must fight to escape and return to Asgard where the Goddess of Death Hela (Cate Blanchett) has claimed the throne and plots to bring about Ragnarok – the end of everything.
Thor: Ragnarok is big, bright and bold. It’s the most colourful Thor film yet, especially the planet Sakaar. Everything there from the costumes to the sets to the characters, they are all vivid and almost bursting from the screen. Thor: Ragnarok has a lot of humour too. Not all the jokes land but it’s bright world compliments weird and funny characters.
A lot happens in the first thirty minutes of Thor: Ragnarok. There’s a lot of character introductions, references to what happened in the previous Thor standalone film, The Dark World, and set up for the main plot. It bounces all over the place for a time, from various planets including Asgard and Earth until the main story settles on Sakaar. This is a bit disjointing at times and makes it hard to settle in with the flow of the film, especially when the off-beat humour is not really what has been seen in previous Thor films.
Once everything is set up though, that’s when the various characters and their interactions really shine. Any of the moments between Thor, the Hulk (or Bruce Banner when he’s back in the driving seat), scavenger Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and combinations thereof were a joy to watch. The quick-witted banter is great but there’s still some nice moments of character building between them all.
The action sequences are a lot of fun, especially the battle between Thor and the Hulk. Hela proves to be a formidable villain as she wrecks death and destruction on Asgard, with very few standing in her way. She’s probably the most interesting villain since Loki, and her entrance into Thor’s world flips everything both he, and the audience, knows on its head.
Thor: Ragnarok is weird but kind of wonderful. It isn’t perfect and has a lot going on at times, but the cast of characters and their interactions are what makes it. It’s a funny and enjoyable watch. 4/5.
It has been literally years since I’ve done a trailer reaction post on my blog – probably that’s because I’ve been busy or because there’s not been much more I wanted to say about a trailer that wouldn’t fit in a couple of tweets.
Then today the first Thor: Ragnarok trailer was released and it is the single best trailer I’ve seen in ages.
I love the music choice (I’m not a huge Led Zeppelin fan but I do love Immigrant Song) and while some might say it’s trying to be like Guardians of the Galaxy, I don’t feel that way. Yeah, the trailer has got a great song and some jokes in it but it’s got a different sort of feel to it compare to Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: Ragnarok is still its own thing. Or at least that’s what I took from it.
I love how colourful everything is in this and the character designs – just wow! Cate Blanchett as Hela looks amazing and a suitably scary and formidable villain while Tessa Thompson looks like a badass and I can’t wait to learn more about her character.
Then there’s Heimdall who always looks cool and Loki makes an appearance as well. I’m intrigued to see whose side he’s on and if he’s really been pretending to be Odin for however long. One of my favourite things about Loki is that he can be a bit of a wild card, those are my favourite type of characters and I do love his relationship with Thor.
Of course, I can’t forget to mention the main man himself – I’m loving Thor and he’s short hair! Ever since I saw the new Ghostbusters film, I’ve been waiting for Chris Hemsworth to do more comedy but I never thought it’s be in a Thor film. Yes, he’s had funny lines as Thor in previous MCU films but this whole film feels like another level. Thor’s reaction to seeing the Hulk and the “We know each other, he’s a friend from work!” line is brilliant and Hemsworth’s delivery is just perfection.
I know I shouldn’t really be surprised by the colours, costume design and style of humour Thor: Ragnarok seems to be going for when Taika Waititi is directing it. He’s the man behind films like What We Do in the Shadows, which I liked, and Hunt for the Wilderpeople which I absolutely adored. I can’t wait to see what Thor: Ragnarok ends up being like and after that trailer it’s now my most anticipated MCU film of the year.
Darcy Lewis is a confident young woman who has the sense to tase a guy who is staggering around, shouting nonsense, being aggressive and generally freaking her and her friends out. She has self-preservation in spades but that doesn’t mean that she won’t stay and help people in trouble and go on to help save the world a couple of times.
Darcy is smart, not necessarily super-scientist smart like her friends and co-workers, but more street smart. She’s the kind of girl to carry a taser and pepper spray and is not afraid to use them. She’s sarcastic and easy-going and may not be the best as comforting a friend but she will have your back and help you get out of a psychiatric hospital.
Darcy is such a relatable character because she is a political science student who ends up in this crazy world of Gods and superheroes and she manages to react like any sane yet fun-loving person would. Her biggest problem with government agents taking all her stuff is the fact they took her iPod which she’d just downloaded new songs onto – that may be #FirstWorldProblems but when everything’s going a bit crazy, you focus on the small stuff.
I’m so happy that Darcy Lewis is a character that exists and especially in a big blockbuster superhero franchise. Who’d have thought you could have a fun, sarcastic female character in a superhero movie who isn’t a love interest for the hero? It is wonderful and no matter what problems the Marvel Cinematic Universe might have with representation, I’m always going to be thankful for Darcy Lewis.
I don’t think I’ve ever done a Book Haul post on here. That’s mainly because I don’t often buy books at all or I just get one or two during the month and it’s nothing special to write home about. Over the past month though I have accumulated a lot of books. So without further ado here’s what I’ve got.
These books come from everywhere, Orbital Comics, my buddy Julie via the mini NinjaBookSwap, having poor impulse control in WHSmith’s and Waterstones and then having poor impulse control and taking advantage of the Booktubeathon discount at the Book Depository – go here for 100 books at a discount if you use the code BOOKTUBEATHON10 at the checkout – this offer ends soon.
So what do you guys think? Have you read any of the above and what do you recommend? I probably shouldn’t have acquired so many books recently but oh well – we all have these moments of weakness.
List of books:
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
The Hounding of David Oluwale by Kester Aspden
Night Owls by Jenn Bennett
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
The Murdstone Trilogy by Mal Peet
The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The Time in Between by Nancy Tucker
#GirlBoss by Sophie Amoruso
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
Secret Avengers Volume: 3 God Level by Ales Kot and Michael Walsh
Thor: Goddess of Thunder by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman
Runaways: The Complete Collection Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughn and Adrian Alphona
This review is full of spoilers. It’s all my thoughts about the characters and the plot, and all the things I loved and the stuff I wasn’t over keen on. You can read my spoiler-free review here. I wasn’t sure of the best way to go about this – it turned into a weird episodic structure where I talked about each character in turn and the things I liked/disliked about what they did. It also ended up being rather long, seriously it’s over 1,800 words! Last warning for SPOILERS! (more…)
Elena Square Eyes 