Don't Spoil "Avengers: EndGame"

Avengers: EndGame (2019)

Rated PG-13

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Josh Brolin, Brie Larson,

Directed by Joe & Anthony Russo

The Story:

After the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War, what remains of Earth's Mightiest Heroes attempt to go after Thanos, retrieve the Infinity Stones and snap everyone back to life.

Buckle up for the 22nd installment of the greatest ride in cinema history.

No other franchise, no other studio has been able to do what Marvel Studios has done, 22 movies, 11 years of sustained excellence that have proven to be successful with audiences AND movie critics.

It all culminates here.

Go see it in theaters now, and prepare to have your list of favorite Marvel films be re-ordered.

Again.

:)

A Review With No Spoilers..."Avengers: Infinity War"

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Rated PG-13

Starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Everyone Else! :)

Directed by The Russo Brothers

The Story:

Thanos (Brolin) is on his quest to unite the 6 Infinity Stones and wipe away half of the universe. Can the combined forces of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy stop him?

The answer may surprise you!

Buckle up true believers for the 19th installment in a 10 year ride that is the biggest emotional roller coaster of them all.

It comes out of the gate swinging and doesn't let up until the screen goes dark and the house lights int he theater come up.

You'll laugh.

You'll cry.

You'll repeat as necessary.

When it's over you'll want to see it again, and you'll also feel like the wait to get to Infinity War was nothing compared to the wait to see what happens next. 

As fans, we have invested 10 years of our lives in these characters.

So too have the actors invested nearly as long in portraying them on the screen.

We've been lucky to have them, and however this all ends, I'm glad to have had the chance to see all of these films with my kids.

I said at the start of the year that barring some surprise, I would be penciling in Avengers: Infinity War as my favorite movie of 2018.

I think we can put the pencil down, and grab the big black Sharpie.

Don't miss this one.

Final Grade: A+

Here's Your Spoiler-Free Review Of "Captain America: Civil War"

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Chadwick Boseman, Elizabeth Olsen, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland

Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo

The Story:

Following some recent disasters where the Avengers have caused damage and death of civilians, the United Nations wants the Avengers to operate under their jurisdiction. Tony Stark (Downey) agrees. Steve Rogers (Evans) does not. Lines are drawn and friends are about to throw down.

You've seen the trailers, and odds are if you're reading this, you've either seen the movie, or plan to see it.

So here goes:

It is a Captain America movie. I've heard many say it's Avengers 2.5, but it's not. The best comparison I could give it would be for those that grew up reading comics, this is a crossover where the story starts in the pages of Captain America and when the issue is over, it's continued in the pages of Iron Man or the Avengers.

The tone, the direction, it's all deftly handled by Anthony and Joe Russo. The Avengers franchise is in great hands going forward. They have given us, in my opinion, the best of the superhero movies that Marvel Studios has produced.

Better scripts, better action than either of the Whedon directed Avengers, they show how to balance a cast of players, giving everyone their moment (or several) but never at the sacrifice of the overall story.

Spider-Man (Holland) and Peter Parker were fleshed out more in this short foray into the actual Marvel Cinematic Universe than nearly all of the previous iterations combined. And I actually liked the reboot. :)  We're hitting the ground running with no new origin, it's on, and I'm looking forward to next year's adventure.

The Black Panther gets introduced and is great from the start. You're told everything you need to know, and I don't know that an origin movie is in the cards. Maybe a rehash for those that may have skipped Civil War.

:: cough cough fools cough cough ::

Marvel continues to set the bar high, and just when you think they might stumble, they soar over that thing with all kinds of clearance, and you wonder why you even had doubts.

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll sit on the edge of your seat.

Bravo.

Oh, and sit through the credits people.

ALL the credits.

Final Grade: A+  I think you'll see this again at the end of the year honors as my favorite film of 2016.