Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame is the serviceable capstone on a decade's worth of serviceable movies worth billions of dollars. There are millions of superfans all around the world. And this is for them. This movie is 100% fan service. One last hurrah for the old guard of Avengers. I'm unfortunately not one of those superfans. I think I missed a lot of the references to the older films. I think they didn't have as much of an emotional impact for me because I am not attached to the characters and I don't recall the details of the old movies. The explanation of time travel from The Hulk is brushed over really quickly and I didn't catch it. But I think there are some significant plot holes that I'm willing to overlook. The movie runs way too long. There are a lot of subplots they could have cut out that serve only to prolong the movie. And to top it off, I fell asleep during the climactic battle scene. We can blame jet lag, but also, I have a tendency to fall asleep during battles.

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

This movie does not exist in a vacuum. If you didn't see the previous Marvel films, you're not going to get this one. Even if you did see all the other ones, you might not follow this one. The focus is on the infinity gems, which have made appearances in the previous movies but totally escaped my notice. There are so many characters in this movie who each have a history we are assumed to be familiar with. There are so many things going on; it's almost nonstop action, and it gets repetitive.

There is one thing the movie does very well in the beginning half while juggling the many character introductions. The Marvel movies have each developed a distinct style that this movie manages to retain and mix. Notably, the Guardians of the Galaxy introduction is distinct with the 80s soundtrack and the ridiculous jokes. Amidst all the action there are many jokes, and I think comedy has always been Marvel's strength.

There are a number of deaths, but as this is Marvel, we know that death may not be permanent. So what should be poignant does not always come off as so, because we know they probably don't really mean it. Also, we only got Wakanda a few months ago and already they've ruined black utopia. We can't have nice things...

Black Panther (2018)

This is a monumental movie. There are so many things this movie did right thanks to a phenomenal who's who cast, Kendrick Lamar on the soundtrack, amazing production and costume and makeup design, and a brilliant Ryan Coogler at the helm (his signature long take, one shot is the ultra kinetic fight scene in Busan).

Hollywood finally did something right. A black superhero is not insignificant. Representation on screen is so important. It's not just a black superhero, it's strong and fierce black women warriors, it's a black scientist, a black sovereign, proud and successful black people. You need to be able to see yourself on screen in positions of respect to learn to respect yourself. And Black Panther has proved again that people of all colors are willing to pay big bucks for diversity. Hollywood has never known what the people wanted. Let this be a lesson.

This is the best Marvel movie, by far--it plays more cool 007 than Marvel. It is certainly helped by the lack of Avengers. Black Panther can hold his own. The content of the movie is much heavier, more morally complex, and more relevant (maybe only matched by X-Men, but certainly not the other Avengers). The central tension in the film is Wakanda's longstanding policy of isolationism. Wakanda is a fictional black Utopia. The way I see it, it's not just a black version of Utopia, rather Utopia is black. Utopia is a land untouched by the white colonizer. Could you blame Wakanda for not wanting any part of the ills the rest of the world has wrought? Well, if Wakanda was to open up, what form would that take? How would Wakanda react to the plight of black people around the world? There is the more militant Malcolm-ish path and the more peaceful Martin-ish path. Though Ta-Nehisi Coates had no part in the movie, I can't help but think his comic had influence on this central theme of the movie. The morally complex Killmonger (played by an excellent Michael B. Jordan), is a somewhat sympathetic villain. He is a fully developed character. His rough childhood influences his motivations to support the oppressed. But his experience in the US military influences his motivations to conquer.

My lone criticism is I think there was an opportunity for the female characters to take center stage. Yes, they are in prominent roles, but there is an opportunity towards the end that the lead females deny themselves. It is ostensibly for other reasons, but there is an underlying gender implication. There was a particularly viable path given Shuri's legitimate blood claim to the throne.

I know there is more I wanted to say. I wish I had went straight to writing after I saw the movie but...life gets in the way. #wakandaforever