Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

It's fine. I liked it just fine. It's breezy fun but the plot is sort of thin. Paul Rudd's character is under house arrest due to external conflicts from Avengers: Civil War. The mid-credits scene alludes to the Avengers too. But the central conflict within the film has three sides, Ant-Man vs the ghost vs a common black market dealer. The dealer's presence in the film is seemingly insignificant in the grand scheme of thing. The ghost is a sympathetic villain. But by the time we get to the resolution of the plot, we see that the antagonism between them was moot. Paul Rudd is fun though.

Ant-Man (2015)

Paul Rudd stars in this Marvel flick, which was actually quite funny. It is more traditional humor, unlike the riskier Deadpool. Quite frankly, I think Ant-Man works better. Michael Pena is hilarious as Rudd's sidekick. And Paul Rudd, as a comedian, is naturally funny and charming whereas sometimes you feel like Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool tries too hard. What is really great about this movie is that Ant-Man is human. He is not "super" like some other Marvel heroes. And as a human, he has human problems, family problems, mundane problems. This human element grounds the film in reality. The powers come from science, which though it is unrealistic, is hypothetically believable. It does not take itself too seriously, while not being a total joke like Deadpool. 

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

I still maintain that the Hobbit did not need three films to tell a complete and satisfying tale.  In the novel, Bilbo misses the majority of the climactic battle, resulting in a battle that only lasts a few pages. Comparatively, this battle lasts for over two hours.  The movie is mostly this one gigantic battle, and it gets a little old.  The whole movie is literally battle scenes without much room for plot, not that much plot was left after the second film. That being said, this is the shortest film in either trilogy, rightfully so.

Nonetheless, this movie is the culmination of over a decade of work by Peter Jackson.  This is the capstone on JRR Tolkienn's imaginative masterwork that is Middle Earth (I don't see Peter Jackson making a film version of the Silmarillion).  It is a fitting end to an excellent series.  If the series was characterized by epic battles, this movie certainly epitomizes epic battles.  If Peter Jackson was a master of visual effects, the opening sequence in which Smaug the dragon destroys the town is stunning.  Remember that magical score by Howard Shore from the original trilogy?  The final scene in the Shire (coming full circle) closes with the theme we know and love.  The ending credits have a familiar voice in Billy Boyd (Peregrin Took from the original trilogy) who fittingly sings "The Last Goodbye."  Goodbye Middle Earth...  

  

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

A big improvement over its predecessor, but not quite as good as the original trilogy.  I'm still a little miffed that the very thin Hobbit was split into three movies.   This middle movie takes us almost to the end of the book.  And yet, I bet the third installment will be another three hour saga.  For the amount of plot that occurred,  the movie was just too long.

That being said,  there were some exhilarating scenes such as the one in which the dwarves and Bilbo are "barreling" down the river with the orcs and elves in pursuit.  Of course,  what we have all been waiting for was Smaug,  the fire-breathing Sherlock-voiced dragon.   He is certainly an incredible sight to see.   Peter Jackson's higher, realer frame rate shines in these scenes.   The visuals are enough to hold us over till the big Battle of the Five Armies.