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| Source: Imdb |
(possible implied spoilers) (I tried not to.) I can’t say I was
overly enthusiastic about this one (at this point, I’m kind of fed up with all the
sequels), but after the surprisingly good experience of “Infinity War”, the
serious, no-nonsense marketing (less bombast, more gravitas) and the good
reviews, I did have some hopes for this. And wow! Marvel did not disappoint!
They spent a generous portion of the movie on the emotional stuff, the fall-out
from the last catastrophe, the trauma recovery and how it builds the
characters. I was impressed, both by how this was handled and by how the script
and studio committed to this aspect of the movie. It raised it to a different
level, from cheesy to something to take seriously. It brings the characters
closer to the audience, making them less super-human and more relatable and
increasing our investment in their stakes. I’m sure that this decision was a risk – not
everyone loved the PTSD in Iron Man 3 like I did – but it paid off big-time,
adding scale and emotion to the entire venture.
The middle bit with the problem-solving step was a bit less snappy than we are used to, but allowed for more breathing room for the characters. The cast did not feel reduced at all. They filled the screen time easily and it was much easier to follow everyone (duh!). I’m in two minds about the significant dialing-down of the trademark snarky humour, but I think it would have destroyed the tone of the movie if there had been more laughs. Of the few that were in there, some did feel disruptive to the mood and only one or two were truly appropriately placed. You could tell by the reaction of the audience: rarely did they get more than a snort out of us. Mostly, people cringed. There were a couple of interesting moments where the audience was close to cheering or clapping, too. But mostly, there were tears and sniffles, both in good and bad ways. It was a great experience to feel the atmosphere in the room, and how people reacted to what turned out to be a Marvel movie of a very different kind than they probably expected.
The obligatory fight at the end was mercifully short. I was afraid that it was going to drag on for ages just for the sake of special effects, but they compressed it beautifully. And then we ended up in a LotR kind of situation. It was a little bizarre, but I guess they did need to tie up all loose ends, because I am afraid that this one really does mark the end of the series. It felt like an ending – an appropriate one – and I think they should leave it at this. The demise of some of our favourite characters (Well, I don’t know about you, but they definitely did kill MY favourite character.), coupled with the happily-ever-after for some others, is the right point to let the series die as well.
It was very gratifying to see that the studio paid the right people the right kind of money at every turn of this. The actors were clearly giving this their all, knowing it was their last hurrah. They did not seem fed up like they do in other franchises. Particularly RDJ, who has long been rumoured to be “done” with Iron Man, was worth his salt – as always. He delivered a nuanced, emotional, mesmerising performance as reluctant hero out to save the world one last time. And he made damn sure he would not be called in on the inevitable sequel (well, ending yes or no, of course there will be a sequel. It’s Marvel. They are not going to slaughter their golden cow, sadly, even with a near-perfect ending like this.)
The middle bit with the problem-solving step was a bit less snappy than we are used to, but allowed for more breathing room for the characters. The cast did not feel reduced at all. They filled the screen time easily and it was much easier to follow everyone (duh!). I’m in two minds about the significant dialing-down of the trademark snarky humour, but I think it would have destroyed the tone of the movie if there had been more laughs. Of the few that were in there, some did feel disruptive to the mood and only one or two were truly appropriately placed. You could tell by the reaction of the audience: rarely did they get more than a snort out of us. Mostly, people cringed. There were a couple of interesting moments where the audience was close to cheering or clapping, too. But mostly, there were tears and sniffles, both in good and bad ways. It was a great experience to feel the atmosphere in the room, and how people reacted to what turned out to be a Marvel movie of a very different kind than they probably expected.
The obligatory fight at the end was mercifully short. I was afraid that it was going to drag on for ages just for the sake of special effects, but they compressed it beautifully. And then we ended up in a LotR kind of situation. It was a little bizarre, but I guess they did need to tie up all loose ends, because I am afraid that this one really does mark the end of the series. It felt like an ending – an appropriate one – and I think they should leave it at this. The demise of some of our favourite characters (Well, I don’t know about you, but they definitely did kill MY favourite character.), coupled with the happily-ever-after for some others, is the right point to let the series die as well.
It was very gratifying to see that the studio paid the right people the right kind of money at every turn of this. The actors were clearly giving this their all, knowing it was their last hurrah. They did not seem fed up like they do in other franchises. Particularly RDJ, who has long been rumoured to be “done” with Iron Man, was worth his salt – as always. He delivered a nuanced, emotional, mesmerising performance as reluctant hero out to save the world one last time. And he made damn sure he would not be called in on the inevitable sequel (well, ending yes or no, of course there will be a sequel. It’s Marvel. They are not going to slaughter their golden cow, sadly, even with a near-perfect ending like this.)
The only thing where they missed the tone a bit was with
Thor’s story line. That worked better in the last movie. I also loved the
dynamics between the characters, how their relationships have grown from their
previous disagreements. Cap and Tony finally work together as a team, and
characters that felt previously ignored got a chance to shine. The situation
they were in at the start of the film also seemed to mix up their roles quite a
bit, which was very refreshing. For the record: I’m still 100% on Tony’s side
of any argument, but it’s very hard not to root for Thanos, when you think
about it rationally...
Script-wise, this seemed like an easy set-up for deus-ex-machina moments because there are just so many characters that you cannot possibly keep track of them all. This is used by the writers to save the day a couple of times, but I guess in this case, it’s fair. As explained above, they allowed room for all of their characters, their emotions and personalities. Another indicator that this was the last go: they did not compromise on character screen time and development on account of runtime. Rather, it seemed like they did not care at all about the runtime. They just wanted to finish this story properly. And while this movie did not have the fast pace of the predecessors, it did not drag in any way despite being LotR-sized.
On the technical side, this was a solid piece of work. They did not cut corners or rush, but gave this the time necessary to make a great movie. I can’t believe I’m saying this in this day and age where everything just feels like a cash cow project – even Marvel did for a good long while there -, but you could feel the passion of the people behind this. Everyone was intent on giving the fans an ending worthy of the series. Effects were delivered by Industrial Light and Magic, reliable as always, but contrary to previous movies, this one did not focus on them. It was all about the story. Alan Silvestri composed a beautiful score for this, too, emphasising the emotional clout of the events.
Ok, I’m rambling. I might think of something else later, but for now: 5/5. Not my favourite ever movie, but a total recommendation if you are in any way invested in the Marvel universe. It’s very much an Iron Man movie, too - the last one just like the first one of the series. Full circle.
Fun fact from IMDB: Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had said that Star Trek: The Next Generation: All Good Things... (1994), the series finale episode of Star Trek TNG inspired this film. - actually, that did kind of work.
PS: I never knew crying in the cinema would work so well... I usually try to avoid it, but I think everyone did it here, so it was ok XD
Script-wise, this seemed like an easy set-up for deus-ex-machina moments because there are just so many characters that you cannot possibly keep track of them all. This is used by the writers to save the day a couple of times, but I guess in this case, it’s fair. As explained above, they allowed room for all of their characters, their emotions and personalities. Another indicator that this was the last go: they did not compromise on character screen time and development on account of runtime. Rather, it seemed like they did not care at all about the runtime. They just wanted to finish this story properly. And while this movie did not have the fast pace of the predecessors, it did not drag in any way despite being LotR-sized.
On the technical side, this was a solid piece of work. They did not cut corners or rush, but gave this the time necessary to make a great movie. I can’t believe I’m saying this in this day and age where everything just feels like a cash cow project – even Marvel did for a good long while there -, but you could feel the passion of the people behind this. Everyone was intent on giving the fans an ending worthy of the series. Effects were delivered by Industrial Light and Magic, reliable as always, but contrary to previous movies, this one did not focus on them. It was all about the story. Alan Silvestri composed a beautiful score for this, too, emphasising the emotional clout of the events.
Ok, I’m rambling. I might think of something else later, but for now: 5/5. Not my favourite ever movie, but a total recommendation if you are in any way invested in the Marvel universe. It’s very much an Iron Man movie, too - the last one just like the first one of the series. Full circle.
Fun fact from IMDB: Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had said that Star Trek: The Next Generation: All Good Things... (1994), the series finale episode of Star Trek TNG inspired this film. - actually, that did kind of work.
PS: I never knew crying in the cinema would work so well... I usually try to avoid it, but I think everyone did it here, so it was ok XD
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