MCU Rewatch: Phase One, Part 2

Yeah… it’s taken me five months to continue this thing.  SO?

Anyway, click HERE for Part 1.

THOR

“I’m a Pepper, he’s a Pepper, she’s a Pepper, we’re a Pepper, wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper, too?”

– William Shakespeare Jake Holmes

Fun drinking game: any time you see or hear product placement in Thor, take a swig.  Actually, don’t.  Once the narrative moves from Asgard to New Mexico you’ll be wasted in five minutes.  Let’s change the game.  Every time you notice Chris Hemsworth’s bleached eyebrows and facial hair…

Anyway, all drinking games aside, Thor is a pretty great movie.

Front loaded?  Oh, you better believe it.  But that front is full of really fun, colorful stuff.  And with Kenneth Branagh directing, we get some Shakespearean drama and themes injected into the proceedings- a throne succession gone sour, a scheming bastard son, an exile into the “wilderness,” a shoehorned-in Hawkeye/S.H.I.E.L.D. presence…

…sorry. I kid, I kid.  Shakespeare didn’t awkwardly introduce and insert a new S.H.I.E.L.D. character into his works at the behest of his movie studio.

That was Ben Jonson.

Anyway…

Is it possible to chew scenery and remain subtle as you do it?  Because I’m pretty sure that’s what we got from Sir Anthony Hopkins here.  His overflowing pride in his #1 son at the beginning of this movie as he declares for all of Asgard his intention to name him his successor, juxtaposed with his utter disappointment and frustration with him a few scenes later when Thor, in a fit of petulant childish rage, demands they take immediate action against a long-dormant enemy that may or may not have been involved in a bit of capital theft is a masterclass in how to try (and, ultimately, fail) to compartmentalize your emotions.  And Hopkins is bringing this A-Game to a comic book movie, for chrissake.  He’s just that good.

Oh, and the bit in the aforementioned latter scene where he cuts Loki off with a quick growl and a clenched fist is this movie’s Obadiah Stane/Scientist-Guy moment.  So awesome.

Anyway, Thor attacks some frost giants with the aid of his Howling Commandos Lady Sif and the Warriors Three, gets exiled to Earth for it, loses his powers, befriends some normals, can’t get it up lift his hammer until he’s deemed worthy again, falls in love, gets over himself, puts his life on the line for others, gets his power back, learns a valuable life lesson, goes home.  You know, the usual.  Just like Hamlet.  Not really.

The stuff in New Mexico is definitely not as exciting, or eye-pleasing as everything that came before, but that’s to be expected.  I’m sure it was on purpose that they traded in the colorful, fantastical world of Asgard for its exact opposite- a sparsely populated McTown in the middle of a bland desert.  And as a contrast it totally works.  A little too well, actually- every time I watch Thor I find myself tuning out a bit during the second act in anticipation of the Asgardians returning home for the final scenes.  After their not-so-exciting battle with a giant space robot, that is.

Really, though, I’m glad this movie exists because it lets you see how far Thor has grown as a character (and how far Hemsworth has come as an actor) in the 8 years (and… 6 Marvel movies?) since it was released.  Good stuff.

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CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

“Show lots of things happening at once/Remind everyone what’s going on/And with every shot show a little improvement/To show it all would take too long.”

-Trey Parker

I used to have an issue with this movie when it came to the stuff with Cap and his newly-formed Warriors Three Howling Commandos going on missions and how it was reduced to a montage instead of full-on adventure scenes.  And while it would have been totally awesome to have seen those things happen in real-time, I eventually came to the realization that it would have been disastrous to the film’s flow.  And also that, structurally, it exists as a “true war hero” juxtaposition to the previous, “war bond shill” montage.  Furthermore, Captain America might just have the most concise structure of any film in the MCU- a modern-day prologue, a first act that showcases his origin story, a montage that acts as a bridge to Act II, a second act where Cap shows the world the hero he was meant to be, a montage that acts as a bridge to the third act, said third act where everything comes to a head and Cap sacrifices himself, and finally, a modern-day epilogue.  I’m not sure any of the movies that came after can boast such a solid narrative structure (as of this writing I’m up to Doctor Strange in this rewatch, and that statement, at this juncture, stands).

I’d like to single out Hugo Weaving’s performance here.  I know Josh Brolin gets a lot of positive recognition for his portrayal of ultimate bad guy Thanos, and he’s absolutely worthy of it, but I think Weaving’s Red Skull is still my favorite.  It’s certainly a simpler character- a psychotic megalomaniac of almost operatic proportions whose big plan is to destroy big cities with big explosions.  But there’s a nice Silver Age comic book purity in that, which, of course, fits right in with this movie’s period piece aesthetic charm.  And as, essentially, a funhouse mirror-image to Chris Evans’ wholesome, do-right soldier boy, there’s a very clear (and refreshingly non-convoluted) dark vs. light struggle on display.   I remain a little sad that Weaving decided way back when that he was absolutely done with this character, but would the Red Skull really have any place in a modern-day Marvel film?  I mean, beyond what we’ve already seen of his fate?  I think not.  Captain America’s biggest hurdle, post-Captain America has always been his inability to truly integrate himself into modern day sensibilities, and while that would probably be easier to deal with, thematically, when it comes to an insane, noseless, red-skinned, hyper-intelligent superhuman, I think devoting any real screen time to Red Skull’s modern problems would likely belie what we’ve already seen of him and cheapen the character.

Also, side note- how the heck did Tommy Lee Jones end up in this flick?  Whatever.  I’ll take it.  “A divine gift should never be questioned, merely accepted,” I guess.  He’s full-on The Fugitive TLJ here, and that scene where he eats Toby Jones’ steak is perfection.

Oh, and that Chris Evans guy is pretty good too, I guess.

Seriously, though, Marvel Pictures must have cast some voodoo magic ten years ago, because to get someone as perfect as RDJ was for Tony Stark to play Steve Rogers seems almost impossible.  And I remember being a little on the fence about it back then, mostly because the memory of Evans in two shitty Fantastic Four movies (not his fault- I always said he was the best thing about them) was still fresh in my mind.  And remember when John Krasinski’s name was being thrown around the internet as a possibility?  I think I may have been on-board with that back then, for some odd reason, which made Evans seem like a strange choice.  But then I saw the movie.

Anyway, Captain America is a standout. And it has aged amazingly well.  It’s one of those MCU flicks that I’ll just throw on randomly when I’m in the mood for a little familiarity mixed with simplicity wrapped in a satisfyingly thrilling sci-fi package.

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THE AVENGERS

“Hey you, don’t tell me there’s no hope at all/Together we stand, divided we fall.”

-Roger Waters

Note, 4/3/23: This was written before the seriously uncomfortable stories about Joss Whedon surfaced.  I feel it necessary to state that here.  And while I still believe the guy’s super-talented, it seems pretty likely he’s also a massive douche.  Anyway…

I’m not sure I can pinpoint a favorite in these (at the time of this writing) twenty three films, mostly because tastes change all the time and rewatching often reveals both nuances and overarching themes that one might miss upon the first… five or six or ten viewings of a particular movie (see Captain America, above), but for the longest time The Avengers was definitely that for me.  I’ve certainly seen it the most out of all of these films, having thrown it on many times over the past decade on a random Saturday, and were it not for The Cabin In The Woods (Joss Whedon’s other film released that year, as producer & co-writer), it would have absolutely been my favorite of 2012.  There’s so much positivity and smarts on display here that I feel an absolute childlike glee through most of The Avengers, but especially, of course, in that famous arc shot of our heroes forming up, for the first time as a complete team, on the Park Avenue Viaduct, suited up and ready to kick arse, while Alan Silvestri’s amazing brass section swells around them…

Man.  It literally takes my breath away every time.  And that’s not hyperbole.

And that’s all Whedon, baby.  I know it has become supercool to trash the guy lately (mostly because, as a society, we’re not allowed to have nice things for too long before we get tired of them and turn all contrarian, or whatever, because, socially, we really suck these days. But I digress…), moving forward in the MCU, everything having to do with interpersonal relationships between these characters (as well as new ones introduced in the future), starts HERE.  This is the aesthetic that defines the MCU, patched together by Joss Whedon.  Because, as was evident in stuff like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Firefly, he knows how humans work, and giving these heroes dialogue that essentially dials them back from superbeings to flawed everypersons is why we can relate to them at all when they’re off together punching aliens in the face, or whatever.  The relationships between these characters are so very different, and the movie is richer for it- Tony Stark’s intellectual brothers-in-science interactions with Bruce Banner are wildly different from his jealous daddy-issue jabs at Steve Rogers, who, in turn, immediately treats Banner as a friend and ally, but greets Stark with the same mistrust as he did his equally flashy father seventy years prior.  Sort of like a bromance triangle, I guess.  Speaking of which, I think it’s clear that Taika Waititi thoroughly mined his Ragnarok Thor/Hulk bromance from this vein.  And that’s all Whedon.

But, you know, cheapen what the guy did for this cinematic universe by being a mouthy edgelord, if you want.  I’m sure that half-assed holy grail called the Justice League Snyder Cut that you’ll never see will totally redeem that film.

Oof.  Sorry.  Basically, I hate people.

Anyway, before I get labelled a Joss Whedon fanboy (actually, go ahead, I don’t really care), I do have to point out that this movie does have its flaws, most notably the awkward, overlong, needlessly convoluted pre-title card sequence.  I mean, we get a lot of exposition in there and it’s SO CLUNKY. Within minutes we’re introduced (and re-introduced) to so many plot elements that we barely have time to register what’s happening before the movie comes (literally) crashing down around us.  I remember when I saw this on opening day.  It went something like this: In an underground science lab a big blue cube from the last movie is channeling energy at some space portal thing that suddenly vomits out that Lord Of The Rings-looking dude from two movies ago who takes over the mind of some Robin Hood guy we only truly just met (not counting his one or two lines spoken in silhouette from that same two-movies-ago movie), and therefore aren’t invested in AT ALL, murders several redshirts, then takes off in the back of a Jeep with the aid of Bow And Arrow Guy and Scientist Man from two movies ago, pursued by new, Important Kickass Lady Character, along with Eyepatch Guy and Mild Mannered G-Man, both of whom we only know from a couple of awkward cameos and post-credits sequences peppered throughout the preceding five movies.  A helicopter crashes, an underground facility caves in, an audience scratches its head and blinks a few times…

Cut to title card.

Yes, I’m being flippant, and yes, I knew all of these characters, situations, and MacGuffins well enough to follow, but I always try to put myself in the shoes of someone less… nerdy?  And even knowing all that was going on, that first viewing of the opening was so tonally and pacing… ly (?) confusing that I actually feared, for a moment, that the next two hours would be just as off-putting and I’d end up pretty disappointed.

Obviously that didn’t happen.  I was thrilled, and my numbed and dazed fellow moviegoers snapped out of it pretty quickly.

I think that’s ‘nuff said here about The Avengers.  There’s a hell of a lot to examine in this film, but as far as these rewatch scribblings go, I think I’m good.  See you… soon?