What I want in a MCU

Rating: 9/10 (29 April 2018)

As a Marvel comics and movies fan, I found this film to be quite enjoyable and what I want to see in a MCU film. It has that feel of taking your Marvel action figures out of the toy box and creating your own story. It has the feel of a hash up of multiple characters tossed together fighting against pure evil which works well for this type of film. It has the feel of exactly what I would expect a super hero film to be, and what I would want it to be. With this in mind, I want to examine four aspects I enjoyed and some which I didn't.
There are many aspects to like about this film, in my opinion, from the separate stories to the humor to the emotional roller coaster to the development of its main antagonist, this film hits on many marks. To start, I enjoyed the portrayal of different groups pursuing their missions because I really think the multiple stories emboldens what you would find occurring in actual comic story lines. Bringing the MCU a realistic comic book feel. Each group is on a path to prevent/protect something, and given the multitude of characters in the film, this is the best way to handle them - by giving them all individual goals to achieve. These goals is what sets up the plot, while admittedly a simple plot (This is a super hero movie after all), their is still a purpose, a pursuit, and a journey that our heroes travel on which keeps the movie progressing forward. This also works for the movie because it mix and matches different heroes in uniquely pleasant ways, providing the opportunity for humor.
This brings me to the second and third aspects I enjoyed about this film. The humor, for me, landed well and increased my enjoyment of the film. Humor is a everyday part of our lives, even when we are faced with challenging situations. This movie does well to keep this aspect of humanity alive in a world where threat of danger isn't only probable, its a reality. Keeping up a lighter air at moments provides a roller coaster ride of sorts,producing a variety of emotions throughout the film. We, the viewer, is taken through this emotional journey just like how the characters themselves experience. This leaves me with strong feelings about events that occur in the film, and any film that can do that gets a high grade from me.
Lastly, the development of the main antagonist was one of the greatest aspects of this film. They took a villain and gave him a down to earth persona. They gave him viable and believable motivations. They gave him emotions. All of this results in the need for him to make sacrifices in the pursuit of his purpose. While his intentions may be rooted in good intentions, they still amount to an evil plan that will result in a colossal amount of lost lives. This makes for a completely evil and menacing villain, which is necessarily for a film that has been ten years in the making.
Keeping in mind that this is first and foremost a super hero action flick meant solely to entertain, there are still some negative aspects/issues I have concerning this film. What comes to mind first is how some heroes were weaken while others were strengthen. I admit I can get past this, but Marvel should know how to avoid this inconsistency. On the same note, some characters from previous MCU films were no where to be seen. Some characters were left in the same place we returned to in this film. No explanation given, what? Let me remark real quick on the ending since many others have complained about this for one reason or another. All I'm going to say is that we, as viewers and fans, may know what will end up happening in the next movie. I for one will enjoy the ride on how we get there. Just because an assumption may draw us to a particular conclusion, doesn't mean the journey to get there won't be a wealth of entertainment.
While I touched on the four main aspects I enjoyed, my enjoyment is not limited to multiple stories, humor, emotional roller coaster, and the antagonist. The directors also did a great job of capturing the tone of each character / film series keeping the spirit of all the MCU franchises continuous. The effects, as usual for an MCU movie, were terrific without overshadowing the performances of its cast. The action scenes were thrilling and inviting, boosting up my adrenaline level and continuing the emotional roller coaster I mentioned. A roller coaster caused from humor, destruction, evil, and the hope for our heroes' success. The film does have lapses in some elements, but that doesn't in any way diminish the enjoyment of this film. Despite the negatives, the film is an overall enjoyable, fun ride through an imaginary world of super heroes.