Marvel Sixth Batch

Spoilers for the films below as well as for the old Spider Man and Amazing Spider Man films.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Marvel's first Asian inspired film, directed by Destin Daniel Creston, has some incredible imagery clearly inspired by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and the films surrounding it.  The film uses ancient lore and old family rivalries in its epic tale of Shang-Chi who teams with his aunt Ying Nan and his sister Xu Xialing, to battle his father Xu Wenwu who is being tricked to try to resurrect his mother, Ying Li.  The film leads Shang-Chi, who is accompanied by his best friend Katy from San Francisco to Macau to Ta Lo which is in a separate dimension.  

The opening sequence in which Xu Wenwu, who has been established as greedy man in possession of the ten rings which grant supernatural powers meets Ying Li in Ta Lo and they battle is probably the highlight due to the playful nature.  Interestingly Xu Wenwu had let go of his worst qualities for Ying Li but then rejects it all in a useless quest to bring her back after her death, despite the fact that Ying Li would have hated what he has now become.

Simu Lu plays Shang Zhi, known as Shaun to his friend Katy, as a conflicted man who hides his abilities to get away from the life his father had indoctrinated him to.  He gradually learns to face up to his legacy confront his grief and guilt from his mother's death and accept his responsibilities.  Awkwafina is the funny audience surrogate as Katy who is astonished by this world she finds herself in, but learns to fight as well.  I enjoyed that like Steve Rogers and Natasha, their relationship is just based in a strong friendship.   Tony Leung is one of the more memorable Marvel antagonists as a powerful man who allows his greedy nature to justify just about every action he takes.  Leung uses a confident expression, posture to suggest Xu Wenwu's nature.  Meng'er Zhang plays the forgotten and rebellious sister Xu Xialing who feels abandoned after Shang disappeared when they were young.  She is set up to be the villain of the next film when she appears to take over her father's ten rings organization.  Michelle Yeoh brings her signature grace and fighting abilities as Ying Nan.  Florian Muntaneu from Creed II is Razor Fist, one of the ten Rings Henchmen, and Ben Kingsley unexpectedly returns as Trevor Slattery from Iron Man 3 to seemingly apologize for pretending to be the Mandarin which this film reconfigures into Xu Wenwu.  

The film has several action beats.  The least successful for me is the fight on the bus which is too long and overly similar to a scene in Captain Marvel.  The fight between the siblings in the club is pretty good and the climax in Ta Lo has some very impressive visuals with the villagers facing off against the Ten Rings organization although I do not think the dragon was needed. A standout moment is at the film's midpoint when they drive into Ta Lo through a forest maze.  The effects are different and Katy is at the wheel which lets her control the action instead of just commenting on it.  

A key moment is the death of Ying Li which is not shown onscreen but Creston stages a poetic stance as she defies the gangsters she knows she cannot defeat. Xu Wenwu's revenge is shown in a single shot through the eyes of the young Sheng-Zhi. 

This film has little connection to the other Marvel films except for the presence of Trevor Slattery and a slew of cameos at the end so it largely stands on its own mythology.  I would be happy to see more Shang-Zhi films.  ****

Eternals (2021)

The third Marvel film of 2021 was directed by Chloe Zhao, who recently directed the Best Picture winner Nomadland, starring Francis McDormand.  Nomadland was a leisurely paced film about a widowed woman who travels the western United States going from job to job in an RV.  A lot of the cinematography is washed out to reflect the McDormand character's state of mind.  Zhao puts more color into Eternals, courtesy of cinematographer Ben Davis who has worked on four other Marvel films to date, but while the leisurely pace worked for Nomadland it is an odd fit for a film with characters who are less compelling, despite the incredible cast, including Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Angelina Jolie, and Gemma Chan. 

The concept of the film is this group of heroes, the Eternals, have protected the Earth from another group called the Deviants, who have not been seen since the 16th century.  When one of the Deviants  shows up in London, the Eternals reunite to combat the threat and learn of the extended backstory, that the Eternals were created to prevent the Emergence which would cause the Earth's destruction.

The cast can only do so much with this thin material and the film has so many odd names (Ikaris, Tiamut, Kinjo, Ajak, etc.) it gets hard to keep track of everyone.  If someone references one of the characters it was hard to remember which one that was.  The film was noted for having the first Marvel love scene (between Sersi and Ikaris) but I think people forgot that Tony Stark had a pretty hot scene  with a journalist early in the first Iron Man film.  

Gemma Chan is terrific as Sersi, who is caught in a love triangle with Ikaris and Dane Whitman and trying to determine her path in life.  She develops the ability to connect with Arishem after the death of Ajak, who was the Salma Hayek character who had been the Eternals leader.

It surprised me to no degree that Ikaris turned out to be a traitor given Richard Madden's casting but while the film wants us to see that as a tragedy and feel for him when he flies into the sun after being unable to kill Sersi, I was just relieved that this long film would soon be over since I had fallen asleep several times.  

The closing scenes do a lot to set up potential sequels but I have no more interest in these and will not be turning in for them.  Judging by the soft grosses, I do not think many other people will either if they are even made.  **

Spider Man: No Way Home (2021)

The final film of the MCU Spider Man trilogy features a full supporting turn by Dr. Strange.  This is notable since the first Dr. Strange film was released several months ahead of the first Spider Man film but the second Dr. Strange film came out after the third Spider Man film.  Clearly there were some bigger priorities at Marvel (and Sony which has a hand in the Spider Man films).

The film picks up right at the shocking the end of Far From Home in which Spider Man is publicly unmasked and accused of the death of  Misterio.  Returning director Watts captures the chaos of sudden unexpected celebrity with humor as Spider Man just wants to get MJ away from the public who follows him home right as Aunt May is breaking off her Far From Home fling with Happy Hogan (who does not really want to go away).  The camera work, editing, and high energy performances get the film off to a rousing start. The remainder of the first act focuses on real world threats as Peter and his friends eventually get out their charges against Misterio with the help of Matt Murdock (Daredevil) but then Watts keeps the focus on the real world as their chances to get into a top school is threatened by the bad publicity. 

Peter goes to see Dr. Strange to change the situation but life punishes you when you take shortcuts as Peter discovers when the spell Dr. Strange passes to make nearly everyone forget his real identity brings everyone who knows Peter's identity from other universe's to theirs which includes villains from the other two Spider Man series, and we later discover, the other two Spider Men from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb series.

The marketing for this film revealed the villains, with a focus on the most popular Doc Ock and Green Goblin played by returning Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe but interestingly although it was heavily rumored audiences needed to see the film to confirm the presence of the other two recent Spider Men played by Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield.  They enter after Aunt May is killed halfway through the film, and Peter (and the audience) badly need of a lift, gets inspiration and help from two other people who can relate to his specific dilemma.

Bringing in two other Spider Men and their villains acknowledges the screen history of the character but also runs the risk of jarring audiences but the interactions are so well written and play off the expectations that audiences will have seen all the films but probably will re-watched the Maguire films  more.  Yet by introducing them later Watts is making clear that this is Tom Holland's film and the other Spider Men are just visiting.  

One of the weaker points is the film's structure keeps Peter and his friends away from the school for much of the running time so we see much less of the hilarious J.B. Smoove and Martin Starr as Peter's teachers as well as the other students, though the film gives some pointed moments to Tony Revolori as Flash, immediately cashing in on his "friendship" with Spider Man.  Jacob Batalon and Zendaya as Ned and MJ are featured heavily and their relationship with Peter is the heart of the film.  Even though MJ has just gotten together with Peter as the film kicks off she sticks with him during this early trial and adds an affectionate touch to her cool character, so different from her public persona.  

Most fans of the Spider Men films feel Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe played the most memorable characters.  Watts gives Doc Ock a showcase attack scene on the bridge in the vein of his scenes in Spider Man 2.  When Peter's suit manages to take control of the tentacles I realized this film was going to do something other than just have a bunch of repeated battles between Peter and the old villains.  

Spider Man's attempt to reform the villains, led by Aunt May, is a noble gesture though it does lead to the unexpected death of Aunt May, who unsurprisingly proves to be brave in battle, defending Peter like a mama bear.  The death scene is well played with May in shock and not initially realizing she is wounded but gradually collapsing.  

The villain who makes the biggest impact is Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin.  We get to see both sides of Norman, first hiding from his Goblin identity revealed in foreshadowing to be sitting with Aunt May, and then the vicious side which is revealed in a suspenseful scene with Peter's Spidey sense picks up that something is off.  Dafoe enjoys chewing the scenery even more here than in the original Spider Man playing Goblin as more manipulative in addition to his usual nastiness.  One of the biggest suprises is when Jamie Fox gets a few decent moments as Electro, this time with an orange hue.  Rhys Ifans and Thomas Haden Church only appear briefly as their old villains and Watts and his team wisely leave out Dane DeHaan's Goblin, Paul Giamatti's Rhino from Amazing Spider Man 2 as well as Topher Grace's Venom from Spider Man 3 who were much less memorable.  One of the biggest surprises of all is when Doc Ock is rehabilitated he stays that way which leads to his help at the end and the touching moment between him and Toby Maguire's Peter which is a reminder that despite the fierce rivalry throughout Spider Man 2 at its core was a warm relationship between them.

The presence of the other Spider Men wisely includes some additional character development.  The end of Spider Man 3 had Peter and MJ dancing to a torch song which felt like a fitting end to that story but it is unclear what their future was.  This film shows that they did rebuild their relationship and have moved on together.  Garfield's Peter, by far the most emotional of the three, describes some of the destructive turn he felt after losing Gwen (which does not quite match the end of The Amazing Spider Man 2) but gets a beautiful moment when he saves MJ from a similar fate.

The end of the film has Peter sacrificing his relationships to MJ and Ned, the only two people left in the world who love him, to protect them.  The scene in which they say goodbye is big and emotional but the one in which Peter decides on the spot to not reveal his history to MJ is equally powerful, though  Peter in a sense is taking away MJ's choice since she had clearly wanted to be with him while being well aware of the risks.  The series could go either way going forward, introducing future characters or finding a way to work the legacy characters back into this group.  

Spider Man: No Way Home could have been a mess with this big a cast and this many overlapping storylines but Watts and his editors keep the main theme and stories focused and No Way Home is a real treat, both fun and emotional.  ****

Hawkeye (2021)

Jeremy Renner's consistently secondary MCU character gets his own showcase here.  Hawkeye has a lighter than expected tone for a character who has killed so many people and sets up a next generation successor with Hailee Stenfield's Kate Bishop.  Ant Man composer Christopher Beck did the theme and the series is set in New York at Christmastime.  A lot of show has Hawkeye trying to protect Kate from getting into trouble with the Tracksuit Mafia while both reconciling his recent history as Ronin, a destructive identity he took on to process his pain when his family vanished after Avengers: Infinity War.  Additionally Hawkeye has to fight off Florence Pugh's entertaining Elena who we see blip and return and who has been tricked to believe Hawkeye killed Natasha, Elena's non biological sister.  One of the best scenes are when Hawkeye explains the true circumstances of Natasha's death to Yelena.  Other highlights are Hawkeye working with his wife and dealing with hearing loss in the middle of a battle.

It was a pretty obvious that Vera Farmiga would turn out to be a villain but it makes for a good dilemma for Kate.  I enjoyed the fight scenes with Vincent D'Onfrio's nearly indestructible Kingpin.  I do not need a season 2 but am happy to watch it.  ***

Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

The belated sequel feels a little less so due to Strange's appearances in five other MCU films since the original but it is fitting to see Benedict Cumberbatch's hero get his own film again.  Dr. Strange director Scott Derrickson originally was going to return but left the project allowing Marvel to bring in Sam Raimi who directed the first three Spider Man films with Toby Maguire, as well as a low budget series of horror films called The Evil Dead trilogy starring Bruce Campbell back in the 1980s and 90s.  In the film Dr. Strange, like Hawkeye, spends a lot of the story setting up a future MCU heroine as he travels through several worlds protecting America Chavez from Wanda, who is trying to steal her universe jumping ability out of desperation to reunite with her children from Wandavision.  

From the trailer I expected Wanda to serve as an antihero but that the villain would be Chiwetel Ejiofor's Mordo but the film surprised me when Wanda, now under a spell due to the black magic she was using to search for her kids at the end of Wandavision, fully into her Scarlet Witch persona and giving Elizabeth Olsen a lot of meaty material to work with, though notably she is not seeking Vision.  

Raimi leans heavily intro his horror background with some ghoulish images and scenes.  The film starts with a dimensional chase and leads into a big battle in New York with a giant worm.  There is a terrific touch as Strange finishes a martini before gliding into battle.  There is a very entertaining scene in which Strange battles a version of himself who has three eyes, using Beethoven 5th vs. Bach Fuge in D Minor in which piano keys are flung about the screen.  The resolution of the film,  in which Strange communicates to America through a reanimated version of the corpse of one of his variants was creative but a little too weird for me.  During the film I remarked to my son that if Wanda's kids could see her behaving like this they would not want to be with her and sure enough that is exactly what happens.  It does lead to a touching scene when a good Wanda comforts the Scarlet Witch understanding her pain on some level.

I enjoyed the increased presence of Rachel McAdams' Christine (an alternate version) who has been a little too disillusioned by Strange's wavering commitment.  The big Fantastic Four sequence meant little to me since I have never read the comic books or seen a Fantastic Four movie and only seen one X-Men movie, though I always like seeing Patrick Stewart.  

The whole film goes a little too deep for my tastes into the multiverse as it is easy to lose ones' bearings.  But I like that it took some chances and Raimi never lets his film get boring, and as always gives his old buddy Bruce Campbell an entertaining cameo as well as his 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, this time seen floating in midair.  ***

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Thor is the first MCU character to get a fourth standalone film, probably due to Chris Hemsworth's continuing enthusiasm for the character, despite doing plenty of other work (I enjoyed Extraction Point, as silly as it was).  The end of Avengers: Endgame set up that Thor alone of the original Avengers was actively going out on new adventures.  In early 2021 Thor: Ragnorok director Taika Waititi announced production on this new project.  

I was indifferent as I did not like much of Ragnorok, finding the lengthy middle section too silly, but Love and Thunder wisely brings back Natalie Portman's Jane Foster using Mjolnir to try to recover from cancer, several years after their relationship had ended.  Jane, Thor (who has worked off the excess weight gained from Endgame) and Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie work to stop a villain named Gorr who is trying to kill all the gods after the death of his daughter. 

The storyline had some poignancy and I enjoyed seeing Hemsworth and Portman (whose arms are ripped in this film) onscreen together again, especially when the nerdy Jane tries to talk tough.  There is also a comical love triangle between Thor, Mjolnir and his newer hammer Stormbreaker who does not like Thor fawning over Mjolnir.  The director reprises his comical role as Korg, one of Thor's sidekicks picked up in his last film.

Christian Bale brings pathos to Gorr, making the audience feel his misguided pain and the resolution of the film has some touching moments in which Jane, who has given her life to save Thor, passes away and Gorr gives his to bring back his daughter who Thor then adopts.  The final scene of the film shows Thor has adapted well to fatherhood and is happy despite all of his losses.  

The only piece of the film that does not quite work is the sequence at Omnipotence City.  Russell Crowe, an actor who can play just about anything, does not find the right note for Zeus and I do not see the point of bringing in other gods if they are going to be treated like overgrown children.  

I enjoyed Thor: Love and Thunder and while I do not feel another Thor film is a must, it was fun to see him at work again.  Also kudos to Waititi and Hemsworth for making the first Thor film without Loki  and having it come out so well. ***