Avengers: Infinity War – 2018

Score: 10/10

I mean, seriously, I don’t even know where to start. It’s mind-blowing, it’s amazing, it’s perfect, it’s by far the best movie of 2018. Avengers: Infinity War is exactly what I expected it to be, a rollercoaster of emotion and a powerful example of what a carefully constructed multiverse can offer when it fully comes into force. It’s a brilliant movie and it offers you emotion after emotion. You can’t watch this without getting hyped and you will not feel the minutes going by. It’s long at 149 minutes but my God I wanted more, I wanted much more… I have praised Marvel movies in the past but this one is simply the icing on the cake. It’s a perfect movie from start to finish and you cannot afford to miss it!

The story is amazing. All of the little clues and post credits scenes from previous movies have paid off. It has heart, it is powerful, it has emotion, amazing music, one liners, everything that you could want from a superhero movie. You are engaged from the very first second and everything has an air of grandiose stakes. The world is coming to an end and the heroes that we grew up with are trying to save it. Amazing!

The characters are the ones we love and they are all showing us their best. I mean there is really no point talking about it more. It’s a stellar cast, like, all the huge names are here, they all pour their hearts on screen, they click, it’s simply amazing and it’s the coronation of the MCU and the previous 18 movies. Amazing and it will be long, but I have to praise Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Peter Dinklage, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson for their performances. I mean seriously, look at this list of names… Marvel, OMG!!!!

Thanos! Like I can’t believe that in a movie like this, where you have ALL the heroes, my favorite character was the bad guy. I mean honestly, Josh Brolin’s performance is brilliant and every single act of the villain makes sense. He is correct in everything that he says, he evolves, he has emotion, he is all powerful, like, it’s simply the best villain I have ever seen in any superhero movie until now. I actually rooted for him towards the end and I wanted him to win, and considering that he was going against some of my favorite superheroes off all time, I am truly impressed that the movie made me feel this way. Thanos rules! Thanos forever! 🙂

This is how you do an ensemble cast movie. I mean we have here everyone from the Marvel universe, and by everyone I truly mean everyone. You get all the big superheroes in one movie, superheroes that each got their own movies before this, superheroes that all have sideline stories, love interests, agenda’s, everything comes together. And yet, like magic, everything fits. Every actor gets some share of the spotlight without making the movie feel weird and too complex. The action flows and you get to recognize each hero’s trademarks. This is an amazing feat and anyone planning to do movies with multiple protagonists should learn from this one. Marvel, there are no words to describe how great you are!

In conclusion, Avengers: Infinity War is THE MOVIE. For superhero fans, for movie fans, for anybody. If you live on this planet, you have to watch this film. And if you want the experience to be complete, before you watch this, take all the movies that have previously appeared in the MCU and watch them. You will understand everything that is going on and you will be amazed at the details and hidden meanings that fill up this universe. This one will remain in history as one of the best, if not the best, superhero movies of all time. I can’t wait for the sequel on May 3 2019 and I can only hope it will be as good as this one… I would say I want it to be better but frankly at this point I can’t see how that would be possible… So surprise me Marvel, if anyone can do it, you can…

The Hurricane Heist – 2018

Score: 2/10

This movie is simply a joke, or that is how it appeared to me. There is nothing in The Hurricane Heist to make it stand out, there is nothing different or special. It is just a bland heist action film that tries to be special but ends up offering more of the same. Nothing works here, nothing gets you invested in what happens on screen and you end up just watching your clock and hoping for it to be over as soon as possible. The potential was there, the idea behind it could have actually been interesting, but unfortunately, nothing clicks, nothing makes you happy about watching this…

The story has a nice starting point but that’s about it. The heist elements are nothing to speak about, there are no twists, no puzzles and no impressive feats of planning. Nothing to make you feel that you are watching a true heist movie. Everything is mainly boring and you will find yourself wanting to do something else right in the middle of what are supposed to be some of the movies “best” scenes. Couple this with some ridiculous moments when physics gets wild and you have the perfect recipe for a stupid and over the top mess.

The characters are bland, boring, built on clichés. And not even nice and interesting clichés, but simply things that are there just to be there and nothing more. You can’t get invested into their stories because you realize that they are stupid. I mean seriously, none of the motivations work and nothing is explained. And in the acting department, I have to say that Toby Kebbell, Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten, Ralph Ineson, Melissa Bolona and Ben Cross really disappointed me. I would have expected more from them.

The special effects and action scenes are bad, some laughable, and considering that that was supposed to be the one different and innovative aspect of this heist, it’s terrible. I mean if you can’t do credible and realistic weather effects, why do a movie about a hurricane, why do it like that? Why focus on that as your main story element when everything surrounding the hurricane looked fake as shit? And while we are on the subject, seriously, WEATHER DOES NOT WORK LIKE THAT, understand it already Hollywood and stop offering us piece of crap movies that don’t understand basic physics!

The movie tries to go beyond a simple heist, it tries to create a relationship between characters, but unfortunately any attempt at that comes off as fake and forced. I would have actually liked it more if they would have given us an unkillable hero that just murders everybody, without these ridiculous attempts to make us care about what happens to the main characters just because the script says that we should. This is a bad movie but instead of accepting it and at least taking things a little bit less serious, it doubles down on its absurd premise and tries to act like something it’s not, thus losing any good will it might have garnered by simply being goofy and over the top!

In conclusion, The Hurricane Heist is not worth your time and it really has no redeemable qualities… I gave it a 2 instead of a 1 just because Ryan Kwanten reminded me of True Blood, which is always nice. Oh, and by the way, his character here is almost the same as in that series, so talk about typecasting… Skip this one and forget that it even exists. A big critic fail and an even bigger box office bomb, this movie should make it clear to Rob Cohen that you can’t live forever on the back of your The Fast and The Furious and XXX credits… I mean at least those had Vin Diesel in them man…

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – 2017

Score: 8/10

The Guardians series is the most funny of the Marvel Universe and you go into volume 2 expecting that. And yes, you receive it in droves, as this movie tries to go even farther than its predecessor in the humor department. You are laughing all the way, and it is relaxing to see a movie of such magnitude not taking itself to serious. It makes the viewing experience more enjoyable and its success is what prompted Marvel to include more humor in Thor: Ragnarok and I guess in every single entrance of the multiverse which will follow. We like our superhero movies to be lighthearted and funny and this will not change.

The action is interesting, the special effects are amazing, and the characters are developed even further than in the first one. You learn a lot of backstory that helps define each character and you start to discover the red line of their past that makes them act the way they do. The cast is stellar, and when you have Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell all in one movie, nothing can go wrong. Every single actor delivers an amazing performance and you can see they had so much fun doing this film, which gives it an extra layer of likeability. Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer is simply amazing, and almost steals the movie with his rough humor and absurd lines. You find yourself laughing out loud in the theater and enjoying every second of it.

The story is good, a little bit convoluted in points, but streamlined quite well in the final act. The CGI is good, the grand action scenes offer enough awe to justify them, and all in all the conflict manages to keep you involved until the end. Also, speaking of action scenes, Yondu’s arrow massacre is one of the best action scenes I have ever seen in a movie, making you laugh and leaving you speechless at the same time. The action in the movie is superb and right up there with what Marvel has offered us across the years.

The movie is a little bit too long at 136 minutes and its 4 post credits scenes are starting to push the limit a little bit, especially since one of them is another useless cameo from Stan Lee. 2 post credits scenes are ok, but going past that for me is just fanboying for the sake of fanboying and nothing more. The music is good, a nice selection of songs, although I feel that they are not as fresh as the ones from the first movie.

And this brings me to my only criticism of the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, that it is far too similar in my mind with the first one. It simply does not have the same wow factor and you kind of feel like you have already been there and done that. This takes away a little bit from the overall enjoyment, although it did not have an effect on the box office results, with Vol. 2 earning more than the original. I just hope that for volume 3, which is slated for a 2020 release, Marvel will change the formula a little bit and shake things up.

In conclusion, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a very good movie, which I recommend to any comic book fan. A great installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a worthy successor to the first Guardians movie. Oh, and the smaller dumber Groot is by far the best plant I ever saw in a movie. 😛