I've had occasion to re-watch a few of the MCU films recently. (They're part of a free preview on Showcase.) It's been some time now since I first saw Thor, Avengers or Captain America: First Avenger. I've been surprised at which films have held up for me and which haven't.
If you've recently done a rewatch of any MCU films, would love to have your comments. Was it as good the second or third (or whatever) time around? Which movies do you think hold up in the long term, and which don't?
My take on the three above (I think the movies are old enough not to warrant spoiler tags any more):
Captain America: First Avenger. I thought it was good fun the first time around; the over-the-top not-the-Nazis villains of HYDRA have a perfectly-pitched Golden Age comics sensibility about them, and everybody is well cast (especially the Red Skull and Arnim Zola). It has a charming B-movie feel about it; the only downside is that the action sequences are often not very memorable. Still, it seems to be quite underrated by a lot of MCU fans... maybe because the tone is so different from the other films? Still a B+ for me.
Thor. Actually improved on a re-view, I had remembered the first time around being a bit dull. Thor's arc from being an arrogant, foolish bruiser to learning a bit of wisdom and acquiring a moral centre is actually quite good. And it's fun to watch Idris Elba as Heimdall, or to see Kat Dennings -- who is a treasure -- steal Natalie Portman's scenes at every opportunity. And when it gets going, some of the action in this one is quite fun, like Thor's massive throwdown with the Frost Giants.
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the gifted Tom Hiddleston, Loki is kind of a nothing villain whose grand plan boils down to an attention-seeking tantrum... and having Thor rescuing Jotunheim at the end (whose inhabitants have been portrayed with zero sympathy throughout) sucks a lot of interest out of the climax. B-.
The Avengers. Loved it in the theatre, and was surprised to find this the one that aged the worst for me. Not that there isn't still plenty of good stuff happening; Phil Coulson is a fun secondary character, Sam Jackson of course is Sam Jackson, and the heroes mostly deliver in their roles... although ScarJo seems a lot less effective as Black Widow than I remembered her being; and while Robert Downey Jr.'s schtick as Stark was something I particularly enjoyed the first time, on a repeat it veers into annoying territory more than a few times.
The lack of suspense is a big problem. Hiddleston does his best but Loki again is a bit of a nothing villain, the moreso when we discover that his Chitauri allies are comically inept, interchangeable mooks; there's never any question of whether the heroes will pull themselves together and annihilate him. The action is sometimes fun but at other times makes no sense... like the sequence where Thor gets trapped in a cage by Loki and spends several minutes standing there, weirdly befuddled and inactive, after his hammer -- which has continent-smashing power -- barely puts a dent in a barrier it should be able to tear through like paper.
And much as I hate to say it, the movie's emotional pivot-point -- Phil Coulson's tragic death -- doesn't make sense either. I get that Coulson is likeable, but why does this ostensibly rally the heroes around him? I can see Cap feeling a connection with him owing to the guy's endearingly nerdy fannishness, but he's barely more than an acquaintance to Stark, or for that matter to Thor. He's never shown to have any kind of connection to Black Widow, but on his death she's got "red in her ledger"? And why does Banner come running back to the team right after having an "episode" that illustrates how much of a danger he potentially is to them?
It was surprising to discover that this movie has dropped to a C- for me overall.
If you've recently done a rewatch of any MCU films, would love to have your comments. Was it as good the second or third (or whatever) time around? Which movies do you think hold up in the long term, and which don't?
My take on the three above (I think the movies are old enough not to warrant spoiler tags any more):
Captain America: First Avenger. I thought it was good fun the first time around; the over-the-top not-the-Nazis villains of HYDRA have a perfectly-pitched Golden Age comics sensibility about them, and everybody is well cast (especially the Red Skull and Arnim Zola). It has a charming B-movie feel about it; the only downside is that the action sequences are often not very memorable. Still, it seems to be quite underrated by a lot of MCU fans... maybe because the tone is so different from the other films? Still a B+ for me.
Thor. Actually improved on a re-view, I had remembered the first time around being a bit dull. Thor's arc from being an arrogant, foolish bruiser to learning a bit of wisdom and acquiring a moral centre is actually quite good. And it's fun to watch Idris Elba as Heimdall, or to see Kat Dennings -- who is a treasure -- steal Natalie Portman's scenes at every opportunity. And when it gets going, some of the action in this one is quite fun, like Thor's massive throwdown with the Frost Giants.
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the gifted Tom Hiddleston, Loki is kind of a nothing villain whose grand plan boils down to an attention-seeking tantrum... and having Thor rescuing Jotunheim at the end (whose inhabitants have been portrayed with zero sympathy throughout) sucks a lot of interest out of the climax. B-.
The Avengers. Loved it in the theatre, and was surprised to find this the one that aged the worst for me. Not that there isn't still plenty of good stuff happening; Phil Coulson is a fun secondary character, Sam Jackson of course is Sam Jackson, and the heroes mostly deliver in their roles... although ScarJo seems a lot less effective as Black Widow than I remembered her being; and while Robert Downey Jr.'s schtick as Stark was something I particularly enjoyed the first time, on a repeat it veers into annoying territory more than a few times.
The lack of suspense is a big problem. Hiddleston does his best but Loki again is a bit of a nothing villain, the moreso when we discover that his Chitauri allies are comically inept, interchangeable mooks; there's never any question of whether the heroes will pull themselves together and annihilate him. The action is sometimes fun but at other times makes no sense... like the sequence where Thor gets trapped in a cage by Loki and spends several minutes standing there, weirdly befuddled and inactive, after his hammer -- which has continent-smashing power -- barely puts a dent in a barrier it should be able to tear through like paper.
And much as I hate to say it, the movie's emotional pivot-point -- Phil Coulson's tragic death -- doesn't make sense either. I get that Coulson is likeable, but why does this ostensibly rally the heroes around him? I can see Cap feeling a connection with him owing to the guy's endearingly nerdy fannishness, but he's barely more than an acquaintance to Stark, or for that matter to Thor. He's never shown to have any kind of connection to Black Widow, but on his death she's got "red in her ledger"? And why does Banner come running back to the team right after having an "episode" that illustrates how much of a danger he potentially is to them?
It was surprising to discover that this movie has dropped to a C- for me overall.
