AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR: All Good Things…

NOTE: As the directors have requested, “Thanos demands your silence.”

“Evacuate the city. Engage all defenses. And get this man a shield!”

- T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Avengers: Infinity War

Who would have ever guessed that a small publishing company called Timely would have led to several of the biggest box-office bonanzas of the 21st century? In their 10 years of existence, Marvel Studios has put out 19 feature films, 5 direct-to-DVD short films, 3 network television series, a few adjacent Netflix series and a revamped theme park attraction with loads more well on the way. The ambitious high-wire crossover nature of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has kept fans coming back for more and more.

On the creative side of Marvel Studios, there have been a few ups and downs in terms of maintaining consistency. Actors like Terrence Howard and Edward Norton were replaced early on when it was deemed that they were not team players. Directors like Louis Leterrier, Kenneth Branagh and Joe Johnston have rarely been recognized for their contributions to the MCU and have not been a part of the 10th Anniversary celebrations for unknown reasons. Joss Whedon, who came aboard to take on Marvel’s The Avengers, was quickly made Marvel Studios’ golden boy. After being forced to help fix a few movies, start a brand-new TV show and finish a long-awaited sequel, it was clear he was exhausted and simply wanted to go home.

Enter the Russo Brothers. They were primarily known for their background in comedies like You, Me and Dupree and episodes of “Community”. Fans were more than a bit skeptical when they were brought on to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, the brothers delivered a thrilling and engaging film that had great action and solid drama while still maintaining the levity the Marvel Studios films are known for. Naturally, they were brought back for Captain America: Civil War where they had a larger scope with even more characters to play with. They also introduced Black Panther and Spider-Man into the MCU. This too was a massive success for the duo. But producer and Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige had a final stage in mind.

Several of the lead actors’ contracts were coming to an end and newer actors coming in needed their own films to thrive in. With the writers of the Captain America trilogy, Feige plotted out two new Avengers films that would effectively end one half of the MCU and push the other half in a whole other direction. Deciding to film both stories back-to-back, the Russos were up to the task. Not only were they working with nearly every cast member from Civil War but also the space superstars the Guardians of the Galaxy (who had just come off two highly successful films). The films were such large-scale events that, for the first time ever in a Hollywood feature film, IMAX cameras were used to film the entirety of production. With the largest main cast ever assembled for a Marvel Studios film, two proven directors and a multi-million dollar production of two separate films both shot in IMAX, the possibilities were infinite…

After the destruction of Asgard, the refugee ship commanded by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is intercepted by the forces of intergalactic conqueror Thanos (Josh Brolin). The Hulk, who had been traveling with Thor, is sent back to Earth to warn their heroes as Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). He crash-lands into the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) who brings in Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). While Bruce’s story seems unbelievable at first, it is not long before Thanos’ forces have arrived at Earth and begin attacking Manhattan. Spider-Man (Tom Holland) joins the fray in protecting Doctor Strange’s Time Stone, but Strange himself is soon captured. Iron Man and Spider-Man follow their enemies’ ship into space. Meanwhile, Thor has landed in amongst the Guardians of the Galaxy, who take off after the remaining Infinity Stones. Back on Earth, the remaining heroes retreat to the homeland of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Wakanda. They are there to save the life of mortally wounded Vision (Paul Bettany), whose essence is stored in the Mind Stone. Though they are separated by millions of miles of space, the Earth’s mightiest heroes are giving their all to stop a tyrant from ruling the universe. Can they save the day one last time or will their efforts be in vain?

Note: This shot is actually nowhere in the film whatsoever.

To begin with, this film has a breakneck pace but it is welcome because the movie is over two hours long. Audiences have had 10 years to prepare for this and if you are not ready, too bad. It launches you headlong into the adventure not taking any time to reintroduce any of the characters or retell any major events. If one were to ask me what movies to watch beforehand, I would recommend Civil War and Thor: Ragnarok as they are the vital backstory to understanding what goes on in the film. I must admit, I am not usually a fan of movies that run by this fast; but for a long and intense movie like this, the speed is stunning.

As mentioned above, the film boasts a massive cast from all parts of the MCU. One surprise of the film has a long-lost character returning: the Red Skull, last seen in Captain America: The First Avenger. However, this is not Hugo Weaving returning to play the role as he has definitely burned the bridge connecting him to Marvel Studios. Maybe he played the part as a favor to his Wolfman director Joe Johnston. The Red Skull here is played by an impressionist. Regardless, it is gratifying that this particular missing puzzle piece has not gone astray. It is explained that in the climax of First Avenger, Red Skull was beamed away to a distant planet and has lived out of a lifetime keeping watch over the Soul Stone.

The one thing I guarantee everyone will be discussing for a full year until the sequel comes out is the ending in which after Thanos teleports away from Earth, a large amount of the heroes begin disappearing into thin air. The movie ends with the bad guy winning. No hint at how the story will resolve itself. This is Empire Strikes Back territory, not Back to the Future Part II where it ends with a trailer for Part III. But maybe, just maybe… Back to the Future is a clue here. Bear with me: the characters literally fade out of existence in a similar way to how Marty McFly was nearly erased from existence in the first film. Set photos from the next Avengers film feature what appears to be a re-creation of the Battle of New York from the original Avengers film. The two Avengers films were announced as a two-part event, but this was subsequently changed before release. True, Part films have gone out of style since Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games used them to death. So could time travel play a part in getting these heroes back and stopping Thanos? I could conceivably be wrong. It is a comic book world. Anything can happen.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe can never be faulted for its ambitious nature and this is their biggest film since the original Avengers six years ago. In that span of time, other studios have tried and failed to launch their own cinematic universes and paid greatly for their folly. With this film, the House of Ideas has given audiences something they have not yet: a downer ending. But hope has not been extinguished quite yet. As the post-credit scene rolls to a close, it is revealed that Captain Marvel (Academy Award winner Brie Larson) herself is on the way. Marvel is literally coming to save… Marvel.

READY PLAYER ONE: Game On

NOTE: All your SPOILERS are belong to us.

"People come to the OASIS for all the things they can do, but they stay for all the things they can be."

- Wade Watts/Parzival (Tye Sheridan), Ready Player One 

Very few people ruled the 1980s like Steven Spielberg. He directed eight films and through his production company Amblin, executive produced sixteen more - those including Gremlins, The Goonies, Innerspace, Young Sherlock Holmes, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and of course, Back to the Future. He also created the television series "Amazing Stories" which helped give rise to storytellers like Brad Bird. Someone that prolific on popular culture could never be forgotten and thanks to the work of a budding screenwriter-turned-author (and back again), it might have actually been the foundation of one of his most thrilling adventures.

Ernest Cline was a fledgling screenwriter whose most famous work had been the 2009 comedy, Fanboys, starring Kristen Bell and Dan Fogler among others. He was not satisfied as the movie was being distributed by future bankrupt monstrosity the Weinstein Company. Wanting to do a movie-style adventure with complete control over his characters, Cline began writing the book "Ready Player One", an ode to the pop culture of the 1980s as well as a hopeful look forward into a future filled with virtual reality havens of escapism. While the book garnered praise from many in the geek community, others were disquieted. "Ready Player One" has often been railed as sexist, manipulative and pandering. A recurring element is the lead character asking if another character portrayed as a woman is actually a woman. Another controversial part of the book was the amount of listing the lead gives to his knowledge of the 1980s. Cline has offered few if any defense to these allegations. He had been mostly busy working to get "Ready Player One" a proper film adaptation. Many of the great filmmakers around today were offered the film - Peter Jackson, Matthew Vaughn, Edgar Wright and Robert Zemeckis among them - and all turned the film down. On a lark, Cline's agent sent the book to the offices of Steven Spielberg just to see if he would turn it down. Spielberg apparently not only did not turn the book down but could not put the book down.

Having recently fallen into the groove of making socially-relevant historical dramas, Spielberg found the book giving him flashbacks of making films back in the 1980s, the ones that were literal blockbusters with fans lining up around the block. He also saw the story as a potential commentary on the youth of today willingly plugging themselves into their various devices as opposed to spending time outside or with friends and family. Suitably inspired, Spielberg shocked Hollywood by announcing Ready Player One as part of his upcoming filmography which then featured the international thriller Bridge of Spies and cutesy-cuddly family film The BFG. He even attended Comic-Con, of which he has made few appearances at, to promote the film to cheering crowds. "It was the most amazing flashback and flash forward I had ever expierenced," he told Comic-Con. Utilizing the performance capture technology of The Adventures of Tintin and The BFG, Spielberg set out to bring the virtual reality world of the OASIS to life. Because of the lengthy time it took for Industrial Light & Magic to fully render and animate the world of Ready Player One, Spielberg found time to go off and film The Post, following the tumultuous election of Donald Trump. Having scratched the familiar historical drama itch, Spielberg was Ready to have fun with audiences again.

In the not-too-distant future of 2045, young Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) finds himself wishing for a world that no longer exists: the seemingly more fun and upbeat time of America in the 1980s. Fortunately, he has a way to access that in the sprawling digital utopia that is the OASIS, created by multi-billionaire genius James Halliday (Academy Award winner Mark Rylance). In the OASIS, even the most unpopular nobody can go anywhere, do anything, be anything. However, Halliday has been dead for several years but before he died, he left behind a message inviting all users of the OASIS on a hunt for an Easter egg he left behind. The first user to find it will inherit Halliday's vast, vast, VAST fortune (vast) as well as full ownership of the OASIS. In the midst of this is the multinational conglomerate known as IOI, headed by the duplicitous Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn), which will do anything - legal or illegal - to win the contest. As the hunt for the Egg rages on, the realms of the real and the virtual hang in the balance. Wade and his friends - through their digital avatars - will go on adventures beyond their wildest "pure" imagination.

Ready Player One is one of the most visually-stimulating, jaw-droppingly awesome and incredible hilarious action-packed thrill rides Spielberg has ever brought to the screen. The OASIS sequences, as previously mentioned filmed in performance capture, are proof that Spielberg has become the de-facto champion of the technology, picking up where Zemeckis and Jackson left off. It has all the prowess that James Cameron imbued into Avatar, but with the crowd-pleasing sensibilities of films like Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark. All the heroic characters - the High 5 - are likable both in their digital avatars as well as in their real-world selves. Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg, who are both fantastic actors and Spielberg alumni, are well-suited in supporting roles. The standout performance comes from the British actress Olivia Cooke as Samantha/Art3mis, utilizing an American accent, and often brings to mind Lea Thompson's giggly Lorraine Baines from Back to the Future. 

In the book, one of the challenges for Parzival is to step into the world of the 1983 film, WarGames. WarGames is a fine film, one I would definitely recommend; but it is clear that the film held no personal connection to Spielberg himself. However, The Shining did; it is well-documented that Stanley Kubrick was very close friends with Spielberg. In the movie, our heroes burst through the doors of a digital cineplex to find a stunning recreation of the Colorado Lounge in the Overlook Hotel. It is almost as if the filmmakers went back in time to Elstree Studios in 1979 England and simply filmed in the empty sets. Hallmarks of The Shining gradually begin to appear: the Grady twins, the blood coming from the elevator (it usually gets off at the second floor) and last, but not least, the infamous Room 237. It is a testament to Spielberg's command of visual effects, the mind-blowing talent of thousands of animators as well as a loving tribute to a masterful director. 

The greatest joys to get out of Ready Player One are the surprise references in the film. It is amazing to think that Freddy Krueger, Duke Nukem, Harley Quinn, the original RoboCop and Chucky of Child's Play are all in a Steven Spielberg film. And that is barely skimming the surface of what can be seen in the film. I saw this movie in IMAX both opening night and the following night and I can only imagine I have correctly identified just under a third of all what goes on in the background of the movie. While I will most definitely advocate you see this film on the biggest screen possible, the day will come when people like me will go frame-by-frame of this movie on an iPad Zapruder-style to see all the identifying characters.  But the one that captured my heart the most was seeing the DeLorean time machine back in action. Seeing it zoom, jump and hover in the film's first challenge was exhilarating. There is also a very sweet nod to Robert Zemeckis in the film as well that is one element I will not spoil.

I am recommending Ready Player One to anybody I know. Regardless of age, gender, whether they are gamers or whether they love movies or not. It is a genuinely heartfelt adventure that will please almost any crowd you put in front of this thing. It celebrates imagination and fun like few movies made today ever could have. The flaws of the book have been dialed down or even removed from the film. Spielberg has often taken books that were mediocre at worst and made them into legendary films like Jaws and Jurassic Park. I imagine time will be just as kind to Ready Player One.