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lunylovegoodloverSpoilers ahead, obviously. But the non-spoiler review is that I haven’t like an ensemble Marvel movie since about 2012 - Ultron was terrible, Civil War was not a Captain America movie and also did not make sense from a character point of view, Infinity War wasn’t bad (I cried once but was not Moved) - but this was actually great. It really felt like they got it right and I’m really into it.
All the actual reviews I’ve seen have said that the plot was predictable and the movie was full of fan service and, well, all I can say to that is that if that was fanservice? I’m down. They gave the characters room to breathe! Steve Rogers went to therapy!!! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for that man to go to therapy??? They actually paid attention to team dynamics, and by focusing mostly on the original Avengers were actually able to tell a coherent story from a characterization POV. I’m always a sucker for Steve and Nat, but Steve & Tony and Clint & Nat were also just so, so amazing. Like, for the first time I understood why people ship Steve/Tony - they’re so so so good together when they’re good, and so angsty when they’re not.
In terms of the deaths - I wasn’t, like, surprised, but WOW they still hit hard. Natasha in particular. But they hit hard in part because they were done well. Like, this whole time she’s been trying to wipe out the red in her ledger - *of course* she was going to be the one to make that sacrifice. It didn’t feel forced. And they killed a (the) female character without it being for the men’s emotional development! Their grief for her wasn’t ignored, but it didn’t feel like she was fridged. Especially since she died to save her family, especially Clint - like what’s a more Natasha thing to do? (I am 200% influenced in this view by![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
shellybelle’s Clint/Natasha/Laura fics, especially the moment at the end between Clint and Wanda)
Tony’s death was also v Tony - it was exactly what I was expecting, and exactly what he deserved, and I was already crying but the tears increased exponentially when he said “I am Iron Man”. Which is probably what the critics meant by fanservice, all those throwback lines, but it just felt like coming full circle to me. A lot of the movie did, especially with the time travel/alternate universes. It felt like they had actually paid attention to their already established canon and were building off of that, instead of always trying to one up themselves. A lot of things came full circle, but there also was actual acknowledgement of character development, and that’s honestly all I care about.
I’m more ambivalent about Steve’s ending. It accomplished two goals that I expected/wanted - it definitively is the end of his story, and it lets him have a good happy life. Which - he so totally deserves the happily ever after, and the chance to breathe. It felt a little off to have that ending be with Peggy - it feels like they had both already mourned each other and moved on - but given the way Chris Evans was talking in the press tour (and the fact that these writers have never acknowledged that the other love of his life is Bucky), it’s not surprising. I wish he could have, like, had a life in the present, but then there would always be the potential that he could be sucked back in. And I do love the image of him and Peggy taking down Hydra together in the 60s or 70s or whenever. There are so many novel length fics I need - like really good long angsty ones with a happy ending and lots of therapy. It felt like a movie that could prompt fic (unlike, say, Civil War) and I really hope my gut’s right on this one.
Also!!! Sam!!! He got the shield!!! He’s gonna be Captain America and tbh that’s all I’ve ever wanted. I hope the show with him and Bucky is good - it’s got SO MUCH potential. I love them so much. (Even if I love them more with Steve - see above re desperate need for fic)
All in all, I stated crying about two minutes in and just didn’t stop. Pretty much everything really worked for me on an emotional level. And time travel and parallel universes are some of my all time favorite tropes, so the plot was actually really fun. Especially the Battle of New York scenes - like, in between the crying I was having fun! Which is what a superhero movie is supposed to do! I saw one critic saying that the movie didn’t have, like, a moral ideological overtone which - I mean, I’d argue it’s all about the power of friendship, and there definitely are themes of personal sacrifice (that’s not always synonymous with death!) and responsibility and being a hero and all that - but mostly it was fun and a satisfying ending to a very broad reaching franchise. Like, not every superhero movie has to be Black Panther (as amazing as that would be).
I’m just reveling in the fact that I came out of an ensemble Marvel movie and I’m not actively pissed at the writers/directors? Like, the only thing that’s slightly annoying is them trying to get brownie points for a single throwaway line about a man going on a date with another man. Like, do I appreciate it? Yes. Does it count as representation? Not really. That’s just actually what the world looks like.
Anyway I’m very down to chat about anything about the movie - though if you don’t want spoilers fair warning I have such a bad poker face it can probably spoil things through the internet. But nobody’s screaming about it enough on tumblr yet (and/or my dash was overwhelmed by THE SOFTEST kiss/hug you’ve ever seen in your life like if you’re not watching Skam España what are you doing). So I need people to scream with and the friends I went with are big fans but not in fandom and thus only partly understand my need to read like, all the meta right now.
All the actual reviews I’ve seen have said that the plot was predictable and the movie was full of fan service and, well, all I can say to that is that if that was fanservice? I’m down. They gave the characters room to breathe! Steve Rogers went to therapy!!! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for that man to go to therapy??? They actually paid attention to team dynamics, and by focusing mostly on the original Avengers were actually able to tell a coherent story from a characterization POV. I’m always a sucker for Steve and Nat, but Steve & Tony and Clint & Nat were also just so, so amazing. Like, for the first time I understood why people ship Steve/Tony - they’re so so so good together when they’re good, and so angsty when they’re not.
In terms of the deaths - I wasn’t, like, surprised, but WOW they still hit hard. Natasha in particular. But they hit hard in part because they were done well. Like, this whole time she’s been trying to wipe out the red in her ledger - *of course* she was going to be the one to make that sacrifice. It didn’t feel forced. And they killed a (the) female character without it being for the men’s emotional development! Their grief for her wasn’t ignored, but it didn’t feel like she was fridged. Especially since she died to save her family, especially Clint - like what’s a more Natasha thing to do? (I am 200% influenced in this view by
Tony’s death was also v Tony - it was exactly what I was expecting, and exactly what he deserved, and I was already crying but the tears increased exponentially when he said “I am Iron Man”. Which is probably what the critics meant by fanservice, all those throwback lines, but it just felt like coming full circle to me. A lot of the movie did, especially with the time travel/alternate universes. It felt like they had actually paid attention to their already established canon and were building off of that, instead of always trying to one up themselves. A lot of things came full circle, but there also was actual acknowledgement of character development, and that’s honestly all I care about.
I’m more ambivalent about Steve’s ending. It accomplished two goals that I expected/wanted - it definitively is the end of his story, and it lets him have a good happy life. Which - he so totally deserves the happily ever after, and the chance to breathe. It felt a little off to have that ending be with Peggy - it feels like they had both already mourned each other and moved on - but given the way Chris Evans was talking in the press tour (and the fact that these writers have never acknowledged that the other love of his life is Bucky), it’s not surprising. I wish he could have, like, had a life in the present, but then there would always be the potential that he could be sucked back in. And I do love the image of him and Peggy taking down Hydra together in the 60s or 70s or whenever. There are so many novel length fics I need - like really good long angsty ones with a happy ending and lots of therapy. It felt like a movie that could prompt fic (unlike, say, Civil War) and I really hope my gut’s right on this one.
Also!!! Sam!!! He got the shield!!! He’s gonna be Captain America and tbh that’s all I’ve ever wanted. I hope the show with him and Bucky is good - it’s got SO MUCH potential. I love them so much. (Even if I love them more with Steve - see above re desperate need for fic)
All in all, I stated crying about two minutes in and just didn’t stop. Pretty much everything really worked for me on an emotional level. And time travel and parallel universes are some of my all time favorite tropes, so the plot was actually really fun. Especially the Battle of New York scenes - like, in between the crying I was having fun! Which is what a superhero movie is supposed to do! I saw one critic saying that the movie didn’t have, like, a moral ideological overtone which - I mean, I’d argue it’s all about the power of friendship, and there definitely are themes of personal sacrifice (that’s not always synonymous with death!) and responsibility and being a hero and all that - but mostly it was fun and a satisfying ending to a very broad reaching franchise. Like, not every superhero movie has to be Black Panther (as amazing as that would be).
I’m just reveling in the fact that I came out of an ensemble Marvel movie and I’m not actively pissed at the writers/directors? Like, the only thing that’s slightly annoying is them trying to get brownie points for a single throwaway line about a man going on a date with another man. Like, do I appreciate it? Yes. Does it count as representation? Not really. That’s just actually what the world looks like.
Anyway I’m very down to chat about anything about the movie - though if you don’t want spoilers fair warning I have such a bad poker face it can probably spoil things through the internet. But nobody’s screaming about it enough on tumblr yet (and/or my dash was overwhelmed by THE SOFTEST kiss/hug you’ve ever seen in your life like if you’re not watching Skam España what are you doing). So I need people to scream with and the friends I went with are big fans but not in fandom and thus only partly understand my need to read like, all the meta right now.
