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REVIEW: Avengers: Age of Ultron (Road to Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the eleventh movie in the lineup, Avengers: Age of Ultron.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmeOjFno6Do[/embedyt]

After The Avengers shattered records and is one of the most loved movies of all time. A sequel was in the works, and there was a lot of hype surrounding it. Does Avengers: Age of Ultron deliver on that hype or does it fall under the pressure of the first one?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 3 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story starts with the Avengers attacking a fortress in Sokovia looking for Loki’s staff. While there, the Avengers meet twins with strange powers (But don’t call them mutants or else FOX will get mad), known as Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Pietro Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Wanda has Telekinesis powers while Pietro has speedster powers (Kind of like Flash). Wanda starts to mess with the Avengers minds with her powers and the twins escape. With the Avengers regaining Loki’s staff, they return to home base to and Tony (Robert Downey JR.) and Bruce (Mark Ruffalo) go to the lab to talk about the Ultron project right before they attend the party that Tony is hosting. During the party, Ultron (James Spader), becomes sentient and takes over JARVIS so that he can grab a body and show the Avengers he is alive. While this is going on, Ultron talks about destroying the earth and humanity and attacks the Avengers with Iron Man bots that Tony built for safe keeping. After Ultron escapes, he finds the twins and is able to make a new body for himself and the three of them swear to take the Avengers down. After the Avengers regroup and try to figure out what happened, they figure out that Ultron is trying to build a new body out of a material known as Vibranium (The same material used for Caps Shield). This leads them to track down an arms dealer known as Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), who specializes in Vibranium. Ultron and the twins get to him first and buy Vibranium off of Klaue but get into an altercation leading Klaue to lose his arm. At this point, the Avengers come to stop Ultron but Wanda finds Bruce and takes control of him causing him to become the Hulk and go on a rampage causing destruction to Sokovia. After everything is brought under control, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), leaves to chase down the visions that Wanda gave him and the Avengers regroup at Hawkeyes (Jeremy Reiner), safe house. Meanwhile, Ultron goes to Korea in order to force some scientists to make him a new body. Once the Avengers discover this, they go after Ultron and cause a chase in Korea for the body in a capsule. Once they retrieve the capsule, they take it back to base and this causes a fighting between members of the Avengers which is stopped by Thor when he brings the machine body to life, which then creates Vision (Paul Bettany). Thor explains that Vision is powered by the Mind Infinity Stone and Vision joins the Avengers to stop his father Ultron. Everyone regroups and prepares to stop Ultron who uses the Vibranium to create a device that lifts Sokovia in the air in order to destroy it. The Avengers do everything they can to stop Ultron and bring Sokovia back down. After the big battle is done, Ultron is presumed dead, Thor leaves earth to find more information about the Infinity Gems and the Avengers changes it roster into The Avenger 2.0.

First thing I will say is that a lot happens in this movie but its only events that will happen in different movies. While the first Avengers focused on the task at hand. Avengers: Age of Ultron cares more about fleshing out other movie ideas instead of its own. This really hurts the film because Ultron and the twins could have used a lot more development if the movie wasn’t so focused on other things. We barely get to know Ultron before he is finished.

The acting in this movie isn’t as good as the first one. This time around the cast seems to try their best but not put in 100% effort. I will say that James Spader as Ultron is a great casting choice because Spader brings his menacing voice and tones to the roll to make Ultron scary. Paul Bettany as Vision is also great as well because instead of just being VO, now he also plays an actual character and it looks really cool to see him on screen.

One good thing I will say is the CGI is amazing in this movie. From Ultron to Vision, all the effects in this movie look spectacular and stunning. It makes me feel that there was a heavier focus on effects than actual story and plot.

There was actually rumours and speculation that a lot of stuff was cut from the film to reduce the runtime and it clearly shows. There are scenes in the movie that feel cut up and it really hurts the movie because the scenes where the Avengers go on their vision quests and later Thors return to those visions could have used a lot more fleshing out. They just come off as pointless and random scenes that feel out of place in this movie.

The Verdict:

Right off the bat, I will say that this isn’t a good sequel to Avengers. Avengers: Age of Ultron loses the magic of what made the first one so great. It’s darker, less focused, boring at times and tries to do a lot more with so little time. Avengers Age of Ultron spends more time introducing us to a lot of new things that won’t pay off until future movies instead of focusing on the task at hand. It feels less like an Avengers film and more MCU World Builder Simulator. I can only recommend Avengers: Age of Ultron if you haven’t seen it yet. Don’t think I’m saying it’s a bad movie, just one that only requires either 1 or 2 viewings to fully understand everything.

7/10

Next up, the MCU shrinks down to find the smallest hero who can pack the biggest punch, Ant-Man.

REVIEW: Guardians of the Galaxy (Road to Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the tenth movie in the lineup, Guardians of the Galaxy

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d96cjJhvlMA[/embedyt]

After Captain America: The Winter Soldier proved to be a massive hit, Marvel wanted to do something different this time. They wanted to take a bunch of unknowns and make them known. Well, did the gamble pay off or are the Guardians best left forgotten?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 4 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story takes us into space when we meet our new hero, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt). After seeing a flashback to the death of his mother, we cut to him entering a temple to retrieve a mysterious orb. Once Peter gets the orb, he is ambushed by a bunch of Kree soldiers who are looking for the same item. A fight/chase goes down with Peter escaping with the orb in the end. After this, Peter gets a call from Yondu (Michael Rooker), who wants Peter to give the orb over to the Ravagers so they can sell the orb and spilt the money. However, Peter tries to cut the Ravagers out of the deal and Yondu places a bounty on Peter’s head. Peter then arrives on Zandar to sell the orb to the buyer. When the buyer learns that Ronan The Accuser (Lee Pace), is also after the orb, he backs out and kicks Peter out of his shop. When Gamora (Zoe Saldana), is sent to retrieve the orb for Thanos (Josh Brolin). She intercepts Peter when he is kicked out and tries to steal the orb. However, Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and his friend Groot (Vin Diesel) are trying to capture Peter for the Bounty. This all ends with everyone getting arrested by the Nova Corps and being sent to prison. While in the prison, we meet Drax (Dave Bautista), who wants to kill Gamora for being connected with Thanos. However, once everyone calms down, they devise a plan to escape and bring the orb to someone known as The Collector (Benicio Del Toro). While there, they discover that the orb was hiding an Infinity Stone which powers cause the Collectors Vault to be destroyed. The Guardians leave the vault and they agree to give the stone to the Nova Corps. Before they can do that, they are ambushed by Ronan and his crew who steal the stone and leave the Guardians defeated. Once the Guardians pull themselves together, they go where Ronan’s ship is headed too in order to stop him. Everything leads to an all-out battle on Zandar where the Guardians defeat Ronan and give the stone to the Nova Corps so they can protect it. After this, the Guardians have all of their criminal records dropped and are free to roam the galaxy for their next mission.

The acting in this movie is absolutely stellar. The entire cast of the movie is absolutely perfect and they all have chemistry with each other and have so much fun with their roles that you can tell a lot of fun went into this movie. Of course, the villain of the movie is forgettable because they once again meet their doom while the good guys survive. This trend of killing off their villains is really starting to become a problem because they only good villain that has survived is Loki.

The CGI is out of this world as well. all the sets and planets come to life in a great way and gives the cosmic side of the MCU its own unique identity in the MCU. You have the Kree, Zarnians and other forms of life that all look really awesome and really give a sense of life and density to the film and universe that makes saving Zandar all the more satisfying in the end.

Marvel really does know how to keep the hits coming. Everyone was excepting this movie to fail but the fact that Marvel back it 100% shows that if you show the director and characters some love, anything can be possible (Looking at you Warner Bros. and the DCEU).

The Verdict:

Wow, this movie is awesome. I never thought that a movie with a talking Raccoon and Tree would ever be this damn good. Guardians of the Galaxy is a prime example of how to take a forgotten comic book franchise, and turn it into one of the most marketable and entertaining movies that Marvel has ever made. Although it’s not perfect, Guardians of the Galaxy does enough elements right that in the end so it’s truly out of this world.

9.5/10

Next up, we take a look at another mixed bag of a movie. the long-awaited sequel to the first Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Avengers: Infinity War Gets New Release Date

In a surprising twist, Marvels most anticipated film to date has just gotten a new release date. Avengers: Infinity War was supposed to open on May 4 (Aka Star Wars Day).

However, now Disney and Marvel have decided to make their fans more hyped by changing the release date thanks to a Twitter exchange by RDJ and Marvel.

You can see the tweets below:

This all seems like one big giant PR move but it’s a great one at that. Can we get more announcements like this in the future, please?

Avengers: Infinity War will now be in theatres on April 27th.

Source: Twitter

 

REVIEW: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Road to Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the ninth movie in the lineup, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbayiPxkUMM[/embedyt]

After another bland entry to Phase 2 with Thor: The Dark World, will Captain America: The Winter Soldier be able to steer the ship in the right direction or will the MCU finally sink?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 4 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story beings with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), and his new friend Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) going for a jog in the morning. Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), arrives to take Steve in order to lead a strike team against a stolen SHIELD ship taken over by a private military op. The action goes on and while Steves mission is to save the hostages, Widow has a different mission of downloading SHIELD intel onto a hard drive for Director Fury (Samuel L Jackson). The mission is a success and everything seems to be going to plan when Fury shows Steve what he is hiding from Cap. Underneath the SHIELD Base, they are constructing Helicarriers so they can be used to protect the people. Shortly after, Director Fury is attacked by a new villain called The Winter Soldier and his squad. While Fury is half dead, he breaks into Steves apartment and after Steve finds him, he takes him to a hospital where Fury is presumed dead. With everyone mourning the loss of Fury Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford), takes over operation on SHIELD and turns everyone against Captain America and Black Widow. When they both go on the run, they find themselves being hunted down by SHIELD and come across an old SHIELD lab where they find out that after the WW2, SHIELD and HYDRA both joined forces and HYDRA has slowly been taking over SHIELD from the inside. Once they discover this, they bring Sam into their group and when they try and to escape. They are ambushed by the Winter Soldier and are locked into battle with this new foe. After their battle, Steve finds out that the Winter Soldier is actually Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who now has a metal arm. After Steve and friends are captured by SHIELD, they escape with the help of Maria Hill (Coble Smulders), who takes them to see that Fury is actually alive. Once everyone regroups, they go back to the SHIELD Base in Washington for one last assault again the SHIELD/HYDRA Operations. While they are fighting, HYDRA tries to launch the Helicarriers into the air and target about 1 million civilians who are deemed a threat. Once they are brought offline, all of SHIELD/HYRDA files get leaked online and this causes SHIELD to disband with Fury (Dead Man Walking), goes his own way while Steve and Sam try and go after Bucky.

The story seems like there is a lot going on but that’s ok because it is all told in such a fun, interesting and very James Bond way. It’s a mystery that unfolds right before your eyes and it’s a great non-stop thrill ride from start to finish.

The acting is amazing in this movie. Everyone brings their A game with the Winter Soldier and Alexander Pierce being the best and most likeable villains in an MCU movie so far (Aside from Loki of course). Chris Evans is always amazing as Captain America and Evans is starting to embody Cap much like RDI embodies Iron Man. Scarlett Johansson is also badass as Black Widow and continues to show off her #GirlPower.

The CGI is also a huge step up from the last two movies. Everything looks more clean and crisp then what we got more previous MCU movies and the Winter Soldier’s metal arm looks dope as well. Even the fancy tech they use at the SHIELD Bases looks really awesome and makes me wish we had that type of tech that we could use.

Trust me when I say that this movie really changed the MCU as a whole. Not only did it disband SHIELD, it also changed what is possible in the MCU. The fact that HYDRA was able to get into SHIELD without anyone noticing really begs the question, can our heroes trust anyone anymore? These types of ramifications really set this film apart from the others. Captain America: The Winter Soldier dared to change everything and it had the balls to pull it off. All the while doing it in such a great style that it comes out swinging while also asking, “Who’s next?”.

The Verdict:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an excellent movie. Not only is it a great sequel to the first movie, but it is also a fantastic MCU movie in general. What is it about Captain America that Marvel always seems to give him the best movies in each MCU Phase? Whatever Marvel is doing, they need to stick to it because Captain America: The Winter Soldier steers the MCU back in the right direction and also changes it forever as well. If you haven’t seen this yet, change that because it’s on Netflix still (At the time of writing this anyway), and it serves as a great popcorn flick that everyone can enjoy.

9.5/10

Next up, Ground control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmets on because the MCU is going to space! With the next massive hit, Guardians of the Galaxy.

REVIEW: Thor: The Dark World (Road to Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the eighth movie in the lineup, Thor: The Dark World.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npvJ9FTgZbM[/embedyt]

After the rocky start of Phase 2 with Iron Man 3, will Thor: The Dark World deliver something more or will it be forgotten like Iron Man 3?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 5 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story takes place after The Avengers where we learn the origins of the Dark Elves and an Infinity Gem know as the Aether. We cut back to present day where Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), is trying to move on from Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and is on a date when she is interrupted by Darcy (Kat Demmings). They soon go to an abandoned building to discover an anomaly when Jane is transported to Asgard where the Aether takes control of her and brings her back to earth. Shortly after, Thor comes back to earth to retrieve Jane so that they can find a way to remove the Aether from Jane. Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), brings his army of Dark Elves and invades Asgard in order to retrieve the Aether so he can destroy the nine realms with it. Malekith is soon defeated and retreats from Asgard with Thor planning to travel to the Dark World with the help of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), in order to stop Malekith and bring peace. Loki is then killed and Jane gets the Aether extracted from her by Malekith who soon sets his sights on earth realm. Once in Greenwich, London, the final battle for the nine realms commences and Thor does everything he can to stop the convergence from happening. When the day is saved, Thor returns home to Asgard to speak with Odin (Anthony Hopkins), and Thor no longer wants to be king. He wants Odin to remain the King of Asgard so he can go back to earth realm to be with Jane. Odin accepts this and then we learn that Odin was actually Loki in disguise.

The acting in this movie was good but not everyone pulled their weight. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are always great to see on the screen when they are together and really help make the movie somewhat fun to watch. Anthony Hopkins always brings his best when he is Odin. Everyone else was either one dimensional or just forgettable.

The CGI is up to the Marvel standard but you can start to tell that some of the scenes were green screened. This can be distracting at times and can somewhat take you out of the movie because it can be noticeable. The Dark Elves in this movie also look really bad because only Malekith and his right-hand man, Algrim look really cool as Dark Elves. Every other Dark Elve just looks like some guy in a cheap costume and is really bad and noticeable.

This review would have been longer but there just isn’t much to talk about in this movie. Don’t get me wrong, stuff does happen but none of it has any major consequences for the MCU as a whole (Expect for Thor’s mom being dead and Loki disguising himself as Odin).

The Verdict:

I’m not gonna sugar coat this, Thor: The Dark World is bad. While it’s not as bad as Incredible Hulk, I would much rather watch Iron Man 3. When I have to write a sentence like that, you know you have a stinker on your hands. Just like Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World is forgettable and bland. It packs a lot of noise but no substance to make it the least bit enjoyable.

5.5/10

Next up, let’s cleanse ourselves of these bad marvel movies with one of the best MCU movies to date, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

REVIEW: Iron Man 3 (Road to Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the seventh movie in the lineup, Iron Man 3.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLorLVa95Xo[/embedyt]

After the ground backing Avengers, we start Phase 2 of the MCU with the third entry in the Iron Man trilogy. Is Iron Man 3 a great threequel or does it go down in flames?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 5 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story takes place after the Avengers and we see Tony Stark (Robert Downey JR.), doing his own thing and still trying to make improvements to his Iron Man suits. While everything seems to be holly jolly (Because this movie takes place around Christmas Time). The Ten Rings terrorist group resurfaces bring a new leader known as the Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley), he is threatening the President (William Sadler), with war and destroying certain monuments around the US. The newly branded Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle), is tasked with serving his country and putting a stop to Mandarin. While this is happening, an old colleague from Tony’s past, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), resurfaces with a new advanced form of genetic manipulation called Extremis. When Tony threatens the Mandarin with war, the Mandarin destroys Tony’s Mansion and he is saved by JARVIS who blasts him to rural Tennessee. While in Tennessee, he meets a young kid named Harley (Ty Simpkins), who helps Tony repair his suit and also investigate more into AIM. Tony is finally able to locate the source of the Mandarin broadcasts and breaks into the mansion using a bunch of cool DIY weapons. While he is there, he finds out the truth. The guy who we thought was the mandarin was nothing but an actor named Trevor Slattery (Sir Ben Kingsley). Tony is then captured along with Rhodes and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), Tony and Rhodes escape but the Iron Patriot suit is stolen from Rhodes. The president is then kidnapped from Air Force One by one of the Mandarins Extremis goons in the Iron Patriot suit. This all leads to one final confrontation at a docking area where the president is being dangled from a height in the Iron Patriot suit and it’s up to Tony and Rhodes to save him along with Pepper. This all leads to a giant epic battle with a whole lot of Iron Man suits and the big twist finally revealed to be Killian as the true Mandarin. After this, Tony saves Pepper, destroys all his suit and starts to rebuild a new life for him and Pepper. Tony gets the shrapnel removes and Pepper is cured of the Extremis.

One major theme of this movie is Rebirth. We see Tony trying to keep busy after the new york incident while he deals with PTSD, Insomnia and Panic Attacks. Then when everything is taken away from Tony, he rebuilds and defeats not only the bad guys but also comes to terms with his inner demons in the end. This is the best part about Iron Man 3 because every hero has to eventually rebuild themselves from the ground up in order to discover their true selves.

The acting in this movie is also good. RDJ always kills it as Iron Man and Tony Stark and he has practically become the real-life Iron Man in a way. Ben Kingsley also does a great job as the fake Mandarin and also as Trevor Slattery. Even though I still hate that twist, you can tell that Kingsley had fun with the dual role and he makes it work. Everyone else just kind of blends in and doesn’t leave such a mark on the viewer. Especially Guy Pierce as the real Mandarin. He doesn’t really make a great villain and ends up dying in the end so it’s just forgettable at best.

The CGI is another one of the stronger aspects of the film. Iron Man always looks great, the Extremis people look awesome but scary at the same time and the huge sets look impressive as well.

The Verdict:

I remembered Iron Man 3 being way better. The Mandarin twist was a huge piss off and I never liked that at all. However, I thought everything else in the movie was good. After rewatching it, I can say that Iron Man 3 is a mess. The story is fine but the execution and everything else about it is misguided or downright fails. Out of all the MCU movies to date, this one is one of the forgettable ones (But still not as bad as Incredible Hulk). The best way to sum up this movie is that it has a lot going on but no substance behind it.

6.5/10

Next up, we return to Asgard to see what Thor is up too in the other mixed bag of a film, Thor: The Dark World.

REVIEW: The Avengers (Road to Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the sixth movie in the lineup, The Avengers.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOrNdBpGMv8[/embedyt]

This is it folks, the big one, the conclusion to Phase 1 of the MCU. It’s been a long road so far but we have finally got the Avengers to assemble for the first time ever on screen. Does the film still hold up or it is best left in the dust?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 6 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story is simple and it feels like it was ripped out of the pages of an Avengers comic book. After getting the Tesseract and trying to study it, it starts to cause havoc and even opens up a portal to bring Loki (Tom Hiddleston), back from space. Once Loki is in the SHIELD base, he takes control of Hawkeye (Jeremy Reiner), Doctor Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård), and a few SHIELD guards. Loki and his crew escape with the Tesseract right before the building collapses. Most of the important SHIELD members escape and Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), calls in the Avengers to stop Loki. After the title credit rolls, we start the gathering of all the members of the Avengers. Once everyone is gathered, they are sent to Germany where they have tracked down Loki in order to capture him. After capturing Loki, they are all taken to a Helicarrier to start the search for the Tesseract. Things get heated between everyone when they discover that Nick Fury is hiding various secrets from the team and when they try to question him about it. They are ambushed by Loki’s crew who try to destroy the Helicarrier and break Loki out of his prison. After the destruction and the fights, half of the team is missing and the other half is hurt and trying to come up with a plan. The Avengers eventually all team up again for one big giant final clusterf**k of a battle in New York to stop Loki from destroying it.

The acting is just pure gold. This movie is the cream of the crop and you can tell that everyone in the cast knew that and it shows. The whole cast brought nothing but charming, fun, humour and action. I think the perfect word to describe the cast is Balanced. Everyone does their part, everyone is on point and everyone plays well with the others.

The CGI is simply the best we have ever seen in a Marvel film. The Alien creatures look outstanding, the Hulk looks better in this then Incredible Hulk, Loki’s powers look epic as usual and so many more awesome things. You can tell that this movie had a huge budget to work with and what we get on screen is absolutely beautiful.

The Avengers is also the first big comic book team-up movie to ever hit screens and what an event it was. This movie has set a precedent that no other comic book movie has been able to stop since (Although Black Panther is trying to claw it’s way up). There is a reason why this movie made $1.5 Billion when it was in theatres, it is just pure fun and awesome. This is a movie that everyone and anyone can sit down, watch and have a grand old time.

The Avengers is that it transcends being a movie. It is also an event because the depth and scale that this movie is able to achieve is a sight to behold. With the amount of money this movie made, you can tell that almost everyone has seen The Avengers. If someone you know or if you have managed to never have seen The Avengers, what are you even doing? Drop everything and see this movie.

The Verdict:

This is the best of the best. Avengers is a non-stop thrill ride that anyone and everyone can enjoy. The story feels like it was ripped out of a comic book, the cast is just on fire and everyone shines, and the CGI is the best money can buy (And you can bet it cost a lot). Everything about this movie is fun and it really is a one of a kind movie that will never be topped by anything that will come after. The Avengers came, they saw, and they assembled for the best Marvel movie ever.

10/10

Next up, we commence Phase 2 of the MCU with a movie that left everyone mixed, Iron Man 3.

REVIEW: Captain America: The First Avenger (Road to Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the fifth movie in the lineup, Captain America: The First Avenger.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JerVrbLldXw[/embedyt]

The first movie to feature the new Captain America and also the movie right before the biggest comic book movie of all time, Avengers. Is cap’s solo movie worth watching or should you just skip to Avengers?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 7 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story is, of course, an origin story for Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), who before becoming the super soldier we all know and love was a short and weak adult just wanting to join the army back in the 40s. Steve wanted nothing more than to join the army but his size and many illnesses stopped him from doing so. This all changes when Dr Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), gives Steve a chance because he feels that there is more to Steve then meets the eye. Steve is then drafted into the army and begins his training. Along the way, he meets Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones), and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell). They help Steve discover his full potential when he is injected with the Super Soldier serum. Along the way, we meet Hydra, the scientific division of the Nazi’s that study science and magic. Hydra is led by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), also known as the Red Skull. He discovers the Tesseract and uses it to create new weapons and power sources. Steve gathers a squad after a rescue mission to help save his best friend James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes (Sebastian Stan), to stop Hydra from spreading and helping the Nazis win the war. During the final mission, Steve and his squad stop Red Skull and derail his plans to nuke NYC. Although this mission causes Steve to sacrifice himself so that the war can be won but he doesn’t die, he just gets frozen in time. Fast forward to present day where Steve wakes up in a hospital room with the radio playing. Turns out this is all a rouse and Steve escapes to find himself in modern day NYC with Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), showing up to stop Steve and tell him what is happening.

Captain America: The First Avenger builds on the formula that previous MCU movies have now adapted and makes it shine. The story, although a flashback origin story, works really well and sets up the MCU and Avengers. The Tesseract and Captain America serve as a nice transition to the Avengers and also flesh out the MCU a lot to help it grow even more.

The acting in this movie is amazing. The whole cast is all around likeable and they all have great chemistry together. Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell and Tommy Lee Jones are some of the big names in this movie and they bring their A game to this movie.

The CGI is also very well done in this movie. You can tell that the effects and make-up evolve with each passing MCU movie, and it really shows how much work goes into every single film. Red Skull is a highlight of this movie because when you see what he actually looks like for the first time, it doesn’t look cheap or fake at all. Red Skull looks realistic and it helps bring a sense of realism to the movie.

The best CGI in this film has to be the short and sickly looking Steve Rogers. You can just tell by looking at him that its just someone with Chris Evans face over top and it can be distracting at times. However, that doesn’t mean its a bad thing. It shows just how much they wanted to get everything right about Captain America. You can tell by at this point that the MCU was gonna be a mainstay and that it was no longer a gamble with each passing movie.

The Verdict:

Move over Thor because Captain America: The First Avenger has become my new favourite MCU movie. The story is great, the acting is awesome and the CGI is amazing. This movie has aged very well (Just like Steve Rogers am I right?) and is a great movie from start to finish. If you haven’t seen this one or haven’t watched it in a while, you won’t be disappointed.

9/10

Next up is the big one people, the highest grossing comic book and MCU movie of all time. Of course, I am talking about The Avengers.

REVIEW: Thor (Road to Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the fourth movie in the lineup, Thor.

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The first MCU movie to take us to a new place far from earth to show us a new side of the MCU. Is Thor out of this world or should it be buried with the frost giants?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 7 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story of Thor is an origin story. It starts by Odin (Anthony Hopkins) telling a story to his children about how the battle with the frost giants long ago. After that, we cut to Thor (Chris Hemsworth) about to be named the new king of Asgard, when the frost giants invade the castle but don’t get very far. Angry that this happened, Thor swears to take down the frost giants with Odin telling him to stay away. Thor disobeys these orders and takes his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), and his Warrior friends to kill the frost giants once and for all. This quickly leads to a huge brawl with Odin having to save them in the end. After this, Odin banishes Thor to earth and takes away his powers. Thor spends a good chunk of the rest of the movie on earth with the scientists that take him in. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), and her friends slowly help and teach Thor the ways of earth people and they help Thor with getting his hammer back. After failing to get the hammer back, Thor is captured by SHIELD agents on the site and Jane and friends help get Thor out. When Thor is lost for the first time in his life, he talks to Jane and a romance slowly brews between the two. Meanwhile, Loki starts to turn everything again Thor and his father when he learns the truth about Loki being an adopted frost giant. This sends Loki into a rage and he becomes the new king of Asgard and sends the Destroyer to kill Thor. Once the hammer deems Thor worthy, he get’s his powers back, defeats the Destroyer and returns to Asgard to stop Loki and his evil plans. During the battle, Thor destroys the only way back to earth in order to save Asgard and the other nine realms from destruction.

The acting is pretty great from such a stellar cast. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston both are awesome in this film and really sell their roles as Thor and Loki. Anthony Hopkins also does an excellent job as Odin. Hopkins can play the fatherly type very well it and is awesome to see him as Odin. I didn’t like Natalie Portman as Jane. She comes off as the girl who is always there and she just feels like a forced love interest for Thor when there are better opinions. I will also mention that Kat Demmings is in this movie for some reason trying to play a smart nerdy looking girl but he is just more dull then Natalie Portman.

The CGI has great with some few exceptions. Like when Thor files or when he is hovering, it is really noticeable that it’s just an effect and comes off as kind of hokey. If you can look past that, everything else in this movie is gorgeous. From the Destroyer to Asgard itself, you can tell a lot of time and $$$ went into the effects and it pays off in a big way.

I should also mention that Thor strikes that perfect balance between world building, action and character development. Although some character development gets lost in the movie, it focuses on the most important characters like Thor, Loki, and some of the human cast that it really gives them their time to shine.

The villains aside from Loki are kind of bland. The frost giants look and act cool but in the end, they are just there to throw you off from the real villain and they end up giving you the cold shoulder (Sorry not sorry for the ice puns).

The Verdict:

Out of the 4 MCU movies I have rewatched, so far this one is my favourite. Although I know that’s not really saying much now, just hear me out. Thor is a great movie from start to finish. The story is great, the acting is great (except for Natalie and Kat), and the effects look great. I had a blast watching this and I bet you will too.

8.5/10

Next up is Captain America’s first movie before the Avengers. Better known as Captain America: The First Avenger.

REVIEW: Iron Man 2 (Road To Infinity War)

Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the third movie in the lineup, Iron Man 2.

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The sequel to the successful start of the MCU. Does it still hold up after 8 years or does this suit need to be left behind?

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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 8 years old, you should have seen it already).

The story takes place after Iron Man in Russia where we are introduced to the main villain of the movie Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), and we see his father is about to pass away. Right before he does, he lets Vanko have the plans to his fathers work and Vanko creates his own Arc Reactor. On the other side of the world, we see Tony Stark (Robert Downey JR.), kicking off the year-long Stark Expo event in New York. Shortly afterwards, he is forced to appear in court to debate control over the Iron Man Suit. He wins the case and continues his playboy lifestyle when Vanko shows up at the Grand Prix that Tony is participating in and attacks him. After Vanko is caught and sent to jail, he is then set free in order to work for Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), to recreate the Iron Man Suit. After a house party gone wrong, James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), steals an Iron Man Suit and takes it to the military to be modified. After the fight, Tony gets the attention of SHIELD and they give him his fathers secrets in order to make a new type of ARC reactor so Tony can prevent his Death. After Vanko makes new Iron Man drones, Hammer goes to the Stark Expo to present them, when Vanko takes control and everything goes wrong. Tony and Rhodes put on their suits to fight the drones and Vanko to save the day.

The acting in Iron Man 2 on par with the first Iron Man. Robert Downey JR. continues to show why he is the only Iron Man we need and why he is Iron Man. Don Cheadle and Sam Rockwell are also worth mentioning because they bring the comedy and action to the movie and serve as perfect balances and counterparts to RDJ. I should also mention that this is the first time we see Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff and she kills it. Mrs Romanoff is both gorgeous and can also kick butt all in one.

The CGI is also on par with the first Iron Man (Are you starting to see a pattern here?). The War Machine and Iron Man suits look awesome and can really put in some work. The suits may not be real but you will want one for yourself after watching this. I should also mention that Vanko’s whiplash suit also looks awesome. The prototype one looks cool but the final suit at the end of the movie looks really cool as well.

One bad thing I will say about Iron Man 2 is that it doesn’t try to top the first movie. Most movie sequels try and outshine their first outing but, Iron Man 2 doesn’t try to do this. The movie instead goes for showing more and introducing more characters. However, it also tries to play it safe as well but trying to follow the formula of the first movie. That is a choice that harms the film in the end because instead of going bigger and better, it goes bigger but skips the better which is a shame. Iron Man 2 shows it had potential but instead just only gives the minimum effort.

The Verdict:

While it isn’t as bad as Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 also isn’t better than Iron Man. Iron Man 2 tries to emulate the formula of the first one but, also try to play things safe. Sequels are supposed to be bigger and better than the first. Iron Man 2 puts in the effort to be a good movie, just not a great sequel to Iron Man.

7/10

Next up on the list, we take a trip to Asgard to see what our favourite Norse God is up too in Thor.