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.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOddp-nlNvQ[/embedyt]
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.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKtcmiifycU[/embedyt]
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.
REVIEW: The Incredible Hulk (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the second movie in the lineup, The Incredible Hulk
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbqNb2PFKKA[/embedyt]
This one has mostly been forgotten but is still in canon with the MCU. Is the second movie in the MCU a hulk smash or a pass?
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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 10 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story is about Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) on the run from the government and looking to cure his Gamma sickness (AKA The Hulk). When he is discovered by the Military lead by Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) and is forced to flee his house and avoid getting captured. When he is cornered in the same factory he worked at, he turns into the Hulk and goes on a rampage. After nearly escaping, Bruce is once again lost and on the run when he is picked up and travels back to the USA to try and finally get a cure. However, while back in the US, he comes across his old lover Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler), she wants to help Bruce by any means possible. This leads the couple to New York where when they make the cure but all is lost when a Super Soldier went wrong Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) uses Bruce’s blood to gain more power and become the Abomination. This leads to a final showdown in New York when Hulk and Abomination clash with Hulk winning and saving the day (Of Course). In Conclusion, Bruce leaves to go to BC and Thunderbolt Ross gets an unexcepted visitor which turns out to be Tony Stark (Robert Downey JR.) who wants to talk about the Avengers Initiative.
Right off the bat, I want to say that this film comes across as dull and boring at times. Sure it has plenty of action but it’s done in such a way that it feels more like white noise than anything exciting. The only good part of the film is the last 30 mins with the fight between Hulk and Abomination and the RDJ cameo at the end. This is really bad when this is supposed to be a continuation of the fresh MCU.
The acting in this movie is also dull as well, everyone in this movie looks like they don’t want to be there and they are only doing this because they got better things to do. The performances are also bland with everyone in the cast trying too little or not even trying at all. The worst has to be Liv Tyler, she basically whispers all of her lines and comes off as annoying as well. The best performance in this film is from Tim Roth, sure he looks bored as well but, you can tell he is having fun playing the proto super soldier.
For all the negative I have been giving the film, the CGI still holds up after 10 years. The Hulk and Abomination look visually pleasing and are awesome to see on screen. It feels like more work and effort was put into the CGI then the rest of the movie itself.
The Verdict:
Before watching this movie, I kept thinking, “Why is this movie so forgotten by most MCU fans?”. Well, now I finally have the answer, it’s because this movie is dull. The story is simple but the execution is what falls apart. The acting is also dull and no one seems to be trying in this movie. When the only good thing about the movie is the end and the CGI, you really done screwed it up. I can only recommend you watch the last 30 mins of this film. Other then that, this is most definitely a hulk pass.
5/10
Next up on the list, we look at the sequel to the excellent Iron Man, Iron Man 2. Is Iron Man 2 a worthy sequel or will it derail the franchise?
REVIEW: Iron Man (Road to Infinity War)
This is it folks! The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event has begun!
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With Infinity War coming out this May, we will be going back and reviewing every single MCU movie in release order! After all, every end has a beginning. So let’s start at the beginning with Iron Man.
Iron Man is the first movie in the now famous MCU and even 10 years after it’s release, does the movie still hold up?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hYlB38asDY[/embedyt]
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 10 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story of Iron Man is an origin story for Tony Stark, played by the famous and expensive Robert Downey JR. After a weapons testing, Tony get’s ambushed and captured by the Ten Rings. They demand that Tony Build them the Jericho missile and then they will kill him afterwards. However, along with us saviour and cellmate, Yinsen, they secretly build a prototype Iron Man suit to help them escape. After Tony barely escapes with the suit, he is rescued and learns he has been gone for 3 months and tries to shut down production of his weapons for good, after seeing all the harm he has caused with them. However, Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges, has other plans for not only the weapons but Tony’s prototype suit as well.
The story is easy and simple to follow which is one of the strong aspects of the movie. Iron Man has had a strange and crazy ride in the comics and seeing as this is the first movie, they had plenty of material to choose from. Now, I haven’t read a single issue of Iron Man so I don’t know if this story is from the comics for not. So, it’s nice to see them go for their own story of good vs. evil. It’s this moral dilemma that Tony has is what makes him so likeable and charming.
It also helps that the acting in this movie is awesome. Robert Downey JR. is the star of the show and he nails Tony Stark and Iron Man. Jeff Bridges is also very charming and can also be menacing as the villain of the movie. Everyone else in the cast did a great job as well.
The CGI also still holds up after 10 years and seeing some amazing improvements with each new Marvel film. From the Iron Man suits, weapons testing and Tonys mansion. You can see that they did not want to get the look and feel of Iron Man wrong. Because if they did, we wouldn’t have an MCU after all and just try to imagine a world without the MCU.
One thing to also point out is how this movie doesn’t try and spend it’s time building a universe. The movie is focused on the character and only drops little hints to make it feel grander in scale. This is the perfect set up for a solo movie and it also feels like if this movie did bomb, it would have been a one and done.
The Verdict:
Iron Man is not only a great superhero movie, it’s also a great popcorn flick. It’s also a really impressive start to what we call the MCU. No one really knew who Iron Man was until this movie put him and RDJ on the map. Iron Man isn’t perfect, but it get’s the job done and is a great start to a new universe.
8/10
Alright, one down, 16 more to go. Stick around because up next will be the mostly forgotten but still in canon, The Incredible Hulk.