WandaVision - Walk Across The Bridge With Me

***WARNING: Have you watched WandaVision yet? If not, there are spoilers ahead, so if you don't want to be spoiled, hold off on reading! And what are you waiting for? Get Disney+ and watch WandaVision. If you're an MCU fan, it's a must!***

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By Source, Fair use, WandaVision Logo

I'm going to be brief with this post, so no over-analyzing everything! I know, that's super tough since I'm always so long-winded. Let's see what I can do. ;)

First, I have to say that I was thrilled when WandaVision finally aired. Too long of a dry spell for new MCU movies! We'd started re-watching some of the movies at one point because we were craving more Marvel. And overall, for the first Disney+ MCU series, I thought it was great.

I know some people felt the series started off too slowly, but I actually enjoyed that slow build. Just a little bit of weirdness in each episode to pull me along. I mean, if you're an MCU fan and have seen most of the movies, you know something is clearly wrong here when Wanda and Vision are in a sitcom. And magic is the logical answer. I mean, Vision is dead, right? Right? OK, OK, comic fans know better. Is anyone ever really dead?

WandaVision sets up a lot to be explored in future movies and series. Because of that, it's really a bridge series. Yes, it still has a story with a full arc of Wanda dealing with her grief. Honestly, though, it felt more like a vehicle to line things up for things like Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness as well as establishing S.W.O.R.D. and Monica Rambeau. That's probably the series' biggest flaw, in my opinion. Not a huge one, by any means.

Along with Wanda, I enjoyed reminiscing over the different style sitcoms. I grew up on sitcoms, too, pretty much, so I recognized so many references. I'm sure I missed some, too!

One of the biggest pluses of this being a TV series instead of a movie is the room to breathe and build the world and characters. It didn't feel like I was being info-dumped on (maybe a little in the "Previously On" episode, but it added so many layers to Wanda, that it's easily forgiven). I'm looking forward to the other series ahead, especially Loki. I think TV series sometimes do better than movies since there's so much more time to explore different paths.

Finally, I love the design of the MCU Scarlet Witch costume! I totally want to be Scarlet Witch for Halloween.

Look, I kept that a bit shorter than usual, didn't I? Lol. I know I didn't delve into much, but I can emphatically say that I enjoyed the series, and I'm looking forward to more Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

If you've watched WandaVision, what do you think? Do you agree it feels like a bridge? Did you love it, hate it, or are you somewhere in between?

Spider-Man: Far From Home - MJ Rocks

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen Spider-Man: Far From Home you may not want to read ahead. Per usual, there are spoilers. I know, you may think nothing can top Avengers: End-Game, but if you're looking for some humor and a lighter story, just go watch Spider-Man already.***

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Spider-Man: Far From Home Movie Poster

With every new Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie, I seem to have a harder time gathering my thoughts and writing up my opinions. This may mainly be because I go into them now with the pure intent to have fun, relax, and enjoy myself. So, being critical can be hard!

What am I getting at? You're probably not going to see a lot of critical commentary here on Spider-Man: Far From Home. I stepped into the theater expecting a fun, humorous superhero flick, and that's exactly what I got. It's actually kind of awesome how even though the MCU movies are all connected, you can head into one knowing what kind of mood to expect depending on what the focus is -- not every MCU title has the same mood. Spider-Man lends to humor, teen angst, and action. It really does tickle my funny bone, and I love that.

Also, as a side note, I have not yet seen Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. I've been meaning to, and I'm excited to watch it, but just haven't found the time. So, no comparisons between that and Far From Home in this post!

I guess I should start talking about the movie, right?

Hands down, my favorite character was MJ. I mean, are you all that surprised? If you've read any of my past posts about MCU movies, you shouldn't be. Anyway, I know some purists want the "typical" MJ, but I'm definitely a big fan of this version. She's not the damsel in distress that's been so overdone. She's smart (yes, she figured out Peter was Spider-Man), headstrong, and willing to defend herself if need be (she grabs a freaking morning star!). And then at the end, it's not Peter rushing to check if she's all right. Nope. MJ runs to check if Peter's all right. I really loved that switch.

Though MJ wasn't what you'd normally find in the comics, Mysterio's fish bowl helmet was plucked straight from the pages, which made a lot of people happy. I'd never read anything with Mysterio before this, but his extravagant costume does lend to his pompous personality in the movie, so it fits. And everybody knew Mysterio wasn't a good guy, no matter how much they wanted us to believe it with the previews. Right when Peter was handing over the glasses, I screamed, "No! You're in idiot! Don't do that!" inside. It was kind of fun how Mysterio created such an elaborate plan to trick Peter -- he not only created illusions with tech, but with his story as well.

I also found myself thinking "Poor, Peter," quite often. All he wanted to do was have a nice, normal school trip. And then we get the mid-credit scene. His life will never be normal again! That will be awesome to see unfold.

But what about the end-credit scene? I know some people missed it! I think it left far more questions, though. My biggest question is how did Talos and Soren play Fury and Hill so well? To a tee! And for how long have they been doing it? But I did catch the hint drop earlier in the movie when Fury said not to invoke Captain Marvel's name -- I found it odd phrasing and wanted an explanation. Well, I got it. Totally makes sense that Talos would say something like that. So, it's when he briefly slipped out of Fury's character.

Honestly, I don't have tons to pick on about the movie. Was it perfect? No. Did I have loads of fun watching it? Yes. And for me, that was my main goal. I was a little disappointed that we didn't get the multiverse payoff, though.

I will say, after all the new announcements about Phase 4 of the MCU, I'm really excited for The Eternals and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Especially the latter one. ;)

Avengers: Endgame - How Does Time Travel Work Again?

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead! As this post has been delayed a bit, I seriously hope you've seen Avengers: Endgame already. If not, though, this is your friendly warning that there are spoilers up ahead. This movie is hard to talk about without spoiling anything!***

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Avengers: Endgame Movie Poster

Hubbie partly didn't want to see Avengers: Endgame because he was afraid they wouldn't deliver the pay off after so much build up from the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies. I understood his trepidation, but my eagerness squashed any doubts of my own. And I'm happy I went into the movie without that fear because they did a marvelous job of bringing The Infinity Saga to a close (and Hubbie was worried for nothing).

The clear focus of Endgame was to wrap up the story arcs of many of the Avengers -- the ones we've seen grow over several movies. Now, I would have loved to see more Captain Marvel, of course, but I know her story is just beginning, and we'll get plenty more of her in future movies. So, it was nice to see the focus on Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye (Ronin), Hulk, and Thor. The ends of their stories needed to shine instead of being taken over by the newer Avengers.

Not only do we definitely see the endings, we're reminded of the beginnings as they travel back in time. This was an excellent way to show how far they'd all come. It felt like things were coming full circle. And certain experiences when they visited the past had direct impact on their decisions at the end, especially for Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.

Now, I know some people aren't sure what to make of the time travel logic in Endgame. They insist it's not like Back to the Future, but it is a lot to wrap your head around. Part of me thinks they tried to make it too complicated so most people would just give up trying to figure it out and accept it as is (that's pretty much where I've landed -- OK, whatever -- lol). I also realized, after a lot of thought, that this was their way of introducing the Multiverse.

I mean, every good ending also has a new beginning in it, right? They might have ended the stories of some of the characters, but they needed to get the next major arc going, and I think they opened the door just enough to the idea of the Multiverse without leaving people flailing.

Not only did they set up the Multiverse, but Loki's soon to be Disney+ series as well. Even before the directors mentioned that Loki's little escape act with the Tesseract splintered off a new timeline, I realized that that was going to be the whole start of his new series. Super excited about this! I honestly hope that many of the MCU series they have planned for Disney+ will have to do with the Multiverse and alternate timelines. Who knows, for all we know they planted several other seeds in Endgame that we won't realize until later.

Now, well I felt the movie was well done and a fitting end to The Infinity Saga (though supposedly Spider-Man: Far From Home is supposed to close out Phase 3), I did have some qualms.

While I'm all for the female Avengers banding together and fighting as a group (I really, really want more female led MCU/superhero movies), I felt the scene where they all faced Thanos together was a bit too contrived. I'm not saying it shouldn't have happened, but I wanted it to feel more natural, just like when several of the women were fighting together at the end of Infinity War -- that scene worked far better than the one we had in Endgame. I just hope that if the rumors about a female ensemble MCU movie prove to be true, that they gather in a way that makes sense and doesn't feel forced. If done right, it would be amazing.

My last two issues are more worries for future movies.

We all know a Black Widow movie is coming out, which will be a prequel. In Endgame, we see Black Widow sacrifice herself. This is a heart-wrenching moment, especially since she's clearly become the glue that holds everyone together over the five years after the snap. But my major worry is, now that Black Widow is dead, how will a prequel fit into the next MCU story arc? One of the best things about the MCU movies is that they're all interconnected, parts of a whole. And I really do hope that they find a way to integrate the Black Widow movie into the the next arc instead of it feeling like more of a stand alone (and afterthought).

Finally, I'm really hoping Thor isn't in the next Guardians movie. Don't get me wrong, I loved Thor: Ragnarok, and Thor's interactions with the Guardians at the beginning of Infinity War were amusing, but I don't want him to be a major part of Guardians of the Galaxy 3. I fear his character would overshadow the chemistry between the Guardians. So, here's hoping they drop him off somewhere between the end of Endgame and the beginning of Guardians 3.

On the other hand, I'm looking forward to them searching for Gamora! And since it's not the Gamora who was in love with Star Lord, they'll have to go through the whole relationship building again once she does join them. They needed to bring Gamora back, and I'm glad the Multiverse has allowed for that possibility.

That was a lot to unpack. And man, I'm sure I could touch on so many other things, but I think I'll leave it here.

What do you think? Did Avengers: Endgame do justice to the end of the MCU Infinity Saga?

Captain Marvel - Higher, Further, Faster

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead! Oh, yes, so many spoilers. What, you haven't seen Captain Marvel yet? Well, get your butt to a theater -- you won't regret it. If you'd rather not be spoiled, don't read on. If you've seen Captain Marvel already, I hope you enjoy my comments.***

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Captain Marvel Movie Poster

It's taken me a while to finally post about Captain Marvel, partly due to life getting in the way last month, but also because I really feel like my response to this movie just won't do it justice. There are so many great things about it. If I miss something, feel free to add what you enjoyed in the comments!

First, I got to say I was super excited for this movie for an unimaginably long time. Every time Hubbie or I would mention it, I'd likely squee with excitement (and subsequently get strange looks from Hubbie, of course). It was about time the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) introduced a female led movie. Actually, long overdue. And thankfully it did well at the box office, which gives me hope there will be plenty more MCU movies with a woman at the helm.

One of the refreshing things about Captain Marvel is the lack of romantic relationships. For some reason, whenever movies are made with female leads, they try to shove in some type of romance. Even though I also loved Wonder Woman, it still made sure to add in a romance subplot -- this subplot was subsequently one of the driving forces to get Diana to act. In Captain Marvel, though, there was none of that. This also made Carol's other relationships stronger and stand out more, especially with her best friend and best friend's daughter. It showed that a woman doesn't need a love interest to spur her forward.

Along with that, it gave her a great arc that at the end she accepted she didn't have to prove anything to anybody, especially Yon-Rogg, her superior. They could have fouled all this up by having a romantic relationship between the two, but they did an awesome job keeping it platonic, so when she stands up to him at the end the impact of her actions are much stronger.

Carol Danvers is a great female character, but I also loved young Monica Rambeau. Even at her age, she has a lot of determination. I really hope they decide to turn her into Photon in the MCU down the line (maybe we'll even see her in Avengers: Endgame? I can only hope). Monica clearly gets her strong will from her mother, Maria, and Aunt Carol. They did so well building so many strong female characters in this movie, Mar-Vell (aka Dr. Wendy Lawson) included, even though we don't see much of her.

Now, the above is clearly what made me the most excited, but it's not the only thing. 90s nostalgia anyone?

I know, not everyone will get nostalgic depending on their age, but I sure did. I was a 90s child, after all. Maybe I should have used my Game Boy to create an interstellar communications device? Lol. And it was probably the best Stan Lee cameo ever with the reference to his role in Chasing Amy. Blockbuster, pagers, and the songs -- oh, the songs! Hubbie and I were both geeking out over all the 90s memories.

And how can I not mention Goose? I've now taken to calling our little buff tabby cat (though ours is a girl) a flerken. It's fitting that Goose takes out Nick Fury's eye, too. I understand this and a few other things might lend themselves to some inconsistencies in the MCU since Captain Marvel is a prequel, but it's all too fun to matter, in my opinion.

Speaking of Goose, I missed the post-credits scene when he hacked up the Tesseract. I blame Hubbie! He claimed there wasn't another scene after the first one. Clearly, he was mistaken.

OK, I think I've gushed long enough. You think I liked the movie? I mean, I did buy two Captain Marvel sweatshirts already and have my eye on a t-shirt or two. I wanted the flerken Funko Pop, but it was sold out already once I found out about it.

What do you think about Captain Marvel? Did you have as much fun watching it as I did?

Ant-Man and The Wasp - Awesome Team

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen Ant-Man and The Wasp yet, you may not want to read the post below until you have. And I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to see it, especially if you like to laugh. So, go on, watch the movie, then come back and read my thoughts.***

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Ant-Man and The Wasp Movie Poster

Ant-Man and The Wasp -- I'd been looking forward to this movie ever since the first installment of Ant-Man, which was a hilarious movie, and one of my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe titles. They definitely tried to keep up the humor in this sequel, so I'll give a thumbs up for consistency. Though, I have to admit, while I enjoyed the movie, it still wasn't quite as good as the first where they hit things more on the head with the humor.

Luis's tangents were funny, per usual, and I loved it that Scott's ex-wife's current husband who hated Scott in the first movie now loved him and was hugging him all the time. That reversal was fun.

In Ant-Man and The Wasp we see the repercussions of Scott's actions from Captain America: Civil War. And because Scott is under house arrest, it makes this movie more centralized, taking place in one city. Now I know some people didn't like that it wasn't integrated as much into the rest of the MCU as some of the other movies, but I think it worked. This movie was happening during all the events of Avengers: Infinity War, so it makes sense that Scott doesn't get mixed up in all of that. The nice thing about most of the MCU titles is that even if there's not a ton of weaving with the other movies or characters, it feels like it still fits in the whole universe, and that's what Ant-Man and The Wasp felt like to me -- I knew it was part of the MCU, and there were just enough references in the movie to make it feel that way. Any more and it would have been too much for me, I think.

One of the best things about this movie was that both Ant-Man and Wasp pretty much got equal screen time. If anything, Wasp might have had more kick ass scenes than Ant-Man. I was thrilled to see that she wasn't relegated to a sidekick and that she had a central role in the movie. Quite frankly, since the movie focused on finding Hope's mother, it should have been titled The Wasp and Ant-Man instead!

The whole family theme throughout the movie was great. This wasn't a story of huge, global repercussions, but more personal journeys. And I think it was well-placed after Infinity War since it brought us all back down to Earth (literally and figuratively).

And the villains even reflected this focus. I know, I know, some of you didn't think the villains were big and bad enough. But they weren't the point of the movie, really. They were simply obstacles in the way of saving Janet from the quantum realm. Sonny Burch was your typical money-hungry criminal, and there was just enough of him, in my opinion. Ghost, on the other hand, was a woman striving to stay alive -- quite a different motivation. And in the end, her story was connected to the family theme as well. She'd lost her family in the accident that changed her, but at the end we see that Bill had become her family, since he refused to abandon her.

The one thing with Ghost I would have liked to see was a better fleshing out of her backstory. We pretty much got a big, old info dump. I know they tried to make fun of the fact that they were info dumping, but it wasn't enough to actually forgive the huge info dump that it was. I also figured Janet was going to be able to help her from being in the quantum realm for so long -- saw that not-so-much twist miles away.

And then we had the mid-credits scene. I knew that was coming, too, I just didn't know who was going to be effected. Scott didn't turn to ash, but Hope, Hank, and Janet did! Poor Ant-Man, stuck in the quantum realm. I was hoping for a Captain Marvel reference, but there wasn't anything blatant. I read an article though that mentions she may actually be stuck in the quantum realm? Which would make it connected, however not something neither I nor my husband caught when we first saw the scene.

Overall, I think Ant-Man and The Wasp was well-balanced and it gave me lots of laughs. I'd love to go see it again soon, but I'm also really looking forward to Captain Marvel and how she'll be integrated into the MCU.

Avengers: Infinity War - Wow, Just Wow

***WARNING: I know Avengers: Infinity War hasn't even been out for a week, so you might not have seen it yet. However, there are a lot of spoilers below. It's hard not to spoil something when talking about this movie. And if you've been following any of the other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, you should really just go out and see the third Avengers movie already! But if you don't want spoilers before you do so, come back and read this post after you've seen the movie.*** ❦

Avengers: Infinity War Movie Poster

I went into Avengers: Infinity War fully expecting some characters to die. With as huge of a cast as this movie has, it was bound to happen.

But I didn't think I'd find myself saying, "Not Loki!" in the first five minutes. Ack! I felt a little betrayed. (Heimdall, too!)

Now, I know comic books are famous for killing people off and bringing them back. I fully expect the MCU to be the same. I mean, Loki came back once already, though this time even Thor admits that he's not likely coming back this time. Which sucks. My hubbie made a good point, though. Loki's story arc is pretty much played out. Not that I want to fully accept that, along with his death, but part of me knows it's true.

Honestly, the beginning of Infinity War is what bugs me the most about the movie. Not because of Loki's death (I mean, I'm upset, but I get it), but because of how it felt like the movie that came directly before it, Thor: Ragnarok, felt kind of pointless. Ragnarok was a great movie, and at the end Thor saved as many Asgardians as he could. To only have Thanos wipe them out? And off screen? I know he only supposedly kills half of each race. Haven't the Asgardians lost enough already, though? It just felt like everything Thor did, in the end, didn't matter. Kind of a big blow when that was the previous movie. (Also off screen is the "decimation" of Xandar, the planet the Guardians saved in their first movie -- though this stings, it's not as much, since that movie is further in the past.)

Wait, you think I didn't like the movie? On the contrary, I loved it! My issues with the beginning aside, Avengers: Infinity War was excellent. With so many characters, it could have easily fallen apart, but I thought balancing them all was done wonderfully well. And Thanos. Wow, just wow. Now that's a well-rounded villain. You could totally see how he came to his conclusions and why he wanted to destroy half of the population of the universe. He thought he was doing the right thing -- it made complete sense to him, and he felt his actions would mean that he'd save life in the universe. The addition of seeing his deep love for Gamora rounded him out even more. This movie was Thanos's story, pure and simple. The Avengers? All the other characters? Just part of Thanos's tale, really secondary characters in this movie, which is probably why they felt so well-balanced.

But speaking of Gamora... Ack! She was one of those characters at the top of my list that I didn't want to die. I was so pissed when Thanos killed her. Again, I get why. Totally makes sense. That doesn't make me any less pissed. For her, though, I suspect she's not going to stay dead. I'll leave my theories until last, though.

The other kind of issue with Infinity War is the end. It's not really an end. It stops in the middle of the story arc. This is clearly a Part 1, and that might upset some people who expect a full story. The cliffhangers push the writer in me toward a brain aneurysm, just a little. You can betray a lot of readers if you end a novel on a cliffhanger. But again, for Infinity War, I get it. This is a huge story, and it needed two parts. Ending it with Thanos watching his sunset works and is fitting, if they needed to stop it in the middle. All is lost now, right? Many of the Avengers turned to ash. Hell, Rocket is the only Guardian left (unless you count Nebula)!

It's an emotional end. Now, I usually get pretty over-emotional about things, but I didn't at the end of Infinity War because I knew it was coming. I knew Thanos was going to snap his fingers, and we were going to lose many of our beloved characters. Not because I read spoilers, either (I didn't -- I don't, and made sure hubbie didn't this time). I expected it. Though my hubbie and I were pretty shocked that Cap and Stark were still standing at the end. There's always a chance they're fall in Part 2, though.

What else do I expect? For time to be turned back. Here come my suppositions for Part 2. All those characters who turned to ash will be back. They have to be. Can't have the next slated Spider-Man movie otherwise. And the next Guardian movie would be Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3: The Lone Raccoon (Rodent/Rabbit - hehe). At the end of Infinity War, Thanos's glove is melted, ruined, but the infinity stones are still in one piece, including the Time stone. Doctor Strange did mention that giving up the stone was the only way they'd come out of this -- the only way they'd win. Now that Thanos can't control all of the stones with the gauntlet, the remaining Avengers will find a way to get the Time stone back and use it to turn back the clock.

However, this turning back of the clock will be limited to those who turned to ash, those who died from Thanos's finger snap. Which means Vision, Loki, Heimdall, and Gamora will still be dead (crap). The Time stone isn't the only way to bring back the dead, though. My other guess and expectation is that Guardians Vol. 3 will be Quill and gang seeking a way to bring back Gamora. And they'll find a way! (They damned well better because if one of my fav kick ass female characters is permanently taken away, I will be beyond pissed -- her story isn't over, damn it.)

Of course, all of that is just my speculation. We definitely know that many of the fallen can't stay dead because of other movies that are already planned.

So, who do you think is going to make it to the end of Part 2? And how impatient are you for next year?

Powerful Women in Black Panther

***WARNING: Haven't you seen Black Panther yet? Oh, well, if you haven't, you may not want to read on, as there are spoilers below. I've seen it, and if we didn't have to watch our pennies, I'd go see it again in the theater. It was that good. So, go on, add to its box office numbers if you haven't already!***

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Black Panther Movie Poster

It's actually really hard for me to talk about Black Panther because I feel like I'm not going to do it justice. There's so many layers to the movie that this measly little blog post won't be able to cover it all. Plus I'm sure there are layers that I don't understand as deeply as many other people. I'll leave those layers to the more knowledgeable ones.

The main layer I want to delve into is all the strong women in this movie! OK, so this isn't really going to be a typical review, but more of a reflection (and I'm going to try to keep it brief). I'll probably mention more than just the strong female characters, but don't expect me to pick the movie apart.

Wow, I have to say, wow. I mean, I'd been looking forward to this movie for a long time. It got to the point where my husband was poking fun at me because I'd squee every time a preview came on. It called to me, and I knew it would be different (in a good way) than the other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it was. But I had no clue how many powerful women would be in it. This made me love it even more.

Shuri, Nakia, and Okoye -- these three women stole the show. Almost literally. Many times their characters overshadowed Black Panther/T'Challa himself. It honestly felt more like a movie about the people surrounding and supporting Black Panther, not just a focus on Black Panther. And his strongest support are all women.

The beauty of these three women, though, is that they are very different from each other.

Shuri has a razor-sharp wit along with a razor-sharp brain (she totally reminded me of Q from James Bond with all of her awesome gadgets). In a pinch, she's also still willing to jump into a fight. How cool are her panther guns? I may have just ordered a Funko Pop of her yesterday from Hot Topic. ;)

Nakia is the love interest for Black Panther, but she's not fawning all over him, and she makes it clear that her life goals are more important than love. While Black Panther still tries to nudge her, he still understands who she is and needs to be. I love it that he's not trying to protect her the whole movie because he knows she can take care of herself. Nakia also declares she's not a fighter, but a spy, even though by the end she jumps into the fighting and kicks plenty of ass.

Finally, Okoye, is a fierce warrior. One who is devoted to tradition and the culture of Wakanda. She even refuses to support T'Challa's family when he (seemingly) loses the challenge to Killmonger. She fears nothing, and she'll defend whoever's on the throne, unless they break or ignore the rules.

I seriously can't wait until the second movie, and I hope some of these women show up in some of the other movies in the MCU!

One final thought from me, but about Wakanda. I enjoyed the integration of culture and tradition right alongside technological advancement. It was nice to see the technology didn't destroy the culture that existed in this society. There was also a bit of a mix of fantasy among the science fiction with the Heart-Shaped Herb and the spirit realm.

As I mentioned earlier, there are so many layers, and I thought for the most part they were woven together wonderfully.

"Wakanda forever!"

Thor: Ragnarok... Rocks!

***WARNING: Spoilers! Spoilers! If you haven't seen Thor: Ragnarok yet and don't want things to be ruined for you, you're advised to click away and not read the comments below.***

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Thor: Ragnarok Movie Poster

Yes, yes, the title is a little cheesy. Forgive me, I just got over super sick and now I'm getting sick again. I'd put this post off longer, but it's been put off long enough. But I promise you, since it's the holidays and everyone is busy, this will be short and sweet. It's hard to be my chatty self when I'm not feeling the best. ;)

We went to see Thor: Ragnarok opening weekend, and it lived up to my excitement going into it. I know the previous two Thor movies weren't the best, but from the previews of Thor: Ragnarok, I had high hopes for this one. And it didn't disappoint.

It is kind of sad, though, that it took three movies to finally get to a decent Thor movie. Thor: Ragnarok is by far the best of the bunch.

I think the biggest highlight of this movie was the character arc for Thor. This movie was truly a coming-of-age movie for him. Anything that came before this pretty much boils down to the antics of youth. I guess when you're a god, adolescence might extend a bit longer than most people, so even though Thor was never clearly a teenager in any of the previous MCU movies, once Thor: Ragnarok was released, you could completely feel how his previous actions were very much like a teenager.

Well, Thor finally had to grow up, and it was done with a great conflict with Hela. The fact that she was his sister made the conflict all the better. And you got to have Loki in the mix with all of that -- his ever selfish self. Loki was definitely true to character, and you know he snatched the Tesseract even as he was helping Asgard rid itself of Hela (I mean, it's got to be available for Thanos to grab for Avengers: Infinity War).

The other endearing thing about this movie was the humor. I am by and far a Guardians of the Galaxy fan girl, and most of that is due to the humor. I was glad to see that kind of humor brought into a Thor movie. Even though the core conflict was pretty serious, the humor added to the story and rounded out the characters.

However, I do admit at points they took the humor a little too far. There were a few spots that it felt inappropriate. The main one that comes to mind is near the end when Korg mentions squishing his friend. It's a rather serious moment as they're escaping an exploding Asgard, and I felt the attempted humor was misplaced at that point.

I promised short and sweet, didn't I? Well, that's all I got for now. I highly recommend Thor: Ragnarok, if you haven't seen it yet. If anything, you'll get a laugh, but I'm happy to say that the story and character growth was there as well instead of the humor being used as a crutch. I can't wait to see what Thor does next now that he's had to grow up.

Baby Groot! (Well, More Like Toddler Groot)

WARNING: Spoilers! Per usual, there are spoilers in the post below. If you haven't seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and don't want to be spoiled, surf away from this post and come back once you've seen it. However, if you don't mind knowing what happens in a movie before you see it, by all means, continue reading (just don't get mad).

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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Movie Poster

"I am Groot!" Oh, that little voice -- so gosh darn adorable. And as expected, Baby Groot was my favorite character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Of course, since I'm in the middle of dealing with my own toddler, I totally think he's more of a toddler than a baby. You know, doing the exact opposite thing that he's asked? Yeah. He didn't quite seem to hit threenager status yet, though. ;)

So, for all of you people who thought Drax stole the show, while he had some hilarious lines, I still think Groot was the best.

OK, maybe I started in the middle of the review instead of at the beginning, but I had to express my love for Groot. It was a must. MUST. Let's try this again...

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a great movie. A lot of humor, as expected. Action as well. Great alien races and locations. However, it wasn't as good as the first. Let's face it, when the first in a series is a major hit, it's going to be hard to follow it up with a sequel that's just as great, or better. The first one hit all of its beats (in my opinion), but the second movie did have moments where it sagged a bit.

One of the reason for this was because the team had to split up near the beginning. A lot of the greatness of the first movie was due to the interaction of the entire team. Vol. 2 starts out with this awesome play between their personalities. They're all fighting a monster as hired mercenaries. One of the best opening scenes ever as the main fight is in the background for most of it while Baby Groot is dancing around and the opening credits are rolling. They even tip the hat to the Groot in a pot scene where he freezes when Drax looks at him.

But then they crash, and Starlord's dad shows up. We then have the team split up, since Rocket needs to fix the ship, and Baby Groot stays with him. Not that there aren't fun moments when they aren't all together, but it really picks back up once they're all reunited.

It's still chock full of 80s references, which is awesome, and most of the characters are well rounded and add to the drama and humor. Like the first movie, though, the main villain was a little lacking. The god who wants to rule the world. OK, great. We have a selfish jerk who tries to woo Starlord by playing ball with him (I didn't like this scene). A very one-sided character.

However, some of the side villains were great. I especially loved Nebula. I loved her in the first movie, too, and it's because she's such a complicated character. The complexity and layers make her an awesome bad guy, and then it makes sense in the end that she starts to switch sides, though she refuses to stay with the Guardians.

Yondu's growth arc was amazing, too. It was sad he died at the end, but it felt right, that his story was finished and his growth complete. (Speaking of growth arcs, I did love the slow growth between Starlord and Gamora -- a step toward future things!)

Ayesha and the Sovereign were fun as well. And I look forward to seeing what unfolds with her in the next Guardians movie after the one clip during the credits.

The thing I love most about both Guardians movies is the characters. It's what makes them fantastic. And if I didn't have kids, I'd probably have already gone out and seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 a second time already.

Also, Teenage Groot is fun -- the tone in his voice is priceless! But I think Baby Groot will always be my favorite Groot. ;)