"The sooner you're into it, the sooner you're out of it", was Mary Poppins's advice in Mary Poppins Returns when her sidekick was worried about recounting a rather long anecdote in song form. So I'll just push on with my Marvel movie overview (for the background, see previous post), where I've reached phase two. This was a rather mixed bag, and there was little to cheer villain-wise, but the general entertainment level was high enough, with a movie or two which stood out among the rest.
Iron Man 3
Third time Loki lucky? Nope, still no Loki in standalone Iron Man movies. Use this as a rule of thumb: if there is no hope of seeing Thor, then there is also no Loki.
Any other interesting villains, then? Not really. As with the other Iron Man films, the main antagonist is someone who is personally connected to Tony Stark in some way – this time around, a guy he slighted at a work function way back. It's not so much a question of the villain getting revenge, more that Stark's snub spurred him on to become successful whatever it took. That's an OK motive, but there are no real villain fireworks here. As for The Mandarin... Not having read the comics, I was in a better position to guess a twist connected with this character. Let's just say, I'm pretty sure he's not like in the comics (but Ben Kingsley has fun).
Overall impression: This is pretty much a standard Iron Man movie. If you liked the other two, you'll like this one. If you're not that much of a fan of them, there are still things to enjoy. Tony is witty, his interaction with a kid manages not to be too cloying (the boy tries to guilt-trip him into taking him along on an adventure at one time, and when Tony doesn't fall for it mumbles "it was worth a try") and it's heartwarming to see that Tony's lumpish bodyguard loves Downton Abbey because it's "classy".
Thor: The Dark World
Loki time! Yes indeed. Loki isn't the main threat this time around: instead he's the classic villain wild card, sometimes working with Thor, sometimes against him, and all the time looking out for himself. The sibling banter is easily the most enjoyable part of the movie, and it's exciting to see which way Loki will jump.
So who is the main villain? Any good? Alas! He's a missed opportunity. A Dark Elf with a nicely sinister look played by none other than Christopher Eccleston, he has no discernible personality and no motivation besides... unleashing darkness. Because he's a Dark Elf. With a little more effort put into this character by the writers, this could have been really good. Instead, we just see flashes of what might have been from Eccleston.
Overall impression: I quite liked watching this, but I can see why it is considered to be the weakest of the Thor movies. It doesn't quite gel, and some of the humour doesn't land – I thought Jane Foster's intern Darcy was charming in the first Thor movie, but she gets on my nerves here, especially as she acquires an intern of her own, which makes no sense whatsoever. Jane's and Thor's romance is built up like a really big thing, so it's a pity there isn't any follow-through on this in later films (maybe in Endgame – I haven't watched it yet).
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
I'll not even pretend I believe Loki's in this one. So what else have we got on the villain front? The Winter Soldier isn't really a villain: he's Steve's best friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) who has been brainwashed and frozen down, only to be thawed up at regular intervals and used as an expert assassin by Hydra. Hydra has survived Nazi Germany to become a classic evil organisation that wants to Take Over The World. That may sound tired, but it is remarkable – in this and other Marvel movies – how much loyalty Hydra inspires in its followers. Even the self-serving scientist sidekick of the first Captain America movie is shown to have been more committed than one would have thought, uploading his consciousness into old-style computers and everything, all to further Hydra's goals, which are to... erm... rule more efficiently than those democratic clowns? I don't know.
Come on! We can't just have a collective villainous entity. There must be a leader or someone who stands out! Was there? Oh yes. Now I remember. The friendly-seeming authority figure who says he wants to help Cap & Co. get to the bottom of it all. It's as standard as it sounds, even with some star quality behind the part.
Overall impression: I must be one of the very few people who prefer the first Captain America movie. But this one has good action, and likeable leads in Steve and Natasha aka Black Widow who really starts to come into her own here. Plus you really want Steve to get through to Bucky – especially if, like me, you know Sebastian Stan as the Mad Hatter from Once Upon A Time. There, as here, he is in continual need of a break.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Galaxy? So they're in space? Where Asgard is, somewhere? Loki doesn't show up, no.
All right, then... are there any other memorable villains? Again, there is wasted potential. We see glimpses of how Ronan, the main antagonist, prepares his ash-on-blue-skin look, and I oooh-ed a bit. But after that, he's more of a villain place holder, if a cool-looking one. It's a little interesting that his motive isn't gain: he believes he is fighting a righteous war against the enemies of his father and grandfather. Taken together with Hydra and later Thanos, we do get quite a lot of idea-inspired villainy in the MCU, which gives me some satisfaction. (I can't abide it when people equate good old selfishness with evil: it's not at all the same thing.) But it's not as if we ever dive deep into Ronan's psyche: he's a space terrorist, mostly. Nebula the disaffected daughter of Thanos is fun, though.
Overall impression: They've reeled us in with MCU movies that aren't that crazy compared to normal action films. Time to get a little more comic-booky: by now, even we regular viewers can take it. This isn't action as much as outlandish sci-fi. Still, somehow they get away with it all – including the talking raccoon and the living tree. The start of the film is really depressing: we see a flashback to the later leader of the gang Peter Quill's aka Star-Lord's childhood, when he loses his mother to cancer and then promptly gets kidnapped by aliens. This morose beginning pays off well when it comes to understanding Peter both in this and later movies, though. Stick with it and you'll soon get to the light-hearted part and (hopefully) have a good time. But if you generally have difficulty getting into the spirit of wacky sci-fi, this will probably not convert you.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
So I can't help noticing by the poster picture that Thor is in this one. But not Loki, I'm afraid.
Bother... So what else have we got? Who is this Ultron? He's a sophisticated artificial life form created by Tony Stark in order to protect the Earth. But something goes wrong, and he ends up believing the best way to ensure peace is to get rid of all the people.
I see, an evil robot. Fun. He is actually quite funny. He's got some of Tony's wisecracking personality, much to the irritation of both of them (Tony ironically calls him "Junior" at one point). It's not the same as a complex, human villain, true, but aside from Loki, I believe Ultron was the phase two villain I had the best time with.
Overall impression: This is pretty much what you can expect from an ensemble-Avengers movie. It's mostly action, but there are some quieter moments too, and they work well. If you liked the first Avengers movie, chances are you'll like this one, even if there is no Loki present. It also introduces some new characters, so if you want to get what's going on in later MCU films you had better not skip it.
Ant-Man
Sorry, what? Ant-Man?! Don't you want to ask about the villains in this one?
Should I bother? I mean, Ant-Man! No way are they going to make it work. Actually, they do.
All right, then. What about the villains? No Loki, but the villainous businessman (yes, it's time for one of those) is above average. He has a decent personal reason to resent his old mentor Hank Pym (a cranky inventor played by Michael Douglas) as well as a hefty profit motive, and I like his style. "They're not what they once were... they do a lot of good", he quips when it turns out Hydra is his prospective client, as if they were a mildly scandalous political party that's cleaned up its act.
Overall impression: I use the word charm a lot when it comes to the MCU and its characters, and here it is in evidence again. This is a charming heist movie, with many well-known ingredients, but served with some verve. Ex-con Scott Lang is another hero it's easy to like, nicely self-deprecating and a good father. You can skip this film and still follow what happens in the greater MCU saga, but I'm not sorry I saw it.
