The film revolves around the titular character who gets abducted by a biker gang from her idyllic yet remote home as she becomes a prisoner to a warlord and later traded to another one where she later seeks vengeance on the man who had taken her away from her home and killed her mother. It is a revenge film set years after a global apocalypse where this young girl lives in an idyllic, yet remote area known as the Green Place where she encounters a group of bikers who would kidnap her prompting her mother Mary (Charlee Fraser) to go retrieve her. Unfortunately, Mary meets the warlord Dr. Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) who wants to rule the wasteland as he takes Furiosa for himself and is later traded to another warlord in Immortan Joe in an act of peace. The film’s screenplay by George Miller and Nico Lathoruis is straightforward in its narrative as it is told in five acts with the first two acts revolves around the young Furiosa who must endure so much torment as a prisoner and later become a slave for Joe where she would later disguise herself as a mute boy for its third act. Part of the film’s narrative feature some narration from a prisoner of Dr. Dementus in the History Man (George Shevtsov) who would provide some insight into the world and what had happened.
Furiosa would help create a massive supply tanker that would be armed with weapons and such as it would be driven by Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke) who would take Furiosa under his wing as they would work for Immortan Joe who becomes restless over the deal he made with Dr. Dementus who had turned his fortress of Gastown into ruin. Jack would not just be a mentor for Furiosa but also give Furiosa another person to really care about as there’s hints of love between them. Even as Burke is willing to help Furiosa return home as they later deal with Dr. Dementus who has become unruly in his pursuit of dominance as he goes to war against Immortan Joe over the latter’s land known as the Citadel.
Miller’s direction is grand in terms of the scale that he creates as he would shoot the film on location in New South Wales in the towns of Hay and Silverton with the desert in the region being its main location. Miller’s usage of wide and medium shots does not just play into the vastness of these locations with such diligence in the caves and dunes in the deserts along with these sandstorms that would often emerge in the film. There are also a lot of worlds building that Miller goes into as it relates to the territories of Immortan Joe such as the fortresses he has including his main home at the Citadel where there are plants available though it is under Joe’s control. Miller does maintain a sense of intensity and suspense that plays into what Furiosa would encounter as a young girl and later as a woman. Even as he uses close-ups to play into her reaction as well as her silent demeanor when she is a woman disguised as a boy where she can observe her surroundings and situations.
With the aid of action designer Guy Norris as a co-director and a stunt coordinator, Miller creates these amazing set pieces for some of the film’s action sequences where this so much diligence in what is happening. Notably a scene in the second act where Furiosa works at the war rig as she would fix things under the truck and kill some rogue bikers while Jack is driving the war rig. The different camera angles as well as the different compositions that Miller creates do add to the sense of danger in these stunts and action set pieces. Notably in the film’s climax as it plays into this conflict of two warlords with Furiosa intent on killing Dr. Dementus herself following an encounter that revealed how she lost a part of her left arm. Miller also plays into the idea of vengeance as it relates to Furiosa but also in what she is taught about Dr. Dementus who had lost everything during the apocalypse as he is eventually pushed to the limit when his back is against the wall. Overall, Miller crafts an epic and exhilarating film about a woman who goes on a journey for vengeance.
Cinematographer Simon Duggan does incredible work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of natural photography for many of the daytime exterior/interior scenes along with some stylish filters for some scenes at night. Editors Margaret Sixel and Eliot Knapman do excellent work with editing with its usage of jump-cuts and fast-cutting as it help play into the action and suspense without deviating towards chaotic cutting as shots are allowed to linger for more than a few seconds Production designer Colin Gibson, along with set decorator Katie Sharrock and supervising art director Sophie Nash, does brilliant work with the look of some of the places in the film such as Gastown and the Citadel as well as the design of the war rig. Costume designer Jenny Beaven does amazing work with the costume designs in the usage of leather for what Dr. Dementus and his gang wear as well as some of the unique clothing of Immortan Joe and his associates along with the many different clothes that Furiosa wears throughout her time.
Hair and makeup designer Lesley Vanderwalt does fantastic work with the design of some of the hairstyles of some of the characters as well as the prosthetic nose that Dr. Dementus has as well as the makeup of some of the people in Dr. Demtentus’ gang. Special effects supervisors Lloyd Finnemore and Andy Williams, along with visual effects supervisors Xavier Matia Bernasconi, Dan Bethall, Paul Butterworth, Andrew Jackson, and Jo Plaete, do marvelous work with the visual effects with its mixture of practical effects that gives the film a sense of realism into the stunt work and action with some computer-based visual effects for some of the scenery and small bits to play into its sense of terror.
Sound designers James Ashton and Robert Mackenzie do superb work with the sound as it is a highlight of the film for how massive an engine sounds from afar or up close as well as the way things sound on location as is top-tier work from Ashton and Mackenzie. The film’s music by Tom Holkenborg is phenomenal for its bombastic mixture of orchestral music and electronic music that plays into the intensity of the action as well as the suspense as it is a major highlight of the film.
The casting by Nikki Barrett is remarkable as it features some notable small roles and appearances from Dylan Adonis as Furiosa’s younger sister Little Valkyrie, Quaden Bayles as a war pup who is a warrior in the war rig, Daniel Webber and Sean Millis as a couple of war boys, Peter Stephens as the main guardian of Gastown until he meets Dr. Dementus, George Shevtsov as a prisoner of Dr. Dementus in the History Man who is also the film’s narrator, Angus Sampson as a doctor who worked for Dr. Dementus and later for Immortan Joe, and Jacob Tomuri as a mysterious man who finds Furiosa in the desert in the film’s third act. Josh Helman and Nathan Jones are terrific in their respective roles as Immortan Joe’s sons Scrotus and Rictus Erectus as two men who are trying to run things for their father as well as deal with the chaos that is Dr. Dementus and his forces. John Howard is superb as the People Eater as Joe’s advisor who is also a military strategist who is trying to deal with the chaos of Dr. Dementus.
Charlee Fraser is fantastic as Furiosa’s mother Mary Jabassa as a woman from the Green Place who is a cunning warrior that tries to retrieve Furiosa only to deal with Dr. Dementus and his horde of bikers. Elsa Pataky is excellent in a dual role as a Vuvalini general who helps Mary in her pursuit and as a deformed biker known as Mr. Norton. Lachy Hulme is amazing in a dual role as a lieutenant of Dr. Dementus in Rizzdale Pell and as the warlord Immortan Joe as this monstrous figure who sports a mask that runs the Citadel and much of the Wasteland where he finds himself challenged by Dr. Dementus only to later feel betrayed and conned by him prompting him to go to war. Alyla Browne is brilliant as the young Furiosa as a child from the Green Place who is kidnapped by Dr. Dementus’ horde of bikers as she later becomes his prisoner as she reminds him of what he once had and later trade her to Immortan Joe as a possible future wife where she deals with having to do things herself. Tom Burke is great as Praetorian Jack as the driver of the war rig who becomes Furiosa’s mentor as well as a life partner as he teaches her how to survive while also hoping to help her return home.
Chris Hemsworth is phenomenal as Dr. Dementus as a warlord who likes to ride a chariot of motorcycles as he is hoping to create havoc and rule the Wasteland where he is eager to find vegetation and such from the Citadel only to later rule Gastown into absolute disarray. It is a performance filled with humor but also a lot of terror as Hemsworth really provides this air of cruelty of a man who had lost everything and wants people to feel his pain including Furiosa. Finally, there’s Anya Taylor-Joy in a performance for the ages as Furiosa as this young woman who had endured a lot as she is also cunning in her pursuit of vengeance while also not saying very much as she only has thirty lines in the entire film. Taylor-Joy also has a way in the way she reacts to things as well as an icy stare that expresses so much by having her do so little as this is truly an iconic performance from Taylor-Joy.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is an outstanding film from George Miller that features a tremendous leading performance from Anya Taylor-Joy in the titular role. Along with its ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, high-octane action set pieces, immense sound design, a riveting music score, and a gripping screenplay in its exploration of vengeance and loss. The film is an example of what an action film should be while also giving audiences a look into the life of a beloved character with her own story that proves to be as thrilling as another of one of Miller’s great characters in Mad Max. In the end, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is a magnificent film from George Miller.
George Miller Films: Mad Max - Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior - (Twilight Zone: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet) – (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome) – (The Witches of Eastwick) – (Lorenzo’s Oil) – (40,000 Years of Dreaming) – (Babe: Pig in the City) – (Happy Feet) – (Happy Feet Two) – Mad Max: Fury Road - (Three Thousand Years of Longing) - (Mad Max: The Wasteland)
© thevoid99 2024
In the years after defeating Thanos and saving the universe, the film follows Thor Odinson going on a journey for inner peace as he learns that gods are being killed by a madman where he returns to New Asgard and learns this new foe’s intentions prompting Thor to seek help including his ex-girlfriend Jane Foster who has become the Mighty Thor. It is a film that explore a man who is still dealing with the loss of loved ones as he spends some time trying to help others until he learns about the death of a god where he found one of his old friends in Lady Sif (Jaime Alexander) wounded from her fight as he brings her home to New Asgard where things are already problematic involving shadow creatures trying to destroy New Asgard where Thor and the rock-like creature Korg (Taika Waititi) helps King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) as they’re aided by a new ally in the Mighty Thor who is revealed to be Jane Foster.
The film’s screenplay by Taika Waititi and Jennifer Katyin Robinson is messy in terms of the many genres they try to put in as well as some backstory and exposition. Still, Waititi and Robinson do create a compelling narrative that do play into this element of comedy and tragedy as the opening scene play into the latter as it relates to the origin of Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) who was an ordinary man with a daughter (India Rose Hemsworth) where he prayed to the Gods for water in a desolate desert only for his daughter to die. Seeing that the god Rapu (Jonathan Brugh) treats him with indifference, Gorr finds the god-killing weapon known as Necrosword where makes a vow to kill all gods as the script does succeed in justifying some of Gorr’s actions which also forces Thor to see that some of the gods he idolized including Zeus are living in a bubble who prefer to not be involved in war and just do nothing. By kidnapping the children of New Asgard that includes Heimdall’s son Axl (Keiron L. Dyer) whom Thor can communicate with through Axl’s powers. Thor, Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane go on a journey to find the kids while there’s also something else happening as it relates to Jane wielding the newly-fixed Mjolnir as she is also dying from stage 4 cancer which adds a lot more emotional weight for Thor.
Waititi’s direction does bear a lot of style in terms of the different worlds that Thor and all of the principle characters go to but it is also grounded in this idea of what a god should be as it play into Thor’s own personal journey. Shot largely on locations at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney as well as some locations in and around Sydney, Waititi definitely creates different worlds that Thor, Jane, Korg, and Valkyrie go into with New Asgard being a character in the film as a world that isn’t just a tourist destination but also a home that allow Asgardians and other alien refugees a place where they can belong. While Waititi does create some unique wide and medium shots to capture a scope of these locations as well as a few scenes inside the Guardians of the Galaxy ship known as The Milano where Thor gains a couple of goats as they would accompany him and his team to an adventure. Still, Waititi does ground things as the first act does reveal what Jane was up to before as she is trying to find a way to stop her illness while some of Korg’s flashback montages do showcase how Mjolnir was in the hands of Jane.
The direction does also play into the stakes where Waititi do play into why Gorr has a point in wanting to kill all gods as it does relate to Thor pleading to Zeus and other gods to join him to stop Gorr. It is a commentary on why it is wrong to worship false idols with Thor being an idol that not only wants to help people and keep the universe safe but is also someone trying to understand who and what he needs to fight for based on advice from Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) early in the film. Though the presentation of the script is uneven in its attempt to balance comedy and tragedy that is part of Waititi’s own exploration of existential meaning in these two subjects. It does have stakes where it would play into this confrontation between Thor and Gorr with the latter wanting to reach this mysterious being with Thor knowing what he will do with Jane taking a major step of her own knowing that it might cost her own life as she and Thor both have to realize what it means to fight for love at all cost. Overall, Waititi crafts an adventurous and heartfelt film about a god trying to find peace of mind while having to fight a man that wants to kill all gods.
Cinematographer Barry Idoine does excellent work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on natural lighting for some of the daytime exterior scenes set in New Asgard as well as some stylish lighting including some black-and-white lighting for a scene set in Gorr’s home that is the Shadow Realm. Editors Matthew Schmidt, Peter S. Elliot, Tom Roche, and Jennifer Vecchiarello do terrific work with the editing as it is stylish in terms of some of the fast-cuts for the action and humor while also keeping things straightforward in some of the dramatic and suspenseful moments. Production designer Nigel Phelps, with set decorator Katie Sharrock and supervising art director Charlie Revai, does incredible work with the set design from the look of New Asgard in its houses and such as well as the look of Omnipotence City where all of the gods including Zeus live in. Costume designer Mayes C. Rubeo does fantastic work with the costumes that includes new armor for Thor as well as a new leather jacket as well as the armor for Jane and Valkyrie plus the ridiculous clothing that Zeus wears.
Makeup designer Matteo Silvi and creature/prosthetics designer Adam Johansen do brilliant work with the look of Gorr as well as some of the looks for the Olympians including Zeus. Special effects supervisor Dan Oliver, with visual effects supervisors Mathieu Assemat and Dominic Drane, does nice work with the look of some of the planets and space scenery as well as the look of the goats Thor gained in saving a planet as they would become his pets. Sound designers David C. Hughes, Samson Neslund, and Steve Orlando, with sound editor Quianbaihui Yang, do superb work with the sound as it play into some of the sound effects including the comical sounds from the goats as well as other sounds that play into the action and suspense. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino and Nami Melumad is phenomenal for its rock-based orchestral score that feature metal-inspired guitars and bombastic string arrangements to play into the scope of the film while music supervisor Dave Jordan creates a fun music soundtrack that features an original song by Waititi as Korg plus music from ABBA, Ciara with Petey Pablo, Enya, Michael Raphael, Mary J. Blige, Dio, and four songs by Guns N’ Roses.
The casting by Sarah Halley Finn is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and cameos from Stephen Curry as a God in King Yakan whom Thor and the Guardians help early in the film, Carly Rees in a motion-capture performance as Valkyrie’s assistant Miek, Jonathan Brugh as the god Gorr worshipped in Rapu, Zia Kelly as a former girlfriend of Thor in a pirate girl, Elsa Pataky as another former flame of Thor in the Wolf Woman, Tristan Hemsworth as a young Thor, Samson Alston as the teenage Thor, Eliza Matengu as Axl’s mother Grace, Ava Caryofyllis as a young Jane, Simon Russell Beale as the god Dionysus, Akosia Sabet as the Wakandan goddess Bast, Jenny Morris as an New Asgardian resident, India Rose Hemsworth as Gorr’s daughter, and in the various roles of the Asgardian children kidnapped include Aleph and Amalia Millipied, Te Kainga O’Te Hinekahu Waititi, Sasha Hemsworth, and Rex Bale. Other notable cameos in the role of the Asgardian theatre troupe include Matt Damon as the actor playing Loki, Luke Hemsworth as the actor playing Thor, Sam Neill as the actor playing Odin, Melissa McCarthy as the actress playing Hela, and Ben Falcone as the stage manager.
Other noteworthy small roles include Kieron L. Dyer as Heimdall’s son Axl who is among one of the Asgardian children kidnapped as he has inherited his father’s powers while Daley Pearson is funny in his small role as Thor’s former roommate Darryl who is now a tour guide. Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgard are terrific in their brief appearances as Dr. Darcy Lewis and Dr. Erik Selvig as two of Jane’s longtime colleagues who are there for her early in the film as they’re concerned with her ailing health. Jaime Alexander is superb in her own brief appearance as Thor’s childhood friend Lady Sif who is severely wounded from her own fight with Gorr as Thor would get her home to safety. In the roles of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the performances of Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, the voice of Bradley Cooper as Rocket, the voice of Vin Diesel as Groot, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Dave Bautista as Drax, and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord are fun to watch as they get to kill bad guys while dealing with Thor’s own issues with Pratt being the person to give Thor some needed advice on fulfillment and love.
Taika Waititi is excellent in his motion-capture performance as the rock-monster Korg who is a fun comic relief that is always helpful and provide some comical insight into Thor’s own existential issues. Russell Crowe is hilarious in his performance as the god Zeus where he has this larger-than-life persona while doing one of the worst accents ever presented on film that just adds to how ridiculous the character is. Tessa Thompson is amazing as King Valkyrie as a former warrior turned King of Asgard who is hoping to have another adventure as a distraction from bureaucratic duties while finding a sense of sisterhood with Jane that she never thought she would have again. Christian Bale is incredible as Gorr the God Butcher as a man who is dismissed by a god only to take up the Necrosword that would make him into a man that has justified reasons to kill gods while is also a character filled with some unique humor as well as be an imposing and intimidating foe.
Natalie Portman is phenomenal as Jane Foster/the Mighty Thor as the astrophysicist who is dying from cancer until she learns that the damaged Mjolnir calls to her where she becomes the Mighty Thor as she adjust to her newfound powers where Portman brings a lot of complexity but also humor in trying to find a catchphrase that is suited to her character. Finally, there’s Chris Hemsworth in a sensational performance as Thor Odinson as the God of Thunder who is embarking on a journey for peace of mind following loss and grief where he deals with not just Gorr but also Jane becoming worthy of the Mjolnir where he does what he can to save the children of New Asgard. Hemsworth brings a lot of humor to his performance but also a lot of humility as his scenes with Portman definitely showcase a lot of chemistry in which both characters grow with Hemsworth learning what he needs to do and why he needs to be the God that people can count on.
Thor: Love and Thunder is a remarkable film from Taika Waititi that features great performances from Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Waititi, and Russell Crowe. Along with the rest of its ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, study on idol worship, and a killer music soundtrack with the rocking music of Guns N’ Roses. It is a film that doesn’t just deliver in high-stake action and suspense but is also filled with humor but also some commentary on fulfillment through love despite some tonal issues with the film’s script. In the end, Thor: Love and Thunder is a marvelous film from Taika Waititi.
Taika Waititi Films: Two Cars, One Night - Eagle vs. Shark - Boy (2010 film) - What We Do in the Shadows - Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Jojo Rabbit - Next Goal Wins (2023 film) - (Klara and the Sun) – The Auteurs #64: Taika Waititi
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man and the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Eternals - Spider-Man: No Way Home - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
© thevoid99 2022
Written and directed by Drew Goddard, Bad Times at the El Royale is the story of seven strangers who stay at a hotel at the California-Nevada border in 1969 where strange things occur as it all lead to their own secrets. The film is a neo-noir thriller that explore a single night in this mysterious hotel as it also involved a major incident that occurred a decade earlier. Starring Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman, and Chris Hemsworth. Bad Times at the El Royale is a gripping and haunting film from Drew Goddard.
Set in one day at the El Royale hotel on the California-Nevada border in 1969, the film revolves around a group of people who arrive at the hotel as they each carry a secret as they stay for the night where things would get stranger and terrifying as it goes on. It’s a film with a simple premise that play into these visitors and why they’re in this hotel as Drew Goddard’s script showcases the life of these inhabitants in small sections of the film. Among these visitors includes a Catholic priest in Father Daniel Flynn (Jeff Bridges), a singer in Darlene Sweet (Cynthia Erivo), a hippie in Emily Summerspring (Dakota Johnson), and a salesman in Laramie Seymour Sullivan (Jon Hamm). The hotel’s lone employee in Miles Miller (Lewis Pullman) is also a mysterious figure as he seeks to have a conversation with Father Flynn unaware of Father Flynn’s intentions at the hotel nor the intentions of the other guests. Emily has a hostage named Rose (Cailee Spaeny) while Father Flynn is trying to find something in one of the rooms in the Nevada section of the hotel. Darlene is on her way to Reno for a job while Sullivan is at the hotel for reasons that doesn’t involve sales.
Goddard’s script would give the four principle characters a segment of their own with everyone but Sullivan having their stories told in flashbacks as it relates to their motivations and why they’re at the hotel while Miles himself is someone that is troubled as his own story isn’t unveiled until its third act. Emily’s story does involve a reason why she kidnapped Rose as it relates to this charismatic cult figure in Billy Lee (Chris Hemsworth) who would become a prominent figure for the film’s third act. Especially as it play into secrets of the hotel as well as the inhabitants who all have something to hide.
Goddard’s direction does bear elements of style as it play into this air of intrigue into this hotel on the California-Nevada border as if it was a place of style and glamour but there’s something about it that is off. Shot mainly in Burnaby near Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada with additional locations shot in Vancouver, the film play into this world in the middle of this state border as the hotel itself is a character with its stylish rooms and a lobby that features a bar on the California side and a casino on the Nevada side. Goddard’s usage of the wide and medium shots does take great coverage of the interiors of the hotel lobby as well as the secret hallways that feature a two-way mirror for each apartment that inhabitants aren’t aware of. The usage of close-ups and medium shots would play into some of the conversations between characters as well as long takes for a conversation to happen as it is Goddard breaking away from some of the conventional elements of scenes where he lets the camera just linger and capture the moment.
Goddard’s direction also play up this air of intrigue but also this growing air of tension that is to emerge where the secrets of the El Royale starts to emerge with its two-way mirrors as well as what happened a decade earlier where a man (Nick Offerman) had hidden something in a room as it would relate to what Father Flynn is trying to find. Yet, he is hampered by the fact that he is already showing signs of dementia as the second act has him and Darlene learn about each other as well as the former’s involvement what happened a decade ago. The film’s third act that involves Billy Lee definitely adds to the suspense and drama where Goddard maintains this uneasy atmosphere that emerges where it has elements of dark comedy where Lee bears a lot of the characteristics of someone like Charles Manson. Goddard has the camera maintain Lee’s presence but also the inhabitants who realize that this is someone of a greater evil yet Lee believes there is no such thing as right and wrong as it just adds to the tension throughout the film. Overall, Goddard crafts an unsettling yet riveting film about a dark night in 1969 at a hotel on the California-Nevada border.
Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of lights for the rainy exterior scenes at night as well as the way the hotel rooms are lit from the inside and in the secret hallway as well as the look of the lobby. Editor Lisa Lassek does excellent work with the editing with its emphasis on rhythmic cuts to help build up the suspense as well as knowing when not to cut during a monologue or a conversation. Production designer Martin Whist, with set decorator Hamish Purdy and supervising art director Michael Diner, does amazing work with the look of the hotel rooms and the hotel itself as it is a character in the film with its major differences depending on what state the characters are on. Costume designer Danny Glicker does fantastic work with the costumes as it each play into the personalities of the characters and where they come from during a turbulent time in 1969.
Special makeup effects designer Toby Lindala does terrific work with the makeup in the look of Miles upon a troubling encounter as well as the look of a few characters to play into the times. Special effects supervisor Joel Whist, along with visual effects supervisors David W. Allen and Oliver Atherton, does some nice work with the visual effects as it is mainly bits of set dressing for the 1959 flashback scene as well as a few bits inside the hotel. Sound designers Casey Genton and Julian Slater do superb work with the sound in the way rooms sound as well as scenes of Darlene singing in her room and the way music is presented in the lobby. The film’s music by Michael Giacchino is incredible for its low-key yet eerie orchestral score that help play into the suspense and drama with its string arrangements and emphasis on building up the suspense with low yet heavy strings. The film’s music soundtrack features songs sung by Cynthia Erivo as well as music from the Box Tops, Deep Purple, the Four Preps, Edwin Starr, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Crystals, the Four Tops, the Mamas & the Papas, and the American Bread to play into the period of the late 1960s.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is wonderful as it feature some notable small roles from Charles Halford as a convict that Father Flynn knew, Mark O’Brien as a bank robber, Shea Whigham as a prison doctor, Xavier Dolan as a record producer Darlene refuses to sleep with, and Nick Offerman as a bank robber in 1959 who hides the money. Cailee Spaeny is terrific as Rose as a young girl infatuated with Billy Lee as she seems to be entranced by his teachings much to the dismay of Emily. Lewis Pullman is superb as Miles as the hotel clerk who is harboring secrets of his own as he tries to run the hotel while wanting some guidance from Father Flynn. Jon Hamm is excellent as Laramie Seymour Sullivan as a salesman who is in town yet has other motives as it relates to things in the hotel. Dakota Johnson is fantastic as Emily Summerspring as a hippie who has taken a young girl as a hostage as it relates to a cult leader she dislikes as she presents herself as someone who doesn’t like anyone as it’s a front for why she kidnapped this young girl whom she’s concerned about.
Cynthia Erivo is brilliant as Darlene Sweet as a soul singer whose career to be a solo singer goes wrong as she is on her way to Reno for a job as she contends with the chaos at the hotel as well as trying to figure out what Father Flynn is doing. Jeff Bridges is amazing as Father Daniel Flynn as a Catholic priest who has arrived to this hotel on his way back home where he is ambiguous in his motives for being at the hotel yet he is revealed to be someone that is trying to find something but also is dealing with memory loss as well as other issues that makes him an ambiguous but a person with good intentions. Finally, there’s Chris Hemsworth in a phenomenal performance as Billy Lee as this Charles Manson-like cult leader who doesn’t appear often in the film as he would play a big role in its third act where he has this presence that is discomforting yet entrancing while is filled with so much charisma that he just completely steals the film from everyone as the sight of him dancing to Deep Purple’s cover of Hush is probably one of the sexiest moments captured on film.
Bad Times at the El Royale is a tremendous film from Drew Goddard. Featuring an incredible ensemble cast, a chilling premise set in a remote location, interesting character studies, gorgeous visuals, a mesmerizing music score by Michael Giacchino, and a killer music soundtrack. The film is definitely a neo-noir inspired suspense-drama that explore a group of people in a hotel on the California-Nevada border who endure a hellish rainy night that would bring a lot of trouble and terror with the latter in the form of a Charles Manson-like cult leader. In the end, Bad Times at the El Royale is an outstanding film from Drew Goddard.
Drew Goddard Films: The Cabin in the Woods
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the Marvel comics series by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Avengers: Endgame is the sequel to 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War in which members of the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and several others band together to battle Thanos following the events of the previous film. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film follows the troubling aftermath that forces the Avengers and their allies including new ones to make sense of what happened and get revenge towards Thanos. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Brie Larson, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Danai Gurira, Tessa Thompson, with the voice of Bradley Cooper, and Josh Brolin as Thanos. Avengers: Endgame is a grand and supremely epic film from Joe and Anthony Russo.
Following a battle against Thanos, remaining members of the Avengers and various allies deal with the troubling aftermath as they vow revenge and to find Thanos yet things become more complicated. It’s a film that does play into the fallacy of revenge but it’s more of a study of loss, failure, action, frustration, and the inability to change anything. Yet, there is also this story of hope and second chances as it relates to not just the six original members of the Avengers but also the allies who have survived. The film’s screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely opens with the whereabouts of Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) who had been absent in the Avengers’ conflict with Thanos as he gets a shocking glimpse into what Thanos had done. It would lead to an arc as someone consumed by grief and loss as he would become a rogue assassin until Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) finds him and takes him home. Romanoff would also deal with the fallout of Thanos’ victory as she is trying to keep the peace with members of the Avengers who are still dealing with issues relating to past events as she sees this schism as a family coming apart.
Much of the film’s narrative takes place years after the defeat from Thanos where the members of the Avengers struggle to move on with Barton going rogue and Romanoff feeling lost during its first act. Bruce Banner/the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) eventually finds peace in being both while Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) both living different lives. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) meanwhile would become a recluse troubled by his inability to save those he cared for as he is the most reluctant to re-join the Avengers following a re-appearance from Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) who had been stuck in the quantum realm for five hours (quantum realm time) as he believes there is a way for the Avengers to undo what Thanos did. With the help of Lt. Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper), they would take this one chance to make things right as they would also revisit events from the past in key sequences during the second act. The third act does relate to Thanos and his mission from the previous film as well as why he felt the need to gather all six of these infinity stones as a way to bring balance to the universe by getting rid of half of its population. Due to the aftermath and the Avengers’ desire to undo all of that, Thanos would have a final confrontation with the Avengers realizing how stubborn they are in their refusal to accept defeat.
The direction of Joe and Anthony Russo is definitely gargantuan in the world that it sets though it starts off in a simple presentation with Barton teaching his daughter how to shoot a bow-and-arrow while his sons are playing catch and his wife Laura (Linda Cardellini) is preparing for the family picnic. It’s a moment that sets up the dark reality of what the Avengers are facing as its first act that would also involve Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) who is powerful enough to defeat Thanos by herself yet things become complicated as she along with Okoye (Danai Gurira) would briefly appear in the second act providing the Avengers news about the universe. Shot mainly in the Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Atlanta, the film is set in a grand universe though much of it is set on Earth in upstate New York at the Avengers compound as well as parts of the universe including a few other planets and the African country of Wakanda.
While it is a film with some heavy themes, the Russo brothers do know where to put moments of humor as it relate to Rocket and Banner traveling to Norway to meet with Thor as they would also meet Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) who has managed to survive with some Asgardian refugees. Other moments of humor play into the mission during the film’s second act with some references to past stories but also somber moments as it relates to loss for Thor, Stark, and Rogers. The usage of wide and medium shots doesn’t just play into the locations but also in getting all of the characters in a single shot including the film’s climatic showdown. There are also close-ups that help play into the emotional reaction of the characters and a few funny moments such as an exchange between Rhodes and Nebula during a mission as it relates to a character. The Russos also know how to maintain that need of awareness in ensuring that the audience is aware of what is happening, where, and when as it play into the mission at hand during its second act.
The film’s third act have the Russos take a page from the epic cinema of the past as it relates to the climatic showdown between Thanos and the Avengers. Yet, to call it epic would understate what the Russos have done for this gargantuan battle sequence as it all relate to Thanos’ biggest fear. The stakes are big as it relates to not just the infinity stones but also preventing Thanos from using it all over again where everyone play a part as it would also include a moment of how much all of these people whether they have superpowers, gifts, or other things can matter. The ending is about sacrifice and what some will do to make the universe a better and safer place. They are people, aliens, or beings from different worlds and planets who care more about those who can’t fight or don’t have any kind of power but refuse to bow down to some monster. It would be followed by what is probably one of the most touching and heartfelt endings captured on film that would be fitting to these characters who have done so much to make the universe in what it is no matter how flawed or how stubborn they can be. Overall, the Russos craft a tremendous and exhilarating film about a bunch of superheroes going one more round with some evil supervillain.
Cinematographer Trent Opaloch does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of lights and moods for the look of the film’s climatic battle scene as well as well as the exteriors in some of the planets as well as the interiors for scenes in the day and night. Editors Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt do excellent work with the editing as it help play into some of the film’s humor with some montage-style cuts as well as some rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense, action, and drama. Production designer Charles Wood, with set decorator Leslie Pope and supervising art director Ray Chan, does amazing work with the look of the Avengers compound as well as some of the sets that the Avengers go to in their big mission during its second act. Costume designer Judianna Mokovsky does fantastic work with the costumes in the suits that Avengers and Guardians wear as well as the quantum suits they would wear for the big mission.
Special makeup effects artists Carlton Coleman, Nancy Cummings, Tim J. Hays, Jonah Levy, Gaby Macias, Bart Mixon, Jon Moore, Christopher Allen Nelson, Taylor Schulte, and LuAndra Whitehurst, along with key hair stylist Michelle Diamantides do terrific work with the hairstyles of Romanoff, Danvers, and Thor including in some of the makeup that some of the characters would wear including Nebula. Special effects supervisor Daniel Sudick, along with visual effects supervisors Dan DeLeeuw, Philip Leonhardt, and Kelly Port, do incredible work with the visual effects from the look of Thanos and various characters to the aging of a few key characters from the past along with the look of some of the planets and places in the film. Sound designers David Farmer and Shannon Mills, with co-sound editor Daniel Laurie, do superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects that is created along with the sounds of objects and the atmosphere of certain locations including the array of sounds for the film’s climatic battle.
The film’s music by Alan Silvestri is marvelous for its bombastic orchestral score that is triumphant at times that include themes from previous films but also some low-key and somber themes that play into the drama and the sense of grief while music supervisor Dave Jordan creates a wonderful soundtrack that features a different array of music from the Rolling Stones, Traffic, Redbone, the Kinks, and Harry James with Kitty Kallen along with previously used score pieces from Richard Sherman, Michael Giacchino, Pinar Toprak, and Christophe Beck.
The casting by Sarah Finn is great as it feature some notable cameo appearances from Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, Marisa Tomei as May Parker, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Angela Bassett as Queen Mother Ramonda of Wakanda, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, John Slattery as Howard Stark, Rene Russo as Frigga, Taika Waititi as Korg, Maximiliano Hernandez as Jasper Sitwell, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow, Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, Ross Marquand as Red Skull, Kerry Condon as the voice of F.R.I.D.A.Y., Michael Douglas as Dr. Hank Pym, Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet van Dyne, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Terry Notary as Black Order member Cull Obsidian, Tom Vaughn-Lawlor as Ebony Maw, Michael James Shaw as Corvus Glade, Monique Ganderton as Proxima Midnight, and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.
Other notable small roles include Emma Fuhrmann as the older Cassie Lang, Alexandra Rachael Rabe as a young girl named Morgan, Hiroyuki Sanada as Yakuza boss Barton is tailing after, Ken Jeong as a storage facility guard, Yvette Nicole Brown as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, director Joe Russo as a grieving man at a group meeting, and Stan Lee in one of his final film cameos as a man in the 1970s. The voice of Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, and Zoe Saldana are terrific in their respective roles as Guardians of the Galaxy members Groot, Drax the Destroyer, Peter Quill/Starlord, Mantis, and Gamora while Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, and Winston Duke are superb in their respective roles as King T’Challa of Wakanda/Black Panther, Princess Shuri of Wakanda, and M’Baku. Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Elizabeth Olsen, Evangeline Lily, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, and Tom Holland are fantastic in their respective roles as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier, Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Hope van Dyne/Wasp, Dr. Steven Strange, Wong, and Peter Parker/Spider-Man as they all play a key role for the film’s climax.
Gwyneth Paltrow and Tessa Thompson are wonderful in their respective roles as Pepper Potts and Valkyrie with the former nursing Stark back to health and the latter watching over the remaining Asgardian refugees in Norway as both of them would play key roles in the final battle. Danai Gurira and Brie Larson are excellent in their respective roles as Okoye and Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel with the former as a Wakandan royal guard who is watching over the state of planet Earth and the latter as the powerful warrior who had been fighting in the galaxy as she would help the Avengers find Thanos as they would also take part in the final battle. Don Cheadle, the voice of Bradley Cooper, Karen Gillan, and Paul Rudd are brilliant in their respective roles as Lt. Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Rocket Raccoon, the android Nebula, and Scott Lang/Ant-Man as allies who suffered major losses as they also want to make things right with Lang providing a key idea that could help everyone while Nebula deals with her own relationship with Thanos as well as other troubling aspects that she believes would cause trouble. Josh Brolin is incredible as Thanos as the alien despot whose quest to find the six infinity stones has him believing he’s succeeded only to later realize that his mission to defeat the Avengers is far from finished forcing himself to get back in the fight.
Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner are marvelous in their respective roles as the super-assassins Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Clint Barton/Hawkeye as two gifted mercenaries who both deal with loss as Johansson cope with the aftermath of war as she tries to get everyone together while Renner displays the mad grief and loss that Barton endures as someone who had everything only to lose it in the worst way. Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth are remarkable in their respective roles as Bruce Banner/the Hulk and Thor with the former as the scientist who becomes a monster when he’s angry as he finds a balance between the two as he tries to figure things out while the latter is a fragile Nordic god who believes he’s failed as he is afraid to fail again only for the Avengers to help him regain his confidence. Finally, there’s Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. in great performance in their respective roles as Steve Rogers/Captain America and Tony Stark/Iron Man as the two leaders of the Avengers who both endure an uneasy reunion only to later put aside their issues and fight with the former as a man letting go of his ideals and the latter trying to make peace with his own faults.
Avengers: Endgame is an outstanding film from Joe and Anthony Russo. Featuring a great ensemble cast, dazzling visual effects, an engrossing story of loss and redemption, gorgeous visuals, offbeat tones, and a bombastic music score. It’s a film that isn’t just this grand epic superhero film that does everything it needed to do but a true cinematic event that is willing to explore humanistic themes as well as those who are willing to fight for the helpless whether it’s on planet Earth or any other planet in the universe. In the end, Avengers: Endgame is a magnificent film from Joe and Anthony Russo.
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Avengers: Infinity War - Ant-Man and the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Post-Infinity Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania -Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World
© thevoid99 2019
Directed by Drew Goddard and written by Goddard and Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods is the story of five college students who go into a cabin where horrible things are happening unaware that a couple of technicians are controlling things from the outside. The film is a satire on the horror genre in some respects as it play into the many tropes of the slasher film genre as well as what people expect in these films. Starring Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchinson, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, Amy Acker, Brian White, and Bradley Whitford. The Cabin in the Woods is a witty yet thrilling film from Drew Goddard.
Five college kids go to a cabin in the middle of the woods as they believe nothing goes wrong yet they find something in a basement and all hell breaks loose usually leaving one person to survive to tell the tale or that person just ends up dead. That is a premise that is so typical of what to expect in a horror film as it’s been done so many times but what happens if that premise is told all over again but there’s people behind the scenes that are controlling the fate of these five college kids with one person to possibly survive? The film’s screenplay by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon play into these situations that is controlled by these two technicians in Gary Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Bradley Whitford (Steve Hadley). They would set up the scenario with small cameras and drones along with a few people that these students would encounter along the way.
Yet, the college students are the ones who unknowingly decide what they will face as they each bear every kind of stereotype expected in a slasher film such as the whore in Jules (Anna Hutchinson), the athlete in Curt (Chris Hemsworth), the scholar in Holden (Jesse Williams), the fool in Mary (Fran Kranz) and the virgin in Dana (Kristen Connolly) as she is the final girl in terms of what is expected in a slasher film. As the story goes on with these technicians and others watching with some making bets on what they will choose. However, a couple of these clichéd characters would break from what is expected in the genre as they would know that something is off as they encounter a far darker reality in the film’s third act.
Goddard’s direction does bear the many visual traits expected in a slasher film set in a cabin but he also would find ways to deviate from these ideas as well as play with the visual tropes. Shot largely on location near and around Vancouver in Canada, the film does play into the many ideas of what is expected on a trip to the woods though that narrative starts off at a small town where Dana is packing up as she is to meet her friends. While there are wide shots of the locations, Goddard’s direction mainly emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimacy inside the cabin as well as some of the things expected in and out of the cabin but also with some weird things. Particularly the scene at the cellar where there are these objects and whoever chooses an object and say something that is inscribed is the choice that these characters would unknowingly make as it is the fate they chose. Even as they would try to escape the cabin from what is attacking them would be even more complicated as it does play into a world where they are the puppets for something that is bigger than themselves.
Goddard’s direction for the scenes at this secret compound where a lot of people are observing and controlling the fate of these five students would have to embark on. It’s largely straightforward with some dark humor as well as some mysterious elements as it relates to what happens when someone gets killed as it’s a world bigger than anything as they’re trying to oversee everything in other parts of the world. The film’s third act is about the motivations of these technicians and who they work for as it adds to the intrigue of what these students are facing. Even as it would culminate into something extremely violent as well as play into the stakes of why these students are being killed as they wonder why they’re being puppets for this thing they’re in. Overall, Goddard crafts a chilling yet provocative film about five college students who go to a cabin in the woods where their fate is controlled by mysterious outsiders.
Cinematographer Peter Deming does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography from the usage of low-key colors and lighting for the scenes set in the woods including the cabin interiors and exteriors at night as well as the look of the control room. Editor Lisa Lassek does amazing work with the editing as it help play into the suspense and dark humor as well as playing with the conventional style of what is often expected in gory horror films. Production designer Martin Whist, with set decorator Hamish Purdy and supervising art director Tom Reta, does excellent work with the look of the cabin interiors as well as the scenes at the control room including a secret room that relates to something mysterious. Costume designer Shawna Trpcic does nice work with the costumes as it help play into the personality and expectation of what the college kids would wear as well as the more business-like look of the technicians.
Special makeup effects designer David LeRoy Anderson does incredible work with the look of the zombies as well as some of the gory effects used in the film that includes additional work from his wife in famed horror actress Heather Langekamp. Visual effects supervisor Todd Shifflett does terrific work with the visual effects such as a secret force field used for technicians to monitor as well as other things that lurk inside the compound. Sound designer Dane A. Davis does superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of the woods as well as the sound effects of what the students are facing including some of the noises that are made at the secret compound. The film’s music by David Julyan is wonderful for its low-key score that has some orchestral flourishes that play into the suspense and horror while music supervisor Dana Sano provide a soundtrack that mixes element of pop, indie, hip-hop, electronic music, and rock from acts like OK Go, REO Speedwagon, Ladyhawke, Asher Roth, Switchfoot, Eagles of Death Metal, Iggy Pop, the High Decibels, Motocade, Vassy, Soul River, and Nine Inch Nails.
The casting by Anya Colloff and Amy McIntyre Britt is marvelous as it include some notable small roles from Tom Lenk as Ronald the Intern who worships the technicians and wants to win money, Tim de Zarn as a creepy gas station manager, Brian J. White as the security officer Daniel Truman who watch over the technicians making sure nothing happens to them, and Amy Acker as a compound official in Wendy Lin who also watch over the technicians as well as realize things are going bad elsewhere. Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford are fantastic in their respective roles as Gary Sitterson and Steve Hadley as the two leading technicians who are the best at what they do as they’re watching over these five students and make sure things go well but also realize that there’s a few who are becoming suspicious as they try to figure out how to out-smart them.
Anna Hutchinson is excellent as Jules as the typical whore who always wear skimpy and sexy clothes while being all about fun yet she would do things that are wild stuff as she’s fun to watch. Jesse Williams is brilliant as the kind scholar Holden whom Dana is falling for as he’s a good looking guy that is trying to be a nice guy and help out for whatever situation is happening. Fran Kranz is hilarious as the stoner Marty who is the comic relief of the film as he smokes a lot of weed and does dumb shit yet he is one of the few characters in the film that breaks from that stereotype where he is aware that something isn’t right. Chris Hemsworth is amazing as Curt as the athlete who does play into many of the usual traits expected as someone strong and courageous but is actually a nice guy. Finally, there’s Kristen Connolly in an incredible performance as Dana who is the virgin that is sort of reluctant to go to the cabin as she does play into what is expected with the final girl stereotype but she would also notice something is off and would deviate from what is expected.
The Cabin in the Woods is a tremendous film from Drew Goddard. Featuring a great ensemble cast, eerie visuals, a killer soundtrack, and an inventive yet provocative premise. The film is definitely a top-tier horror film that plays with the conventions as well as deviate from what usually happens in horror films. In the end, The Cabin in the Woods is an outstanding film from Drew Goddard.
Related: Bad Times at the El Royale
© thevoid99 2018
Based on the comic series by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee and the comic storylines The Infinity Gauntlet by Jim Starlin and the Infinity series by Jonathan Hickman, Avengers: Infinity War is the story of the fractured superhero group who reunite to stop an alien who is trying to collect six stones in the hopes of destroying the universe as the Avengers seek help from the Guardians of the Galaxy. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley, the film is the first of a two-part film series in which the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy team up with other heroes to stop this being known as Thanos in collecting the stones and save the world.
With an all-star cast that include Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Dave Bautista, Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Pom Klementieff, Don Cheadle, Winston Duke, Letitia Wright, Benedict Wong, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Karen Gillan, Peter Dinklage, Carrie Coon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio del Toro, plus the voice work of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel, and Josh Brolin as Thanos. Avengers: Infinity War is a sprawling yet visceral film from Joe and Anthony Russo.
Set a few years after events that broke up the Avengers, the sudden arrival of alien ships featuring members of the Black Order who serve the alien despot Thanos have arrived to Earth to find two of the six infinity stones left on Earth forcing members of the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop it from happening. It’s a film with a simple premise with stakes that are huge as the six infinity stones are all based on the elements that arrived after the Big Bang where Thanos is seeking to get all six and put into a gauntlet where he can destroy half the universe with the snap of his finger. The film’s screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley is a multi-narrative script which picks up following events in which Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is stopped by Thanos and the Black Order as he later meets up with the Guardians of the Galaxy who agree to help Thor.
Back on Earth in New York City, Tony Stark/Iron Man meets up with Dr. Steven Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong) where they received a warning from Bruce Banner/the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) as they’re confronted by two members of the Black Order who want Strange since he carries the time stone as Iron Man is later aided by Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Banner would call Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) about what he saw as Rogers, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) deal with the other half of the Black Order who are trying to get the mind stone from Vision (Paul Bettany) who had been in hiding in Glasgow, Scotland with Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) as they all turn to James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) for help despite Rhodes being ordered to arrest Rogers and associates for going against the Sokovia accords. They, along with Banner, would go to Wakanda to get help from King T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) who is aware that Thanos and the Black Order is after Vision. For all of the strands of narrative to occur as it all play into the same thing of these heroes trying to get the remaining infinity stones from Thanos.
There are also so much more that is happening as it relates to Thanos who is this alien figure that is in the belief that he wants to restore balance to the universe and he is convinced that by killing trillions of beings. He can save everything and he needs the six stones to do it as it’s something his adopted daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldana) knows as she is the only person that knows where the mysterious soul stone is as there is this unique relationship with the two in an established flashback as he would save her as a child while he and the Black Order wipe out of her home planet. It would play into a sense of conflict for members of the Guardians of the Galaxy including Peter Quill/Starlord (Chris Pratt) who had fallen for Gamora as he wants to protect her from Thanos. It’s not just this arc over Thanos/Gamora that invests into a lot of emotional moments as the storyline for Vision/Maximoff is just as important as they’ve become a couple that are deeply in love and Maximoff is desperate to protect Vision. It would later lead to all of the Avengers including Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), T’Challa’s allies, and the Guardians to fight for the universe.
Joe and Anthony Russo’s direction is definitely grand in terms of not just what is at stake but also for the fact that it’s set both on Earth and various parts of the universe. Shot largely in Pinewood Studios near Atlanta, Georgia with additional locations shot in New York City and Atlanta. The film does play into a universe that is big where it opens with Thor being attacked by Thanos and the Black Order where it is a very menacing sequence as it play into what kind of figure Thanos is and how ruthless he is. The Russos’ direction would include a lot of unique compositions in the wide and medium shots to get a scale of how big this war is between the Avengers and Thanos as well as the fact that there’s several factions in the Avengers and Guardians that are trying to get whatever infinity stones that Thanos hasn’t acquired yet. While it is a dark film with some nihilistic elements that is intense in terms of how it impacts the story. There are elements of humor in the film.
Among them involves Thor’s interaction with Quill as the latter doesn’t seem fond of Thor because the former is cooler and gets along easily with Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper) and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel) while another funny exchange involves the banter between Stark and Dr. Strange as two men with big egos who think they’re better than everyone. Still, the Russos do know when to take the break from the action as it relates to the Avengers trying to understand the infinity stones and what is at stake as well as Thor, Rocket, and Groot traveling to a mysterious planet to create a weapon that can kill Thanos with the help of a giant elf in Eitri (Peter Dinklage). By the time Stark, Dr. Strange, and Parker would meet other members of the Guardians including Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Gamora’s adopted sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) at Thanos’ home planet Titan. The film’s climax which takes place both at Wakanda and at Titan is intense where most of the Avengers take on Thanos’ army and members of the Black Order while Stark, Parker, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians take on Thanos as it is followed by something that is a real punch to the gut.
It plays into the possibilities of what happens if Thanos succeeds in his mission and the costs as it’s not just Thanos who would do something to achieve that. The Avengers and the Guardians would also pay a major price in their attempts to stop him where everyone knows what is at stake but some completely lose sight of that in favor of personal gain with some willing to make sacrifices. Its ending is really unlike many superhero/blockbuster films as it revolves into something much bigger than everyone. Even in the film’s lone post-credit sequence plays up into this sense of a universe that is now shaken to its core as it all goes back to Thanos’ nihilistic idea of the universe in general. Overall, the Russo Brothers craft a visceral and rapturous film about a collection of heroes trying to stop a madman from destroying an entire universe.
Cinematographer Trent Opaloch does excellent work with the film’s cinematography in the way the planet Titan looks in its pink-like shading as well as the scenes in space along with the exteriors in New York City and other locations. Editors Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidtt do terrific work with the editing as it is conventional in terms of its approach to the action with its fast-cutting while allowing scenes to simmer as it does establish what is going on without going into frenetic speed cuts. Production designer Charles Wood, with set decorator Leslie Pope and supervising art director Ray Chan, does brilliant work with the look of the spaceships that Thanos has for the Black Order as well as the look of the different planets the characters go to as well as the Avengers home base and Wakanda. Costume designer Judianna Makovsky does nice work with the costumes as it include the look of Spider-Man’s Iron-Spider suit as well as the clothes of the Black Order.
Special makeup effects artists Laura Dandridge, Andre Freitas, Bruce Spaulding Fuller, Tim J. Hays, Christopher Allen Nelson, and LuAndra Whitehurst do fantastic work with the look of the characters including the members of the Black Order and some of the smaller characters that Thor and Thanos would meet. Special effects supervisors Daniel Sudick and Patrick Edward White, along with visual effects supervisors Jeff Capogreco, Dan DeLeeuw, Varun Hadkar, Kelly Port, and Doug Spilatro, do incredible work with the visual effects as it play into the action including some chilling scenes involving Thanos and what he can do with his gauntlet as well as some of the powers that relate to Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and the other heroes. Sound designers David Farmer, Nia Hansen, and Shannon Mills, along with co-sound editor Daniel Laurie, do superb work with the sound as it play into some of the sound effects in the film as well as how some of the weapons sound and the noises the spaceships make. The film’s music by Alan Silvestri is phenomenal as it feature some soaring orchestral themes for the heroes as well as some somber pieces and some bombastic themes for Thanos while music supervisor Dave Jordan provides a fun soundtrack that includes Black Panther’s theme and the Spinners’ Rubberband Man to introduce the Guardians.
The casting by Sarah Finn is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Jacob Batalon as Peter’s friend Ned, Idris Elba as Heimdall, Benicio del Toro as the Collector, Gwyneth Paltrow as Tony’s fiancé Pepper Potts, Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s adopted brother Loki, Letitia Wright as T’Challa’s sister Princess Shuri, William Hurt as defense secretary Thaddeus Ross who wants Steve Rogers and other associates arrested, Peter Dinklage as the legendary weapons creator Eitri who helps Thor create a weapon to stop Thanos, Winston Duke as the Jabari tribe leader M’Baku, Danai Gurira as the Dora Milaje leader Okoye, Kerry Condon as the voice of Stark’s A.I. tech, Ariana Greenblatt as the young Gamora, and Benedict Wong as the mystic arts master Wong who helps Doctor Strange and Stark deal with members of the Black Order. In the roles of Thanos’ disciples in the Black Order, the performances of Terry Notary as the big monster Cull Obsidian, Michael James Shaw as the vicious Corvus Glaive, Tom Vaughn-Lawlor as the telekinetic Ebony Maw, and Carrie Coon as the powerful Proxima Midnight are superb as villains who are loyal to Thanos.
The performances of Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, and Sebastian Stan are superb in their respective roles as Sam Wilson/Falcon, James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Machine, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier as members of the Avengers who take part in fighting Thanos’ forces with Rhodes being the one to defy the world’s council orders while Barnes feeling more at peace in his time in Wakanda. The performances of Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper/Sean Gunn, Vin Diesel/Terry Notary, and Karen Gillan are fantastic in their respective roles as Guardians of the Galaxy members Drax the Destroyer, Mantis, Rocket, Groot, and Nebula as the space warriors who are willing to fight Thanos with Bautista and Klementieff as the comic reliefs while Gillan provides a weighted role as Gamora’s adopted sister who has a legit grudge towards Thanos. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany are excellent in their respective roles as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch and Vision as they provide some of the emotional moments in the film with Maximoff trying to protect Vision as she copes with the idea of losing him altogether.
Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana are brilliant in their respective roles as Peter Quill/Starlord and Gamora as members of the Guardians of the Galaxy who have fallen for each other as Pratt provides some humor in his banter towards Thor and Stark while Saldana brings a lot of weight to her role as Gamora who hates Thanos but knows she couldn’t lie to him. Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland are amazing in their respective roles as T’Challa/Black Panther and Peter Parker/Spider-Man with Boseman as the reserved king of Wakanda who leads the battle against Thanos in his country while Holland is funny as Parker who says a lot of pop culture things that annoys Stark and Doctor Strange. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are remarkable in their respective roles as Steve Rogers/Captain America and Tony Stark/Iron Man as the two leaders of the Avengers who both battle Thanos in separate narrative threads as they endure the reality of their situation with Evans as a hardened Rogers who knows what needs to be done and Downey as a determined Stark who has issues with Thanos over the chaos he had brought to him many years before.
The performances of Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo in their respective roles as Doctor Steven Strange, Thor, and Bruce Banner/the Hulk are incredible with Cumberbatch being the mystic arts master who is trying to figure out every scenario as he’s protecting the time stone while Hemsworth brings a weighted performance as Thor who copes with failure and anger and Ruffalo provides a comical performance of sorts as Banner who endures anxiety over the Hulk’s brief fight with Thanos. Finally, there’s Josh Brolin in tremendous performance as Thanos as the alien despot who is hell-bent on destroying the universe as it’s a chilling performance that has Brolin using motion-capture to provide the terror of Thanos where it’s calm but eerie in the way he explains his motives as he creates a villain for the ages.
Avengers: Infinity War is a spectacular film from Joe and Anthony Russo. Featuring an incredible ensemble cast, dazzling visuals, high-octane set pieces, thrilling action sequences, a mesmerizing score, and a haunting story of destruction and nihilism. It’s a superhero blockbuster film that goes all out and more in terms of not just be entertaining but also going into places many films wouldn’t dare in delving into dark themes as well as the concept of loss in the grandest of ways. In the end, Avengers: Infinity War is a phenomenal film from Joe and Anthony Russo.
Marvel Cinematic Universe: Infinity Saga: Phase One: Iron Man - The Incredible Hulk - Iron Man 2 - Thor - Captain America: The First Avenger - The Avengers
Phase Two: Iron Man 3 - Thor: The Dark World - Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Guardians of the Galaxy - The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Ant-Man
Phase Three: Captain America: Civil War - Doctor Strange - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Spider-Man: Homecoming - Thor: Ragnarok - Black Panther - Ant-Man & the Wasp - Captain Marvel - Avengers: Endgame - Captain Marvel - Spider-Man: Far from Home
Multiverse Saga: Phase Four: Black Widow (2021 film) - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – Eternals – Spider-Man: No Way Home – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – Thor: Love and Thunder – Werewolf by Night - Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
Phase Five: Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – The Marvels – (Deadpool & Wolverine) - (Captain America: Brave New World) - (Thunderbolts*)
Phase 6: The Fantastic Four: First Steps - (Avengers: Doomsday) - (Avengers: Secret Wars)
Related: MCU is Cinema: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 – Pt. 4 – (Part 5) – (Part 6) – (Part 7) - The MCU: 10 Reasons Why It Rules the World
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