Avengers: Endgame was The Movie for me. My second Marvel movie in theaters, one of the best crowd experiences ever, and everything I had hoped for and didn’t even know I could dream of. 😭😭👏👏👏
It was one of those movies I couldn’t stop thinking about for days afterward (and wrote an intensely long blog post about), and I still have a fond place in my heart for it. Especially since it’s one of the first things that got my now-husband and I talking. 😉
Endgame was so satisfying for me personally, that I kinda considered the MCU over. 🤷♀️ All my favorite movies had been tied up, I had no real attachment to any of the new characters, and I was planning to watch Black Panther 2 then call it quits.
(*laughs at past self*)
Never have I been happier to say that I was wrong. This new era of Marvel, the TV show format especially, has been exciting, moving, and so full of good character development. I’m so happy I’ve continued. 🤩👏
So with that in mind, I thought it’d be fun to do some mini-reviews…
WARNING: potential spoilers and ridiculously happy fangirling ahead. 😁
Wandavision
Two characters, who I’d only thought of as cool sidekicks or kinda strange plot devices, take center stage in one of Marvel’s most emotionally deep, beautiful romances wrapped in the guise of a psychological thriller and old-fashioned sitcom. ❤️
It was so full of deep and sometimes deeply disturbing emotional workings through grief.
Really quite amazing. Creative format, lovable side characters, feels and philosophy = a new Kate favorite.
(And J got me the coolest Monica Funko Pop for my birthday. ❤️)
CW: one of the later episodes gets pretty spooky in the magic department with flashbacks to Salem witches. The scene is easily skipped if you feel the need to.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier
I am soooo hyped for our new Captain America. 🤩🤩 I love his strength and empathy balanced with realism about this country, and I can’t wait to see a movie all about him. The show, unfortunately, didn’t stick the landing for me as it felt unfinished and far too open-ended for all the plotlines they set up. (Probably due to Covid. 😔)
It definitely still had its highlights though, and Bucky’s healing, Sam and his family, and Isaiah Bradley were among them.
CW: explosions, gruesome violence in episode four, mentions of racism and traumatic experiments on Black soldiers.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
First off, Simu Liu just fits perfectly in the Marvel family with his very chill, wholesome vibes. I started following him on Twitter before the movie came out just cause he’s so funny. 😂😂
Hooray for the first brand new character in ages!! I really enjoyed his origin story, and I can’t wait for his next appearance. The entire movie was so gorgeous, from the fighting styles, beautiful yet functional costumes, and Ta-Lo itself.
Katy (I also have a Funko Pop of her) is probably one of my favorite newest female characters. She is so loyal, downright hilarious, and really just seems like a regular person. It’s delightful. ❤️
While this movie had some beautiful explorations of family and grief, I especially enjoyed the messages about finding your purpose and finding home.
Loki
Apologies in advance, but I never really liked Loki. 😬😬 He was too flip-floppy for me, disgustingly evil in Avengers, and always dying, lol. It’s hard to get attached that way. 😂
WOW TO THE WOWZERS THOUGH.
Again with emotional depth and character exploration, a little bit of multiversal retcon, and that really, really meaningful romance, this was intensely satisfying. Sylvie and Kang were brilliant characters in their own right, and the worldbuilding and Doctor Who vibes were amazing. 😍
I’ll have another.
CW: stabbing, magic, dissolving similar to Infinity War.
Black Widow
Half of me is like… this movie should have come yearrrrssss earlier, but the other half posits that Marvel and their main writer (*cough* Whedon *cough*) were not in the mature place to give this character the respect she deserves.
I honestly was still not expecting much–just ye old Femme Fatale spy lady up to No Good stuff they’d always seemed to stick her with–but they surprised me again. I’m happy to say the objectification was almost null, though there’s still room for growth.
The beginning had such an artistic gravity it was really quite hard to watch, and the human trafficking parallels throughout were not lost on me. 😭😭 It also had some of the funniest and most tragic explorations of family life I’ve seen.
In the end, it ended up being intensely empowering and beautiful. I really feel like the character can rest now. ❤️
CW: probably one of Marvel’s darkest movies. Violence similar to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, except this time against women. Mind control, human trafficking, a stabbing, descriptions of forced sterilization. A burn victim’s appearance may be disturbing. One character breaks her nose and the sound is audible.
Spiderman: No Way Home
To be honest, this movie draws from a lot of nostalgia I haven’t seen, so I didn’t enjoy it as much as others did, but J explained some things to me and I can see just how meaningful it is. It really was kinda another Endgame, this time for Spidey fans.
I did enjoy it–especially a handful of intensely emotional, well-done moments. The ending really got me, and I feel like it’s a coming of age for Spiderman.
CW: stabbing, death, magic.
Hawkeye
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY PERFECT VIBES! Also, stabbings, and archery, and the daddiest dad of them all, and mega-nerds, and perfect humor, and CHRISTMAS. 😍😍🎄
I know we’ve all said since Age of Ultron that Clint “collects strays” and someone took that aspect of him and made an entire show, and I couldn’t be happier.
I don’t have a ton of deep things to say about this one, except that I really enjoyed it and sometimes that’s really quite enough. Perfection. ❤️
Rogers the Musical is going to be on my headstone. 😂😂😂
The Eternals
We weren’t super interested in this one, so J and I watched it just recently when it hit Disney Plus. It was just as visually beautiful and overstuffed as I expected, but a couple side characters (*cough* Druig *cough*) caught my interest. I just wish there had been more time put into them because I’d get interested and then the character arc would slide away in favor of something else.
In the end, I didn’t really like it. 🤷♀️
CW: mind control, a sex scene, and a gay kiss. There was also a monster that could be rather disturbing for younger viewers.
While it’s certainly had its ups and downs, this entire last year stuffed with Marvel projects has been pretty fun, emotionally meaningful, and really honoring to its characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next. ❤️
Let’s talk! Which are your favorites? Which ones do you still need to see?
Once Upon An Ordinary 