Mega Marvel Rewatch II: The Rewatchening: Phase 2

[owlmoose]

This took rather longer than Phase 1, mostly because we skipped fewer movies (only Iron Man 3 and most of The Dark World) but also because we haven't again watched two movies in one night. We're going to make up for that today by kicking off Phase 3 with a 3-movie extravaganza, and before I leave I wanted to take a few minutes to reflect on the story so far.

• We skipped Iron Man 3 because of its lack of connections to later movies (it's more of a summing up of what came before) and The Dark World because it's just not a very good movie, and although it contains an Infinity Stone as a MacGuffin, its specific function is not much explored. So we watched the post-credits scenes and called it a day on that one.


• There is not much I can say about Winter Soldier that I haven't already said. Still holds up, with some resonances today that I doubt the filmmakers were expecting when they released it in 2014. HYDRA's Nazi connections are less significant here (unlike when Agents of SHIELD revisits the organization in the Framework arc a few years later); it's played more as a story about drone strikes and the surveillance state, which were a more salient issue at the time. Anyway, I am always happy to see this movie again, and it was even better to see it with a couple folks who were on their first viewing.


• This was my first time seeing Guardians of the Galaxy again post-GotG 2, and I picked up on some things, mostly around Peter's father and how people talk about him. The music is still great. The sexism is still irritating. Drax is still my least favorite. It's interesting to see the Kree with what we know from Captain Marvel in mind.


• I always forget that I actually enjoy Age of Ultron while I'm watching it. It's when I sit and think about it later that it all falls apart. I don't think I've seen the whole movie again post-Civil War, so I put that lens on -- considering if, given what Tony did in that movie, it makes sense that he'd go along with the Sokovia Accords later. Our group had differing opinions; I'm curious whether they'll change today after our Civil War viewing. One point that I do agree with: why was the accidentally bombing in Civil War the final strike, and not the Hulk's attack on the city? Every other time the Avengers caused collateral damage, it was a direct result of a weapon deployed by the enemy. You could argue that the Hulk was a weapon deployed by Scarlet Witch, but it's still more of a stretch.


• When I drew up my original list for this rewatch, I skipped Ant-Man because of its lack of Infinity Stones and aliens, but S believes that the Quantum Realm is going to play a significant role in Endgame, which seems a reasonable guess. So we watched it, and enjoyed it, although I still wonder how exactly it fits in the timeline with the rest.

Comments

[worlds_of_smoke]

I had a friend ask for my recommendations for a "catch up for Endgame" and I said skip Ant-Man and just go watch Ant-Man 2. I'd be very surprised if the Quantum Realm didn't figure into Endgame somehow.

[seventhe]

Interested in your Civil War rewatch thoughts; i just rewatched it with Mike, and realized that I really actively dont enjoy that movie

[owlmoose]

I'll say more when I write it up, probably tomorrow, but my friend who had been most vocal about how much she disliked Civil War said she actually liked it better this time around. Seen in close proximity to the other movies, especially Age of Ultron, she found the character motivations made more sense than she remembered, especially Tony's.