Big Moments & Big Questions For The Final Avengers: Infinity War Trailer

Are you seeing this? Seeing but still working on believing? Don’t worry, you’re not the only one. The final trailer for Avengers Infinity War has landed and it’s an absolute beauty. Dangling long anticipated encounters in front of our eyes in between some drool-worthy sequences and collisions that have no uncertain victor, and more importantly, major concern for casualties. If you can just interrupt your billionth viewing of the trailer that will be dominating the internet over the next 24 hours, here’s some of the key moments that had me screaming and chin-scratching in equal measure. Hang on to something.

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Gamora gives a brief on just how badass Thanos is, but is Stark there to hear it, or not?

“TELL ME HIS NAME AGAIN.”

Already playing a clever game in the final glimpse at what will be the biggest movie of the year, Guardian of the Galaxy and educated student in the ways of Kevin Bacon, Gamora, breaks down just who her father is; the interesting part is just who she’s chewing the fat with.

As she recalls memories of the purple-skinned antagonist and utterly Mad Titan there’s one thing that sticks out and it’s that Gamora isn’t necessarily talking to Tony Stark. “The entire time I knew him, he only ever had one goal – to wipe out half the universe,” states Gamora. “If he gets all the Infinity Stones, he can do it with a snap of his fingers.” The wave of chills from Tony Stark asking for this chump’s name is all well and good, but it might distract us from the fact he and Gamora look to be in two very different locations.

Taking the patterned furniture behind our billionaire playboy philanthropist in contrast to the shiny metal interior of the Milano, this looks like an editing job well done. Is Stark actually in the Sanctum Sanctorum as shown in previous previews? Trick of the eye it may be, but it’s got me sold already. Cue the theme tune.

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Tony turns himself into a chess piece mid-flight going after whatever the hell that giant hula hoop is.

LET BATTLE COMMENCE

“We’ve got one advantage,” proclaims Stark. “He’s coming to us. We have what Thanos wants, so that’s what we use.” From here there’s a sprinkling of all various players prepping for battle, including a bit more of Peter Parker (Tom Holland) skipping school (or should that be skimming?) as he sweeps under a bridge, Stark clicking his ruby slippers together and rocketing off in pursuit of Thanos’ ship(?) and Doctor Strange checking in on time with the Eye of Agamatto. One side of the battlefield looks to be well defended, but what about the other?

Well thankfully, those lines look to be drawn and ready for action, as there’s that giddy moment of T’Challa and Steve reuniting after the events of Civil War and Black Widow by Cap’s side in Wakanda. There’s also a look at show-stealing Black Panther star, Shuri (Letitia Wright) eyeing up what appears to be a hologram of the Vision’s head, Mind Stone included. Chances are this is her getting up to speed about what the film’s big bad is after, and it’s going to take our bravest and brightest to stop him. Unfortunately, some heroes are lacking the latter.

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Stark switching off to Star Lord’s input, or lack thereof.

MR. QUILL, MEET MR. STARK

Always one for a pep talk, Star Prince or whatever his name is looks to be evaluating the course of action to save the universe and isn’t seeing eye to eye with one of the founding Avengers. Shock. Judging by the scene and the state of Stark and Pete’s flashy new armour, this is pre-getting their collective asses handed to them by the Titan as shown in the earlier trailers. Heck, maybe Quill is right – the plan might suck, after all.

Understandably, there’s going to be testing altercations such as this as factions split off to ensure the war sways in their favour, this conflicting quartet included. Whilst I’d love to have seen Spidey hang with teenage Groot, I’m excited to see what will happen when the two intellectual minds of Stark and Parker collide with the not-so-smart leader of the Guardians and its metaphor-deflecting muscle. Will Drax be able to keep up with the whip smart wit of Parker? Definitely not. Will two of the most rebellious hot-headed heroes in the galaxy get along together? Heck no – and I can’t wait for it!

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Bring your daughter to work day was going swimmingly.

GAMORA: THE YOUNGER YEARS

“The end is near. When I’m done, half of humanity will still exist.” Big talk from the fella with the shiny gold glove but considering the brief shots of beatdowns Thanos and his cronies are delivering, it’s looking like he may be on to something. What’s interesting though is the millisecond of days gone by that are snuck in between them, focusing on some father and adopted daughter time.

In between the God of Thunder’s head close to cracking and Stark’s bleeding armour looking a little worse for wear, there’s what looks to be Thanos taking the hand of a young Gamora before he took her from her home planet. Would this play out under her previous analysis of her world destroying Daddy? All massive purple fingers point to yes.

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Who is the man in the iron mask?

BIG MAN IN A SUIT OF ARMOUR – BUT WHO?

So here’s an interesting morsel that got my attention. In between the Doctor getting an injection and what looks to be Loki being held hostage by the bad guys, there seems to be an awful lot of Stark’s Hulkbuster inflicting some damage on invading forces in Wakanda. What’s interesting is just how little we see of the target the suit was coincidentally built for, fighting alongside him. Where is the Hulk? You know the guy. Big, green, smashes a lot? How and why isn’t he shoulder to shoulder alongside Stark’s stupendous villain exterminator? Surely they’re the perfect tag team? Maybe that can’t happen because at this point, one is actually inside the other.

Just consider for a moment that we’ve seen a lot of footage of Banner, and not much of Stark in Wakanda. More to the point, how does Banner even get to Wakanda in the first place? Could the answer be that he actually hitches a ride in one massive iron-plated peace-offering from Stark to Captain America? More to the point, could Banner use the suit that he helped build to avoid inflicting the same damage he delivered last time he was in Wakanda fighting Ultron? Putting himself in a metal cage and away from harms way does sound possible, but as we all know the Hulk can only be kept at bay for so long before he lets rip. Place your bets, folks.

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Stand down, Captain.

HE COULD DO THIS ALL DAY

It’s strange, to think of all the monumental moments in Marvel history: that ridiculous teamwork money shot from Avengers, Steve’s scuffle in the lift at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ in The Winter Soldier and Spidey’s final arrival at the airport in Civil War. All of them will no doubt pale in comparison to the final battle for humanity and what looks like the last stand between one man and a monster with a god complex.

Considering the heavy amount of green surrounding Steve and Thanos, it looks like this showdown is some time after Team Cap’s run through the Wankandan jungle as shown in the earlier previews? Is this how it ends for the great American hero? Is he the last line of defense between our world and destruction? Is Peter Parker ever going to get this superhero game down right? Can you really wait that long to find out? Of course you can. It’s been ten years, what’s a few more weeks?

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Avengers: Infinity War arrives April 27. Speculate and consolidate your own theories and lemme know what you think. Are you excited to see Infinity War? Or are you simply dead inside?

Black Panther

Though it might seem like it can do no wrong, sometimes the Marvel Cinematic Universe feels a bit of a slog to check some off the list before getting to the main events. We had to meet Captain America before he met The Avengers and Civil War would’ve been one Empire Strikes Back reference short without an introduction to Ant Man. Had it been in the wrong hands, Black Panther could’ve been a luke warm-up act to this years Avengers: Infinity War, but director Ryan Coogler, who is on a winning streak for the ages, ensures not to waste an audience with King T’Challa and delivers something truly special in Marvel’s newest and most fascinating addition.

Set shortly after the events of Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns to Wakanda to mourn the death of his father and take his seat on the throne. As we’ve come to learn from current events, a civil unrest is inevitable, rippling out across this highly advanced and off-the-geographical-grid country regarding its new ruler. Our hero’s fight for peace and stability in his kingdom becomes even more uncertain when a dark secret from the past reappears to threaten everything T’Challa and generations before him have fought to uphold.

Though he may be the first top-tier black superhero to fall into the ranks of the Marvel Cinematic machine, Black Panther isn’t the first one to appear in film. The king of Wakanda has been waiting in the wings for some time to get his shot on the screen, going as far back as the 90’s when Wesley Snipes had his eye on the role, only to sharpen his Blade when plans fell through. Now almost twenty years on, the timing couldn’t have been better to let the Panther loose, with Coogler not just filling in a slot for the lead to Marvel’s big summer hit, but using it as a platform to make a statement that few have braved to make, and breaking comic book traditions to set up ones of his own.

Danai Guria is a woman on a Michonne in Black Panther

The Black Panther cast refusing to accept Martin’s crazy theories of an original Office.

Thou art a villain – Michael B. Jordan being the best at being bad opposite Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther.

Starting things off in worn down Oakland and not HRH’s majestic homeland, it’s apparent that Coogler is set to say something through his chosen superhero, mainly due to the fictional territory and the questions that it provokes. Ruling over a technologically advanced African nation in hiding, this King that’s part Tony Stark, slightly 007’ish and the world he inhabits makes it hard not to query why he doesn’t share his wealth with the rest of the globe. It’s a debate that stirs among our hero’s friends and enemies alike, as the subject of immigration and unifying nations makes and breaks relationships, creating easily the strongest story that’s ever braved the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All of it is handled expertly and fed through a vibrant lens of African culture that floods every frame. This might be the most beautiful entry on the roster since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

At the forefront of this complex and wonderfully constructed tale are Boseman and his antagonist with a solid angle, Erik Kilmonger, played by Coogler’s lucky charm, Michael B. Jordan. Just as the films hero has struggles with his duty as King and the hero he can be, so too does the outsider with ties to our current Black Panther, that makes for one of the most compelling comic book villains to date. Rivalling even Tom Hiddleston in terms of charisma and presence, Kilmonger is like all the best bad guys; one we can completely appreciate and understand, with a perspective on the world that’s wronged him and carrying motivations to right them, by any means necessary. The rage and vengeance feels solid and true, which is all that’s required to make this villain stand out above the cookie cutter-type Marvel have been cursed with over the years. Even Thanos may have a job on his hand to top this terror.

In addition to a fitting battle of good versus evil, it’s encased in a flawless supporting cast that strengthen the foundations that Coogler builds. Thankfully, the effort to add more prominent female characters to this universe gets a constellation of stars who are just as compelling as their King, even carrying the film without his presence for a chunk of it. Next in line to the throne and tech-whiz to our Wakandan leader, Shuri (Letitia Wright) brings the gadgets and the gags, whilst T’Challa’s back-up appears in the form of Danai Gurira as leader of the all-female Royal Guard, Okoye. There’s also love interest Lupita Nyong’o as T’Challa’s love interest, Nakia, a woman of the world who, like Okay can see both sides of the conflict which comes to fruition in the film’s final act. It’s here where Coogler’s play meets an end that has both its highs and lows.

Even with the wonderfully added elements of originality and drama to the film’s final sequence, even he can’t shake the certainty of two CGI characters pummeling each other’s faces in. At times the Battle of Wakanda even competes with the Battle of New York, but struggles to find a balance as good and evil collide in a rather dull scrap on a train platform. Instead, all the more interesting action is kicking off on Wakanda’s stunning landscape and the side between right and wrong shatters between vibranium shields, spears and uh, horns.

As a result, things don’t necessarily boil over between our hero and his nemesis, but rather simmer in slight disappointment. Like it or not, this is an oversight that like all Marvel films, we’ve come to adjust to but the one convention that Coogler just can’t compete with. Thankfully, it doesn’t undo all those that he succeeds in, as the Black Panther surpasses the typical superhero routine and the message he’s clearly fought so hard to deliver doesn’t go unheard. The roar is simply too loud.

The Greatest Showman

Much like the swindler of spectacle he encompasses in Michael Gracey’s directing début highlighting P.T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman continues being a man of all trades and may be one of the most overlooked actors of our generation for doing so. After his last emotionally charged and claret-coated goodbye to Logan earlier this year, he returns to his musical roots in what may seem like an overly romanticized take on the character, and it’s one that even dear Hugh struggles to put in a good light.

From a life in the gutter with his head in the clouds, Barnum goes from orphaned boy to head of a struggling family of four and husband to his childhood sweetheart, Charity (Michelle Williams); all of whom are hanging on Barnum’s hopes of bigger things. It’s a test not to get sucked in among the charm and chest-swelling songs that come with this sweeping take on the man behind The Greatest Show On Earth. Even so, with the Disney-esque delivery of Barnum chasing the dream, there’s a crisis of conscience that gets oddly avoided when he gathers his sideshow acts consisting of local outcasts, which is the biggest trick that The Greatest Showman fails to make use of.

Efron had gone all day without knowing there was something in his hair and it took an honest acrobat to let him know.

Jackman’s audition process for finding the next Wolverine were slightly unorthodox.

Jackman couldn’t believe Williams had finally done it – she’d passed the Daz doorstep challenge.

This is without a doubt what should’ve been the main attraction. One of loners roped into the ringmaster’s false promises that only lead to amplifying their insecurities but finding comfort in a family of unique individuals. It’s something that can’t be avoided when telling the tale of Barnum but is a majorly missed opportunity, especially given the incredible talent that, just like the characters they’re portraying, don’t get the attention they deserve.

Among all the songs that come bursting from under that top hat that Jackman so smoothly throws about the screen, its most powerful highlights actually come from his co-stars, most notably Keala Settle’s Bearded Lady and her show-stopping rendition of ‘This Is Me’. As soon as she lets rip, the film grinds to a halt and lets every note soar in what is the most emotionally charged moment the movie has to offer, hitting the screen like a juggernaut but disappearing just as quickly. This is followed closely by Zac Efron and Zendaya as Barnum’s business partner, Phillip Carlyle and the gymnast he falls for, Anne Wheeler, singing ‘Rewrite the Stars’. Both are enjoyable earworms that bury themselves in so deep you’ll be adding them to your Spotify queue by the time you’ve left the theatre.

The problem is that these heartfelt renditions feel all for naught when the attention shifts back to Barnum. This is in no way discrediting Jackman and the effort he and the cast are driving to, but every intermission between songs simply gives time to highlight a narrative that is heading in the wrong direction. Good job then that there isn’t much breathing time to do so and Gracey goes to great lengths to sweep you up into the spectacle of it all, even if it loses its sparkle every so often.

The Reelgood Video Podcast Episode 4

This week the gaming industry has leapt forward in inches thanks to the new customisation feature for Conan Exiles, the new Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer has come flying in from outer space, and Kei tells us why he’s apprehensive of Marvel’s mystery Square Enix game.

In regards to the big screen, Ben Affleck has decided to be the hero we need but not the director we deserve for the solo Batman film, and the boys question if it’s worth choosing life again for Trainspotting 2.

Ant-Man

[divider]Rudd-y brilliant.[/divider]

It’s common comic book movie knowledge that Marvel’s tiniest Avenger (in the source material, at least) had big obstacles to get through as soon as it was announced he was going to arrive on screen. Any hero like Ant-Man competing with super soldiers and incredible Hulk’s would struggle, mainly due to the fact that – like when Tony Stark’s cocky metal-plated hero debuted – those uninitiated to the House of Ideas had no idea who he was.

Then Edgar Wright wowed the world with a snippet of what he had in mind, only for it to fall apart when he and the supreme studio didn’t see eye to eye. Still, without making a mountain out of an anthill, plans went ahead with director Peyton Reed taking the reins, instead. Thankfully the choice paid off because even though he might not be the Wright man for the job, he does a grand effort leading the charge of ants that go marching ahead of other solo gigs thanks to Ant-Man’s originality and genuine moments of awe.

Determined to keep this massive world together with every piece it releases, Marvel’s Ant-Man crawls into the cracks of the cinematic universe effortlessly in the first few frames whilst, establishing the history of the hero at the same time. Michael Douglas is Hank Pym, original inventor and wearer of the sought after ensemble who is keen to keep the Ant-Man suit away from dodgy government guys that see its potential in warfare. Pym bails on his business only to learn years later that his protege is close to letting history repeat itself, forcing Pym to enlist someone new to take up the mantle of the Ant and foil the plans for the competition.

Though super-geniuses in specially-powered suits sounds worryingly familiar, Ant-Man shifts into new ground with the arrival of Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, turning the superhero film (and the heist movie it becomes) on its head. Centred on a crook with a heart of gold, Lang differs from Marvel’s usual mob as a normal man in a spectacular scenario. Playing more of the stupidly baffled than the bafflingly stupidly sort we’ve seen from him in Anchorman and the like, Rudd keeps the film grounded when it’s brought down to ground level, which is when Ant-Man really comes to life.

Not to scale: Michael Douglas and Paul Rudd in Ant-Man.

With the tools at hand of size-shifting and ant-instructing, the film makes its biggest leaps when Scott is at his smallest. Zipping down to insect size, it’s hard not to be reminded of the likes of The Borrowers or Honey I Shrunk The Kids, and feeling genuine wonder because of it. Credit where its due, Peyton Reed directs these scenes brilliantly, proving that miniature models and battles in back gardens are all he needs. You could risk thinking that this even outshines any scrap Earth’s Mightiest had with Ultron a while back, there’s simply so much more creativity behind it. Bullets fired at Scott drop like bombs and the teased confrontation atop a Thomas the Tank Engine train set is wonderfully orchestrated. One particular highlight if viewed in either IMAX or 3D sees Scott flying through a server room, where the towers may as well be from a futuristic city. It’s both fantastic and familiar at the same time, and none of it feels shoehorned in this growing universe that has gone small for moment, in just the right way.

As fresh as this new addition to the MCU feels though, there’s no denying that it falls at the same hurdle all this studios movies have before. Corey Stoll’s antagonist Darren Cross makes as much impact as any no-good double-crossing guy that’s come before him. His agenda is average, his mark in the scale of things unnoticeable. It may have been a better move for him to switch parts with Bobby Cannavale’s imposing step dad to Scott’s daughter, who also doesn’t feel used as well as he could be.

Thankfully, the weight isn’t all on Rudd’s shoulders with the supporting cast for the A-M-Team there to help save the day. Douglas isn’t as much as the seasoned superhero Hank Pym he could be, but he’s got the mentor gig down just right, and the family friction he has with his on-screen daughter Hope Van Dyne – played by Evangeline Lily – also makes its mark. The real scene stealer in this band of thieves however, is Michael Pena as Scott’s partner in crime Luis, who just like every other time he’s tasked with backing a films front man, delivers plenty. Hollywood, enough is enough now – give that man a leading role, please.

He and the rest of our heist-scheming heroes are characters you immediately attach with, in a world you can’t get enough of. Proving once again, that Marvel are at their best when it comes to their bravest ventures, Ant-Man’s journey to the screen may have had its bugs but the result is a surprisingly entertaining success.