Tag: Chris Evans

Review: Materialists

Celine Song’s Past Lives was one of those rare films that quietly worked its way into our hearts and stayed there long after the credits rolled. Its power lay in the intimacy of its missed connections and the sharp emotional focus on its leads. So it was always going to be interesting to see what Song might do with a broader canvas.

MATERIALISTS, the follow-up to her award-winning debut, certainly boasts a more marquee-friendly cast, with Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans headlining. While Song embraces some of the familiar contours of mainstream romantic dramas, she also consciously subverts them, offering an almost aggressively downbeat meditation on love, money and emotional detachment in the big city.

Johnson plays Lucy, a top matchmaker at Adore, an elite dating firm catering to clients seeking meticulously curated partners. She’s brilliant at her job: nine of her matches have resulted in marriage, but she remains deliberately detached, choosing celibacy and professional success over entanglement. That changes when she meets Harry (Pascal), the groom’s brother, at the reception for her latest match, who immediately begins love-bombing her with his expensive lifestyle. She also reconnects with John (Evans), a struggling actor and Lucy’s ex, now waiting tables at the event.

In a typical Hollywood romance, we know how this all plays out: two princes vying for the same woman, one seemingly perfect, the other lacking what she thinks she wants until, of course, he doesn’t. On the surface, that’s exactly what Song appears to be doing, right down to the emotionally articulate finale. That’s what makes MATERIALISTS so surprising: Song is clearly aware of these familiar beats but chooses to approach them askew.

It’s all the little deviations that make the difference: the muted exchanges, the low-key reflections on the calculated risk of love. Lucy’s philosophy is something like Moneyball for relationships. A darker subplot involving one of her clients being assaulted underscores just how high those risks can be. In another inversion of romantic convention, no one runs through rain to seize a final shot at love. Instead, they rush to help a friend in trouble.

The film is bookended by an awkward caveman motif about the inevitability of love, one of several thematic ideas Song toys with but doesn’t fully resolve. MATERIALISTS is an admirable attempt to deconstruct the well-worn terrain of modern romance. Song may ultimately arrive at the genre’s familiar checkpoints on her own terms, but she stills comes to the same conclusions all the same.

2025 | USA | DIRECTOR: Celine Song | WRITERS: Celine Song | CAST: Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal | DISTRIBUTOR: A24 (US), Sony Pictures Releasing (International) | RUNNING TIME: 105 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 12 June 2025 (Australia), 13 June 2025 (USA)

June 16, 2025
Review: Red One

The only thing in steeper decline than mainstream Christmas films at this time of year is perhaps the ‘Santa movie.’ Yet here we are in 2024, and Amazon-MGM is dropping a $250 million seasonal gift like we’re part of the biggest, movie-themed Kris Kringle exchange.

Taking the throwback route to Christmas action, director Jake Kasdan and Fast & Furious series writer Chris Morgan channel a blend of Die Hard and Scrooged, crafting a holiday blockbuster with all the wild escalation of a modern event film.

The plot is simplicity itself: Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) heads up Santa’s security team. Disillusioned with the growing Naughty List, he’s ready for retirement—but when Santa (J.K. Simmons) is kidnapped by a former foe (Kiernan Shipka), Drift teams up with deadbeat dad and mercenary tracker Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans) to save Christmas.

We’ve seen this buddy-comedy formula enough to recite it by heart, from Aruba to Germany, black ops sites to toy store basements. One cynical father’s redemption arc is all that’s missing to ensure a holiday save. Yet somehow, it’s the little details that make this reindeer-driven sleigh take off. Kristofer Hivju is perfectly cast as Krampus, adding depth to the Santa mythos. Santa’s workshop leans more Arthur Christmas than Elf, yet feels entirely fitting. Yes, my unabashed Santa love probably makes me biased, but damn if it isn’t a riot of cynical fun.

With bombastic action and Marvel-worthy effects, Drift wields an Ant-Man-style gadget that can grow and shrink toys on command, blending right into this magical world. The giant CG snowmen continue the theme of jacked Christmas figures, making for an exciting punch-out in the Caribbean.

The cast is spot-on: Simmons is a fully jacked Santa, carbing up on cookies while Johnson spots him at the gym; Shipka eats up every scene, and Lucy Liu as the head of M.O.R.A. (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority) brings a ‘Men in Black’ vibe to the Santa universe, hinting at a potential spin-off.

This high-concept swing is rare in today’s franchise-heavy landscape, and while box office numbers may keep films like this on streaming in the future, it captures something of a family film—brimming with explosions, winks, and a few heartfelt speeches. As I left the cinema, I overheard a kid imitating Krampus’s sleigh, transported for a few hours to a magical world. At that moment, I was taken right back to December 1985 and Santa Claus: The Movie. Is it any wonder I still devour Christmas films by the bucketful—or that I still believe in Santa?

2024 | USA | DIRECTOR: Jake Kasdan | WRITERS: Chris Morgan (Based on a story by Hiram Garcia) | CAST: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, J. K. Simmons, Kiernan Shipka | DISTRIBUTOR: Amazon MGM Studios (USA), Warner Bros. Pictures (International) | RUNNING TIME: 123 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 15 November 2024 (USA), 22 November 2024 (Australia)

November 18, 2024
Review: Lightyear

It has not gone unnoticed that Disney-Pixar have been releasing some of their most original work in years under adverse conditions. From Onward through Soul and Turning Red, the animation powerhouse has managed a four-film streak of original concepts that have debuted on, or at least been fast-tracked to, Disney’s streaming service. As Pixar returns to cinemas, they only do so with the more familiar branding of the Toy Story universe.

Well, sort of. LIGHTYEAR is not so much a solo Buzz Lightyear film as it is the origin story of the character that inspired the toy line. An opening title card tells that in 1995, a boy named Andy received a Buzz Lightyear toy based on his favourite movie. This purports to be that movie. So, what we have is an in-universe feature, one that follows Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Chris Evans) as he and his crew become stranded on a distant planet thanks to his own hubris.

While trialling an experimental power source to get them all home, he inadvertently gets flung four years into the future. After repeated flights, a dejected Buzz finds that not only have the survivors built a fully-fledged civilisation, but they are fighting Zurg’s (James Brolin) robot invaders. Together with Izzy Hawthorne (Keke Palmer), the granddaughter of Buzz’s best friend and commanding officer, he tries to put a past wrong right.

Director Angus MacLane (Toy Story of Terror, Finding Dory) and co-writer Jason Headley’s film works best when it plays this concept straight. Between the call-back lines and winking to the camera, which are prolific in the first act, there’s a throwback action film that’s light on subtlety but big on thrills. Even before the title drop, there’s a massive set-piece action sequence that seems to set the tone for the rest of the film. At least until it all shifts radically.

With the introduction of Izzy comes companions Mo Morrison (Taika Waititi), a clumsy cadet, and ex-con Darby Steel (Dale Soules), the film becomes a tale of a ragtag group written as comic relief. It’s as if Buzz not only crash lands in the future but in another film entirely, as MacLane and Headley lose faith in their own premise (or Disney wasn’t quite ready for a wholly dramatic feature yet). That said, robotic cat Sox (voiced by Peter Sohn) — a utilitarian twist on Up‘s Dug — is a source of unrelenting joy.

On a technical level, there’s nothing to quibble about. Every Pixar production ups the ante on animation, and this time the visuals are leaps and bounds (lightyears even) ahead of anything else out there. While maintaining some of the familiar character designs, the influence of ILM gives us realistic spaceship designs and effects to evoke the films of the 80s and 90s. Of course, no film in 1995 looked this good.

A fun albeit straightforward animated caper, LIGHTYEAR is the kind of meta-commentary one gets when all the cinematic influences exist in a closed-loop lifecycle. Pop doesn’t just eat itself here but continues to create whole meals out of its own brands. There is no apparent irony, after all, that this is literally meant to be a major release that inspired toy sales. Just as they did with live-action remakes of their own animation, Disney have opened the door to more in-universe origins to infinity (and beyond). Surely, Woody’s Roundup: The Motion Picture can’t be far behind?

2022 | USA | DIRECTOR: Angus MacLane | WRITERS: Jason Headley | CAST: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 110 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 16 June 2022 (AUS), 17 June 2022 (US)

June 15, 2022
Review: Avengers: Endgame

It’s hard to be neutral about something as huge as AVENGERS: ENDGAME. After 22 films, multiple television series, and countless mixed-media tie-ins, either you’re invested in at least some of these characters or wilfully avoiding them. Either way, producer Kevin Feige and directors Joe and Anthony Russo bring home this saga in a way that fans and casual viewers alike will be unable to forget.

Picking up on a sombre note, several weeks after the dramatic cliffhanger to Avengers: Infinity War, the galaxy ponders how they will move on after the loss of half their people to Thanos. When the remaining Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy are reunited with some old friends and new, they hatch a plan to undo their losses and restore hope.

How does one even begin to write about something like this? Aimed squarely at the people who have been following the story since 2008, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s screenplay leaves no stone unturned in pulling together a unique combination of a sci-fi, heist, thriller, melodrama, and epic battle film.

In doing so, every character is given their due. It’s difficult to discuss many of them without revealing some spoilers. Indeed, anything that’s not in the trailer is probably a spoiler. (#DontSpoiltheEndgame) Yet the original six Avengers all get conclusively suitable arc closures, whether it is through a natural progression of their stories or via some clever narrative looping. Some other odd pairings, like Nebula and Rocket, nod to the success of the unlikely breakout hits on the way to this climax.

Is the back half of the film shameless fan service? You’re damn right it is. Do large chunks of the film feel like a greatest hits package? Of course they are. Yet after almost two dozen films worth of world-building, Feige and the Russo brothers can be forgiven for feeling that the kitchen sink is not nearly enough. As Natasha says earlier in the film, “I get emails from a raccoon. Nothing seems crazy anymore.“

Taking that as a cue, the Russo brothers turn everything up to a scale hitherto unseen. It’s not up to 11. It’s beyond 11. It’s at least one more. While it’s hard to know exactly how much of the reported $316–400 million budget (shared with Infinity War) went into this finale, we can probably guess that a large part of it was on the battle that takes place in the heart of the third act. It’s like Lord of the Rings made love to a Jim Starlin comic and the child of that union grew up to be AVENGERS: ENDGAME.

For all the sturm und drang, it’s a film full of characteristic humour as well. Some of this is quite broad – including anything involving a physically altered Thor – while other moments are sly winks to knowing audiences. Which isn’t to say that tears won’t be shed before bedtime. Filled with emotional departures, reunions, and other huge moments, there are points where I wasn’t sure if I was going to laugh, cry, cheer, or emit a strange combination of all three. AVENGERS: ENDGAME has its cake and devours it whole. It deserves every damn crumb.

Even with the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer playing in front of most screenings here, where the MCU goes next is something we can only guess at. The door is left open for alternate tales from elsewhere in the universe, even if it is the end of the road for some characters. Yet it scarcely seems to matter. AVENGERS: ENDGAME lives up to its title by letting a monumental story come to a close, bringing together a group of of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, and to fight the battles that we never could.

2019 | US | DIRECTOR: Joe Russo and Anthony Russo | WRITERS: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely | CAST: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 181 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 24 April 2018 (AUS)

April 24, 2019
Review: Avengers: Infinity War

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a decade old and, as of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, a total of 19 films deep. It’s a fact that will get bandied about a bit in the countless reviews that will pour onto the the Interwebs over the coming days and weeks. Some will speak of Marvel fatigue, while others will sploosh in fanboy and fangirl delight. Yet what both sides of the fence are getting at is the significance of the series on the cultural landscape.

Whether you connect with the Marvel films or not, the series of movies that began with 2008’s Iron Man have all meant something to the viewers. Whether you were introduced to the characters on the screen, or have been reading their printed adventures for decades, this series has offered an unprecedented chance to develop superheroes across a multitude of platforms. Now it’s all coming to a head.

Picking up immediately after the events of Thor: Ragnarok, the Asgardian god of thunder runs afoul of universe conquering Thanos (Josh Brolin). With the Mad Titan intent on collecting the six Infinity Stones and taking over the universe, the worlds of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange intersect to stop the coming threat.

Given the scale of the film, there’s so much to process here. For much of the first act, invested audience members will sit with our sloppy grins agape at the spectacle. Some of it is simply the unique couplings of characters, such as the unlikely success of Thor and Rocket, or the Sherlocks in stereo of Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch. This is as much as celebration of character as it is an event, and it would take a separate review to list all the wonderful quips, cameos, and nods to lore.

Structured around these small clusters of teams, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is mostly an accelerating car with scant regard for the destination. A legitimate complaint might be that this bloats out the running time for the sake of giving every character time to play. This might be true, and at 149 minutes it tests audience endurance levels and bladders. Still, at this late stage in the game, isn’t that what we’ve signed up for?

The effects and photography are unsurprisingly top-notch, which is not exactly a shock for a film that reportedly cost between $300 and $400 million to put on screen. There are at least half a dozen points in the film that will rattle the roof off with audience applause, from the Wakandan battlefront to the lightning filled arrive of a certain Asgardian. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s script tempers this scale with some sharp dialogue and innumerous one-liners. Indeed, James Gunn is said to have had a hand in the Guardians of the Galaxy’s lines.

Ultimately AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR needs to be considered as part of a larger whole. On one hand, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have never made any secret about this being intrinsically tied to the as-yet-untitled fourth Avengers film. More than that, it’s the culmination of an idea that began as a post-credits sequence a decade ago. It’s an emotional, sometimes downbeat, and always powerful piece of storytelling. The best part? It’s not over yet.

[stextbox id=”grey” bgcolor=”F2F2F2″ mleft=”5″ mright=”5″ image=”null”]2018 | US | DIRECTOR: Joe Russo and Anthony Russo | WRITERS: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely | CAST: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt | DISTRIBUTOR: Disney | RUNNING TIME: 149 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 25 April 2018 (AUS) [/stextbox]

April 25, 2018
‘Avengers 4’ will ‘wrap everything up’ says Chris Evans

While Chris Evans has a six-film contract that ends with Avengers: Infinity War, he has confirmed to UK’s The Telegraph that he will return for a seventh film. The yet-to-be-titled AVENGERS 4 is planned to roll out on 3 May 2019. It sounds like it’s going to be huge.

Speaking of why he chose to come back for the seventh time, he said that the two-film arc “made sense. It’s going to wrap everything up.”

“I had six films in my Marvel contract, so I could have said after the third Avengers I was done, but they wanted to make the third and fourth Avengers films as a two-parter,” he added. “They said they had so many other characters to fit in – Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, Ant Man – and couldn’t get them all into one movie.”

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, will helm both parts of the Avengers sequel.

June 12, 2017
Review: Captain America: Civil War

The latest Marvel film achieves the improbable, battling heroes in a grounded and brooding world without losing the fun.

Thirteen films and several spin-off television series into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s fair to say that the interrelationships between the various leads are more complicated than most film franchises. For a collective that showed us previously unknown solo stars Iron Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy could be mega hits with mainstream audiences, it could also get murky when those individual parts are all vying for a bigger piece of the pie, as they did in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Thankfully, the Russo Brothers – the team behind the last Captain America entry – avoids that by focusing on the same character development and old-school espionage elements that elevated the previous entry into something more than a mere cape-fest.

Nominally a sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the sheer scale and cast of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR means it is realistically a part of the wider Avengers machine. Taking its name from Marvel’s Civil War comic book epic, containing over 120 tie-in issues and crossovers, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely necessarily abbreviate concepts to fit the Cinematic Universe as well. Here the catalyst is a failed Avengers mission to stop a terrorist group that accidentally results in the death of Wakandan nationals, prompting Secretary of State Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt) to call for the team to be answerable to a governing body. It divides Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) into opposing camps, and an explosive event that solidifies the rift around the lightning rod of Steve’s childhood friend, “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR succeeds where other similar adventures misfired by remaining faithful to its established world. Cleverly steering the Avengers into the world of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, rather than the other way around, it acts as a direct continuation of that universe while introducing new elements that never feel superfluous or manufactured. The highly publicised introduction of Spider-Man is an organic and joyful series of moments, making full use of the chattering interplay that the webhead is known for. Tom Holland makes for a wonderful young Peter Parker, and it will be terrific to see him (and the all-too-brief Marisa Tomei) expand their roles in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Each character is given just enough time for audiences to appreciate what they can bring to the team, but the focal point remains the competing ideals of Stark and Rogers, a far more nuanced relationship than even the lengthy comic series offered. The Russos still allow themselves the indulgence of an all-out superhero brawl in a mind-blowing airport sequence, but have enough restraint to move on with this relationship afterwards.

Filled with massive set-pieces and quiet moments of equal impact, it’s impossible to completely separate CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR from the dozen films that preceded it. It goes without saying that this is a difficult entry point into the series, but on the other hand, these characters are also becoming part of the common discourse. Nevertheless, it is a strong franchise entry that should remind all blockbuster filmmakers that it is possible to be faithful to the source material, appeal to mainstream audiences and create compelling modern heroes for the screen at the same time.

2016 | US | Dir: Joe and Anthony Russo | Writers: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely | Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, and Daniel Brühl | Distributor: Disney | Running time: 147 minutes | Rating:★★★★¾

April 27, 2016
Review: Avengers – Age of Ultron

The sequel to be most successful comic book film ever takes everything up several notches, and can barely keep it all inside.

[stextbox id=”grey” caption=”Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)” float=”true” align=”right” width=”200″]

Director: Joss Whedon

Writers: Joss Whedon

Runtime: 142 minutes

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson

Distributor: Disney

Country: US

More info

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NOTE: This review originally appeared at our sister site, BEHIND THE PANELS. Please visit there for more comic book content, and our weekly podcast.

The coming together of geek god king Joss Whedon and the world of cinematic comic bookery was enough to make even the most cynical fan reach for his or her swooning couch, and the box office success of that union proved that superhero popularity extended well beyond the chaise longue. In the last three years, the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has continued to grow in unexpected but equally successful ways, across television and mixed media, so it’s a very different landscape that AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON lands in.

Whedon wastes no time in throwing the audience into the action, perhaps responding to audience reactions of the slower beat of the previous film’s first act. In a refreshingly exposition free set-up, it’s evident some time has passed since the last time we saw any of these characters, as they are now a fully-fledged team on the last of a series of recon missions. Discovering not only Baron Von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) in possession of Loki’s sceptre, but the “enhanced” twins Pietro (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), they unwittingly set in motion a bigger plan, and kickstart the artificial intelligence Ultron (James Spader) to life.

It’s difficult to be too critical of AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, for in every way it mostly achieves what it sets out to do by being a bigger and rompier version of its predecessor. This doesn’t begin as the origin story of a team, but rather an established group of characters interacting in a way we’ve never seen on screen before. The opening raid sequence is one of the impressive displays of superheroics ever, placing the characters in real peril and surrounding them in a swirling chaos. It’s a pace that the film rarely lets up on, with the already infamous “Hulkbuster” sequence, several Ultron attacks and a literally earth-shattering climax all coming in rapid succession.

Yet the film shows some of the weaknesses that the Avengers themselves face during their latest outing, in that the individual parts are all vying for a bigger piece of the whole. There’s a conscious decision with Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), for example, to give him a significant amount of backstory to make up for his perfunctory role in the 2012 film. While it’s a positive step, Renner isn’t the only star in the game, and every single one of the characters is given their own arc. This may sound like a good thing on paper, and works well within the context of a monthly comic, but many of the arcs get buried in the cacophony of concurrent threads. With the multitude of storylines – not to mention the introduction of several new lead characters – it’s occasionally hard to keep track of what’s happening and it really does feel as though bits are missing between scenes. Ultron escalates from newborn to global threat in the space of a scene, barely giving us time to take in the enormity of the issue.

In many ways, Whedon is trying to ape the compressed storytelling movement of the comic book world, lurching from one scene to the next to keep momentum going while tying up as many threads as possible in a short burst. This works brilliantly until you stop and try to piece together some of the disparate scenes, such as why it was necessary to have perfunctory visits to Africa and South Korea. For this reason, the middle act feels a bit messy on occasions. Instead of developing a fuller narrative, we instead get a series of tried-and-true shortcuts: a repeated gag about Rogers swearing, a trip to a farm to recuperate after a loss, and even an evacuation sequence with both a last minute child and a dog making it onto the last ship.

Whedon’s vision is a singular one, and there is little denying that he has still got a finger placed firmly to the pulse when it comes to delivering exactly what the audience wants to see on a grand scale. Yet that also unfortunately means discarding those elements he seems to disagree with from previous films. Tony Stark’s profound decision and resolution at the end of the divisive Iron Man 3 is ignored for favour of cool new toys. Any substance in the Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov relationship in Captain America: The Winter Soldier is dismissed in a one-liner about flirting. Indeed, the closeness of Black Widow to Clint Barton/Hawkeye that Whedon himself set up in The Avengers is cast aside for a new revelation about Barton’s personal life that feels more about plot necessity than character development.

The cinematography of Ben Davis (Guardians of the Galaxy, Kick-Ass), a regular collaborator with Matthew Vaughn, replaces the sometimes cramped photography of Seamus McGarvey. This gives the film the epic look it needs, and it is a revelation to see these characters assemble in a wider scope with darker shades surrounding them. This is necessary for the introduction of the robotic Ultron, captured as one of Whedon’s sarcastic “Big Bads” by James Spader, filling the impossibly large frame with swagger and ponce. Yet it also gives newcomer Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch a realistic stage to play her mind games on the team, and it’s evident by the end that Whedon may have just used this film as an excuse to bring her into the fold.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON nevertheless ends on a massively positive vibe, setting us up for the next phase via a wickedly funny mid-credits stinger, and is bookended by action sequences and liberal doses of humour that the writer/director is known for. If the middle act is a little emotionally uneven, or compressed to the point of brevity, perhaps it is through being overly ambitious. With Avengers: Infinity War planned to be two films, it is evident that the scale of the storytelling in these films is getting larger. Indeed, the first cut of this film was reportedly over 3 hours, and despite the scale, this chapter is actually slightly shorter than the first outing. It’s one of those rare instances where a longer film was justified in giving the film some breathing room, albeit it still remains a worthy romp in the end.

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON releases in Australia on 23 April 2015, and on 1 May 2015 in the US, from Disney.

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April 22, 2015
Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The latest Marvel film elevates the franchise to new heights, creating an authentic comic book experience on screen that defies convention. It just might also be the best Marvel film to date.

[stextbox id=”grey” caption=”Captain America: The Winter Soldier(2014)” float=”true” align=”right” width=”200″]

Director: Joe and Anthony Russo

Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Runtime: 136 minutes

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson

Distributor: Disney

Country: US

Rating: ★★★★★

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NB: This review originally appeared at our sister site, Behind the Panels.

Over the course of the last six years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t simply adapted comic stories, but instead it has woven together an entire continuity on screen. In doing so, it has happily flipped the notion of “comic book movies” on its head, with each of the nine films to date putting a spin on a diverse range of genres. Indeed, Captain America: The First Avenger was one of the more unlikely successes, an unabashedly Golden Age throwback with a period setting that nevertheless set the stage for the majesty of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. So with its first direct sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier thrusts the Marvel films into the world of spy thrillers, and neatly sets up audiences for the forthcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Sticking fairly closely to Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting’s seminal Captain America arc “The Winter Soldier”, the film picks up a few years after the Battle of New York, with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) still struggling to adapt to the 21st century. However, when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) runs into trouble within his own S.H.I.E.L.D. organisation, Captain America must team up with Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and new ally Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) to uncover not only a nefarious plot, but fend off a legendary threat known as The Winter Soldier.

There is a moment shortly after the titular Cap jumps from a jet onto a ship filled with henchmen, that it will dawn on faithful audiences that this is no longer simply a film series: it’s a home for heroes. For comic book fans and franchise followers alike, Captain America: The Winter Soldier slips into the comfort centres of our brains as easily its hero cuts through bad guys. Emboldened by Marvel’s string of successes, Arrested Development and Community directors Joe and Anthony Russo don’t hold back on the action, filling every inch of the screen with images that could of leaped straight out of artist Steve Epting’s (or any Marvel artist for that matter) pen. Happily categorising itself as Avengers 1.5, this sequel successfully continues the pattern of escalation since the end of Phase One, and manages to deliver something even bigger without a single armoured suit or space battle present. There’s martial arts, car chases, aerial pursuits and inventive explosions – and that’s just the first act.

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s script builds upon the characterisations of Captain America: The First Avenger, transplanting that same scrawny kid who didn’t like bullies into a more technologically advanced age. The dynamic is a fascinating one, with the script quite boldly playing with the headline ripping notion of the powers-that-be taking liberties with our liberties. Captain America: The Winter Soldier directly addresses the idea of what powerful organisations do with their influence during times of great fear, not just in the wider plot but within the interpersonal relationships as well. The casting of Robert Redford as S.H.I.E.LD. head honcho and World Security Council member Alexander Pierce is a masterstroke, harking back to his own 1970s thrillers, but providing a terrific counterpoint to Samuel L. Jackson’s badass Nick Fury for this very struggle.

In fact, all the characters are beefed up and expanded upon in this entry, and not just Cap himself. While he continues to find his place in a brave new world, viewers are treated to their first proper outing of the character in his modern incarnation, with Evans owning every inch of his multi-costumed hero. The repartee between Rogers and Romanoff softens the Black Widow character, when she isn’t kicking ass of course, and should prove to audiences and studio execs that a Black Widow solo project could easily hold its own. Long-time Captain America comic partner Falcon makes a welcome debut, and flies aboard this growing crew as though he has always been there.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the best Marvel film so far, combining spectacularly staged action pieces with a universe expanding plot that should keep audiences on the very edge of their seats for the duration of the film. As always, stick around for no less than two post-credits clips, teasing things to come in both Age of Ultron and the recently announced Captain America 3. If it doesn’t get your pulse racing, you might already be dead. This is perfect geek cinema, elevating action to an art form. ‘Nuff said.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is released in Australia on 3 April 2014 and in the US on 4 April 2014 from Disney.

March 24, 2014
First trailer for ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ arrives

Commence the geekgasms! After a week of teasers, including the poster and a 10-second trailer, Marvel and Disney have released the first full trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier . A very SHIELD-centric film that seems determined to ground the Marvel Cinematic Universe between the cosmic adventures of Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy. Check out the trailer after the synopsis below.

After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier finds Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the film stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Frank Grillo, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Toby Jones, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Maximiliano Hernández, Robert Redford and Georges St-Pierre.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is released in Australia on 3 April 2014, and in the US on 4 April 2014, from Disney. What do you think of the trailer? Let us know in the comments section below!

October 25, 2013