With the countdown to Solo: A Star Wars Story in the final weeks, the film’s director, Ron Howard, has provided his signature Arrested Development twist on our favorite galaxy far, far away. Featured on the weekly web series, The Star Wars Show, Howard narrates a would be episode of Arrested Development with the plot of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Check out the hilarious feature below!
The parody wasn’t the only thing Howard revealed this week, as he also had a nice sit down on the web show, going over the latest from Solo and the world of Star Wars.
If that isn’t enough for you, there was plenty of Solo news to go around this week, including new TV spots and a featurette that follows the first steps Han Solo must go through to become the scruffy looking Nerf herder we all know. Check out some never before seen footage of Solo with insight from Ron Howard, screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, and film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover and Emilia Clarke below!
After an record breaking weekend and dominating box office run with Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios has revealed more details about their next release, Ant Man and The Wasp, opening the door to what’s next in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though the teaser and official trailer have debuted, let’s take a look back to get some clues as to what we can expect from Marvel’s upcoming sequel.
Though not directly referenced by the cast of the MCU, the hint leaves the door open that Ant Man and The Wasp takes place around the same time as Infinity War. Tasked with a new and urgent mission, Scott must balance his life of smaller than life heroism with his expectations as a father. That mission, along with Scott’s agreement after the events of Captain America: Civil War, keeps him out of the epic battle against Thanos, but may create more questions as to how the ending of the film will tie into the battle for the universe in Infinity War.
More clues may surface, so we look forward to what’s next! Marvel has also released a new poster, which can be viewed below, that brings Evangeline Lilly front and center.
Ant Man and The Wasp flies into theaters on July 6th!
Though Pixar Pier is not officially opening until June, The Adorable Snowman wanted to celebrate early, opening his very own ice cream and frozen treat stand this week in Disney California Adventure. Based off the lovable character from Monsters Inc., fans will get the chance to taste and savor some new flavors as well as some former Paradise Pier classics.
The new menu, which can be seen below, has two new signature offerings that are sure to tempt your taste buds. The “It’s Snow-Capped Lemon!” is a nice and simple snack, featuring a white chocolate dipped topping and lemon soft serve. If you want a little more of a tropical kick, the “Pixar Pier Frosty Parfait” is a must try. It is a smooth blend of lemon and blue raspberry. SoCalThrills had a chance to taste the parfait and we highly recommend it!
Another added bonus to the lemon soft serve is that it is non dairy. For those looking for more diverse snack and food options, this is a sweet addition. Adorable Snowman Frosted Treats will be the first of many new food offerings in Pixar Pier that include Lamplight Lounge, Poultry Palace, Señor Buzz Churros, and Angry Dogs.
Stay tuned for more Pixar Fest and Pixar Pier updates to come!
WINTER HAVEN, FL -- April 5, 2018 -- Captain Phasma and Darth Vader preview for LEGO Star Wars Miniland display. (PHOTO / LOCK + LAND, Edward Linsmier for LEGOLAND Florida Resort)
On May 4, LEGO®Star Wars™: The Force Awakens MINILAND Model Display will take its final landing place in the center of LEGOLAND® Florida Resort’s outdoor LEGO display area of the theme park. Created by a team of Master Model Builders, the giant display will feature memorable moments from Episode VII of the popular Star Wars™ saga enhanced with lights, sound effects and animation. The model addition includes the 16-foot-long Star Destroyer Finalizer, made of more than 350,000 LEGO bricks.
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens MINILAND Model Display includes six exciting scenes set on the planet of Jakku, from Star Wars: The Force Awakens which include: Kylo Ren’s capture of Poe; Rey’s rescue of BB-8; Poe and Finn’s escape from the Star Destroyer Finalizer; The wreck of Finn and Poe’s TIE Fighter; Rey, Finn and BB-8’s escape from Niima Outpost; and the escape from the Starship Graveyard.
Just in time for the installation of LEGO®Star Wars™: The Force Awakens MINILAND Model Display, a brand new character has arrived at LEGOLAND Florida Resort. The fearsome First Order Stormtrooper of the blockbuster Star Wars™ film franchise, LEGO® Captain Phasma was spotted inspecting the model to ensure perfection ahead of its installation. The giant new model is the highlight of LEGO®Star Wars™ Days. This exclusive LEGOLAND event begins May 5 and runs for three consecutive weekends – more event days than ever before. All activities are included with all forms of park admission. No extra ticket or Jedi mind tricks required for the only LEGO®Star Wars™ theme park event in Central Florida.
Event activities include:
Tour the newest addition to the LEGO®Star Wars™ area in MINILAND USA with a Master Model Builder and learn exclusive model tips and insights.
Meet and Greet opportunities with NEW character LEGO Captain Phasma and LEGO Darth Vader.
Find the missing LEGO lightsabers throughout Imagination Zone for a chance to win LEGO prizes.
Use The Force and build a Star Wars™ themed model during the Galaxy Competition Build.
Snap a photo with the world’s largest LEGO Yoda model, LEGO Chewbacca and LEGO Rey.
Explore the LEGO®Star Wars™ universe through the lens of talented fan photographers in this exclusive exhibit. Then enter for a chance to win a photo!
And much more!
Awesome Awaits
LEGOLAND Florida Resort features more than 50 rides, shows and attractions inspired by popular LEGO and DUPLO® brands, including awesome experiences based on “The LEGO Movie™,” “LEGO NINJAGO®: Masters of Spinjitzu,” LEGO NEXO KNIGHTS™, LEGO City, LEGO Technic and LEGO Friends, plus LEGOLAND Water Park and on-site accommodations at the 152-room LEGOLAND Hotel and the 166-room LEGOLAND Beach Retreat.
Throughout the year, guests can enjoy an incredible lineup of special events included with all forms of theme park admission. Upcoming events include Brick or Treat (select dates in October), KIDZ BOP Weekend (Nov. 10-12), Christmas Bricktacular (select dates in December) and Kids’ New Year’s Eve Party (select dates in late December).
For more information about visiting LEGOLAND Florida Resort, including multi-day vacation packages, savings on advance purchase of admission tickets, “edu-taining” field trip programs, VIP experiences, military discounts and much more, visit www.LEGOLAND.com/florida.
Star Wars Day is this Friday! To celebrate, Disney is giving fans some awesome in-game items, characters, and more in our favorite Star Wars games and offering up to 75% off select titles across mobile, PC and console platforms.
The complete list of Star Wars Games deals this week can be found at StarWars.com. Below are just a few of the exciting offers for Star Wars gaming fans:
Star Wars: Force Arena – May 2 – May 10: In-app purchases will be up to 30% off. Plus, users will receive a free 40th anniversary character like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader or get a discount on the full anniversary character pack. In addition, pre-registration for the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story – inspired game update opens May 3rd. If 200,000 people pre-register for this special update, all players will receive a Legendary Wild Card as an in-game gift.
Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes – May 4 – May 11: Fans who login on May 4 will be rewarded with free shards for “Han Solo.” Fans can also look forward to receiving 25% more crystals in all Crystal Bundles purchased in Galaxy of Heroes during this time.
Disney Emoji Blitz– May 4 – May 6: Fans can grab a free Star Wars emoji of Rey, Finn or BB-8 on May the 4th and get up to 30% off select in-app purchases.
Disney Tsum Tsum – May 3 – May 11: Players will get up to 25% off in-app purchases of Rubies in-game, including adorable versions of fan-favorite Star Wars characters and Solo-themed puzzles.
Join Donald Glover for a tour of the iconic Millennium Falcon in this “Falcon Tour” featurette for the upcoming SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY opens in U.S. theaters on May 25.
Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes.
The film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo, and Paul Bettany.
Ron Howard directs “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and Kathleen Kennedy, Allison Shearmur and Simon Emanuel are the producers. Lawrence Kasdan, Jason McGatlin, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller serve as executive producers. Jonathan Kasdan & Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay.
Castle Media Hotel grand opening on Friday, April 26, 2018.(Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Legoland California)
Trumpeters announced the grand opening of the new LEGOLAND Castle Hotel at LEGOLAND California Resort at a royal ceremony in front of hundreds of media and special guests. The ceremony included knights on horses, a little girl squire and boy knight plus a hawk that flew the key to the Castle to Merlin the wizard.
[videopress U9Tf3REd]
“Seeing guests walk into the Grand Hall for the first time is an awesome sight,” said General Manager Frank Idris. “I can’t believe just five years ago we opened the first LEGOLAND Hotel in the nation proving how much LEGOLAND California Resort has become a multi-day destination for families with children ages 2-12. Our guests have asked for an even more immersive experience and that’s exactly what we’re giving them with LEGOLAND Castle Hotel. Not only does every room tell a story, every wall, floor, LEGO model is designed to make guests feel like they’re in an actual castle.”
“We’re excited to open a second hotel having learned from the first how powerful the brand is and children love how their experience in our theme park transforms into an overnight magical memory,” said LEGOLAND California Resort General Manager Peter Ronchetti. “Not only will this 250-room hotel bring more people to the beautiful city of Carlsbad which benefits local business, but we’re adding more than 200 jobs further boosting the economy in the region. Considering that, plus the amazing locally-sourced food, great entertainment and whimsical features found throughout the new hotel, this is already a great win for us!”
A royal LEGO statue marks the entrance and is just one of more than 2,100 LEGO models created out of more than three million bricks. As guests enter the Grand Hall, they are greeted by a towering LEGO wizard conjuring up spells to protect the Castle from the bad knights and dragons.
In the Royal Princess rooms, the princess is joining forces with her jester friend to sneak into the grand tournament and compete with the knights. In the Knights and Dragons rooms, the knights are on a mission to defend the king’s castle and protect his treasure. In the Magic Wizard rooms, the wizards are concocting potions and fireworks for the grand tournament. Every room has a children’s sleeping area which includes bunk beds, a trundle bed, their own television, LEGO building station and shooting stars illuminating on the ceiling. Every adult sleeping area has an ornate head board with LED lights which could resemble a stained glass window, a canopy sparking with twinkling lights or shelves filled with potions and a magical bubbling illuminated cauldron.
In Dragon’s Den, a full-service sit down restaurant, guests can watch chefs preparing their food, enjoy LEGO models and entertainers within a unique dining experience. Breakfast is included with each guest’s stay and includes made-to-order items along with a buffet.
The Royal Courtyard immerses children in a fairy tale of their own creation with multiple play areas for different age groups, a giant movie screen, resort-style pool with interactive water features and hot tub and a tented stage for live plays and shows. Interactive elements throughout LEGOLAND Castle Hotel include a knock-knock door, a royal throne that makes silly noises, LEGO caricatures to build upon, a self-playing piano and a slide from the first floor to the lobby.
Director Dean Devlin, along with his stars David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, as well as writer Brandon Boyce, are out in full force this week to promote their new film, Bad Samaritan, which is opening this week on May 4, 2018. The film follows Sean Falco(Robert Sheehan), young valet who while running a clever home robbery scam, discovers a woman being held captive in the house of a psychopath (David Tennant). After a moment of panic causes him to leave her behind, the valet must find a way to rescue her while enduring the wrath of the kidnapper. One the press day for the film in Los Angeles, we got to sit down and talk to Devlin, Tennant, Sheehan, and Boyce about the upcoming film in a very entertaining and informative panel about the film and its production. Below are some of the big highlights that we learned during the press day:
David Tennant jumped at the chance to play Cale Erendreich because it was an amazing story, and an amazing set up, and a really bonkers character. He wasn’t looking to play another psychotic character, but he couldn’t pass on the chance to tackle Cale, and to explore those darker sides of the human psyche.
David also said that you have to try to find the empathy of the character that you’re playing, which can be very hard for a character like Cale, who has none in his life.
Writer Brandon Boyce said the idea started with current technology, and how we spend so much time giving our cars to valets, especially in Los Angeles where it’s an everyday occurrence for those who live in this city. But then he took that idea of what if the valet stole the car and broke into the customer’s house, only to find that the person’s house they broke into has his own set of secrets.
Director Dean Devlin said that he was a huge fan of both David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, both from their time on Doctor Who and Misfits respectively, and that he was dying to work with them. Both were his first choice for their roles in Bad Samaritan.
Boyce said that originally made up a lot of the technology for the film, but was surprised that technology seems to actually be catching up to what he had set up within this film.
Tennant said he had no problem going between his character and then himself between takes in the film, which he joked may have been a bit worrying. But to dabble in a character has no guilt in a safe environment like a movie set, it’s a bit of a giddy experience.
Sheehan followed up that there’s something almost cathartic about dabbling in the dark side of the human psyche in a film like this, calling it almost therapeutic in nature.
Both Tennant and Sheehan find that their characters both see something in each other, even though that their lives are so different, that almost intoxicates them. Sheehan related it to the relationship between Batman and the Joker.
The film’s big finale in a snowy landscape was a happy accident, as the production had been hit with five separate snow storms during the shoot. Tennant joked that it they could never afford that on their budget, so it gave the film a great place to end.
Tennant said that he sees Cale’s biggest wound and weakness in his life is probably his lack of self awareness of what he’s become. Cale’s his past has left him incredibly broken and damaged, fatefully so, but he doesn’t believe that he is, and that it’s actually everyone around him who is.
When asked if there was ever a villain that scared him growing up, and if he used it in his performance, Tennant said the villain that scared him the most growing up was the Child Catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He says that the character utterly terrified him growing up, but then joked he’ll leave it up to the audience to see if it influenced his performance in any way.
Dean Devlin said that David’s first day on set was his favorite day of the film, because it was just so special to have him on set that night. He also said that his wife and kids are also in the film, so the whole production just felt personal for him.
Sheehan and Tennant both said that their favorite time on set was shooting the film’s finale, because it was when they got to spend the most time on set together. Their stories are connected, but it isn’t until the third act they really get to act off each other, so it ended up being the most fun for them.
When asked if building Cale’s character and where he came from, they didn’t feel the need to explain his past to the audience. Boyce said that you don’t need to explain a shark is a shark, and the hints at his past was enough to fill in the gaps of who he was and where he came from.
Devlin followed up that if people are curious about his past though, they’ve done their job, because it means the character was intriguing. He said it was a balance to try and keep him mysterious, while also trying to give you just enough information that you understand the character.
When asked about the film’s production, and how it felt very much like a labor of love, Devlin said that this film is the one that means the most to him compared to anything else he’s done in his career. To shoot, finance, and distribute it one hundred percent independently was a remarkable and incredibly experience. He compared it to a grassroots political campaign, as they’ve gone across country to different conventions to build word and awareness for the project.
Bad Samaritan, starring David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, and directed by Dean Devlin, opens on May 4, 2018 nationwide.
Disney Nature’s latest project, Penguins, will be taking the world by storm Earth Day next year. To celebrate the release, a special trailer has debuted this week, and we have all the details below!
The documentary will be a coming of age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve. Joining millions of fellow male penguins in the icy Antartic spring, he will go on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a lifetime companion, and begin his own family. The story will follow him along his struggle for survival against terrifying predators and obstacles.
The film will be directed by Alastair Fothergill and debut next year! You can learn more about Disney Nature’s previous award winning films by checking out the link below!
For fans still mourning the end of Star Wars Rebels, there is a new hope on the horizon as a new animated series has just been announced! Titled, Star Wars Resistance, the new Star Wars series will introduce a young Resistance pilot named Kazuda Xiono. He is tasked with a top secret assignment to spy on the ever growing threat of the tyrannical First Order.
The First Order’s Captain Phasma will return in Star Wars Resistance
The timeline will take place prior to Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. Though some familiar faces will be coming along for the journey including Poe Dameron (Voiced by Oscar Isaac) and Captain Phasma (Voiced by Gwendoline Christie). BB-8 will be up in the air alongside ace pilots, new characters, and a fresh anime style approach.
BB-8 will be a featured character in the new series!
Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars creator, Dave Filoni, is the man behind the new series. Like George Lucas, he has inspiration from early war era aerial dog fighting and combat craft. “The idea for Star Wars Resistance came out of my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots” said Filoni. “My grandfather was a pilot and my uncle flew and restored planes, so that’s been a big influence on me. There’s a long history of high-speed racing in Star Wars, and I think we’ve captured that sense of excitement in an anime-inspired style, which is something the entire team has been wanting to do for a long time.”
Disney XD’s senior vice president of programming and general manager stated, “Our colleagues at Lucasfilm have created a compelling narrative for an untold moment in the Star Wars galaxy, and we are excited to partner with them again on this new original series. Star Wars Resistance will bring viewers across generations an engaging story with heart, humor and both new and familiar characters.”
It’s an exciting time for Star Wars fans everywhere. Stay tuned for more details on Star Wars Resistance and check out starwars.com for the latest in all things Star Wars!
After nearly 25 years of massive international success comes Andrew Lloyd Webber’s follow-up to everyone’s favorite phantom musical. Re-emerging from the depths of a Paris opera house, the mystic Phantom of the Opera returns in LOVE NEVER DIES. Some may say this sequel is nothing more than a continuation of the beloved Phantom and Christine’s story, but I would say that LOVE NEVER DIES is a perfect accompaniment to its predecessor! This lavish American-tour production perfectly intertwines classic melodies from the original while still introducing powerful new music and performances one has come to expect from the genre.
I’m here to tell you LOVE NEVER DIES delivers everything it should, even with it’s melodramatic falters, it shouldn’t actually be faulted for them. This is THE Phantom of the Opera character after all. With the original Phantom of the Opera musical already an untouchable classic, I’m concerned many have forgiven the original shows over-the-top performances and overdramatic storyline. This genre is already unapologetic when it comes to drama, and then you throw in Phantom of the Opera melodies… what are people expecting?!
Unquestionably, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s LOVE NEVER DIES – THE PHANTOM RETURNS makes no excuses for its romanticized characterization, storyline, and even its design. I expected no less going in as The Phantom of the Opera is essentially no different. Those seeking an incredibly clever, multi-layered story, may want to regroup prior to their viewing.
Set 10 years after the events that occurred at the Paris Opera, the Phantom has now taken residency at Phantasma, a new Coney Island amusement park attraction. Set in 1907 (yes, the timeline is a bit off if you really know your “Phantom”), the beginning focuses around a sideshow of sorts with classically-labeled freaks from yester-year. Filled with acrobatics and circus acts, the Phantom is awaiting his next act for Phantasma. Struggling with the absence of the one thing he obsesses over, Christine Daae, he seeks her voice for his show in order to hear her sing “once more”. His relentless infatuation remains as strong as ever and anonymously invites her to come perform in America, although the clues are quite clear.
With Christine’s husband Raoul and son Gustave by her side, she travels to America with much fanfare and runs into another leading lady who idolizes her, Meg Giry, but also resents the fact she is taking away her big shot. Christine must convince her family that she must do this performance while Raoul and the Phantom fight for love.
Upon entry into Segerstrom Hall, the stage is unlit with a black scrim and a faint star-like cutout. What appears dull and boring is brought to life with immense color, and enormous set pieces following the Phantom’s opening, “’Til I Hear You Sing”. I am sucker for big theatrics, and this show has plenty. LOVE NEVER DIES nails it with the wow-factor! With a turnable stage feature and gorgeous set choreography, the set design allows for some masterful scenery that engulfed me into each moment. However, what I found to be a complete and fulfilling show, some may find its story to be less than complex.
As briefly mentioned before, this is a melodramatic opera with incredibly romanticized characters. LOVE NEVER DIES should not be faulted for a story-arc that is near perfectly explained within the title of the show. Why am I defending the show so much? Simply, I fell hard for it and find some over-critiquing worth counter-arguing.
The performances helped with my recently found love for the show. As we entered we were informed that the alternate Phantom would be taking the stage tonight (and possibly for more of the run). I found myself nervous thinking that we would be in for underwhelming performance. WHOOPS! Bronson Norris Murphy was everything you want out of a Phantom hitting those boisterous deep notes and delivering the intensity required for most of his scenes. In fact, his voice was a bit deeper than the cast recording. The Phantom’s counterpart Christine, played by Megan Picerno, had a plethora of chemistry with Murphy and takes the climax of the show with as much triumph as the best of the best. She even dealt with an especially slobbery Phantom performance… and didn’t miss a beat as spit splattered across the stage.
The shows surprise performance came from the little boy playing Gustave. Our nights performance had the role was played by Jake Heston Miller. This kid brought the audience to thunderous applause with “Beautiful”. A much different, stronger version than recordings I have heard. Those reminiscent for The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack will find much appreciation for this song.
LOVE NEVER DIES stays true to what The Phantom of the Opera has always been. A powerful love tale with momentous musical numbers that attempts to prove our leading characters love is of the purest form. The message may be a bit murky, but really… this is a love story that follows a phantom that appears through mirrors and carries his voice through walls. This is in no way a story resembling real life, but perhaps provides a bit of romanticism for us to believe in, which deserves a place to exist is our real world.
LOVE NEVER DIES is playing at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa thru May 5th, 2018.
After ten years and eighteen films, Marvel Studios has finally reached the conclusion of the saga they’ve set out to tell – – going all the way back to Iron Man back in 2008 – – with Avengers: Infinity War. The decade in the making film is an ambitious and bold superhero epic more in the vein of The Lord of the Rings than typical cape fare, but with everything you’ve come to expect – – and a whole lot that audience aren’t – – from Marvel Studios. Instead of being a straightforward Avengers film, we’re treated to a mythology heavy story that spans galaxies, pitting our heroes on a collision course with the Mad Titan known as Thanos. But unlike the thirteen month journey that the Fellowship faced in The Lord of the Rings saga, the danger is much more imminent, and it’s going to take heroes from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe to come together to try to save reality from Thanos’ dark end goal.
On paper, as great as this movie would sound, it shouldn’t work. To meld so many franchises, characters, and worlds together to tell one cohesive story in this way, it just sounds like a logistical nightmare. Yet, somehow, Marvel Studios has pulled it off, but it’s not without some minor bumps and bruises along the way. With a film like this, it’s easy for characters to get lost in the shuffle, and to be honest, as much as we love so many of these MCU mainstays, there’s a few who haven’t been given a ton to do through the film. However, while a few characters do fall a bit by the wayside, it works because the film decides to focus so much on the film’s villain, Thanos, played by Josh Brolin.In many ways, this is Thanos’ film more than it is an Avengers film, something the Russo Bros. have said they were aiming for, which may be one of the smartest plays they could have made with this film. That particular creative choice ends up giving us a layered, emotionally complex being who you understand…Even though he’s the film’s villain, and he’s laying waste to the heroes throughout the film. Not only that, it makes Thanos incredibly scary because you understand that there is nothing that will come between him and his mission, and if it does, he’ll just crush it and keep moving forward.
Because Thanos feels so fleshed out, it raises the stakes of the film considerably, to the point that you never really know what’s going to happen, making each moment feel dangerous and unpredictable for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Of course, Robert Downey, Jr., the man who started it all, is fantastic once again in the role of Tony Stark, with Tony finally facing the reality he feared would come in Avengers: Age of Ultron, with the world facing destruction at the hands of beings from other worlds. Stark, for a better part of his time in the MCU, has been partly its biggest hero, while also being its biggest villain, and now he’s faced with the ultimate choice to bring the fight to Thanos and end this once and for all. Downey, Jr. has always played the role with so much emotionally complexity, and this may be his best turn as the armored Avenger, because you can tell that both Downey, Jr. and Stark have grown considerably in the last decade together. At times, you may start to wonder where the character starts and the actor ends, however that’s not a bad thing as it works for the Stark character. But everyone else brings their best to their respective roles throughout, not just Downey, Jr. and Brolin. Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth, also known as the Three Chrisketeers, truly standout in the film, as well as Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlett Witch, who really fines time to shine bright.
The best thing about Avengers: Infinity War may also be the thing that audiences have the toughest time with, and that comes from its willingness to be as complex and dark as it gets. Many film sequels tout that they want to be the next The Empire Strikes Back, but for the first time, it feels like we may have a real runner-up to that position. Avengers: Infinity War pulls no punches, and it’s also not willing to hold the audiences hand for the sake of making fans feel happiness. This film deals with cataclysmic events, and instead of playing everything for jokes – – though, don’t be fooled, the film still has a lot of the trademark Marvel humor – – the film instead goes broke in dragging the audience through the dark reality that the characters are facing. For a movie series to be nineteen films deep, and leave the audience truly grappling with the ideas and consequences in the film the way that Infinity War feels like a bit of fresh air. We’re so used to blockbusters that are more like fast food meals, that leave you satisfied but little else, it’s nice to have a blockbuster that wants to be more of a steak dinner, that leaves you fulfilled and feeling good when you’re done.
This is also Marvel Studios’ longest film to date, clocking it at just over two and a half hours, but the Russo Bros. give the film such a breakneck pace from the opening on, it never feels as long as the film’s run time. The pace is almost so fast that those in the audience who lose step with the film for even a minute may find themselves a bit lost as the film charges along with its separate storylines, all leading to the film’s massive climax, one that fans are going to be over the moon for. Though many may also find it as emotionally draining as they find it exciting. The action is just non stop throughout the film, but the third act takes things that to new heights, as the Avengers face off with Thanos and his Black Order, leading to some of the most breathtaking and kick ass moments the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen. It’s amazing just how well the Russo Bros. really understand action, and how to make it feel not only cool, but emotionally resonate as well. The action never feels like action for the sake of it, which again goes to show just how high the stakes feel through Infinity War‘s runtime. But most importantly, the twists and turns that the directing duo have up their sleeves are sure to leave even the most diehard of fan’s jaws on the ground, which is to say that the best way to watch the film is knowing as little as possible going in. No easy feat in this day of age with the internet, but it will leave you the most satisfied walking out of the theater.
Avengers: Infinity War is an action packed, emotionally complex, and tough as nails superhero film that is one for the ages. This is a cinematic achievement in so many ways, even if the film doesn’t quite perfectly balance all the characters throughout. But its breakneck pace and heavy action will leave audiences in awe, while also crying into their tissues. This is not only one of Marvel’s finest offerings, but this may be one of the best blockbuster films since The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, giving us an epic on the scale we don’t normally get, or that we’re likely to see again. Honestly, for the first time in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s hard to imagine what comes next. There’s no clear path forward as Avengers: Infinity War comes to a close, and that’s a truly fantastic feeling, though it’ll make the wait for next year’s currently untitled Avengers follow-up excruciating.
