The Best Scene in Every MCU Movie – Phase Three, Part One

Welcome back to yet another rundown of what I believe are the best scenes in every MCU movie, this time looking at the Phase Three slate of films. Phase Three saw the conclusion of the Infinity Saga and is arguably the best of the three Phases, as new iconic heroes and terrifying villains were introduced. As there were so many films in Phase Three, I will be splitting this article in to two parts, so make sure to check back for part two when you’re done here.

Captain America: Civil War (2016) – Airport Battle

2016’s Captain America: Civil War continued Steve Rogers’ journey, as well as serving as a sort of Avengers 2.5 with the amount of superheroes on display here. With MCU debuts for Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) as well as returns for the likes of Ant-Man, Vision, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and serving as an adaption of one of the most iconic Marvel Comics stories of recent years, there was a lot of expectation on this film. Thankfully, the directorial talents of the Russo brothers were able to pull it off, with a film full of spectacle and drama. There are numerous moments that stand out in Civil War, but the airport battle between Team Cap and Team Iron Man cannot be overlooked. Watching our favourite heroes battle one another on-screen is equal parts heartbreaking and thrilling, but each character gets their own chance to shine. It’s amazing that in just one sequence their are so many memorable moments, like Spidey taking on Cap and realising their New York connection, Clint battling his bestie Natasha (Scarlett Johansson), and of course Ant-Man’s giant transformation. This is a definite top 5 MCU scene!

Doctor Strange (2016) – “Open Your Eye”

Doctor Strange was a character myself and many other comic book fans had been excited to see enter the MCU for the longest time, and when it finally happened, what we received was a solid and visually spectacular origin story, with yet another brilliant central performance from Benedict Cumberbatch. Although not my first choice for the role, he really encapsulated the character of Stephen Strange. Doctor Strange has a number of wonderfully inventive, visually mind blowing scenes, but the one which stands out most of all is when Strange is told to “open his eye” and is taken on the craziest trip imaginable.  The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) introduces Strange to concepts he never thought to believe, and the crazy visuals along the way are clearly influenced by Steve Ditko’s Doctor Strange artwork from the 1960s. I can’t wait to see what unique imagery we will get in the sequel, The Multiverse of Madness, in a year or so!

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) – Yondu’s Funeral 

The first Guardians of the Galaxy film was such a surprise success, with its unique characters, otherworldly settings and departure from the slightly more grounded Marvel movies we had seen so far. I personally prefer Volume 2, as I find it more relatable on a personal level, but for many people the first film remains their favourite in the series. What I love about this film is the amount of heart it has, and nothing pulls on the heartstrings more than Yondu’s (Michael Rooker) sacrifice in the film’s closing moments. His line to Peter of “He may have been your father, but he wasn’t your daddy” never fails to bring a tear to my eye, and we finally see Yondu for the hero he always was. If that moment of selflessness didn’t break you, then what follows surely will, with Cat Stevens’ ‘Father & Son’ playing over the stunning visuals of the funeral and each Guardian having a small moment to show how far they’ve come over the course of the film.

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – The Dad Talk

I’ve loved all three of the live action Spider-Men we have seen over the years, but for me Tom Holland’s performance captures the essence of the character more than any previous actor, and that may be one of the main reasons I rate his films so highly. When the Vulture/Adrian Toomes was announced as the main villain for this film I was highly skeptical, as I’ve never been a particularly big fan of the character, but with Michael Keaton in the role I knew there was always a chance this could be special. Keaton ended up stealing the show, and he’s no better than in his scene in the car with Peter, where he’s deduced his true identity as the Web Slinger. The tension of the scene has been building for a while, from the moment Peter knocked on the door to pick up Liz (Laura Harrier) for their Homecoming dance, and came face to face with his foe, who at this point had no suspicions he was Spider-Man. The car journey to the school is extremely uncomfortable as we see Toomes slowly piece together the truth about Peter, leading to the incredibly intense conclusion with Vulture threatening to kill him and everyone he loves. The quality of villains really grew with Phase Three, and Michael Keaton’s performance as the Vulture is a true highlight of the series, here’s hoping he makes a reappearance in Spider-Man 3!

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – “What Were You the God of Again?”

The first two ‘Thors’ are solid, if unspectacular films, but there’s never been too much love for them, and I feel the character of Thor struggled to be embraced the same way Captain America and Iron Man were by audiences. That was until the great, Taika Waititi stepped in to direct the third film of the series, Ragnarok. Waititi has a strong comedy background with his films What We Do In the Shadows (2014), and Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), and he brought some of that unique comedy style to the MCU with this latest Thor tale. Rewriting Thor and essentially turning him in to a comedy character wasn’t to everyone’s taste but with Chris Hemsworth’s natural comic talent I feel it really helped reinvent the character in a positive way. The film isn’t all comedy however, as we also lean more into the God of Thunder’s incredible power set, especially during this scene in the film’s final act. Thor,seemingly overpowered by his evil sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), sees his father, Odin, in a vision and tells him he does not have the strength to beat her without his hammer. Odin gives his son an almighty pep talk and Thor returns with Palpatine levels of unlimited power, to take his sister and her undead army down, accompanied by Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’ playing over the action. It’s an epic sequence and it’s the God of Thunder at his best!

Thanks for reading Part One of my Best Scenes from the MCU Phase Three, I’d love to know what you think of my choices and if you’d pick any other moments. Keep an eye out for Part Two where I’ll be covering the finest scenes from Black Panther, Ant-Man & The Wasp and several other Marvel films!

WandaVision Episode 4 Review

Wow. Okay, well I’ve thought about it for a few days and as much as I prefer writing spoiler-free reviews, there’s really no way I can talk about episode 4 of WandaVision without going into spoiler territory. So, look away now if you’re yet to watch the episode!

Episode 3 of WandaVision finished with Geraldine (Teyonah Parris) being thrown from Westview and back into the ‘real world’, we assume by Wanda, and providing us with yet more questions about what the hell is going on. Luckily, episode 4 of WandaVision, gives us the answers to almost all the questions we’ve had so far from the previous episodes, as well as bringing some new elements in to an already fascinating series.

The opening scene of this week’s episode is one of the most intense sequences the MCU has ever produced, as we witness the results of Hulk’s ‘snap’ from Avengers Endgame (2019), immediately separating us from the show’s sitcom style of previous episodes. From the start, we learn that Geraldine/a grown up Monica Rambeau (from Captain Marvel) was snapped out of existence 5 years ago, and during that time her mother, Maria (Carol Danvers’ BFF), died. We see Monica panicking as more and more people return to the world after ‘the blip’ and there is a real sense of chaos, giving some proper disaster movie vibes and showing just how crazy and scary this experience was for people.

The first half of this episode has us following Monica in the days preceding episode 1 of the show, as she gets back to work at SWORD (Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Department), which is a new addition to the MCU, having been hinted at in the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). After being sent on an assignment to escort a surveillance drone to help out the FBI with a missing persons’ case, Monica meets with Agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park), who fans will recognise from Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), who in a blink-and-you-miss-it moment introduces himself in a brilliant way which is a throwback moment to that film (truth be told I didn’t notice it until my 2nd viewing, shame on me!). The duo learn that something strange is going on in Westview, New Jersey, and this leads to Monica being dragged beyond the strange barrier she flew out from in episode 3, and into the sitcom world of WandaVision.

From here, things play out almost like a classic X-Files episode, as a bunch of suits try to uncover the mystery behind what is really going on in Westview. A group of scientific experts are brought in by SWORD, including a certain Dr. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), who’s not been seen in the MCU since Thor: The Dark World (2013). Her reintroduction further shows that no character is beyond coming back in this universe, something which may happen a whole lot more in this show if certain rumours are to be believed! Darcy brings some much needed laughs to an episode which is probably the least comedic of the series so far, and her chemistry with Woo as they watch episodes of the in-show WandaVision sitcom bodes well for any future episodes of the series they share together.

Many mysteries from previous episodes are solved, such as the beekeeper who emerged from the sewers, the voice calling Wanda’s name through the radio, and the bombshell that it is in fact Wanda behind the creation of this bizarre sitcom reality. Some may complain that by revealing so much, there is little mystery left, but I feel that the Wanda reveal may in fact be a red herring with the true conspirator still out there somewhere (my money is on Mephisto still). As I get towards the end of this review, I almost forgot to mention one of the best moments of the episode! We finally see the full confrontation between Wanda and Monica, and oh boy, Elizabeth Olsen can be terrifying when she wants to be! This standoff leads to Monica’s expulsion from Westview, but we also get a haunting look at Vision, looking the way we last saw him in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) after Thanos had removed the mind stone from his head. It’s a horrifying image which sticks with you long after watching for sure.

With many questions answered, and a number of new (returning) characters introduced, this is the most exciting episode of the series so far, and yet again the wait for next Friday feels too long!

9/10

WandaVision Episodes 1-3 Review

WandaVision is the long awaited return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fans have been waiting for since 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. In a genius new move, the MCU is taking to TV screens and through the streaming service of Disney Plus, and WandaVision happens to be the first of several new shows coming to the service over the next few years. This review will cover the first 3 episodes of the show, I have tried to avoid spoilers so feel free to read on, even if you’ve not watched them yet!

For those unaware, WandaVision finds us following a recently married Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), as they move into the town of Westview and begin their new lives as a happy couple, the twist is (well one of many) everything is black and white and they seem to be in a 1950’s sitcom. When we last saw Vision in the MCU he had just been killed for a second time in a matter of moments at the hands of Thanos (Josh Brolin), so immediately we find ourselves questioning how he appears here, but for now we have to just go with it and realise it’s part of the wider mystery!

The first two episodes of the show take influence from classic TV sitcoms such as The Dick Van Dyke show and Bewitched, and although this style may not be to everyone’s liking, it’s wonderful to see how the creators of WandaVision have thrown themselves into this project and truly captured the essence of shows from this era. There are some fantastic jokes involving some very simple yet clever visual effects, and the fact the first episode of the show is filmed in front of a live studio audience is just a masterstroke and a real love letter to classic sitcoms!

This sitcom style is the one thing which concerned me most going in to WandaVision, as I wondered would it actually be funny? Thankfully, it’s hilarious! The script is so well written with some genuinely funny jokes, both visual and spoken, and they hold up even on multiple viewings. Episode 2 is arguably the funniest of the series so far, with Paul Bettany showcasing his superb comic talent, unseen since his A Knight’s Tale days, in a very memorable magic act with his on-screen wife. He’s honestly never been better in the MCU, and it’s great to see this side of him. Elizabeth Olsen is just as brilliant and the chemistry between the two actors is a joy to watch as they bounce off one another, seemingly improving each other’s performance.

For those reading this and wondering ‘so how does this link to the wider MCU?’ well, it’s hard to say, especially without going into spoiler territory. It’s fair to say after the first couple of episodes there are a dozen or so theories going round about what is really going and where the story may be headed, but if there is one criticism of the episodes, it’s that the plot doesn’t progress too far or give too many clues about where it could be headed. Episode 3 is where things get pretty juicy though as the final minutes of it reveal a much more sinister tone and have us viewers really questioning who is behind this surreal world our heroes are now living in. There are a number of easter eggs subtly planted in the episodes for eagle-eyed viewers, which relate to famous comic book stories involving the Vision and Scarlet Witch and could hint at the future of the series. I really hope from this episode onward things will really pick up and the veil of mystery regarding the main plot will gradually be pulled back. We still don’t even know who the ‘big bad’ really is!

As great as Olsen and Bettany are in WandaVision, I can’t forget to mention the brilliant supporting cast and how much they bring to the series. Kathryn Hahn (who I absolutely loved in Parks and Recreation) plays Agnes, a nosy neighbour who may or may not actually be a famous character from the comic books, and her hilarious performance probably make her the standout supporting character of these opening episodes. Emma Caulfield, of Buffy fame, appears in episode 2 in a very ‘Stepford Wives’ role and adds some sassiness to the series as well as a certain level of intrigue regarding her role in the wider story. Perhaps most interesting is the inclusion of Geraldine (Teyonah Parris), who before the series release was revealed to be playing the grown up Monica Rambeau, who we last saw as a child in Captain Marvel, so it will be exciting to see how her role develops over the next few weeks, especially as she appears to know more than initially thought in episode 3.

Although this may not be the standard superhero fare we have come to expect from Marvel Studios over the past few years, the first 3 episodes of WandaVision have enough humour and mystery to keep audiences interested. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany have never been better in these roles, and I feel there’s even more to come from the pair as things get weirder and the stakes get higher. The plot has been fairly slow moving so far, but as things begin to pick up I’m confident we are well on our way to experiencing another epic addition to the MCU. I for one, can’t wait for episode 4!

8.5/10