ESSAY: "We're In The Endgame Now" or, Facts Behind the Success of Marvel's "Avengers: Endgame"

Avengers: Endgame has only been in theaters for three weeks, and as of this writing, it has already generated an unprecedented $2.5 billion (and counting) at the box-office, making it the second-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, between 2009's Avatar (which holds the number one spot) and 1997's Titanic (now number 3), both directed by James Cameron. At this rate, it may be on track to overthrow the former film within the next couple of weeks.

Since 1975, only four other films in history have claimed the title of "highest grossing film" (or, most popular film, if you prefer) of all-time. These have included 1975's Jaws, 1977's Star Wars, 1982's E.T. : The Extra-Terrestrial, and 1993's Jurassic Park. Adjusted for inflation, four of these six aforementioned titles are in the top ten.

Reaching the same cinematic and moviegoing heights as the days of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Endgame directors (and siblings) Anthony & Joe Russo have helped craft not only a worthy conclusion to a franchise--in this case, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or, MCU)--that was established over ten years ago. They have helped shepherd an overall arc of interlocking and interconnected stories that have transcended genres, ages, ethnicities and cultures.

Here are three specific reasons Avengers: Endgame has become a bona fide hit worldwide, beyond just its box-office intake.

(For those of you who haven't seen it yet, don't worry. This is a spoiler-free piece.)


1. Since 2008's Iron Man, it took twenty-one movies to lead to the MCU's conclusion. Furthermore, it's been a build-up of several movies and durations for the concluding story to come together and really mean anything. Marvel CEO and producer Kevin Feige said the same about Captain America: Civil War from 2016. (You can watch his interviews with Rotten Tomatoes in three parts as follows: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.)

2. Marvel has had eight billion-dollar hits, including The Avengers (2012), Iron Man 3 (2013), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Captain Marvel (2019), and now Endgame, which features the six original Avengers from the 2012 blockbuster, in their reported final cinematic outing together a la Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The announcement that this film, along with the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home, will wrap up the MCU's first three phases (now declared "The Infinity Saga") is not an indication that the MCU is slowing down anytime soon.

More importantly, the traction and audience investment (ditto the critical acclaim) for this interconnected franchise has only been growing since then, as have criticisms over certain aspects of the MCU. Either way, the MCU has remained a hot topic throughout the last decade of pop culture.

At the same time, it was a question of what kind of roles would be filled in Endgame by such characters as Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, Hawkeye, the Hulk, and others who survived (and those who didn't) Thanos's polarizing actions at the end of last year's Infinity War. The same went for various theories about where the storyline would go, such as how the Quantum Realm (from the Ant-Man films) and (possibly) time travel would/might be used, and which main characters wouldn't make it out alive this time around.

3. Marvel has created and endured a brilliant marketing campaign. The film's trailers, as well as hashtags #DontSpoilTheEndgame and #ThanosDemandsYourSilence, did an amazing job keeping the plot as under wraps as possible. And it's that secrecy that has fueled high anticipation more than any other film Marvel has made up until now.

The Russo's are great at taking storylines into complete 180-degree directions, and creating exciting (if radical and shocking) theatrical experiences for the audience. Another thing they, perhaps, don't get enough credit for are how the character choices, dilemmas, unpredictabilities, and directions in their Marvel films really push the story forward. That's the kind of approach that, for one thing, requires second viewings or more in theaters.

Plus, the film's three-hour runtime creates an experience of epic storytelling and grand vision (no offense, Paul Bettany) that is unparalleled in the history of moviemaking. Sure, there have been many examples of franchises that have been built and have endured with many of the same cast and crew involved, from the original Star Trek films (1979-1991) to the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) to Harry Potter (2001-2011). But how many franchises have been built on interlocking and interconnected stories, and have blown audiences away as much.

As the late Stan Lee would say, "Excelsior!"

REVIEW: The "Glass" Is Half-Full and Half-Empty

Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan had arguably preceded filmmaker Christopher Nolan, as well as Marvel Studios, in redefining what a comic-book-inspired movie could be when he made Unbreakable in 2000. The film works brilliantly as its own standalone story, but Shyamalan surprised audiences and critics in early 2017 when it was revealed that his psychological thriller Split was set in the same cinematic universe as Unbreakable. Several weeks later, he posted on Twitter that his next feature would have characters from both films, and that the title (Glass) would be named after the nickname of Samuel L. Jackson's character from the former.

Shaymalan had initially conceived a three-act story, with (in a way) each respective film as follows:

Act 1) Unbreakable tells the origin stories of security guard David Dunn (Bruce Willis), the sole survivor of a train crash, and crippled comic-book seller Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), who believes that superheroes walk the earth. There is also key insight into supporting characters like Elijah's mother (Charlayne Woodard), who's had to deal with his disability since his birth, and David's son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark), who aspires his father to be more than ordinary.

Act 2) Split tells the origins of one Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a victim of multiple-personality disorder (including a monster of a figure) as the result of an abusive mother, and kidnapped victim Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor-Joy), who becomes, perhaps, the only key to unlocking Kevin's true identity. 

Sarah Paulson

Act 3) Glass brings all these characters together, this time with Dunn, Crumb and Price brought to a psychiatric hospital and "supervised" under the mysterious Dr. Ellie Stapler (Sarah Paulson), who tries to convince them (and their friends or relatives) that their "abilities" (and comic book notions, in general) are a delusion, and that "we aren't meant to have this much power." Until Price plots against Stapler, by pitting Dunn and Crumb against each other (one, by teaming up with Crumb/The Beast), and for the world to see that superheroes really do exist.

Unlike most comic-book films that rely on spectacle, Shyamalan's films here are very character-driven. The film starts strong, with subplots involving abducted teenage girls in an abandoned warehouse, Dunn's home security business (in which Joseph serves as his nightwing, if you will), and Casey readjusting to life.

The way Shamaylan tries to balance all of these film worlds is tricky. Like the opening stylized credits featuring cracked glass, things are held together well in some places. Being a Blumhouse film production (the same team that backed up Get Out, Halloween, and Split), some of these other impressive stylistic choices include neon sections at comic-book stores, saying "Heroes" and "Villains." McAvoy steals the show, reminding us how versatile an actor he is with various personalities. There are also a lot of intriguing ideas that cleverly play with comic book tropes (including implied social cults that try to keep the world from knowing the existence of superheroes, and a shocking revelation that genuinely brings all the characters together), some truly cinematic moments (David putting on his poncho), and a mind-blowing ending.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Charlayne Woodard

Spencer Treat Clark

Other places, these different worlds crack and don't seem to know which direction they need to go, or are going in. There's no denying this film has a lot going for it. Plus, it's very character-driven over spectacle-driven. (More appropriately, the story and character dynamics are the spectacle, something that Marvel and Nolan also do very well.) It's just that Glass feels meandering at times, or at least contained (as Stapler constantly tries to do) and more focused on certain characters (like Kevin) and less on balancing all worlds and those they impact. The movie is called Glass, after all.

I personally would have hoped to see Casey and David (and Joseph and Mrs. Price, maybe) team up to fight the Beast, and to see how Elijah serves as the orchestrator again. That would've been a more engrossing opportunity that keeping them in a psychiatric ward. As the poster's slogan says, "You cannot contain what you are." 

REVIEW: "The Lego Movie 2" Adds More Hysterical and Surprising Parts

Since its release back in 2014, The Lego Movie (courtesy Warner Bros.'s then-newly-developed Animation Group) has been a visual and entertaining treat that brilliantly captures the childlike innocence of playing with plastic toy bricks, and the differences that children and adults have in using them. It's a concept and message that goes just as deep as what Pixar had accomplished with the Toy Story films. And that's a testament, in part, to the film's directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who are experts at combining high art and low art, as well as clever meta humor and genuine pathos, resulting in both artistic and universally-successful filmmaking and storytelling in the medium of animation.

The film soon led to two spinoff films (The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie, both released in 2017), neither one (though fun) retaining the child-like feel of the original (one of the best of the decade by far). A benefit of the new film, aptly titled The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, is that it retains that kid-friendly perspective of plastic-brick-building, creativity, and silliness. (Check out these hilarious trailers here and here.)

The story picks up exactly where the first film left off, with mysterious spaceships of Duplo toys "attacking" the Lego world of Bricksburg on "Taco Tuesday" (don't ask). Heroes Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), Wyldstyle/Lucy (Elizabeth Banks), pirate MetalBeard (Nick Offerman), Benny the Space Guy (Charlie Day), and Unikitty (Allison Brie) have resided to a Mad Max-/Planet of the Apes-like apocalyptic wasteland of brooding and dark times. All except Emmet, whom others believe should move on and "grow up" from his happy-go-lucky worldview and embrace being edgy.

Emmet (left) meets Rex Dangervest (both voiced by Chris Pratt)

Then, one day, mysterious spaceships return with the equally-mysterious General Mayhem (Short Term 12's Stephanie Beatriz), who plots to abduct a selected few for a "matrimonial ceremony" in the "Sistar System," including cheesy pop-tunes, glitter, and the shapeshifting Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi (a scene-stealing Tiffany Haddish). Emmet soon goes on his own adventure to rescue his friends, and even gets help from the super-heroic Rex Dangervest (basically, a parody of Pratt's own career up until now, complete with Jurassic World raptors as sidekicks).

To get right to the point, this new film doesn't quite reach the cinematic heights of its predecessor. It's bubble-gum pop-music flavor may pander more to kids than to adults. On the other hand, its impressive animation (PLEASE stay through the credits!), hysterical meta humor (honestly, those Bruce Willis gags, and Gotham City and Lonely Island numbers, are a riot), and surprising poignancy remain entertaining and endearing enough to keep adults just as (if not more) engaged. (Lord and Miller are credited as co-producers and co-writers, while Trolls director Mike Mitchell successfully takes the helm.)

This time, instead of parent-child dynamics (although there is a bit of that here, as well), the story centers on sibling relationships, different styles and worlds apparently clashing, and visual illustrations (and cautionary tales) of what happens when we allow ego to influence us, and what happens when we decide to put differences aside, embrace who we really are, and possibly creating something greater in the process, even if everything may not always be "awesome." That about describes The Lego Movie 2, a very funny, creative, and worthy sequel.

REVIEW: Is "Us" An Eye-Opening View of Our Own Worst Enemies, or a Nihilistic Plague?

Many have declared that writer-director Jordan Peele's latest film Us has broken through the "sophomore slump" that has (ahem) plagued so many feature film directors. His 2017 directorial debut Get Out (about an African-American man who visits with his Caucasian girlfriend's family one weekend and discovers a sinister cover-up) was, after all, both a critical and commercial success. It became the first horror film to earn a Best Picture Oscar nomination since 2010 (when Darren Aronovsky's Black Swan was nominated), and even won Peele an award for his original screenplay.

But if Get Out was a commentary on race relations and dark realities in contemporary America, then Us transcends that beyond not only an African-American family at the center, but also, perhaps, to the dark side of human nature and psychology. The basic premise of Us involves a family that goes on vacation to a lake house, only to be terrorized by a group of red-jumpsuit-wearing dopplegangers, known as the Tethered.

Peele had his cast (including Lupita N'Yongo, Winston Duke, and Elisabeth Moss) watch several different horror films prior to principle photography, including The Birds (1963), It Follows (2014), The SIxth Sense (1999), and The Shining (1980), to get a feeling of the overall tone for this film. And if you've seen any ads or previews for Us, you'll likely agree there are many frightening, nightmarish, jarring, and esoteric elements that send shivers down your spine: a creepy, trench-coated figure standing on the beach, blood dripping from its fingers. Mysterious people standing in a driveway, making clicking sounds. Scissors. Underground tunnels, like something out of a Kubrick film. A throwback to the "Hands Across America" event from the 1980s. A little boy in a werewolf mask snapping his fingers. A hall of mirrors (and you know it's going to get crazy here). Caged rabbits in what looks like a classroom (set to a haunting opening credits chant). And a haunting rendition of Luniz's drug ballad "I Got 5 On It". 

N'Yongo has been building a stellar career for the last half-decade, playing broken or empowering female characters, whether as slave Patsy in 12 Years a Slave, alien Maz Kanata in the current Star Wars films, or as fierce warrior Nakia in Black Panther. She's now officially added "scream queen" to her resume, following in the footsteps of Janet Leigh, Jamie Lee Curtis and Heather Langenkamp before her. You'll never think of her the same way again after seeing the duality of panicked mother Adelaide (who suffered a traumatic event as a child) coming up against her frightening and crazed doppleganger. The image of this character on the film's poster alone is one of the scariest I've ever seen. 

To be sure, Us (like Get Out) is brilliantly-made and effectively-scary. It's also both a psychological horror film (e.g., home invasion thriller), as well as a slasher film (with many bloody results). And with that in mind, I can't help but ponder Peele's intent here. 

Do the Tethered represent our own worst enemies or our own worst fears? What of the widespread pandemic (or apocalypse?) that impends, ditto the "Hands Across America" imagery?

Is the overall message here an eye-opener to humanity's cynicism and ignorance (courtesy an implied governmental experiment gone wrong), or is the message just a fleeting and nihilistic one? Likewise, is Jeremiah 11:11 (and therefore God) misused here for the latter worldview, and lacking redemption? 

Whatever interpretation, Peele (who recently revived The Twilight Zone, and will be producing an upcoming remake of Candyman) assures how intuitive a filmmaker he is, especially with what he does in the horror genre and the various commentaries he incorporates into it, much like preceding stories involving shark attacks, ax-wielding, homicidal novelist; and packs of birds. Us proves equally thrilling, ambitious, ambiguous, and provocative. 

REVIEW: "The Mustang" Is An Extraordinary and Intense Drama

Every so often (and rarely), there are films we see advertised that intrigue us to want to learn more about them, particularly films that premiere at festivals like Sundance or TIFF and that begin playing in select theaters.

I had been seeing posters and related ads for a film called The Mustang (which premiere at Sundance back in January, and was supported by the Sundance Institute and co-produced by Sundance founder Robert Redford) in recent months, but have not seen any trailers for it. As I was reflecting on films that have come out so far this year and which have stood out, I began thinking about this film more, wondering what it was really about (besides a man and a horse, as the posters clearly reveal), and decided I need to see it soon to see what all the buzz was about (as I previously did with the post-Oscar buzz for Roma).

The Mustang tells a story of an incarcerated and brooding criminal, named Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts), sent to a rehabilitation program for training wild mustangs. We don't really know much about this quiet man, except that he's been in prison for over ten years, has anger management issues, a pregnant daughter, and is self-isolated ("I'm not good with people," he claims), which intercuts with the group of wild mustangs that are gathered and collected for the aforementioned program. The same notion is echoed in such elements as rumbling heard in a horse shed and in a jail cell, and in the echoing of basketball dribbles.

The story is inspired by a real-life program, based in Carson City, Nevada, and is said to he a life-changer for many inmates. (The film's closing credits even reveal real-life inmates and the horses they trained.)

(from left) Matthias Schoenaerts and Jason Mitchell

From this alone, one would think, "Oh, they're going to get all weepy on us and start playing the sentimental violins at anytime." Well, not really. At least not so much. There are, maybe, three or four moments, at least, that cross the man-meets-animal tropes that have been seen many times before (such as in The Black Stallion or Free Willy). But for the most part, this meshing of two genres we don't often associate with each other (prison drama, animal training) works extraordinarily and genuinely. And the screenplay (penned by Mona Fastvold, Brock Norman Brock, and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, who makes her feature-film debut here) is generally smart in portraying genuine emotion and angst, not to mention character venting in a prison environment.

The cinematography (courtesy Ruben Impens) and the score (courtesy Jed Kurzel) are compelling. And the roster of performances is impressive, with Bruce Dern (a veteran of numerous westerns) and Jason Mitchell (Eazy E in Straight Outta Compton) as horse trainers, and Connie Britton (of Nashville and Friday Night Lights fame) as a psychiatrist. But it's Schoenaerts (who has built most of his career as a leading man opposite Marion Cottiard, Kate Winslet, and Carey Mulligan, respectfully) who is fully-committed. His scenes with the horse (whom he names Marquis, pronounced "Marcus," after a trainer he reads about in a horse magazine) don't need any dialogue, really. Almost everything is face-to-face, eye-to-eye. The film's tagline reads: "Untamed Souls. Kindred spirits."

Even so, the environment and character conflicts can get brutal and emotionally intense, as well as profane. That goes just as well with minor subplots involving drug exchanges, and with characters who are implied as sex offenders (along with heartbreaking confessions). Many of these characters, in fact, are fighting themselves, in a way. There are also at least three unexpectedly violent moments that can cut like a knife, and throw some viewers off.

It also makes the film hard to watch, as its themes of second chances, redemption, trying again, and relationships being renewed are very worthwhile. The result exceeds the aforementioned tropes with a subtly gripping yet genuine payoff.