Marvel's Avengers (2020) Review

After recently having the displeasure of playing Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, it made me think about going back and playing the Marvel equivalent Marvel's Avengers. So I did and here is my review for the game, though I have to stress I didn't play any of the DLC, just the main campaign and its side missions. The premise of the game is set 5 years after The Avengers split up, a superfan attempts to bring them back together to fight a new threat.

Characters

The lead character of the game really is Sandra Saad as Kamala Khan, which I thought was handled pretty well. She is a bit annoying at times but I liked how she interacted with the other Avengers and how her own personal development is handled. 

This has all the trending high level video game voice actors playing these iconic super heroes and it is a bit of a mixed bag. The best is easily Nolan North as Tony Stark & Troy Baker as Bruce Banner. They are given the most time to shine and the chemistry between the two of them and Kamala is probably the best part of the game. 

Laura Bailey plays Black Widow, Travis Willingham plays Thor & Jeff Schine plays Captain America and they are all functional. The issue is that they are really poorly used and the games doesn't do a very good job of making you care about them because they are given smaller roles in the story. 

The villains aren't very interesting either, MODOK is pretty bland and the twist at the end of the game does very little to make me interested in the rest of the content. 

Story

The story has a lot of potential and I did like the conflict in The Avengers and how the story does make you question whether The Avengers cause more damage then good but the game doesn't do enough with the story. The Avengers reunite way too quickly and a lot of the hostility seems to disappear quickly, the ending of the game also feels more like setting up future content instead of giving players a satisfying ending to the campaign. 

Side Content

There is lots of content in this game, which is to be expected from a live service game. All the main Avengers have story quest lines but the problem is all the side content is incredibly repetitive and feels like you are just grinding through to level up your characters and give them better gear, which never feels like it really does anything. The payoffs to this content isn't worth the hassle and it doesn't really add much to the characters and thus is a waste of time. 

Gameplay

The main positive I can say for the gameplay here is that all of The Avengers feel unique and play like I would expect them. The Hulk feels like Hulk, Thor feels like Thor etc etc and it makes gameplay feel okay. But the problem is that it feels very hollow and repetitive, every mission is the same and there is literally no variety to it with next to no boss battles which is a big problem in a Super Hero Game. 

Graphics

I actually don't mind the base costumes given to the characters and I really like the variety of costumes for each character including costumes from the films. But the game doesn't look very next gen and at times looks a bit ugly especially with its facial animations, it doesn't feel like the blockbuster that it really should. 

Overall

Overall, Marvel's Avengers is a Below Average Game that literally just exists to take money from its players and relies on its licence that has been beloved by fans. This should have been a game for the ages but it falls heavily on its face and is forgotten and should not be played. 

Rating - 4/10

Avengers: Endgame (2019) Review

Just over 5 years ago, the culmination of the first 3 phases of The MCU came to a head with Avengers: Endgame. This was one of the biggest Cinematic events to ever take place and with it hitting its 5 year anniversary, I thought I would give it a rewatch and here is my review for the film. The premise of the film sees the world in turmoil after the events of Avengers: Infinity War, with one last chance to make things right, The Avengers reunite to take on their biggest challenge. 

Main Character

Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark was the real start of this whole cinematic universe and he is brilliant in this film. He really delivers a strong performance, you see how the events of the previous film really affects him and motivates him to come to terms and once again become Iron man. He still has the funny quips and narcissism that made his character famous which is great. 

Chris Evans is back as Steve Rogers and similarly he does a great job with this iconic role. He has great chemistry with Downey & Scarlett Johansson and I thought this film did a great job putting him back in the spotlight and having him being an emotional centre of the film. 

Supporting Characters

Now this might be the largest cast in film history, so I will definitely miss some people out but everybody delivers on their performances and really bring the comic book characters to the cinema screen. 

Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as Bruce Banner and I actually liked the direction they take his character in this film. They make him a more enjoyable character to watch and it is really good seeing The Hulk getting a bit more time to shine after missing for the majority of the previous film. 

Scarlett Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff and they really did some really good work with her character of Black Widow. She really struggles with the weight that comes with being one of the leaders of The Avengers who failed and Johansson is strong in her role here. 

Chris Hemsworth is back as Thor and after the events of Infinity War he is really the character that is effected in a really interesting way. The film handles his failures in a way that I don't think anyone could have expected and it is handled well with Thor developing a lot during the film. 

After missing Infinity War, Jeremy Renner & Paul Rudd are back as Clint Barton & Scott Lang respectively.  The film really focuses on the issues that Barton has gone through since the events of the previous film and it is pretty dark and easy to relate too. Paul Rudd is mostly used for comic relief but is a lot of fun and when he needs to deliver some more dramatic scenes he is good at that too. 

Don Cheadle gets more screen time as Rhodey and does a good job, Karen Gillan is given her best work yet as Nebula and Thanos played by Josh Brolin is a great villain, though he is clearly not the most important character like he was in Infinity War. 

Story

The story is great, it really fits the drama and feeling of a world in disarray after what happened in the previous film and the performances delivered on it. Despite having lots of characters and lots of story beats to hit, it really delivers on it and has twists and turns that wouldn't be expected and really drive it up. There is plenty of comic book film fun though and the last act of the film is pure cinema and an experience unlike any other, especially for fans of these films that have been watching since the beginning. 

Script 

This film actually feels a little different to others in the MCU in that it is more serious. It realises the situation that the characters are in and realises it has to be a bit more serious and have these characters have emotional issues and I am glad they went in this direction. The film does have plenty of humour though and these people are naturally funny which does help. 

Style

The film has great action sequences, there is a lot of green screen and CGI but it looks great throughout and the way they managed to make the film seem really epic is through this. The film is 3 hours long but it really doesn't feel like it, it is paced really well and allows the audience to be invested in the story.

Overall

Overall, Avengers: Endgame is one of my favourite films. Being a huge fan of Marvel, this felt like the apex of what could be achieved and the fact that everybody involved nailed it so well made it a truly special event and one that needs to be seen. 

Rating - 10/10

The Avengers (2012) Review

On my way to reviewing all the MCU films I have now made it to the end of the first phase which means I have made it to The Avengers and I re-watched it today and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees a group of superheroes have to come together to save the world from an alien force. 

Main Character

He was the first star of the MCU and he is one of the main focuses here, I'm talking about Robert Downey Jnr as Tony Stark AKA Iron Man and I think he is great in the film. He has so much charisma and the one liners are coming at a really high rate in the film, the key thing for me though is that his character develops and I think what this film does really well is show you how much has changed in him since the first Iron Man film. Chris Evans is back as Captain America and it is fun seeing this man who is from another time having to deal with modern times, I also like how his character interacted with the others, also in the action scenes Cap still shines and this film doesn't even montage past all of it. The dynamic between Downey Jnr & Evans is great here and shows just how different their personalities are and how difficult it is for them to work together despite the world literally being on the line. 

Supporting Characters

Okay, there are so many characters so in order for this review to not be longer then it needs I will try and keep this as short as possible. Chris Hemsworth is great as Thor, he adds more humour and presence in the role and like all the other characters he really gets to excel by bouncing his presence off of the other characters. Tom Hiddleston plays the villain Loki and what a shock he is great too, we saw the start of the character in Thor but he has clearly progressed since then and I liked how the relationship between the two brothers develops from the previous film. Scarlett Johansson is back as Black Widow and she is much better here then she was in Iron Man 2, she is actually given a character and real time to shine and the best thing I can say is that she stands alongside these gods and super powered beings and doesn't look out of place. Jeremy Renner plays Hawkeye and they don't give him that much to do, or more like they handle the character poorly, but by the end of the film I came around to Renner in the role and given more to do he is a great fit for the character. Over the first phase of the MCU we have seen flickers of Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury but this is the most we get of him so far and he is great, he is just so cool and interesting with his motivations not being as black and white as you would expect for this film. Now onto The Hulk, Mark Ruffalo takes over the role in this film and he is great as Banner, yes it is different to Edward Norton but he feels like a natural fit and I really liked his character here. But The Hulk is the star of this film, when he gets going he is amazing and looks incredible, The Hulk has never been better then he is in this film I believe and credit has to go to him for that. Clark Gregg, Colbie Smulders & Stellan Skaarsgard are also all good in their roles. 

Story  

As you can see by the lengthy cast list there is plenty going on here but it all balances nicely. I love the fact that the film shows that despite these characters all being heroes they don't all necessarily get along and have different views on things and it adds some much needed drama. I think the fact that we have seen their solo films aids in that as the film doesn't have to waste time with backstories and that allows the film to move at a really fast pace. Yes, there are some conveniences but I don't care, this film is so fun and the final act is comic book film greatness and delivers truly memorable moments. 

Script

The script is great, it just has that very snappy dialogue with plenty of one liners and dialogue that just fits the characters appropriately. There is also some depth and drama to this popcorn blockbuster film and that is good and credit to the people behind the script as this aids in making these god like characters interesting and a bit relatable. 

Style 

The style of the film is one of the best things about the film. As I mentioned above, the pacing of the film is incredibly quick and that aids in making this an incredibly fun film. The action scenes are huge in scale and the CGI is at its best here then any MCU film that came before. Which brings me onto The Hulk, he looks amazing, the action scenes involving him are the the most exciting part of the film and finally the MCU had a Hulk that delivered in looking and fighting like he deserved. 

Overall

Overall, The Avengers is a special film that is a must watch for not just Marvel fans but all film fans. I think because of what The MCU now is we sometimes forget about this film and take it for granted. But without, The Avengers there wouldn't be an MCU and it is an amazing film that is honestly one of my favourite movies possibly ever. 

Rating - 10/10