Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
7.7
Not as good as the first… while copying a lot of the first… while still being pretty damn good.
Falling prey to the plight of modern blockbusters, it has way too much going on in some places, and loses some of its power in doing so. Simple doesn’t always mean boring, Hollywood.
With that out of the way – seeing boat battles in the coliseum is LEGENDARY! The spectacle often makes up for the lackadaisical storytelling at times.
I WAS ENTERTAINED! 😂 (it’s worth the runtime)
7.7
This is a conflicting one.
Is it the best comic book saga? Not by a long shot.
Is it solid if you enjoy the quirks? Absolutely.
This end to the trilogy is surprisingly a home run, if you let it be. The campy underlying theme is still strong, some of the jokes are dumb… but the CGI and the WTF factor are off the chain! Multiple venoms, intergalactic demons, a conspiracy theorist driving in a hippie van to Area 51. This movie hits all the goofy ass notes we’ve come to know and, in a weird way, love. But what really hit home a lot stronger than anticipated was the relationship between Eddie and Venom. It really packed a punch this go-round, and anchored the movie in a nice heartfelt denouement. Strap in, and enjoy the insanity!
7.4
It’s an “Aliens” movie. If you watched “Twisters” and were wishing it was a xenomorph picking off unexpecting morons instead of mother nature teaching lessons in humility, then this is the blockbuster for you!
What this one lacks in originality and overall storytelling it more than makes up for in cinematography and ambiance. Holy shit is it beautiful. There’s not a single frame of this one that’s not a veritable work of art. It’s what keeps you invested even as the narrative wanders down the familiar old path of “oh no… they did the thing and are going to die now…”
9.1
Ah… the magic of cinema.
It’s not often you get to experience the culmination of 25-30 years of storytelling and wish fulfillment with 500 of your closest friends in an IMAX theater. This one truly turned out to be Fox-Marvel’s “Endgame.” Not only did Reynolds manage to stick the landing and close out one of the greatest superhero trilogies on the highest of notes, but also managed to shoehorn in every cameo and magical moment we didn’t even know we needed. A comic book movie that can cause guttural laughter and move me to tears is something of beauty. A work of cinematic art. Those ripping on the film are doing so because they’re not bought into the bit. Which is fair. It’s a weird world to enter. But if you’re willing to take off your thinking cap and let the Merc with a mouth work his magic for two and a half hours… you’re going to be hard pressed to find a more entertaining film this year. If we’re talking comic book movies, this is honestly the first one since “Avengers: Endgame” to not tarnish the brand.
*Stay through the credits for a nostalgic trip down memory lane. I didn’t expect such care to be taken, but I’ll be damned if this wasn’t the most “respectful of the legacy” film in AGES in Marvel. Well done!
3.0
An hour and forty minutes (that feels like two and a half) of my life that I will never get back…
Runescape level graphics, straight up lazy writing, uninspired performances, culminating in a hot mess of a movie. There was a reason I was the only one in the theater to see this one. If I didn’t have AMC A-List I would have felt even more ripped off.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 