Well, that was disappointing.
This thing very literally drowns in the weight of its own self-importance. It's so incredibly smug. It takes all of the grandiose exposition from the last one and triples down on it. There are more than a few mediocre performances. They manage to suck the tension out of almost all the impactful moments. And it's not nearly as funny as previous entries.
And yet, there were several long stretches where my mouth was wide open just…
My goodness...a good Marvel movie that wasn't directed by James Gunn. I'm going to try my best to not let this affect my expectations for Fantastic Four to avoid emotional devastation if they fuck it up again.
Florence Pugh just brings it. David Harbour is perfect. Sebastian Stan has the coolest Marvel scene in years.
It's tightly wound with barely any fat, has great action, good humor, and strong performances from a strong cast....which is a great description of your standard late-2010s MCU entry before they drove it into the ground.
Truly one of the greatest films ever made, and my pick for the greatest screenplay ever written. What an utter delight it was to watch this in 35mm with an audience at the Academy Museum.
So many great performances, but William Holden gives one of my all-time favorites.
This film needs Criterion/Kino Lorber/Arrow treatment ASAP!
