Captain America 2: 9/10
This is a really solid movie. My only real complaint with it is that it looks a bit ugly. The Russo brothers shot this movie on a digital camera and didn't bother to color correct it. The gray aesthetic suits the tone of the movie, but is kind of an eyesore for the 2 hours I'm watching it. I have some other nitpicks, but they're not that big of a deal. This follows in the footsteps of the Dark Knight in the sense that a lot of the action is done practically. There is not a lot of CGI in this movie and whatever CGI is present is blended well with the movie. All the performances are great. Robert Redford's character was a bit bland, but he did a great job with the role. I loved the scene where he used the tool to burn through someone's sternum. The subplot of Steve trying to develop to the complexities of the modern world is great and is consistent throughout the movie. The tone is consistent and the movie doesn't stop the plot to throw in random jokes which I appreciated. The movie has a brisk pace and everything feels appropriate. Marvel's best in my opinion.
GOTG: 8/10
This is a gorgeous movie. Everything feels alive and looks exotic. The color grading is done really well and the movie has great cinematography. The special effects never felt abundant or overwhelming. The soundtrack is fantastic and grabs a great selection of songs from the 70s. Pretty much every joke made me at least chuckle. The characters are all sympathetic and are all distinct from each other. They managed to blend Rocket and Groot incredibly well into the movie and make them look as convincing as possible. All of the performances are great. There aren't too many subplots that drown the audience with information they don't care about. A majority of this movie is done very well, but the villain is just another stock, generic Marvel villain. While Cap 2 had Bucky, who had a personal connection to Steve, Ronan is just some dude who has to kill the Guardians. I did not understand what his motivation was and I wasn't intimidated by him as much as the movie wanted me to be. The movie realizes this and kills him off in an anticlimactic, albeit funny ending. I have my problems with it, but this is still a really great movie.
Avengers 2: 4/10
This movie feels way too long and way too crowded. It has to set up so many plotlines and so many characters that I'm just not able to care about them. This movie is an instance of the filmmakers using too much CGI. The ending battle uses so much CGI, that everything starts to look fake and lacks any weight. This movie also looks incredibly ugly and it does not complement the tone of the movie at all. Every plot point feels discombobulated and so disconnected that it feels like I'm watching Marvel burn through 8 movies' worth of material. Elements of this movie work well, but its just not put in a cohesive movie.
Ant Man: 5/10
This is the most mediocre movie I have ever seen. Some of the jokes are funny, while some are not. The action looks cool but feels incredibly sterile. The CGI is decent, but is not utilized to full effect. The plot is really generic. The characters are entertaining, but they're not placed in a movie worth their entertainment. The movie looks flat and lacks any style. It just meanders for its runtime and there isn't an incredibly memorable scene. It is competent, but I will never watch it again.
