Finding Dory Review

Much like my recently reviewed Jason Bourne, Finding Dory is a long awaited sequel to a very popular film, however with Jason Bourne arriving 9 years later, Finding Dory has finally gotten here a whole 13 years after Finding Nemo.

With the popularity of Finding Nemo lasting for 13 years, it meant that Finding Dory would immediately receive a fan base, bearing in mind the fact that it would consist of older teenagers and adults.

Despite being released 13 years after the original hit, Finding Dory takes place only 1 year later. With Marlin (Albert Brooks – Drive, Taxi Driver), Nemo (Hayden Rolence – Beta Persei, Cicero in Winter) and Dory (Ellen DeGeneres – The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Love Letter) all living together, everything is in a perfect equilibrium until the blue tang fish recovers a brief memory of her past. Desperate to find out more about herself she decides to venture out through the ocean and a ‘marine life instute’, meeting some interesting characters and hilarious situations.

Starting out with a some childhood memories (where we get a look at the adorable baby Dory), it progresses to the part we all know, followed by her quest to remember her past. The concept of the lost search is all very familiar, despite being presented differently, and can feel slightly repetitive throughout, however once again the emotional grasp that the narrative holds on you causes you not to care that you’ve seen it before, but instead watch with the highest hopes for a restored equilibrium. With the only slight drawback aside, let’s carry on.

The concept of Dory looking for her lost parents is exactly a reversal of Finding Nemo, and that’s why it works perfectly. Instead of Dory’s parents, Jenny (Diane Keaton – The Godfather, Annie Hall) and Charlie (Eugene Levy – American Pie, Best in Show) searching for her, Dory is the one searching for them, however instead of using others for clues and directions, she has to get in touch with her lost memories, all thanks to her short-term-memory. This is perfect re-styling of the first film, making use of what made the first on so engaging. If it ain’t broke!

There is a surprising amount of new cast members and few familiar faces, and whilst some feel like this felt to separate, it actually serves as a subtle way to distant Dory’s journey from that of Nemo’s, therefore making the familiarities far less apparent. It also means that new characters are more significant to Dory’s story, and the same to those for Nemo’s, as opposed to the idea of easily recycling characters. Behind these new faces are quite a few familiar voices, however as to prevent a long list of characters and potential spoilers, I will only list the names of the actors/actresses: Ed O’Neill, Ty Burrell, Idris Elba, Dominic West, Bob Peterson, Kate McKinnon, Bill Hader, Sigourney Weaver, and quite a few more!

One thing that has been partially recycled is the soundtrack. Those who remember the soundtrack to Finding Nemo will remember how beautiful it was, whilst not being overwhelming to the visuals. With Thomas Newman (Spectre, WALL.E) returning to compose, he maintained the same style and general theme, underlining the film’s joyous and upbeat atmosphere, even during the darker and less joyous moments.

Most films nowadays are getting slightly darker, and that’s beginning to carry across to children’s films too. A blatant example of this was in 2009 with The Princess and The Frog, which some found quite surprising considering the fact that it’s main target audience consisted of young children. However, it is not quite to the same extent in Finding Dory as there are only dark moments and slight themes, however they are still noticeable and may take you by surprise.

For many years now, Disney (especially with the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and Pixar are known for including Easter-Eggs and references within their films, some are fairly obvious and right in-front of you, whereas some require a little more searching and knowledge. This tradition is continued throughout Finding Dory including their most famous Easter-Eggs, references to their other films, characters, actors and Pixar responding to a humorous tongue-in-cheek suggestion that the Pixar universe is linked to another entirely different film franchise.

On the release of Finding Nemo, the CGI was applauded for it’s incredible detail and beauty. And once more, the studio outdoes itself. Using the same graphics would have been perfectly fine and would still stand up against modern animations, but instead they developed it further, combining it with a diverse colour palette, consisting primarily of the peaceful deep blue of the ocean.

One thing that I was concerned with was the level of humour and whether it would deliver in the way that Disney and Pixar know how, or if it would miss and hinder the overall feel. I can happily say that it delivered perfectly, hitting with joke after joke, but without the humour overload. Considering the emotive baseline of this film and the sympathetic engagement between the audience and Dory, too many jokes can damage the overall purpose, however they managed to fill it with so much humour in all the right places, so you’re going to laugh and cry by the time the credits are rolling.

Overall, Finding Dory is a delightful and charming animated flick that’s enjoyable for children and adults alike. Despite certain levels of dark themes, it’s still suitable for all ages, and is perfectly levelled out by the humour and loveable atmosphere you can’t help but adore.

 

8.5/10

P.S. Make sure to stay until the ends of the credits for what is easily one of Disney’s best after credit scenes!

Here’s the trailer to get you into the mood:

 

 

Doctor Strange Comic Con Trailer Breakdown and Review

After DC released the debut trailers for their next two cinematic events, Marvel took a swing with the second trailer for Doctor Strange, and it is something to behold!

Those who say that every super-hero film looks the same may have had a point, up until now, as Doctor Strange looks like Marvel’s game changing Winter blockbuster.

Watch it now:

 

Opening through an establishing shot, it introduces Dr Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game, Star Trek: Into Darkness) as he washes his hands, lifts his hygiene mask, plays the piano and crosses his suit in a full suit. As he does this, the sound of his piano is layered underneath a voice-over of The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton – The Chronicles of Narnia, Moonrise Kingdom) saying “Doctor Strange, you think you know how the world works.” The scenery then changes to a shot of him in his Lamborghini, crashing into another car, followed by him laying in a hospital bed with a damaged face, but absolutely crushed and destroyed hands. At this point, his wife Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams – Spotlight, Red Eye) is sat heartbroken next to his hospital bed. The Ancient One continues, “What if I told you, the reality you know is one of many?” At this point, Strange is seen with long hair and a beard, inside a dojo in front of The Ancient One. As she approaches him, with him stepping backwards for every step forward she takes, part of the reality behind him opens, with him backing through it. As he realises what has happened, he states “This doesn’t make any sense” to which The Ancient One immediately replies “Not everything does. Not everything has to”. Just as the camera is about to pass through the reality, it fades to a newly styled ‘Marvel Studios’ title with a kaleidoscope-esque background.

With another establishing shot of the city it returns to the mountain top dojo with another voice-over of The Ancient One, as she stands central in the courtyard “Through the mystic arts, we harness energy an shape reality.” As the sentence closes, a monk in yellow robes stands in the middle of the street waving his hand, causing the buildings begin to change and manipulate their exterior form. An orange portal then forms around him, before cutting to The Ancient One and Strange walking through a similar portal on top of snowy mountains, “We travel great distances in an instant.” Impressed, Strange gazes over the mountain scape. Returning to the dojo, Strange asks “How do I get from here to there?” as the courtyard is seen to be full of monks doing martial arts, with Strange amongst them, learning. The Ancient One responds, “How did you become a doctor?” as she grabs what can only be assumed to be an Encantus, as Strange opens it, he replies “Study and practice. Years of it” With The Ancient One agreeing, it cuts to a shot of Strange’s hand over the Encantus, casting a spell, causing a mystic wall to be placed in front of him. Asking “What the?”, the wall retracts and disappears.

For the first time, Baron Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave, The Martian) enters the screen stating “There’s a strength to him”, to which Wong (Benedict Wong – The Martian, Prometheus) asks “But is he ready?”.  As if to suggest that he is, Strange approaches a glass cage holding the characters iconic red cape. Upon Strange looking out of his window, it cuts to Wong warning him “Be careful which path you travel down Strange, stronger men than you have tried.” As he says this, it shows Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen – Hannibal, Casino Royale) with two henchmen, amongst a destroyed street, signifying their power. After  announcing its release ‘This Fall’ it shows a birds-eye-view of a city under attack, to which Kaecilius announces “I am death and pain” after which he performs a spell similar to that of the monk in the middle of the street earlier in the trailer. Showing Christine to be vulnerable, it briefly shows a close up the city under attack, followed by her in a hospital attending to a patient as the equipment sparks around her. Returning to Kaecilius, as he walks through a church he states “You will die protecting this world”, before a rotating shot of a city with buildings bending and another orange portal. Strange (now in his red robes) claims “I can’t do this” to which Mordo warns him “There is no other way.” It then displays Strange against one of Kaecilius’ henchmen in a battle of sorcery.

After an intertitle telling you to ‘Question Reality’, it shows Strange casting a spell, reversing the destruction of an area, fixing buildings, as another title says to ‘Change Your Destiny’.   Strange and Mordo are side by side as they run down the street, before we see a bending building with Kaecilius and his henchmen jumping over it towards the camera, landing on another building, causing a ripple down it, followed by an incredible shot of a triad of the same city, each opening up on itself. The Ancient One then delivers the graviy of the situation by telling Strange that “I’ve spent so many years, hearing through time… Looking for you.” As the sentence closes we witness Strange throwing his cape onto himself in an impressive manner, before he runs alongside a building with Mordo, watching it unfold. Literally.  Cue the title, ‘Doctor Strange’.  Once the music has calmed through the title, it shows Mordo handing Strange a piece of paper reading ‘shamballa’, causing Strange to ask, “What’s this, my mantra?” As he leaves the room, Mordo simply replies, “It’s the wifi password. We’re not savages” before closing the door and briefly cutting to Strange in full power.

That is an incredibly difficult trailer to comprehend as it unfolds and is full of mind-meltingly impressive visuals and concepts.

The first major thing you may notice when watching this is it’s very impressive cast line-up with Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton, as well as Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams and Chiwetel Ejiofor who have been nominated for academy Awards, on top of other cast members such as Benedict Wong and Mads Mikkelson who are likely to bring in audience members on their own.

A thought that came to mind, as well as being the leading thought of others is how similar this seems to be to Nolan’s masterpiece Inception, on the basis that there are bending buildings and manipulated earth-structure, and rightly so as it is incredibly uncanny. On the other hand, it is clear that this film’s likeness to Inception will most likely only be through the previously stated factors, and the certainty that it will force you to make full use of your brain to make sense of it as it plays out. One thing is for sure, and that’s the fact that this is going to be even more mesmerizing in 3D.

An intelligent piece of editing (apart from the entire trailer) is at the very beginning and the emphasis on the use of Strange’s hands, given his occupation as a surgeon, before they are seen to be destroyed. It’s very subtle yet very obvious at the same time, and is clearly shown to be why he can no longer continue as a surgeon, eventually causing him to go on his journey to attempt to fix them, staying true to the comics.

A growing complaint people have had with Marvel films is the level and quantity of humour within their films, and the ability for the humour to retract the intensity of the situation. However, there is only one piece of humour in this trailer, and it is placed right at the very end after the intensity and power of the action packed trailer, as to not ruin the momentum and rhythm of the editing. As for the amount of humour within the film itself is yet to be seen, but by the looks of the first two trailer, Marvel appear to have perfected the balance.

This is also supported by the fact that it is written and directed by Scott Derrickson. Derrickson currently has 7 feature film directorial roles credited on IMDB (including Doctor Strange), 5 of which are horror films with the other two (including Doctor Strange) being sci-fi. Although this does not mean that there won’t be any humour, it means that it is likely to be a lot more serious, as well as the chance of prolonged suspense and edge of your seat moments.

Doctor Strange is set to be released on 28th October in the UK, and 4th November in the US.

 

Captain America: Civil War Review

The world has already witnessed a superhero face off, but just how does Marvel’s equally highly anticipated showdown deliver?

Starring what is easily the biggest all-star cast of any MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) film yet, Captain America: Civil War directly follows the events of both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, forming not only one of the biggest, but best superhero films of all time.

In 2014, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released, seeing Cap hunt for a secret elite mercenary known as ‘The Winter Soldier’, whilst fighting the Hydra forces that have been functioning within S.H.I.E.L.D since WWII. After discovering that The Winter Soldier is in fact his best friend since childhood, James “Bucky” Barnes, that has been brainwashed by Hydra, Cap defeats the current Hydra forces in a desperate attempt to get his life-long friend back. Almost being wiped out in the process, Bucky, still unsure of who he is, pulls Cap from the jaws of death and disappears into society.

In 2015, the Earth’s mightiest heroes reformed in Avengers: Age of Ultron to save the world from Stark’s peacekeeping programme gone wrong. Along the way they hire some new recruits and stop a flying city from being dropped and levelling the population of the planet to 0.

Despite saving the day in both of these adventures (and in the many previously), there were many casualties in the process, leading the audience up to Captain America: Civil War. Stark is known to be narcissistic, and only recently began to consider the options where he doesn’t make it out of the situation. However, when he is brought to the realization that not everyone is saved when they protect the world, the world government decide to restrict the legal actions that the heroes can take without their consent (under the title of the ‘Sokovia Accords’. On the presentation of this law, they do not all come to the same conclusion, causing a division between the group, with Tony and his followers supporting the act, against Cap and the other heroes who believe that they should be free to act for the greater good without their permission. Alongside this conflict is the manhunt for the still confused Bucky Barnes, to be faced with the countless charges of murder, terrorism, etc. with Cap desperate to help him. However, the newly ruled Sokovia Accords not only mean that Cap can’t interfere, but that Tony will have to stop him if he tries.

Whilst it may seem that there is a lot going on in this film, almost too much for a singular film, considering the fact that characters are going to be introduced, directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Community) did an incredible job of combining them in such a way that they almost couldn’t be considered as two separate functionable plots.

Mission Impossible is considered one of the best films of all time simply due to the fact that the narrative moves at such a fast pace that if you look away for even a minute you’ll be confused as to what’s going on. Captain America: Civil War takes a leaf out of this book and wastes no time in progressing its narrative for its full 147 minute run time. Despite this long run time it does drag any scenes longer than necessary, nor does it run out of ideas or concepts. This is all thanks to the writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, as well as Mark Millar (writer of the graphic novel). Although the adaptation was altered in many aspects and a significantly different quantity of character, it still contained the same themes and progressive plot.

The main question that a lot of audiences will be asking (mainly those dubious of superhero films) is ‘what does it have to offer that the previous 12 MCU films didn’t?’ Well, the answer is actually ‘quite a lot’. First and foremost, its primary selling point is that the main event is a superhero face-off. Whilst this has been hinted to, and maybe demonstrated by fights between each other in the previous films, it is the first to have an all-out genuine fight between the Avengers. Secondly is its style. Whilst it is still a superhero blockbuster with a lot of special effects and fights, it is very political and slightly represents reality in terms of how people disagree, whilst showing the situation from both sides of the coin. A third example is the fact that the fan-base alone has been divided on entering the film. Since the films announcement, the question of “Whose side are you on?” has caused fans to decide whether they are Team Cap or Team Iron Man. Surprisingly, in a lot of online surveys, the results were very often 50/50.

Perhaps the biggest concern of this film was whether or not the large number of characters was going to be an issue. After the mixed-reviewed Avengers: Age of Ultron, many were left feeling that there were too many characters and that some either didn’t get enough screen time, or that some got too much screen time. Not only does Civil War have a different directorial department, but also has more characters, being a plausible cause for concern. The fact that The Winter Soldier was on of the most successful superhero films of all time meant that audiences minds were at rest in that sense, so all that was left was for the to make their own minds up on the superhero population concern. Considering the fact that I personally considered this multiple times, I can confidently confirm that the amount of screen time received by each hero was perfect. Whilst some received more than others, it was not done in such a way that they were put on screen for the sake of it, but instead served their purpose.

Another popular aspect of The Winter Soldier was the quality of the fight scenes and their choreography, especially that of hand-to-hand. The Russo brothers acknowledged this and wanted to ensure that they delivered the same degree of fight scenes, and did so by seeking the help of as many people as possible. Two people in particular that helped are the directors of John Wick, stuntmen Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, applying their knowledge and acquired skills to apply the appropriate moves to the appropriate heroes, making each fight as plausible and realistic as possible.

 

Despite being named after Captain America, it is very impartial towards the audience as it shows the argument from both Steve and Tony’s sides. This was a brilliant direction for the directors to take the film in as it shows Tony as an antagonist as opposed to a villain. This is important as it maintains Stark’s desire to do right by the world, whilst underlining how different his views are to Steve, especially since this rivalry between the two has been hinted at since they met in Avengers Assemble is considered to be a significant part of the team chemistry and group dynamic, finally reaching its breaking point.

As an all-star cast, they all delivered outstanding performances and out did themselves in portraying their roles. Whilst there are so many actors that I could literally write an entire post about their individual performances, I’ll stick to the main actors and newcomers. First and foremost, Chris Evans returns as the star-spangled man promoting freedom and equality. In his most emotive journey yet, Evans gives it his all, establishing a clear connection with the audience, causing you to feel the pain he feels. The same can be said for Robert Downey Jr. Despite not even being his own film, I’ve never felt a more emotional performance for Tony Stark,  causing you to feel sympathetic towards him. No matter whose side you start on, they will both cause you to question your allegiance.  As the man with the target on his head, Sebastian Stan continues the same conflicted and frustrated persona as the Winter Soldier and will have you in his corner from the offset.

New to the series is Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther, whose motives are revealed and explained during the film, he automatically enters as a likeable and intriguing character. Helming the web-slinger’s uniform for the first time is Tom Holland, entering the MCU without an origin story (not that it’s required, we all know it back-to-front), he is easily the most comic accurate Peter Parker yet, not just in terms of looks, but also in personality. He brings the geeky and enthusiastic teenager home where he belongs in true style that would make his die-hard fans proud.

Another returning cast member is the increasingly popular musician Henry Jackman (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Kingsman), delivering yet another incredible soundtrack. In this films predecessor, he produced one of the best soundtracks including themes for specific characters, one of which being for the Winter Soldier. Some of themes are noticeably carried over into Civil War, as well as some new and equally incredible songs which not only create an atmosphere, but tell the narrative as much as the visuals.

Overall, Captain America: Civil War is an incredible, non-stop emotional-rollercoaster full of twists and turns that brings all of the heroes together by tearing them apart. United they stand, divided they fall, it’s the must see blockbuster of the summer that defines Marvel and is the answer to the current comic-movie demand. It can’t be missed.

 

 

9.5/10

 

P.S. Don’t forget to stay for both after credits!

Captain America: Civil War Final Trailer Review and Breakdown

It’s here. At long last, the second and final trailer for Captain America: Civil War is here, and it’s beautiful.

It’s been nearly four months since the first trailer was released and this takes a slightly different approach, now focusing on the two teams; Team Cap vs Team Iron Man.  Watch the trailer here:

 

So, where do we begin? Let’s start with the breakdown:

It opens to a snowy landscape and a mountain range in the background, immediately establishing the enigma codes for the audience. As this shot transitions to a shot of two men opening a secure vault door, Steve Rogers’ voice overlays, “In this job, we try to save as many people as we can.” The following shot is what appears to be a style of cryo-chamber opening, revealing The Winter Soldier, with Steve continuing “Sometimes that doesn’t mean everybody.” A cut to black is the followed by a shot of Steve himself as Captain America as he finishes with, “But you don’t give up.” The introduction is then completed with the Marvel Studios titles. The trailer then returns with camera footage of the events that occurred during Avengers Assemble in New York, Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier in Washington D.C. and Avengers: Age of Ultron in Sokovia. As the footage is played, it is revealed that General Thaddeus Ross is showing a select amount of heroes (Team Cap) reasons as to why they should be put under legal watch and guidance. As the Sokovia footage is shown, Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch turns away upset. Witnessing her reaction, Steve acts by demanding “Ok, that’s enough,” to which General Ross replies, “Captain, people are afraid.”  As he finishes the sentence it shows a building being blown up, as well as a shot of T’Challa on the ground in a suit, amongst the rubble and falling ashes. It the cuts to a shot of Iron Man falling out of a helicopter and flying away, layered with Tony’s voice, “That’s why I’m here.” This shot is followed by a close up of Tony telling Steve that, “We need to be put in check.” It then returns to the setting in the previous shot, no revealing a helicopter flying over a massive wave, before revealing a secret base as Tony continues “And whatever form that takes I’m game.” Steve then replies, “I’m sorry Tony. If I see a situation pointing south I can’t ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could.” To which Tony says, as shown in the previous trailer, “Sometimes I wanna punch you in your perfect teeth.”

It then cuts to an action sequence of Cap chasing Black Panther, who’s chasing Bucky (who’s riding a motorbike) through a tunnel. Black Panther leaps off of a cars bonnet to swipe at Bucky’s wheel, causing them both off to slide down the road. This is then followed by Tony forming an ‘Iron Glove’ to block a point blank shot by Bucky. Over the top of these is Steve, “I know we’re not perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”  Cap can then be seen running through a building that’s being attacked. After is a shot of Bucky as the Winter Soldier taking a shot at War Machine, scraping his armour and destroying his arc reactor, causing him to fall to the ground, to which Tony screams “Rhodes!”  As Tony removes his mask, revealing an unconscious/dead Rhodey, his voice-over to Steve announces, “I was wrong about you. The whole world was wrong about you.”

Next is a shot of a SWAT team exiting a van, before a civvie Natasha Romanoff takes them all on, successfully. After is a conversation between her and Tony at what appears to be the new Avengers facility (as seen at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron), to which he says “They’re coming for you.” “I’m not the one he needs to watch their back,” she replies before walking away.  Next is a shot of Cap in an apartment saying “This doesn’t have to end in a fight Tony,” before cutting to an internal location, appearing to be Bucky’s cryo-chamber room, in which Tony slowly turns his head to Cap, revealing a black eye, then knocking Cap down, closing his helmet and saying “You’ve started a war.” Cue the action shots:

• Iron Man flying whilst shooting from his shoulders.
• Cap runs through a building and gets carried by an explosion.
• Black Panther fights Bucky on a roof top, whilst being rained on by a helicopter turret.
• Black Widow witnesses a huge explosion on what appears to be an airfield.
• Scarlet Witch uses her powers to pin The Vision
• Hawkeye fires a cluster arrow towards in-flight Iron Man and War Machine, on an arrow is Ant-Man, who lands on Iron Man’s arm.
• Crossbones punches Cap, sending him flying.

After this, in the same location as the fight at the end of the previous trailer, Iron Man holds his hand up to Cap saying, “Stay down. Final Warning.” to which a beaten and bloody Cap squares up and says “I could do this all day.”  This is followed by multiple musically timed punches and hooks from Cap to Iron Man. Finally are three shots, the first displaying Cap’s team running to fight, the second being Iron Man’s team running to fight, and the final shot being the two teams about to clash. Cue the Captain America: Civil War title/logo.

Then, as an added treat, and in true Marvel style there is an after scene taking place in the main battlefield, which is introduced by Tony’s voice overlapping from the logo, in which he says “Alright, I’ve run out of patience. UNDEROOS!” From this a web comes down onto Cap’s shield before taking it away, revealing Spiderman landing on a van with it, “Hey everyone.”

 

Right, so that’s the breakdown complete, now to look into more detail.

A few characters have appeared in this trailer that either didn’t appear at all, or get much screen time in the first trailer.

1. The first of which was Scarlet Witch. Her reaction to the footage being shown by General Ross was short, but was hugely effective. Despite the fact that she changed direction and sides in Avengers: Age of Ultron, it shows how she has developed as a human being and that even though she assisted in saving the people of Sokovia/the world, she still dreads even thinking about the event. She can then be seen again when she is maintaining Vision. The fact that she is simply holding Vision in place instead of crushing him may hint towards the concept of their feelings towards eachother, and their relationship that was within the comics. This was hinted towards at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron when Vision saves her from being disintegrated on Sokovia. She will undoubtedly play a significantly bigger part this time round.
2. Next is Black Panther who made a couple of brief encounters last time, but can be seen to be making a bigger disruption this time when he is fighting Bucky and knocking him off of his motorbike. As it stands, it is likely that he will be the rival of Bucky, causing him quite the problem.
3. Vision only makes a quick appearance as stated earlier when he is being held down by Scarlet Witch. Whilst it is unclear how big a role he will play, he is rumoured to be a significant piece.
4. Crossbones finally gets to show his input into the beatings bank of Captain America, and although it’s only a brief shot, it is seen to be in the middle of a town, surrounded by a lot of civilians. This could suggest that either Crossbones or Cap will be in the town (most likely Cap) when the other appears out of nowhere causing a fight to begin before the crowd can escape safely.
5. Ant-Man is yet another who was suspiciously absent from the previous trailer, but has made his mark with the awesome moment where he rides an arrow that Hawkeye fires, as also seen within the comics. From this he seems to have settled into his team to the point that he’s discussed tactics. His new helmet style shows that he not only means business, but is preparing himself for some Avenger grade duty.
6. Back to the other team with War Machine. Not having much part in the trailer, his dilemma from the first is explained, whilst maintaining enigma codes for the film, especially whether or not it will be his last appearance.
7. Finally and by no means least is Spiderman. With his MCU debut long over due, his cameo trailer appearance confirms his allegiance with Iron Man, which means that there is going to be an origin of their alliance, so prepare for a lot of Spiderman!

 

With the character posters released, the simple direction of which they are looking tells of their team, as shown in the montages below:

   vs  

(left – Team Cap: from top left to bottom right – Ant-Man, Falcon, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Captain America, Winter Soldier)

(right – Team Iron Man: from top left to bottom right – War Machine, Iron Man, Vision, Black Widow, Black Panther (Spiderman’s poster was not created as his first appearance was in this trailer))

Overall, Captain America: Civil War is looking to be an enormous hit and incredible addition to the MCU. Directed by the Russo brothers who brought us Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it is sure to have you on the edge of your seat.

Starring: Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Sebastian Stan as James “Bucky” Barnes/The Winter Soldier, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Scarlett Johannson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Don Cheadle as Col. James Rhodes/War Machine, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Paul Bettany as the Vision, William Hurt as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross/?, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spiderman, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones and many more characters to be revealed on release.

Captain America: Civil War releases on May 6th 2016 in the US, and April 29th 2016 in the UK.

 

Disney announce film scheduling

 

It appears that Disney have revisited their scheduling as they have recently announced a little shuffle around their calendar for 2017, and here’s the latest:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – May 26, 2017
• Spider-Man Reboot – July 7, 2017
• Star Wars Episode VIII – December 15, 2017

So, three very different films from completely different franchises, all announced with a reschedule on the same day. Interesting to say the least. Now, whilst it could be a case of them simply deciding that the original dates weren’t appropriate, or that they wouldn’t quite be ready in time, just take a closer look at the dates. If you think about it, the three months are the perfect times to release films. May, just after Easter, around exam time, the perfect opportunity for people (students especially) to distress or take a break. And what better way to do so than indulging into the swashbuckling world of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Also, with Guardians of the Galaxy: vol. 2 dropping May 5th (late April in the UK), perfectly spreading their viewings across the month. Fast-forward 2 months, into the beginning of the Summer holidays and you’ve got one of, if not the biggest Marvel character in history making his solo debut for his second (and hopefully final) reboot into the MCU. Finally, fast-forward another 5 months into the Christmas holidays and you’ll be watching Star Wars: Episode VIII, the sequel to the latest addition to the franchise.  So, why have I laid it out like this? You may have noticed that they have all been positioned in time for the holidays, prime position for the audience to deflate into some escapist pleasure.

First up is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, 6 years after the release of the latest adventure, involving mermaids, zombies and the Spanish, it certainly went further afield (or sea, as it were), and not quite to everyone’s pleasing. However, it still became one of the all-time highest grossing films, maintained another outstanding score by non-other than Hans Zimmer, and a delivered bottomless list of glorious Jack Sparrow quotes. If you’re wondering where it’ going to go from here, Sparrow and his crew are off to find the ‘Trident of Poseidon’. It is yet to be officially announced why said journey is going to made, but certain familiar faces have been announced, including the return of a much-loved blacksmith.  May 26, 2017

Second, for the third time, is Spider-Man. After two attempts under the control of Sony, it is finally being helmed by Marvel, under a deal made between Sony and Marvel, allowing him to become a part of the MCU, this time in the form of upcoming star Tom Holland. There was a lot of talk of this, even since before Avengers: Age of Ultron, attracting the prayers of the hard-core fans (myself included), as well as raising the question of whether or not he would be making an appearance in the much anticipated Captain America: Civil War. Whilst it may not seem like that much of a big deal as it is already full of important and entertaining characters, in the source material Spider-Man actually has a considerably important role within it. It also means that as his debut into the MCU, he will not be shown through his long-winded and twice observed origin, not that it isn’t intriguing, but that Marvel know that they can spend his 2 solo hours in a more original and refreshing way. Whilst the narrative and/or villains have not yet been announced, there have been multiple theories that seem promising.  Due to Marvel’s more than impressive ability to create a great solo outing, even after an all-star team-up, it is likely to become the blockbuster of the summer.  July 7, 2017

Last but by no means least is the enormous Star Wars: Episode VIII. After The Force Awakens currently being the third biggest film of all time (soon to be the second), taking the world by storm, Episode VIII has a lot to live up to. Despite there being a 2 year gap between them, Disney are filling the gap with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, on December 16, 2016. This time going back before A New Hope, it will centre on a group of Rebel spies who set out to steal the plans for the notorious Death Star, so expect references galore. Although, once more, the official plot for Episode VIII has not yet been announced, there are many theories as to what it will be exactly. however, if you’ve seen The Force Awakens, it pretty much sets it up perfectly. Almost certain to once again rule the holidays and dominate the box office, catch it on December 15, 2017.