Spider-Man: No Way Home - 4/5

This movie is attempting to be a love-letter to Spider-Man fans and MCU fans alike, and in many ways it succeeds. There’s much better character development here than in the previous two Spider-Man movies, and the main cast rises to the challenge with superb acting. The fight scenes are much better than Far From Home, both in conception and execution. That being said, the first half hour is pretty painful in its attempts at humor and there are a few throw-away lines that are cringey attempts at being ‘woke’. At this point in the MCU every film is carrying a lot of baggage, and how this one hits any given audience member will only vary more and more, this film very much included.

Closest comparison: It’s like Spider-Man: Far From Home by way of Doctor Strange (2016).

Setting: Super Hero
Plot: Sci-Fi
Tone: Comedy

The Lost City of Z - 1/5

This is a beautiful, dreary wilderness exploration film that loses its way trying to obliquely shoehorn fake woke musings into an otherwise straightforward narrative. It’s a rainy slough that not only meanders aimlessly like a run-on sentence but ends without much of a resolution. In a more competent film this would seem audaciously presumptuous, but here it just feels like the writers forgot to write the story toward an ending. The only standout elements are the beautiful landscapes and Robert Pattinson’s acting, both of which are excellent and not enough to make the film worth watching.

Closest comparison: It’s like House of Sand and Fog by way of Apocalypse Now.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Exploration
Tone: Drama

Onward - 2/5

Now don’t get me wrong, this film is half Pixar and there’s a signature gut-punch at the end that works very well; it’s just everything else that mostly falls flat. The world is more or less generic fantasy with a few D&D-specific references, but the characters work well within it. There’s the kernel for a good story in there and sometimes it works. But there’s an awful lot of bad behavior justified as a necessary part of a juvenile upbringing, and those parts aren’t funny for the adult crowd and are just bad role models for kids.

Closest comparison: It’s like Rango by way of The Goonies.

Setting: Fantasy
Plot: Coming of Age
Tone: Road Trip

Spider-Man: Far from Home - 3/5

Sure, there’s fun action and it’s great to see Mysterio on the big screen. Unfortunately, the editing is so choppy that the scenes feel like they’re jumping around. There’s not really anything new in the plot, but instead it’s just another Spider-Man story. I don’t know how they made such interesting content as boring as they did, but somehow they managed it. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just not up to the Marvel standard.

Closest comparison: It’s somewhere between Thor (2011) and The Incredible Hulk (2008).

Setting: Road Trip
Plot: Superhero
Tone: Standard Action

Avengers: Infinity War - 5/5

This film has all the great cross-over action scenes we've been waiting for. Each character gets a time to shine and dialogue that fits them well. If you haven't seen all of the other movies leading up to this I think most of it will still make perfect sense, but you'll miss some quips and inside jokes. Also, be aware that while this film is mostly fun there are some much darker moments, including a torture scene. All in all, though, the film is certainly worth the hype.

Spider-Man: Homecoming - 5/5

Tom Holland is my new favorite Peter Parker. I'm glad they went back to a high school spiderman, and I think updated characters worked really well. The design on the Vulture was inspired, and I loved all the changes they made to the character because they made them for all the right reasons. Ultimately, I think I would give it a 4.5 out of 5, but since I don't do half points there were a few things that bugged me about the movie. They didn't cash in on some of the stuff they set up, and it would have been a really good payoff. Also Aunt May is pretty bad. But all in all, excellent movie, and I definitely recommend it.

Originally I gave this movie a 4/5, but over time the issues with Aunt May fade into the background of how great the rest of the movie is.