Deadpool & Wolverine is the third installment in the superhero saga played by Ryan Reynolds, but this time within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The plot, filled with self-referential humor and cameos, follows Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) as he fights to save his universe from extinction, which leads him to travel through the multiverse in search of a new Wolverine (Hugh Jackman, returning to the role). The premise is succinct, merely a pretext for a feast of battles and gratuitous references. Deadpool & Wolverine indulges in the typical excesses of the MCU, but Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman do a great job. You'll laugh out loud if you're a fan of pop culture, the irreverent humor of the "Merc with a Mouth," and know all the gossip behind superhero movies.
Even though Captain Marvel did well at the box office, The Marvels premiered without much excitement. Several reasons explain this: sexism, the lack of enthusiasm from fans towards actress Brie Larson, and disillusionment with the Marvel Studios phase after Avengers: Endgame. However, the fact is that The Marvels is a considerably better film than the franchise's immediately previous installments, such as the terrible Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. There are issues in this Nia DaCosta-directed film (from the exceptional Candyman), like the lack of focus, the caricatured and weak villain, and the ongoing need for constant jokes. Nevertheless, The Marvels has flashes of boldness (although fewer than Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), very well-shot action scenes, and, above all, good chemistry between the leads: Captain Marvel (Larson), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). It's not Marvel's salvation, but it's far from being a disaster. There's some life here and a lot of fun, which is the last thing a fan stuck in the past would want.
Directed again by James Gunn, who now also functions as a director for DC in theaters, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the finale —at least theoretically— of this alignment of Guardians in theaters. Curiously, however, the focus is not on Peter Quill, the group leader portrayed by Chris Pratt, but on Rocket, the chatty raccoon played by Bradley Cooper. It is he who concentrates all the story around him when the film starts with Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a powerful Marvel character, going after the talking animal. Rocket gets hurt and then the group must investigate the raccoon's past to save him —and, with it, the audience finally learns his story. Taking into account that this is a farewell, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is quite emotional. Starting from the union of all the characters of the group around the injured character, Gunn works elements of the script to talk about friendship, family and the importance of having people by your side. In addition to a considerable amount of footage —two and a half hours— devoted to showing a dystopian experiment with animals. The film closes the circle of James Gunn's vision for these characters. Beginnings, middle and an end that moves and entertains fans of this so different, unexpected and beloved group.
Scott Lang is back for the third time, this time more frenzied and accelerated than ever. The new film in the franchise within the franchise has two main purposes: to kick off the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and to introduce to the cinemas the main villain of this new saga being built, Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors, from 'Lovecraft Country'). The film features our family of scientists composed of Paul Rudd ('Clueless', 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife'), Dr. Hank Pym played by Michael Douglas ('Basic Instinct', 'Falling Down'), the Wasp or Hope played by Evangeline Lilly (known for the acclaimed series 'Lost'), Janet van Dyne played by Michelle Pfeiffer ('Scarface', 'Batman Returns'), and Cassie, Lang's daughter, now played by Kathryn Newton ('Freaky'). They are plunged into the quantum universe, introduced to the audience in the previous film, and this time it is widely explored. As it takes place almost entirely in the Quantum Realm, it is the Marvel movie that uses the most CGI, and it manages to be quite inventive, although it becomes excessively exhausting at times, and without taking too much courage to step out of its safe zone. Despite being part of the MCU, it is a self-contained adventure with a well-rounded narrative. It suffers a bit from Marvel's influence, lacking freedom in its storytelling and ending up similar in formula to many other titles in the franchise, but it is still a fun and family-friendly movie, not as light-hearted as the hero's first films, but still very optimistic.
Some will remember that, before becoming one of the biggest fantasy movie franchises, Star Wars had a Christmas special, so hard to watch today that it has a mythical and at the same time questionable reputation. Following - and somewhat parodying - this line, Marvel Studios presents 'The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special', a television special with less than an hour of duration with a Christmas themed story. Here we resume the story after 'Avengers: Endgame', with Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) sad for the absence of Gamora (Zoe Saldana). To cheer him up, the Guardians decide to go to Earth, their home planet, to find the perfect gift. Thanks to the funny chemistry between Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista), it is an extremely funny production to enjoy with the family, whether you are a fan or not of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.