“Get up.”

A legend that spans 7000 years across the continents, Chloe Zhao has created the perfectly balanced blend of the MCU we know and her own indie sensibilities. In a way it does kind of illuminate some of the reviews in how this film has been received. Outside of the review bombing (which has unfortunately been verified by both IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes) this film has been met divisively not middlingly — there is a difference — and it’s clear that this maybe won’t connect with some of fans of Marvels previous work. For those that it works for though, it really works. 

The scope of the story is enhanced so much by the visual effects that I truly believe will be in Oscars contention; I’ve always felt that they never quite feel to scale in the grandiose way required for this universe… but that’s really changed in this film; celestial beings and powers beyond imagination are shown as the gargantuan and incomprehensible beings that they are. The score is also haunting, with a particular track right near the end giving me actual chills from how well made it was.

I also loved the colours in this film! Chloe Zhao loves using natural light in her films and they pop off the screen beautifully here; whilst other scenes are incredibly vibrant and powerful where they need to be — the Bollywood scene comes to mind. Every actor was perfectly cast but the standouts had to be Gemma Chan, Kumail Nunjiani, Lia McHugh and Brian Tyree Henry — and that’s no easy feat in an ensemble cast that features heavy weights like Angelina Jolie!

Genuinely don’t know what else to say but that this film felt grand and inspiring in a way that the others just haven’t been able to — I had a big emotional reaction and had a lot of fun doing it. This is what superhero cinema is all about!