Star Wars: The Toxicity Beyond

Ah, Star Wars. So many memories attached for so many of us, and it's easily of the most recognizable names in the history in cinema and pop culture. It's my favorite franchise of all time, and while it's had its bumps and bruises, there's so much good in this series that I and many others can't deny. However, there's something that I can't get over; The fanbase. While there are definitely individuals who are respectable, there are people out there who spread hate because they either want to or because a movie didn't do what they wanted. To delve further into why I hate the Star Wars fanbase, let's start with the beginning of the sequel trilogy.

The year is 2015. The hype for The Force Awakens is in full swing. Everyone's excited, even people who generally don't care for Star Wars. I know what that was like; At that point, everyone around me and everyone online was just talking about this movie. Then it came out, and for about a week, everyone was raving about it. Everyone was saying that it revitalized the Star Wars franchise and how it was just a blast of fun. Then, the hate came in. They kept on saying that Star Wars was ruined by director J.J. "Jar Jar" Abrams because it was uninspired and just a rehash of A New Hope. While there are valid complaints to be had with this movie, I found it to be a very energized film, with just enough differences from A New Hope to keep it interesting, and it introduced Rey and Kylo Ren, who are two of my favorite characters in this franchise to date. Like I said, there are valid complaints with this movie; Starkiller Base does feel uninspired and just another Darth Star and there are a couple scenes that feel a bit forced or silly, but even then, what J.J. Abrams brought to the table here was entertaining, fast paced, and vibrant. Sure, it wasn't overly original, but Return of the Jedi wasn't either, and that movie's still well liked, even if it is generally considered the weakest of the original trilogy. The toxicity got pretty bad a little while after release, but not to the point where it hindered my love for Star Wars; I was very excited for what was coming next, and that was Rogue One. Most people liked it well enough, and there wasn't a lot of hate surrounding it. I liked it a lot, albeit not as much as Force Awakens, but it was still great. However, what came next would be the breaking point for me.

The Last Jedi. These spark a fire fueled by rage in any comment section, website, or basically anywhere on the internet. When this movie came out, it was immediately meant by a storm of hatred towards director Rian Johnson, anyone who worked at Lucasfilm, and anyone who starred in it. In fact, it got so bad that Kelly Marie Tran, who portrayed Rose in the film, left Instagram because she was getting constant racist and rude comments, as well as death threats, and whenever you clicked on any post on Rian Johnson's Twitter account, no matter if it was Star Wars related or not, there would be people telling him to get away from Star Wars and that he needed to retire from directing in general. It got even worse when Solo came out a mere 5 months later and bombed at the box office, leading fans to conclude that the brand was dead. Okay, let's get this out of the way; Just because you didn't like a movie doesn't mean to have to harass anyone and everyone involved in its production. I don't care for musicals, but if I where to see a musical production and then crap on everyone involved on Twitter, that's only going to hurt people and potentially their mental health, and make you look like an idiot in the process. Also, while Solo was a massive box office bomb, it wasn't caused by The Last Jedi, at least not entirely; People simply weren't interested in the film. It was a film that didn't need to be made, and while it was received decently, it was considered inessential by both hardcore Star Wars fans and general viewers. The fact that it also didn't have the star power of Harrison Ford didn't help either, as I'm sure many people wouldn't accept a new Han Solo. Add to that massive production costs due to original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller being fired during production and 70 plus percent of the film being reshot, and this movie bombing was inevitable. 

With that out of the way, how good or bad is The Last Jedi? Well, I have a controversial opinion; The Last Jedi is actually great. I found the character arcs in this movie extremely compelling, especially Luke's, which was a massive point of division. Luke's not the Luke you saw at end at the original trilogy, but it's been 30 years plus since that film in the timeline, and the reason why he changed makes sense. He failed to bring the evil out from Ben Solo like he did with his father, and that would have a big impact on him, and the scene where he's fighting Kylo at the end of the film is a fantastic resolution to his character arc, and his death scene felt satisfying to me. Rey and Kylo's force connections scenes are great as well. You can feel the tension between these two, as well as the sympathy they have towards each other. Heck, I don't mind the Canto Bight sequence. Sure, the horse escape scene was stupid, but I really like the message and it's only 11 minutes long, and it was never boring to me. Sure, it's the weakest plot in the film, but I enjoyed it well enough.

I also like Poe's arc here. It's actually one of my favorite parts of the movie, as it feels natural and earned. I don't think it's talked about enough. His transformation from "Destroy this, destroy that" to realizing the difference between having to do that and when to think differently is compelling and genuine.

I won't dwell too long on my thoughts on the movie; I liked this a lot, dare I say it's my favorite Disney Star Wars movie. Do I understand some of the complaints? Absolutely. Some of the pacing feels uneven and there are some silly moments, but as a whole, this movie is rich, different, and unexpected. A lot of the hate has to do with the movie not being what people expected, and that's really sad to me. Can they not appreciate the visual effects, the acting, the new ideas, and the surprises? Let me say this; You can absolutely dislike this movie. That's fine, and it sucks if you didn't like it, but don't hate it just because you wanted the vision you saw in your head. Like I said, there are legitimate reasons to not care for this film, just don't go bullying the people involved on social media. 

So, where are we now? Well, at the time this is written, it's been almost 2 years since The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker is just about 3 months away, and the fanbase has only gotten worse. I thought there would be a cool down period between Solo and The Rise of Skywalker, but nope. The rumors that Skywalker's a failure because they're still tweaking the movie is bullcrap because that's what J.J. Abrams does with all his movies, people saying this movie's going to bomb because The Last Jedi sucked have no weight because people didn't like Attack of the Clones or The Phantom Menace because Revenge of the Sith made a killing at the box office, and this feels no different to me with the exception that the internet's a thing and people can be vocal. Sure, Solo bombed, but that film was not seen as essential. That's it, really. I think most of these rumors are started by people who want it to fail, and honestly, while I think these rumors have little to no legitimacy, it makes it harder to get hyped for Star Wars going forward. I don't want to be in a fanbase that hates their franchise more than everyone else, and that's all I see everywhere. Like I said at the beginning of this post, there are reasonable Star Wars fans out there, but their voices are drowned out by this blatant toxicity within the fanbase that's only gotten worse with time. So, if you had no clue about this toxicity in the Star Wars fanbase, please continue to stay away from it best you can, and if you are a part of this fanbase and want reasonable discussion, I feel you. Maybe someday it will get better. 

Mini Albums Reviews: June 2019 to August 2019

Alright, time for mini reviews. This time, we'll be covering 8 albums from 8 different artists that I felt were worth talking about. Keep in mind this isn't everything I heard, and I reviewed two other albums in full length released in this time frame (Skillet's Victorious and Tool's Fear Inoculum), so those will not be covered here. If you want to know my thoughts, please check out my reviews of those albums. With that being said, let's get started with an album that'll give you one heck of a wake-up.

Oh, Sleeper - Bloodied/Unbowed

Metalcore band Oh, Sleeper return after a recording hiatus of 8 years to hopefully deliver a welcome comeback. I wasn't familiar with these guys before these album came out, and after checking out this record, I definitely need to, because this was really good. This album is filled with great lyric writing and striking technical guitar riffs. The opening track Let It Wave is one of the strongest here, as it shows off how good of a lyricist their unclean singer is with lines like "If all your heroes are martyrs, shouldn't you be the same?" and "The flag is more than a symbol... I live to die in its shadow". Fissure is an absolute barn burner from the opening second that is absolutely superb, as all the lyrics on the track are fantastic, the chorus is infectious, and the band's backing them up well. The low growls on Decimation and Burial are fantastic, Two Ships starts out like a ballad and it's pretty, but then it explodes in the second half rather unexpectedly, and it works startlingly well, and Oxygen has a great chord change in the chorus that makes a decent song a great one. I well say that this record is not paced the best in the best manner. They choose ballad The Summit as the album's closing track, and I'm not sure that was the best choice. It's a good song, but it doesn't give the ending the punch that it needed.  Two Ships, while I also like that track a lot, also comes out of nowhere. There's no warning, and all of a sudden you're dropped into a song that's very slow, and it feels a bit awkward. Some of the clean choruses also sound kind of similar to one another in parts and it gave me a bit of a hard time distinguishing the tracks. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I still give this album a strong recommendation, despite some of its shortcomings. If you're into metalcore, definitely check this out. This is one of the genres strongest albums this year.

Grade: B+

Moron Police - A Boat on the Sea

So, I heard about this album from my favorite music reviewer, The Rock Critic. He all of a sudden dropped a review of this album no one had ever heard of, and he gave it his highest of recommendations. I listen to it, and yeah, it's really good. This has a unique sound, a mix of progressive rock with some pop elements and even saxophone. It's a very fun, sugary sound that has intricate composition and catchy hooks. Tracks like The Invisible King and especially Captain Awkward (One of my favorite songs of the year) have strong production and great performances, but are also pretty accessible for those who don't want potentially unusual structure and just want a fun track. It's really a record that has something for everyone, and I appreciate that. However, the sound does get a little too sugary for me as it goes on. It's like eating a little sugar compared to a lot. A little sugar is delicious and is a nice treat every once in a while, but having too much sugar eventually makes you feel bloated and tired, and while this album doesn't get to a point where it gets annoying or tiring (It's a mere 32 minutes), it is a bit much for me. However, that's a personal preference and I still enjoy listening to this. Not an album of the year contender or anything, but I could totally see why this could be someone else's.

Grade: B

Lil Nas X - 7

Yes, we're covering the guy who did Old Town Road's EP. Why am I covering this? Because this is genuinely pretty decent. There, I said it. Sure, it isn't great, but this is a fun little release and also unexpected to some degrees. Old Town Road is awesome, no matter how much of a novelty it is. It's just got a unique charm to it that never makes it get old to me. There's also a lot of other songs that are enjoyable. Panini is a fun little trap jam, even if it is way too short and it's nothing out of the ordinary. F9mily and Bring U Down are legitimate pop rock songs (No, I'm not joking) that are surprisingly really fun and likable, and C7osure is a great closer (Pun unintended) that closes the album on an emotional note (I don't count the original Old Town Road). This isn't perfect, however; There are two main issues I have with this project. First of all, I appreciate Lil Nas X branched out into other genres, but it shows he still hasn't truly found his identity as an artist yet, and it makes the EP feel somewhat disjointed in areas. The second issue I have is that this feels rushed, because it was. Sure, these songs are good for the most part, but what could've made them great is more time spent developing them. I'm sure the artist is not to blame here, but rather the label after Old Town Road became such a phenomenon. Still, I see potential for Lil Nas X here, despite the issues I may have with this release. I'm hoping he's more than just a one-hit wonder, because he's got talent, but I see this EP as a mere taste of what's to come, and here's hoping whatever's next is truly great.

Grade: B- or B (Depends on how generous I'm being)

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!

This one had a lot of hype around it, and by a lot, I mean A LOT. Even people who aren't fans of Lana Del Rey's music were hyped due to the singles such as Mariners Apartment Complex and Venice Bitch, which actually got me interested in this album as well. I've had no experience with Lana's music until now, and I do see the appeal of it. Her voice is very soothing, and the music is very pretty, shown on the title track and Mariners Apartment Complex, which open the album on a very good note and show that this album has a very calming but emotional vibe, and, well, it's complicated for me. You see, this is a record that is refined and well written with excellent production, but for me, it feels bloated. This record is 14 tracks and 67 minutes long, which is long and a lot to take in. While an album like Tool's Fear Inoculum (Which actually came out the same day) is an even longer record that has constantly different and interesting songwriting with basically every song, this record has a lot of tracks that blend together, and even if I really liked listening to them, they often faded from my memory pretty quickly. After those first three tracks, which are very solid, The Next Best American Record is the only song that stands out pretty well, but that's about it. Besides that, it's just drowning in similar piano notes and lyrical themes that don't feel very distinct to me. If this record was 40 to 50 minutes long, I'd be more forgiving, but the fact that this record has 14 tracks and I can only imagine revisiting 4 of them makes me feel rather disappointed. I'm still more positive than I am negative, since there's nothing offensive or even bad on here, it just could've been better. That's all.

Grade: B-

Plugs of Apocalypse - Stay

So, this was a random record I found while watching a YouTube live stream. Weird place to find a new album, I know, but I was intrigued by this band's sound. They have a sort of a poppy metal vibe to them. There's chugging guitars, but there's also electronics and synths infused into the sound these guys have crafted, and it's a very pretty sound. The instrumentals are all solid here, and create a potentially interesting backdrop for what could be something special. The instrumentals on the title track, Eyes Wide Shut, and Our Song remain particularly memorable to me, with the blending on the genres really coming full circle on those songs. These could've been great if it weren't for one thing; The vocals. There are two vocalists in this band, those being a male and a female vocalist. The female vocalist is good enough, but the male vocalist flat-out sucks. I don't know what he's doing on this record, because if he was gone, this could've been great. He's got a thick accent to his voice that the few people who've heard this record are polarized by, and I'm definitely negative on it. It sucks because there are legitimately catchy hooks on tracks like Eyes Wide Shut, Disappear, and Midnight which could've been so much better if it weren't for this singer. So, this is a complicated album to me; An album that could've been really solid, if not great if it weren't for one thing, and that just irritates me. If this band ever gets a different vocalist, I'll be interested in their future, but for now, I'm just frustrated.

Grade: B- 

Falls of Rauros - Patterns In Mythology

So, let's movie away from some of the poppier stuff that was presented on the previous couple of albums and talk about some really good black metal. This is a band that brings a nice blend of both atmosphere and heaviness to the genre. The opening instrumental Detourement sets the stage up the stage , with its atmosphere, then once the absolutely terrific Weapons of Refusal comes in, showing how stellar this album is at its best. It hits you with the heavy guitars, but is guided by an epic vicking-esque feeling in the instrumentation that is epic sounding. It's one of those songs that's a lot to take in, but it's worth it, as is the rest of the album. New Inertia's intro is strikingly beautiful, and the guitar solo at the midway point is one of the better ones I've heard this year. Last Empty Tradition kicks into full gear immediately with the aggressive guitars and, while it does slow down, it picks up the the last 3 and a half minutes, and that's where this track shines; In its absolutely terrific outro, which is both heavy but melodic, creating a mix that I absolutely love. Then Memory at Night happens and... Yeah, this is one of the finest moments on the album for sure. The guitar work is some of the best of the year, and the bass line that opens the song is really solid. So overall, I love this band's sound. It can get heavy and almost all the vocals are screamed, but it has melody and it's actually pretty accessible for an album like this. My only real problem with this album is with the track Renouvellement, which was mostly a forgettable shorter cut that could've not made the record and it would've helped the pacing. Also, a band called Saor released an album somewhat similar to this (I reviewed it back in February if you want to check that out), and it was better, and I honestly can't see pass that, no matter how stupid that sounds. Still, if you want to get into black metal, this is a very accessible release with some terrific guitar work that will bring you back over and over, and if you already like black metal, well, here's some more of that good stuff.

Grade: A-

Sum 41 - Order In Decline

"So, Sum 41 are a thing in 2019?". That's what my reaction was when I heard they were releasing a new album. I was thinking this was gonna be another pop punk record. I was wrong. While the band still has pop punk-esque hooks, the album has a lot of hard rock and even metal influences that work extremely well, and the fact that there are very catchy hooks added to my enjoyment of the record. The aggression on this album isn't just from the instrumentals though; It's in the fiery, political lyrics which are clearly jabbing at the current political climate of the United States, and while I won't go into my thoughts on the topic, I think these lyrics are pretty solid for what they are. Tracks like The People vs..., The New Sensation, and 45 (A Matter of Time) are clear jabs at someone in particular (You know who), but it works for me because these tracks are loud and these "loud" statements fit with the music. The instrumentals are what keep me coming back, however. The riffs and solo on Out For Blood are top notch, as are The People Vs..., A Death In The Family, and The New Sensation, with moments that scream Metallica to me in a good way. That doesn't mean the album is just aggression, as the ballads Never There and Catching Fire give you a moment to catch your breath and they're genuinely very good. As for flaws, some of the songs sound kinda similar at points, and even if those tracks are good, it's sometimes kinda bothers me. Besides that though, this was way better than it had any right to be. It's fiery, fun, and purposeful hard rock that makes for one of the best albums of the year. Absolutely worth every minute of your time.

Grade: A-

Slipknot - We Are Not Your Kind

To close off this review, I needed a good album to review. No, not just a good album, a great album, a true album of the year contender, and well, this is it. This album's hype was only topped by Tool's Fear Inoculum is terms of hype for any metal record this year, and I'm happy to say it's everything I wanted and more. It's not just 63 minutes of your typical heavy, angsty Slipknot tracks; It's also full of successful experiments. It gets you invested with Unsainted and Birth of the Cruel, which are both incredible slices of Slipknot at their most "accessible" (For Slipknot at least), with the former having a great singalong chorus and a memorable bridge, and the latter having great riffs and a catchy hook. After that, it's some of the best, if not the best, material of this band's career. Nero Forte and Critical Darling are those first two songs of steroids. Like holy crap, this is one of the best two punch tracks I've heard in a while. Nero Forte comes in swinging immediately with Corey Taylor's aggressive delivery and fantastic guitar riffs, and Critical Darling is even more aggressive, with the best elements of Nero Forte put on steroids and a great chorus reminiscent of Stone Sour. After this, the album gets experimental with cuts the haunting and dark A Lair's Funeral, which is one of 2019's greatest songs. The lyrics and acoustic guitar used in the first half are haunting and dark, and when it kicks into full gear, it becomes face meltingly amazing with the chants "Burn the liar" being something I could totally see being chanted in the mosh pit. The industrial and endlessly fun Spiders is catchy and, despite being so different, fits really well in the album, the bizarre atmosphere of My Pain is easily the album's weirdest moment but it works really well for reasons I can't quite explain, and the fantastic and aggressive closer Solway Firth is one of the album's most unconventionally structured, and it works as both a closing track and as a singular track. There's so much to love here, and I can't praise this album enough. Don't be surprised if this ends up as my favorite album of 2019 (And if it isn't number 1 it'll definitely be in the top 3), because so far, this may be the one to beat. I'm serious. It's really that good.

Grade: A+

Tool - Fear Inoculum Album Review

Tool - Fear Inoculum Album Review

13 years and 4 months. That's how much time it's been since Tool released their last album. To give some perspective, I was in preschool when 10,000 Days (Their last album) came out. Now, I'm an 18 year old college student. That's absolutely insane, especially considering at the height of their popularity, Tool was one the most recognized bands in the metal scene, cementing their sound of records, in particular 1996's Aenima and 2001's Lateralus, and they didn't rush a project out in order to capitalize on that fame (That's very respectable in my eyes). In terms of my experience with Tool, I discovered them after listening to singer Maynard James Keenan's other big band, A Perfect Circle, nonstop when their last album came out, which was my favorite album of 2018. Since then, Tool has become one of my favorite bands of all time, and one of the bands I listen to most on my playlists or if I want to spend time listening in an album. Lateralus is my favorite record of theirs, but all of their albums have merit and are great, with few songs I don't care for. Now, after several years of lawsuits, side projects and the like, the long awaited Fear Inoculum has arrived. With the unreal hype and the acclaim its been getting from both fans and critics, it's hard not to get swept up in the hype machine for this one, and well, all 86 minutes of it is here, but how does it stack up (Note: I will not talk about the interludes on the digital edition in detail, but I will say they work well for what they are)?

Well, let's start at the beginning with the album's title track, the only officially released track from the album. At 10 minutes 20 seconds, this song is very long, but it's actually one of the shortest tracks on the record. However, it's absolutely worth the listen. The slow build towards where the vocals kick in is effective and got me curious to hear where this would go. The whole song has a great build that eventually climaxes in a great collision of drums and guitar. Lyrically, it's as solid as you'd expect from Maynard, with lyrics like Exhale/Expel/Recast my tail/Read my allegorical elegy really grabbing my attention as well written and effective. So yeah, great song, even if it is slow and may take a few listens to fully take it in.

So, we're off to a pretty great start here. While it's not as vicious a Tool opener like The Grudge from Lateralus or Vicarious from 10,000 Days, it's still a great song that stands as a worthy inclusion in their discography.

The next track, Pneuma, stands as one of the album's finest moments. The opening guitar is pretty, but where the song really shines is the bouncy bass line from Justin Chancellor that's infectious and makes the verses and chorus engaging. Maynard's lyrics are some of the strongest on the record here as well, with him discussing how we are one spark and how our bodies can't hold our spirit forever. It's very strong writing from a man who's written some amazing lyrics in the past, and it reminds me of Parabol and Parabola in that regard. I also love Adam Jones' riffs on this track, especially the riff that comes in around 3 minutes 15 seconds in, which feels epic, and the fact that its backed up by amazing drumming makes it even better (You're gonna hear me talk a lot about the drumming on this record, because it steals the show on almost every song). The jam session at the end is also fantastic, and it ends the song on a high note. Just fantastic on every level.

We continue with a song the band debuted live a few months ago, Invincible. This track has my favorite lyrics on the entire record, as it talks about "A warrior struggling to remain consequential". If that line doesn't get stuck in your head, I don't know what will. It's an absolute earworm. The rest of the lyrics discuss this warrior in detail that is both tragic and engaging. Maynard's vocals are great here as well, and while he holds back compared to previous records, he's still got one of the best voices in rock and metal, so I'm honestly fine with it. The instruments build with him as the song builds as the previous two did. This one has the best build so far, however. It's long, but it doesn't overstay its welcome. The bass and guitar really complement each other well here, and the drums continue to be fantastic. However, the lyrics are what really bring me back to this track. It's some of my favorite Maynard lyrics ever, and the song as a whole is wonderful.

Descending is next and while this one is very good, it's probably my least favorite full length track on the record. It's not because it's poorly composed and/or sloppily performed compared to the previous tracks, but it's because it's simply too long. It's almost 14 minutes long, and in the middle, it starts to drag a bit. That being said, I love Maynard's vocals at the beginning and the wave sound effects that start the track. However, what steals the show here is the guitar. The last three minutes contains one of my favorite Adam Jones solos ever. It sounds vaguely post-metal, as does much of the structuring of this album. What I also dig about this track is how it feels tied to Invincible. This and the previously mentioned track were both debuted live back in May, and I understand why they choose these two together. While Invincible is about someone struggling to be the same person they used to be, Descending in my opinion is about finding your footing again, even through the struggles and hard times, and once again, they're great. Overall, I think it could've been cut down by a couple minutes, but besides that, this song isn't a skippable one, not by a long shot.

Culling Voices continues the record, and is another favorite of mine for the first half alone. In that section, it's just Maynard and Adam Jones doing their thing and it's extremely effective. Maynard sounds some of the most passionate on the entire record, as he talks about mental illness leading him away from where he should be. It's tragic and beautifully written, and Adam Jones' guitar adds to the beauty of it. The second half, which is for the most part just a jam session between members with Maynard occasionally coming in, and while it's not as good as the first half, it still works well and the first half makes it worth coming back to.

So at this point, you may have noticed a pattern in the record; It starts out slow with Maynard coming in and doing some clean vocals, and the instrumentation slowly builds towards a climax of sorts at the end. Well, these last two songs break that mold and make the album more interesting, starting with Chocolate Chip Trip. This song is basically just a drum solo with a weird synth line that feels ripped out of a B rate sci-fi movie from the 80s, and it's great. I don't have much to say about the track besides for the fact that Danny Carey's drumming is incredible. In many ways, his drumming reminds me of Neil Peart, and if you know me, you know Rush are my favorite band of all time, so this is a good thing. It's also a nice change of pace after several 10 minutes plus tracks, and we get back into that, but this time, it's different.

So, let's talk about 7empest. There's one word to describe this song; INCREDIBLE! The only way this will not be my favorite song of the year is if Rush rises from the grave and creates a prog epic as good as 2112. It starts out with nice, pretty guitar line like many of the songs previous did, but then it explodes about a minute in, and Adam Jones delivers what might be the best performance of his entire career. He's coming up with brilliant riff after brilliant riff and solos for almost 16 minutes straight, and it's incredible. Danny Carey and Justin Chancellor are also delivering brilliant work here, but man, what Adam Jones does here not only steals the song, it may steal the entire album. Also, we get aggressive Maynard vocals! Sure, we don't get a massive scream like on The Grudge, but he still sounds as unhinged and aggressive as he did on Undertow. I got so giddy when I heard him first appear, and he sounds amazing. It's just so good to hear. The song, while the longest on the entire album, flows better than any other track here, and it makes for an amazing experience. I hope my fellow college students like this song, because I'll be blasting this one all semester. This is one of the best Tool songs ever, if not their best; Every member is at the top of their game, it's super long, and no matter how much I hear it, it never gets old. This album was worth it just for this song. It's heaven.

So yeah, this album rules. It's not my favorite Tool album to date, but it's easily one of their most interesting. All of the tracks have merit and can be listened to at any point as a singular song or as a part of the larger record, and it feels unique in their discography. It's easily their most progressive album to date and while it's nothing new for them, their music still remains as engaging and fresh as ever. In a world full of mediocre metal, this is a testament to how pure creative and passionate the genre can be and how it's not just screaming. It's musicians creating music that can be loud, but has meaning and purpose in the music world.

(Note: If you haven't listened to Tool before, I don't think this should be your first Tool record, not because of the quality, but because of how hard this album is to get into. I'd start with either Aenima or Lateralus, and if you like those (Particularly the longer tracks), then check out this)


Grade: A

Favorite Tracks: 7empest, Pneuma, Invincible, Culling Voices

Least Favorite Track: Descending (Still great though)

Skillet - Victorious Album Review

Christian rock band Skillet's back with their 10th full-length album, Victorious, an album meant to make you feel, well, victorious, in the words of lead vocalist/bassist John Cooper. 

So, I first want to talk about my relationship with Skillet, because it's somewhat complicated. I first discovered Skillet through the Awake album a little while after it came out. I grew up on that album, and eventually discovered Collide and Comatose, two albums I love and still spin occasionally to this day (And the even older stuff, which I enjoy well enough). Then Rise came out, and I also loved it. I spun the crap out of that CD, and I still really enjoy it, albeit maybe not as much now. Then Unleashed happened, and I slowly fell out of love with Skillet. It was so bland and messy at the same time, and featured very few standout tracks. It had its moments, but those moments were caught in what I felt was a band running low on fumes. I thought that was what this album was going to be more on the quality of Unleashed, but then something happened; The release of the single Save Me. It was darker and more passionate than anything on Unleashed, and gave me a sense of optimism for this album. And, well, let's take it track-by-track.

Track 1: Legendary

Here we are; If you've heard one song from this album, it's the lead single. Honestly, I guarantee you that the only reason this was the lead single is because the structure's similar to Feel Invincible, and that charted really high and was very successful. Besides that, I guess the opening guitar riff's cool? This is a very meh start to the album. It's very generic, but it's not offensive or anything like that. It's filler for radio, that's all I hear. Not bad, but not the best track to start the album with.

Track 2: You Ain't Ready

So, basically many of my complaints with Legendary carry over here, that being that this is standard radio rock and not very unique, but I like this track better. I like the verses a lot and while the chorus is repetitive, it's catchy enough to draw me in every time I listen to it. The guitars have a decent amount of bite and the electronic elements are kept more minimal than songs further into the record and they don't feel forced and work quite well. So yeah, this is nothing I wouldn't expect from Skillet, but it works well. It's decent enough. 

Track 3: Victorious

Okay, here we are; The album's title track. When I think of an album's title track, it should define the theme of an album and be a standout track, and I'm glad to say Victorious absolutely is. It feels grand and big, but not overwhelming with its stringed sections and vibrant guitars. Lyrically, it's inspired by people battling with depression, and it works pretty well. It reminds me of The Last Night from Comatose from that perspective, and I think it works even better here than it does here. Jen Ledger's backing vocals are wonderful and make the song more grand, especially in the chorus, which soars like a rocket. I think this is one of the best songs Skillet has ever done. It's familiar, yet different at the same time, and defines the album's themes of being victorious and positive beautifully. I honestly would have loved if this song was the closer, because it feels that big and grand. Still, this is fantastic. One of the album's best tracks, if not its best. 

Track 4: This Is The Kingdom

So, what do we get after the fantastic song that is Victorious? Well, we get one of the album's weakest moments. This Is The Kingdom has a good chorus that I could have seen working... if the verses weren't so bad. Many comparisons have been made to Imagine Dragons, and that's spot on. If you like Imagine Dragons, then you probably won't have a problem with this, but they're one of my least favorite bands working today, so I can't stand it. The lyrics in the song aren't bad, but it needed more crunch instrumentally to really drive it home, and much better verses. So yeah, this isn't very good, and is easily one of the album's worst. Very skippable track.

Track 5: Save Me

So, here's another highlight of the album, and the cut that gave me the most optimism for the record. Save Me feels like a Comatose song, and that's a very good thing. I love the vocals and atmosphere in the verses, and the chorus, which is infectious and catchy. The lyrics talk about being caught in a place that makes it hard to continue in your faith, which is always a topic that interests me and I can relate to, so I really dig this. The guitar riffs are very good and feel ripped straight out of the 2000s in a good way. My only real nitpick with this track is that I wish the guitar solo was a bit longer, but even then, that's a pretty small nitpick. This is another great track, and easily one of my favorites. Worth checking out if you haven't already. 

Track 6: Rise Up

So, part's of Rise Up work pretty well. The chorus is pretty catchy, and I like the way Jen Ledger's are included in this. That being said, why do the guitars and Ledger's vocals sound so compressed? A song like this needs a big guitar sound like Monster for example, but it feels so lackluster, which is weird considering no other song really has this problem. The lyrics are also done to death and boring (Seriously John, how many times can you use the word "rise" in your songs?), and incredibly lazy. So yeah, not a very good cut, and a standout in a bad way. Another one I generally skip. 

Track 7: Terrify the Dark

With a title like Terrify the Dark, you'd expect a hard rocker, but this is actually one of 2 ballads on the album aimed at Christian radio, and it sounds very generic. Those opening piano notes have to be stolen from somewhere. They sound that familiar, as do the vocal melodies. There's some decent lyrics when the chorus hit, but that's the only thing that's noteworthy here. Pretty average Christian music overall. Not awful, but very mediocre.  

Track 8: Never Going Back

You know, I could have seen this working as the album's lead single. It's got a nice guitar punch, a good chorus, and a great vocal performance from John Cooper. The electronics are used pretty well here, and don't feel too overused while still being prominent in the mix, particularly in the verses, the main guitar riff is solid, and while this isn't my favorite song from the record, it's still very solid. A bit generic, sure, but it still works pretty well. Very good song, just not quite great. 

Track 9: Reach

Here we have something that feels like John Cooper's side project Fight The Fury, and in a good way. It's one the heaviest songs on the record, with a fantastic chorus that is endlessly catchy. Lyrically, it's another song about struggling with faith, and while it doesn't work quite as well as Save Me did, it still works very well. I love this song. There's no other words for it. It's not quite the best song on the record, but it's still great. Definitely check this out. 

Track 10:  Anchor

So, here I don't have much to say. It's a pretty typical Christian radio single, but it's grown on me with time. It's lyrically pretty typical of one of these songs, and there's no lyrics worth pointing out. What draws me back to it is the simple but very pretty piano sound and the strings that come in the second verse. Besides that, there's not a whole lot of discussion to be had here, but I like this fine. It's far from great, but it's works okay, kind of like You Ain't Ready.

Track 11: Finish Line

So, this track is weird. It feels heavy, but there's barely any guitar in it. It instead takes from the Imagine Dragons influence of This Is The Kingdom, and it actually works here. The production and electronics make the track feel heavy, and I rather like it. It's catchy, the lyrics have a different feel than most Skillet songs, but they work great and fit the song's vibe. I still wish there are some more guitars, because they're almost non-existent and could've pushed this to another level, but I still like this a lot. 

Track 12: Back To Life

With Back To Life, we end with more Comatose-esque vibes. John Cooper sounds straight out of that era on this track. Seriously, I love this delivery here, especially on the chorus. The lyrics are typical Skillet, but they're good and I don't have a problem with them. The ending jam makes sure the album ends on a high note, which is very successful and very much an even better version of the jam at the end of The Resistance from Unleashed. What I love about this jam is that it actually builds off of the main riff from the song, and doesn't feel tacked on; It feels natural and like it's actually part of the song. Another one of my favorites from the record, and while I would've preferred Victorious as the album closer, this still works very well. 

Overall, I don't think this is a perfect album. I had some issues with pacing, particularly when the ballads seemingly show up out of nowhere and with some of the lyrics and style choices, but I still like this quite a bit more than Unleashed. I was expecting Unleashed 2.0, and I got that in parts, but it's not exactly that. While tracks like Legendary would be at home on that record, Some cuts that feel at home here like Finish Line and Reach would've been rather odd in the Unleashed track listing. It stands out well enough and the fans seem to like it, and I do too. Skillet's still not quite making great records again, but they're getting there, and I can tell they were trying. Kudos to them for trying, and I'm hoping the next record builds off of this one's best moments to create something special.

Grade: B (About a 7/10)

Favorite Tracks: Victorious, Save Me, Back To Life, Reach, Finish Line

Least Favorite Tracks: Rise Up, This Is The Kingdom, Legendary

Tyler, The Creator - Igor: Album Review

You ever had that one album that everyone keeps saying is good, but you just don't get around to listening to it? This album almost ended up in that category for me. I'm not the world's biggest hip-hop fan, even though a lot of my listens to different artists involved in the genre has lead me with some great music. For some reason, I felt no reason to listen to this album. Even though much of Tyler's stuff is apparently really good, it came out before I got over my my "Rock is the only good genre" phase, and it never grabbed my attention. However, this record grabbed my attention when I heard it was a concept album about going through a breakup, which could suit a hip-hop album well. If you get the right artist, they can go into detail and bring the emotions to life beautifully. So I decided to give it a listen and see if I liked it. Little did I know that I would be listening to it 4 times in 24 hours. I might listen to an album twice in that time frame, but I am addicted to this album.

What first really grabbed me about this album is how experimental it is. I haven't heard any of Tyler, The Creator's any projects before this, but this record combins samples of jazz and soul music and incorporates those with the rap and the usual hip-hop elements. This has been done before, and effectively at that, but here it's different. It's used is a bizarre mix that could be seen as messy or flat out poorly mixed, but it worked for me. I'm typically annoyed by this type of slightly muddled production, but it works extremely well here. It matches the muddled mind of someone going through a tragic breakup. While I've never been through one myself, I've seen people I know go through it, and it's not pretty. This production pairs with that beautifully. The samples incorporated are really good and add a bit of an expansive yet personal feel to the project, without feeling forced. 

The lyric writing is also stellar and does not disappoint. It delves into denial and initial heartbreak on Earfquake and I Think extremely well, its take on anger on A Boy Is A Gun and What's Good is genuinely threatening and intense, especially within the context of the album, and the eventual conclusion of the final two tracks is thematically as well as musically satisfying. It's not always the most complex of lyric writing, but I love how every track works its way in to the next. Sometimes there's a transition from one emotion to another on one song that doesn't seem to fit, but they subtly insert that emotion into the track with the vastly different emotion, and it feels completely natural.

It's also extremely unique in its presentation. This style of hip-hop sampling and general production is something I've heard before, but it's never been done like this. Tyler handled all of it on here, and it's impressive. Some of the production is more centered on typical hip-hop beats like What's Good, which adds to the general anger of the track and instantly helped make it one of my favorite cuts on the record. However, since this album is drenched in a soul/jazz atmosphere, that song is a bit of an outlier. Stuff like the vocal passages on A Boy Is A Gun and I Think are where this album shines and helps make it a beautifully made, passionate, and unique album.

However, this record feels chaotic and unstable, as it should feel. It's honest, real, and, most importantly, good music. Heck, I'd call this my favorite album of the year so far. I've just been obsessed with this album, and every time I listen to it, I find something new to love, whether that be in the lyric writing or in the magnificent production. I feel like this will be remembered as a rap classic 10 years from now. While this isn't for everyone (It has lots of language and the production may turn people off), this certainly connected with me as well as many others throughout the music community. Something truly extraordinary will have to come around to top this as 2019's best album, and many will try, but many will fail. 

Grade: A+

Mini-Album Reviews: January-May 2019

Welcome to the blog! In this new segment, I'll be reviewing a bunch of albums I've heard this year rapid-fire style. Since I've only gotten the chance to review one full length album on this blog this year, I've decided to review a bunch of random albums in a paragraph or less. I didn't really enjoy reviewing the Saor album, to be honest. Don't get me wrong I absolutely loved the record and I still consider it the best album of the year so far, but I feel much more comfortable reviewing movies in a longer format, and I feel awkward reviewing albums in a longer format. I enjoyed doing my best and worst albums of 2018 list however, so I wanted to do something similar for reviewing albums. Consider this an experiment. If it works out, I may release one of these every two months or so. If not, I may not do this very often or at all. That being said, let's get to reviewing these albums, starting with one that did nothing for me.

Papa Roach - Who Do You Trust?

This album is really a case of "What were they thinking?". Papa Roach have never been a band for me, but I loathe this album as much as I do because they're disservicing their fans as well. Some tracks feel like Papa Roach and could please fans, like the title track or Renegade Music. Even if these aren't for me, they do have a real energy to them that I can at least appreciate. However, they soon take the Imagine Dragons route of making lazy, stale pop songs like Elevate, Problems, and Come Around that are just so bland. Say what you want about Papa Roach, but I wouldn't necessarily call their music forgettable, but here, they turned that up to 11. I would have a hard time defining these as Papa Roach tracks, and that not in a good way. Bands like A Perfect Circle with Eat the Elephant and Paramore with their self-titled record and After Laughter changed up their sounds beautifully to further explore sonic territory with plenty of great ideas in their heads. However, this Papa Roach record does nothing except exist in a state of disappointment and embarrassment. Skip this with every will in your being. Next.

Grade: D-

Chasms - The Mirage

Ah, now here's something I can speak strongly of, and the best part? You've probably never heard of this album or band before. The only reason I know of this is because it showed up in my recommended on YouTube Music (I've since stopped using it; I'm not paying for "Listening off the app"), and yeah, this is legit. It's a gorgeous, atmospheric mix of dream pop and ethereal music that's so beautifully put together and wonderful to listen to. You're know what you're in for immediantly with the opening cut Shadows, which is easily one of the finest tracks of the year. The vocal melodies, samples, and dream pop guitar all work to create a lush, other worldly atmosphere that strongly carries throughout the rest of the record. The rest can be said for the rest of the album, especially Deep Love Deep Pain and Tears In The Morning Sun, which alone make the album worthwhile. My main problem with the record is the track run times. For the most part, these are songs that are 5 to 7 minutes long, and some of the tracks get super repetitive. It makes the album feel too long going back, but besides that, this album stands as perhaps the most underrated record of the year. It's a terrific example of atmospheric music that drags you in and keeps you in throughout. Absolutely worth the dive. Check it out.

Grade: A-

Since we've now gone super underground, let's go with something way more recognizable.

Billie Ellish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?

If you want something different than what the Hot 100 is typically offering at the moment, you HAVE to hear this record. Eilish (And her brother Finneas on production) has delivered what will probably be the best pop album of the year here. This is an excellent mainstream record, and it surprisingly doesn't feel that way. It feels like something that would get attention, but it would just miss the Hot 100, but this record has blown up, and the single Bad Guy is one of the top 5 most popular songs in America at the time of this writing, and that's for good reason; It's catchy the production's great, and it's twisted in the best way possible (I also learned it on bass. Pretty fun to play). The same goes for the rest of the record on tracks like You Should See Me In A Crown and All The Good Girls Go To Hell, but it also gets  emotional on When The Party's Over, I Love You, and Listen Before I Go effectively as well, and those are track remain some of the strongest on the record and of the year so far for me. The song 8 is really the only weak track on the album, with Eilish's voice modified to sound like a child's being extremely weird and a bit irritating. The rest of the track is also pretty boring otherwise, but man, does the rest of this record deliver. Listen to this now. 

Grade: A

The Damned Things - High Crimes

While there's a good chance you don't know this band, you've definitely heard music from some of the members of this hard rock supergroup. In this group, you have members of Anthrax, Fall Out Boy, Alkaline Trio, and Every Time I Die. If you know anything about any of these bands, this seems like a project that would fall right on its face, but it works so well, and you know what? This is definitive proof Fall Out Boy should break up. The members that aren't Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump have a terrific outlet for hard rock with some awesome, catchy melodies that Fall Out Boy refuse to bring to the table (Lake Effect Kid was the exception, but that was a late 2000s demo). There's so much fun to be had with this record, like the opening cuts Cells and Something Good which are supremely catchy and have great instrumentals. It's not a particularly deep record, but it's not meant to be; This is the record you put on when you want to jam out to some rock songs, and it does a wonderful job at doing so. Easily one of the most fun records of the year.

Grade: A-

Astronoid - Astronoid

This is an album that's frustrating to me, not because it's bad, but because it's potential wasted. The thing is, this band has a really great sound that they've referred to as "dream thrash", which is a very good description of their sound. Their vocalist has a high pitched voice that blends with the soothing yet aggressive guitar work and the even more aggressive drumming. It's unlike anything else I've heard this year, and that's for the better. The tracks Lost and Ideal World highlight this sound extremely well and are terrific songs in general, but the rest of the album has a major issue; Every song sounds the same. They all have a similar structure, similar guitar playing and drumming, and similar vocal melodies to one another. On my first listen, I thought maybe it would take another listen or two to tell the tracks apart, but nope. They all sound the same to me. However, I do love this sound, and it's a great record to have on in the background, but that's about it. I do want to see where this band goes in the future, and I hope they develop their sound further to make every track unique and interesting. I like it fine, but that's about where it ends.

Grade: B

Weezer - Teal Album/Black Album 

So, Weezer released two albums this year, and since I like Weezer a lot, I decided to cover them both in this segment. Let's start with Teal.

The Teal Album was a surprise for many. It released without any prior announcement, and it was all cover songs from various different artists. Everyone from A-Ha to Toto to TLC to Michael Jackson was covered on this record, and to mixed results. Their cover of Take On Me captures the original's spirit well, Everybody Wants To Rule The World is also solid, and their take on Mr. Blue Sky is also enjoyable. However, there are also some stinkers here, like their cover of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson (Which, after that documentary, was a bad move), Paranoid by Black Sabbath (Sung by guitarist Brian Bell), and their cover of No Scrubs by TLC, which I honestly love listening to because it's one of the most white things I've ever heard. It's so bizarre it's hilarious. It's mostly a pretty meh collection, and while not offensive for the most part, should probably be skipped.

Grade: C+

Now, let's talk about The Black Album. This record had a lot riding on it; It was coming after the disappointment that was Pacific Daydream and the band needed somewhat of a comeback, as well as the hype that this would be darker and much different than anything they've done before. The thing is, for the most part, this album really isn't. Does it experiment in spots? Yes. Too Many Thoughts In My Head and Byzantine experiment with tropical tinged beats and instrumentals that work well, they delve into pop much better than they did on Pacific Daydream with Zombie Bastards and I'm Just Being Honest, and High As A Kite is a Beatles-inspired ballad that's one of the best songs they've released in the 21st century (Seriously, if you're gonna listen to one track from the record, have it be this one). The issues with this record come with how inconsistent this album is sonically. With the amount of exploration this did here, the album becomes messy to listen to, and it gets annoying because of that. Another thing is the lyrics are really bad in quite a few tracks on here. While I may dig Too Many Thoughts In My Head's beat, it's lyrics are random and sporatic, and not in a good way, Living In L.A. suffers from generic "Afraid to talk to a girl" lyrics, Piece of Cake's lyrics are dreadfully repetitive to the point of annoyance, and California Snow feels like they're trying to be that one "Cool dad" at the neighborhood barbeque. The thing is that while the majority of these songs are decent, they suffer from not being developed enough and being placed in the album poorly. I don't hate this record; It's better than Pacific Daydream, it has some really solid tracks that I enjoy returning to, and it's full of good ideas, but it's just disappointing. This could've been so much more. I'd say listen listen to the first three tracks and I'm Just Being Honest if you want the best tracks, and please do listen to High As A Kite. The rest you can skip.

Grade: C+

So, that's about it in terms of albums I wanted to discuss at length. There are plenty of other albums I heard this year so far, but these are ones I wanted to discuss. It's been a pretty good year so far for albums, but I've yet to find my A+ of the year yet. Maybe in the future, but for now, I'm content with what we've gotten. Please do check out the albums that seem interesting to you. There's a lot of good stuff here, and there's nothing like listening to good music. Thank for reading. Bye.

Endgame Spoiler Review

This film needs no introduction. You all know what it is, and you've probably seen it already. It's Avengers: Endgame, the biggest movie of the decade and a conclusion of over 20 films in the MCU. I have been a fan of this franchise since the first Avengers movie came out back in 2012, and before that I thought superheroes were lame, but I've loved the MCU ever since. It's been awesome to see it grow more and more expansive and impressive with time, and this film looked to take this franchise to an ending and also a new beginning with this film. For many of the original Avengers, their contracts were coming to an end, and the films have introduced plenty of new characters to create a new Avengers team for the future. This wasn't just another Marvel movie, this was an event waiting to happen, and it ended up being that. It's made well over 2 billion dollars worldwide, and may pass Avatar as the highest grossing film of all time. But does it deserve it? The answer is yes. Absolutely yes.

Well, let's talk spoilers since this is a spoiler review and if you haven't seen the movie yet go see it you do not want to be spoiled trust me you don't now leave. For those who have seen the film, stick around!

Let's start by talking about one of the film's biggest surprises; Thanos dying in the first 10 minutes. I was in a state of disbelief when they actually did it. I didn't know what they'd do for the rest of the film. Would there be a main antagonist at all? Would there by another, even more serious threat? It was perhaps the most surprising part of the film for me, because killing off the character who was the main character of the last movie is so bold, but it worked. It set up a feeling of hopelessness found throughout the first act that I loved. The characters go through some minor changes, such as Cap not feeling hopeful as always and Thor's new, um, look (We'll get to that in a bit), but the character that I really like what they did with here was surprisingly Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson did an excellent job portraying Natasha's need to help people, but knowing she can't, at least not fully. This is easily the best Black Widow has been in a movie, and that says a lot, considering how much I enjoyed her role in The Winter Soldier. Robert Downey, Jr. also pulled off arguably his best performance as Tony Stark, particular in the scene when he comes back to Earth and he faces off against Cap. Downey pulled off Stark's anger to absolute perfection, and it's one of the best acted MCU scenes I've seen to date, and possibly even the best. Basically everything from the first act was great and a solid set-up for what was to come.

My only real problem with it was the pacing, which made some things feel rushed, particularly Clint's turn from Hawkeye into Ronin, which wasn't really developed that much and I wished they delved into that further. Still, that scene where he takes down all those guys in Japan in one take was really well done, and reminded me of the Russo Brother's first Marvel movie, The Winter Solider. It felt more violent and realistic than many Marvel action set pieces, like that film, and if it had a sequel with Hawkeye in it similar to it, I could see this scene being in the film.

Anyway, let's get to the second act, the part that worried me the instant I heard they were doing it; Time travel. This is something I did not want to see incorporated into the film ever since it was rumored back even before Infinity War came out. The thing is I love the way they do it in this movie. I like the idea that time travel can't change the past, but rather it only creates a new future for the people who visit it. Apparently, this is how it was done in the comics at some point (I don't read comics, so I can't say), and it's a unique way to do time travel. It also doesn't erase the previous movies, which would make the build-up to this movie feel irrelevant and kind of pointless, and several of the great movies that took place before Endgame would either be erased or altered drastically. This also leads to some of the best scenes in the movie, like Cap vs. Cap, which, while brief, was super fun and well-choreographed. In this brief scene, it was interesting to see the older, more jaded Captain America face off against his pre-Winter Soldier self (I know I've referenced that movie multiple times now, but it's one of my favorite MCU movies), and see the differences between them, which was apparent in pretty obvious ways.

My favorite scene in the second act however was the interaction between Thor and his mother. His was something I was not expecting, and it made the whole "Fat Thor" idea worth it. I liked his arc of falling from grace and learning he still be worthy because 1. It makes sense for his character, because he went through hell throughout Ragnarok and Infinity War and 2. It was different for his character in the best way possible. His character in this film has been extremely divisive, with praise and hate going in both directions, and I understood the hate on my first watch, However, on my second watch, I realized that this was the best way to take his character because he would've gone through a PTSD-type scenario and not want to do much in the way of hero work. It really was a wonderful arc and it lead to this great moment on old Asgard. This felt like he was saying goodbye to his old life and realizing he was meant to do something other than rule Asgard.

One other scene that stuck with me was the scene where Cap and Tony go to the 1970s and Tony sees his father. That scene felt like his character's arc was finally concluding, and in a smooth and brilliant way. I didn't expect them to pull Howard Stark into the film, but I liked how they did it and the scene itself had great dialogue and acting. I'm glad they put that in the movie.

Now, let's talk about the major death in this second act, that being that of Black Widow. When I first saw the movie, I was mixed on her dying because, while I thought the scene was very effective, I would've preferred if Hawkeye had died. After my last viewing, I understood it better, because it was important for Hawkeye's character to understand he can bring back his family, but that's a cause for sacrifice. I could see this playing a big role for his character in the rumored Hawkeye Disney+ show, where he trains the next Hawkeye. Just a thought.

Okay, now let's talk about that final battle and just the last hour in general. No matter what you thought about the rest of the film, you have to admit this last hour was glorious. The start of it was already great, with the "Big three" taking on Thanos, and especially when Cap gets to wield Mjolnir, which made me want to stand up and clap and I yelled an audible "Oh!" when that happened and other people did the same when I saw it opening weekend. It reminded me of the scene in Star Wars: The Force Awakens when Rey grabs the Skywalker lightsaber, and that's a good thing, because I had a similar reaction to that scene.

And then, all the heroes come back. This scene gave me all the chills. The imagery of these two massive armies coming together and colliding is amazing, and the way everyone comes in is great, and I'll admit a got real close to tearing up when that happened. The music, all the great characters, and just the pure scope was all to much to take in at once. And then Cap yells the line (You know, THE LINE) and the movie becomes absolutely insane in the best way possible. The action and FX in this scene are off the charts insane. I don't even know how to describe it. I guess it's like comic book nerd heaven, and I'm 100% for it. It was just insane and wonderful and emotional all at the same time.

It all ends perfectly with Tony Stark's sacrifice. The scene where you realize just how much Thanos would effect the Avengers, and that this movie was willing to kill the character that started it all. That scene where he sees Peter, Rhodey, and Pepper for the last time was so beautiful and well done. That scene was great, but the scene that got me going was between Happy Hogen and Tony's daughter where Happy sees he'll get her all the cheeseburgers she wants was the part that got me most. Maybe it was the fact that Tony actually died had sunk in at that point or the call back to the first Iron Man movie delivered by that film's director, I don't quite know, but either way, it was beautiful.

The ending that's left many people polarized was the very last scene in the movie where Steve comes back as an old man and gives his shield to Sam. This was polarizing not for the end of Cap's arc, which I believe we can all agree that it was the perfect way to end his story, but rather by how did he get there and back and he gave the shield to Sam rather than Bucky. With the first point, in the scene in the 1970s, he gets four Pym Particles rather than the two needed to get back to 2023. Seems pretty self-explanatory, especially considering the fact he's wanted to live a life with Peggy. The other point I entirely understand, however. Sam getting the shield was something unexpected, but there seems to be reason for it. Bucky has been seen as a terrorist and a murderer before, so that probably wouldn't be the best image for the Captain America title. Sam has shown to be loyal and good to the general people, so it makes sense on the level. However, it would make more emotional sense for Cap to give it to Bucky, since he's his best friend, but maybe it will make more sense once I see it in the films.

Alright, now that I've covered the main points I wanted to discuss above, here are some other points I wanted to talk about, but didn't know where to fit above.

- Nebula had a lot of screen time in this movie. I believe this is the most screen time she's ever had in an MCU movie to date, and her arc was one of the most compelling to me. This was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one that made me really like this character. I'm excited to see what they're going to do with this character in the future.

- Really enjoyed Hulk here. The effects on him were excellent, and you could tell Mark Ruffalo was having the time of his life playing this new Professor Hulk. I liked the awkward humor he brought to the role, and his scene with the Ancient One was really cool. Not much else to say, just really like what they did with him.

- Don't understand why Captain Marvel was in this movie. Remove her from the film and literally nothing changes expect for Tony escaping, which could've easily been switched to him and Nebula repairing the Benatar and escaping. She didn't add much, and Brie Larson seemed plenty bland acting wise.

- I wonder if Loki was actually the rat that let Ant-Man escape the Quantum Realm. Perhaps we'll see that in the Loki series? I don't know, I just wanna know what happened to that Loki after he escaped with the Tesseract.

- Ant-Man really was a fun addition to the film. The scene where he sees his daughter older was emotional, and he added a nice amount of levity to the film that made me laugh pretty hard at points (That's America's ass!).

- The scene in the elevator with Cap and all the people from Winter Soldier was a fun throwback. It was worth just to hear Cap say, "Hail Hydra". Man, Cap did get a lot of the best fan service moments, didn't he?

I believe that's it for my thoughts. This is a 3 hour long film, and there's a lot to say about it, even for a movie its length. I'm sure I missed something, but those are all the points I felt a need to discuss, and that's all I have to say about that. Bye.