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Reviews
What If...?: What If... The Watcher Broke His Oath? (2021)
A Mini Avengers Movie!
This was a very good ending to, and by far, the best episode of What if..? This particular episode brings together everything that we saw earlier in the show and we finally get compensated for some of the bad/abrupt endings of the previous episodes.
Every single thing about this episode was enjoyable. It was fast-paced (not rushed), genuinely funny and packed with surprises. The action sequences were quite thrilling and the animation, as always, was top notch.
I can go on about these things but the real winner of the episode is the multiversal crossover and the chemistry which was created between the characters within a span of just 30 minutes. It was like watching a mini avengers movie. We get to see some character interactions that we only wished we'd seen in the live-action MCU projects. And that was very interesting to watch.
The episode did have a small issue where just one of the characters, feels completely useless and was unnecessarily present. You will know who it is when you watch it. But it wasn't like that particular character's presence was holding the show back.
Not only was this episode a fitting conclusion to the entire show but it also sets us up for season 2 and probably for the future of MCU. This show turned out to be a lot more important than I had exptected it to be.
What If...?: What If... Ultron Won? (2021)
THE MOST SHOCKING AND ACTION-PACKED WHAT IF EPISODE!!!
This was the best episode from "What if...?". Hands down! It has a thrilling premise and it was executed brilliantly. Not only is it extremely intense but also very unpredictable. There is not a single underwhelming aspect that i can point out from this episode apart from one teeny tiny nit which you will find out when you watch it.
Unlike previous episodes, this one was action-packed and its animation was executed to near perfection. After a point the fight scenes start to resemble the ones in manga. Ultron is amazing in this episode. He provides a sense of threat and tension whenever he makes an appearance. They did justice to his character (or should i say his program? Idk) and made him quite menacing. Also, there was perfect balance of humour and pace which was an issue for most of the previous episodes.
Finally, we get compensated for the abrupt ending of the previous episodes. In a way it makes the previous ones look better. It has clever parallels to other universes and which will blow your mind away. This is what i wanted from "What if...?". This has set the bar really high for the 9th episode. Hopefully, it will deliver!
What If...?: What If... Thor Were an Only Child? (2021)
A G-Rated Comedy...
So it's apparent that every "What if...?" episode has a unique genre of its own. This particular episode is a comdey. Or at least, that is what it was meant to be. It was quite evident that this episode was trying to mimic the quirkiness of thor: ragnarok. But ragnarok was still hilarious and subtle compared to this particular episode which was way over the top and it reaches a point where it starts to feel like a parody. That too, a mediocre one.
There are some genuinely funny moments and unexpected character appearances and interactions, which make this episode slightly enjoyable. It was meant be a comedy and it delivers that in bits only.
However, the story of this episode was completely pointless and doesn't make sense at all, given the altrernate situation in which thor is in. Every little thing in this episode was exaggerated and forced to be funny which makes it seem like it was written by a 5 year old marvel fan.
This was by far the worst episode to come out of "What if...?". The concept of the episode wasn't appealing enough in the first place. Thor and other characters were just reduced to being one-dimensional which was quite weird to watch. I just hope they do justice to party thor's character in the upcoming episodes.
What If...?: What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark? (2021)
Had great potential...
This episode had an intriguing premise. In fact, a small clip of this episode from the trailer got me excited for the entire show. But after watching it, i was quite disappointed. It definitely is enjoyable and it isn't the worst episode, but it could have been so much better.
First of all, killmonger's character has been portrayed really well. It was interesting to watch how his menacing side unfolds as the episode progresses. Also, the episode has no unnecessary humor which has been a recurring problem in the previous episodes. The pacing was quite decent too.
However, the episode fails to generate the necessary thrills that the story demands. It is very predictable, you can litterally picture how it is going to end too. The other supporting characters as well as tony's, feel extremely and quite shockingly underutilized. Hence, the episode feels bland and forgettable despite having some cool moments.
To sum up, the episode falls prey to poor execution despite having a great premise. Killmonger's character has been given justice and it was really enjoyable to watch that but that's pretty much it. The rest of it falls flat and fails to be a compelling watch.
P. S - This episode (like a few others) ends on a cliffhanger which doesn't really makes sense for a "What if...?" episode unless there's continuation of the episode in the future.
What If...?: What If... Zombies?! (2021)
Immense shock value!
Okay so this wasn't the best "What if...?" episode but it was still very enjoyable and different from what we usually get to see from MCU.
What makes it so enjoyable is its unique concept of turning the superheros that we've grown to love, into zombies. It was quite interesting to watch how each and every zombie-superhero uses his/her own capability to hunt down the prey and also, how the surviving superheros battle it out to stay alive. The action scenes were gritty and jaw-dropping.
This episode was moderately gory which is quite surprising coming from the MCU. It's enough to disturb the kids and provide some amount of shock to the adults as well. I am glad that MCU did not shy away from using gore in this particular episode.
However, it suffers from some of the same issues which the first episode had - pacing and humour. The main issue being unnecessary humour. The humor was forced and the jokes did not land at all. It's an episode about zombies and it's meant to be dark and scary, the humour just cuts down the tension.
Also, the entire episode was rushed to death (pun intended) eventually leading upto an abruptly unsatisfying ending. In fact it was so rushed, that i had to pause and rewind just to understand how the previous scene transitioned to the current one. And eventhough it's slightly unpredictable, it follows the usual tropes of a typical zombie movie.
Overall, this was an enjoyable episode due to its immense shock value and a fresh take on zombies in MCU. It could have been the best if the creators had balanced out the pacing and humor. Also the episode leaves you wanting for more due to its abrupt ending.
What If...?: What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands? (2021)
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT EPISODE!
This was by far the most deep and layered episode to come out of What If...? Every single aspect about this episode stood out from the previous ones. To give you a small idea, this episode feels like a cross between Tom cruise's Edge of Tomorrow and the german show Dark.
Unlike other episodes which focus more on recreating a storyline which we already know with different characters and consequences, this episode gives us a whole new and a rather personal journey of a character we all love i.e, Dr. Strange. Hence, we get a deeper look at Strange's character. Not only does this make the episode extremely unpredictable but it also enhances the way its overall story unfolds.
There isn't a single bad thing that i can point out from this episode. It had really good pacing, no unnecessary humor, characters were used to their full potential, visually stunning action scenes, amazing story-telling.
This episode is dark and is kind of a cautionary tale. At the end, you will be left feeling sad and heart-broken, but that's exactly what the episode tries to achieve and it does so, successfully. It will stick around in your brain long after you're done watching it.
P. S - I am sure that this single episode will generate a lot of fan-theories and may even hold importance to the future of MCU as it introduces us to some fresh concepts that we've never come across before in MCU.
What If...?: What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes? (2021)
A darkly comical whodunnit involving the OG Avengers!
This was, by far, the most interesting "What if..?" episode. It gets to the point right from the beginning and keeps you engaged all the way to the end. The pacing is perfect! It's fast-paced and yet it did not feel rushed at all! It's quite suspenseful and adheres to the classic murder-mystery genre involving the OG avengers.
Unlike the first 2 episodes, the humour in this one was actually improved. The comic bits are really funny and it is quite evident that these bits have been basically used to cut the tension and dail down the dark tone of the episode. Hence, it sort of felt like a dark-comedy.
The only issue i found with this episode is that it becomes slightly predictable after a point. However, there are other minor plot twists that pop up after the "big reveal", which kind of negate the overall predictability of the episode.
This was a risky episode with so many things that could have gone wrong but it deviated from that landmine and delivered a total blast! Brilliantly executed and something different from MCU!
What If...?: What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord? (2021)
This episode felt like a perfect blend of Black Panther and GOTG movies!
This episode did almost everything right. It is miles ahead of the first one. The story didn't feel rushed at all, T'Challa's character as Star-Lord was just as good as the og Black panther, tons of surprises that will not leave your mind long after finishing the episode.
What i loved most about this episode was that it had heart. The emotional element is what stands out the most. You will end up feeling good after watching it.
The only issue with this episode was the humour. It was kind of overused and that ended up feeling like they were trying too hard to be funny. I wont spoil it but there was one serious character taken from the first GOTG and was reduced to being just silly and goofy. All this just to add more humor. But it's only a minor issue and completely forgettable.
To sum up, this episode brought me back hope for the upcoming episodes. It was a huge improvement on the first one and i hope to see more episodes like this in future.
P. S. - The fact that this was Chadwick Boseman's last appearance makes this episode all the more emotional. May he rest in peace.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
Ah! This is The Suicide Squad!
The Suicide Squad is the most fun i had, watching a DCEU movie. The movie's trailers kind of give you an idea of what the movie entails - Dark humor, stylish action scenes, tons of gore and great background score and soundtrack. This is what i expect and this is exactly what i got l. Maybe a little more than what i expected.
Here are some of the best aspects about this film - Visually stunning shots with amazing cgi (especially the cgi done on king shark and starro), Soundtrack used blends perfectly with the each and every scene, Great performances from each and every actor, The chemistry between the characters is dynamic and complement each other (unlike the first suicide squad film), Action sequences were quite thrilling as it provides a sense of danger to every character, The title cards in the movie are super creative and oddly satisfying to watch.
Some of the under whelming aspects of the film - few of the characters were underused due to sudden and shocking deaths, the film paces slowly during its 2nd act (however the pace picks up during the 3rd act).
To sum up, The Suicide Squad is a film that is a self aware of its ridiculousness. It is darkly comical and gory to glory. It is the most enjoyable DCEU film in my opinion. Don't expect this to be your usual DCEU movie because it's extremely different compared to other the projects under this universe. James Gunn has totally knocked it out of the park with this one.
What If...?: What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? (2021)
Good start!
Lets start off with the good things about this episode - the animation was great, action scenes were better than expected, the plot twists were quite surprising and unpredictable.
Moving on to the weak aspects of this episode - the entire episode was rushed just to keep it under 30 minutes and hence it felt abrupt at many points, humour was overused.
Black Widow (2021)
Enjoyable but should have been made before infinity war.
Black widow was definitely an enjoyable film with stellar performances from both Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh along with some thrilling action sequences. HOWEVER, there was no point of this movie apart from introducing the other 3 characters. Taskmaster's character was a disappointment and was only enjoyable to watch during the fight scenes. Also the movie could have had more impact if it was made before infinity war as it feels outdated and pointless to watch a movie centered around a character that no longer exists in the MCU.
To sum up, Black widow is a typical marvel movie which is enjoyable, yet forgettable. Great enough for a one time watch.