With AVENGERS: ENDGAME now in the theaters, this week’s FIELD OF STREAMS explores the streaming MCU
Welcome to Field of Streams, Cinapse’s weekly guide of what’s playing on your favorite streaming services. What’s new on Netflix and Amazon Prime? What do we recommend on Kanopy, Fandor, and Shudder? We’ve got it all. From monthly roundups, to curated top 5 lists, to reviews of our favorites available now… it’s here. We built it for you, so come and join us in the Field of Streams.
Now that Avengers: Endgame thoroughly implanted in the public consciousness, viewers might want to go back and enjoy some works from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to keep the good times rolling. Streaming turns out to be a pretty decent option. Many of the earlier films aren’t currently available, but thanks to Netflix most of the recent ones are. There’s no better time to enjoy some summer blockbusters at home.
IRON MAN (Syfy)
IRON MAN 2 (Prime, Hulu)
IRON MAN 3 (FX)
Marvel’s signature hero (Sorry, Cap!) is also the only one whose movies are all available to stream (for cable subscribers, anyway). We get a look at the very beginning of the series, and see how Robert Downey Jr. perfectly inhabited a character that was frankly second tier in the comics but became number one on the screen. The humor, action, and fun storylines make this trilogy worth a revisit.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (Netflix)
The second Guardians is more of the same, but in this case, that’s a good thing. The intergalactic crew continues with the funnies and fighting as they visit Ego, the daddy-planet. Also, the only Marvel movie to feature Sly Stallone!
THOR: RAGNAROK (Netflix)
Bringing on Taika Waititi was pure genius. The director of What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople didn’t abandon his humor or heart in this big-budget blockbuster, and Thor: Ragnarok is the better for it. This film sets up Infinity War nicely, though it’s not strictly necessary viewing.
BLACK PANTHER (Netflix)
It’s not a stretch to say that this film rose above the fray in terms of the MCU. There are expectations for every entry in this franchise, but Black Panther holds its own both as standalone story, as well as for a cast and cast of characters that audiences intensely connected with. The Wakanda crew is very important in Infinity War, making this a perfect set up to the following.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (Netflix)
The big boy. Well, that is until Endgame hit the scene. This is what it was all leading up to. Enormous in scale and sweeping in effect, this movie is the perfect first half of a grande finale. That its conclusion became an important piece of contemporary culture speaks volumes to the reach the entire sage has had.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (Netflix)
This movie is only important to the larger story in the role that Ant-man will play in Endgame, but it’s still a fun film. Adding in the Wasp (as well as Michelle Pfeiffer as the lost mother) keeps the story from getting stale as Paul Rudd once again good-guy’s his way through hijinks and ha-ha’s.
There are countless services to explore and great things to watch on all of them. Which ones did we miss that you would suggest to us? And, as always, if you’ve got thoughts on titles we’re missing out on or new services to check out, leave a comment below or email us.
Till next week, stream on, stream away.