Marvel Cinematic Universe

[Lonely-Martin]

6 minutes ago, Jason said:

Eternals is.. messy. Too many characters and too much exposition. If you're a fan of the lore (and I'm a huge fan of cosmic Marvel stuff from the comics) it's enjoyable, but I'm more excited by the plots the film left unanswered than I was excited for the film its self after watching it. There's rumours of a directors cut for it which would be a first for Marvel and would be kinda interesting but at the same time I don't think it'd make the film better... and yet I don't think making the film any shorter would be better either. I think I summed it up back when I saw it which was that Chloe Zhao did the best she could with a really tough hand.

 

 

I know where you're coming from but believe me it's absolutely perfect casting. To put it simply, Starfox/Eros is basically a superpowered celebrity who goes around space partying and sleeping with people, I genuinely think they've nailed the character by casting Styles in the role and he's shown decent acting chops in other stuff as well.

 

As for No Way Home, if you don't enjoy that film there's something wrong with you . It's just.. everything good about Marvel films in one package.

 

I am looking forward to Spider-Man TBH, was just trying to be funny with it as I'm not the biggest fan of the 2 main leads in Spider-Man in general though can't deny the good chemistry which helps any film work. But it does feel to me that the flick will be the glue of this newer stuff and having recently seen Venom 2 also, it only added to it and I'm still on board, just cautious which I never was until the Avengers main event. Glad to hear it could be a gem.

 

I've got no problem with the cosmic stuff if done right, it's a topic I generally look more into as I get older (not just in these type of films but more serious/dramatic stuff and IRL too with that new telescope recently been launched/black holes found etc). Just the movie left me flat tonight which I feel was a missed opportunity and rare for these Marvel flicks overall.

 

I am intrigued by what's going on with Kit Harrington's character though, and these huge celestials could be fun. And as you know these things from comics, I can understand your point about Styles casting by having prior knowledge, but having had my daughter near kill me with One Direction (she was delighted with that cameo of course), it's just painful, ha ha. I'm sure they could've found another actor that could play the role that isn't on my black list. But we'll see one day how it goes.

 

To be fair, it's why I struggle with Zendaya considering she was a kids TV character and I can't not see that annoying KC Undercover she played. Love my kids, but by God I hated a lot of their TV. The joys of parenthood, lol.

 

But maybe they can 'do a Di Caprio' (a once teen idol that I figured would never entertain me but went on to be a huge favourite).

[Dbzk1999]

 

[RARusk]

So where's the part where he asks Dracula for his f*cking money?.....

[Jason]

Looks good, and sooner than I expected, thought Ms Marvel was first but I'm guessing not.

 

5 hours ago, RARusk said:

So where's the part where he asks Dracula for his f*cking money?.....

 

That was a photoshopped panel, but it'd be funny if they referenced it somewhere lol.

[RARusk]

Of course it was photoshopped but, considering how whacked out MK is supposed to be, it would definitely be funny to mention Dracula at least once to make things a little bit memeworthy.

[Creed Bratton]

I'm kinda bummed that it has to be a Disney+ show. Moon Knight shouldn't be family friendly.

Edited January 19 by Creed Bratton

[Jason]

Depends on your definition of family friendly I think. I 100% think Ellis and Shalvey's run, arguably the most popular MK run can translate pretty seamlessly to Disney+. Netflix's Daredevil is about the level of what I'd expect/need from MK in terms of fighting and I don't think there's anything there that wouldn't make the cut on Disney+.

 

Outside the fight scenes the personality disorder and mythology stuff shouldn't be an issue either, but we'll see how it goes. The trailer scene where he's beating that thing on the floor looks like the tone I'd expect from a Moon Knight show.

[Dbzk1999]

1 hour ago, Jason said:

Depends on your definition of family friendly I think.

I wanna put some extra emphasis on this, just because I wouldn’t describe say, Falcon and the Winter Soldier as family friendly (episode 4 and 5 in particular of that series)

[Jason]

Yea I dunno, I just find the "X should be R rated" or "it's a shame it's not on HBO MAX" stuff cause Disney+ is "family friendly" a bit... odd? given that the source material in large part for almost all of these characters is intended to be all ages.

 

Now there's definitely some stories and runs aimed at adults, mainly the MAX line of comics which are niche and and few and far between, but yea, almost every Marvel character is perfectly fine being on Disney+. Deadpool for example suits being R-rated more so because of the language used which they can get creative with in the comics through censoring more than it does the blood and gore. Hell, as much as I enjoyed the Deadpool films neither film really ever gets close to the best Deadpool runs and instead leans heavily into Daniel Way's "Waypool" stuff which is just Deadpool memeing while shooting/chopping stuff up, so it's not as if an adult or R rating is the golden ticket.

 

Not to say I'd be against some actual R rated Marvel content but yea, it aint a must for the most part. Think I'd take an R-rated X-Force above anything else my self, they could really go deep into X-Force doing some f*cked up stuff there... plus Wolvie, Deadpool, Fantomex and Archangel in R-rated combat scenes would be fun I admit.

[RARusk]

One of the actors from the Moon Knight show just died in a skiing accident (Gaspard Ulliel).

[DexMacLeod]

Finally saw No Way Home. Deep down I guess I knew it was never going to live up to the hype but it just felt like very middle of the road MCU with a couple of really, really cool moments to me.

 

Spoiler

I think the movie would have greatly benefitted from coming out sooner. After Loki and Spider-verse, No Way Home's "multiverse" just felt kinda weak. I feel like it would have been a great introduction to the multiverse but at this point we've already seen it done way better.

 

Considering that the multiverse is supposed to be vast/infinite the fact that the only people who showed up were Sony's characters made it feel less like an organic multiverse story and more like two corporations playing nice.

 

Part of me wants to think that spoilers dampened the experience, too, but I'm not sure that's true. Having some of those character appearances be a surprise probably would have been awesome but I knew Mysterio was going to turn on Peter before Far From Home even finished filming and I loved that movie. Plus, the Garfield/Maguire bits were still my favorite moments in the movie.

 

All in all, I still really enjoyed the movie and I'm sure it'll improve on future viewings with lower expectations but I'm not sure it'll ever crack my top superhero films. Maybe doesn't even crack my Top Ten MCU films.

[Jason]

 

 

Ooooooooh I really like where they're going with this. Doesn't seem like they're going to be holding back at all with the multiverse stuff.

[DexMacLeod]

Soooo... I'm not really liking Moon Knight so far. I like the concept, I like the idea at play, and I think there's potential for a good story to come out of this but it's just not clicking for me, yet.

 

I think the biggest problem I'm having is the humor. I'd say about 97% of the attempts at humor fall flat with me and there are just so, so many attempts at humor. Oscar Isaac's performance as Steven is so "goofball-ish" that I just can't take him seriously even when I think I'm supposed to.

 

Knowing nothing about Moon Knight, I was pretty excited for this show. So far I just haven't found anything to really latch onto.   

[Jason]

I've enjoyed MK so far but I feel like the first two episode should have dropped day 1, though I assume they didn't do that cause it's only six episodes. We've seen a lot of Steven much not much of anyone else thus far, and while parts of the plot have moved quickly there's still quite a bit of "I have zero clue what's going on" and while it's not bad at all it's not quite nailed the excitement of the "wtf is going on" vibe that WandaVision had, if they were going for that. But yea, enjoying it but still feel like I'm waiting for the "yea, that's Moon Knight" moment.

 

They also changed quite a bit from the comics to the point I'd say it's one of the more drastic changes from the source material we've seen so far in the MCU, I imagine some of this to avoid treading the same path as certain characters mind you. Steven for example is a wealthy businessman who basically funds the suits, gadgets and techs, where as here he's a British guy whose a bit of a bumbling mess, and the suit and gadgets are all supernatural - maybe they didn't want Steven to be a new Tony Stark or something there. I'll be interested to see the other personality to see if/how they've tweaked him too, if he's in the show anywho. They also, as of the latest episode, did away with the Mr. Knight persona who in the comics is the one that wears the suit and tie outfit, in the comics that isn't Steven who wears that, Mr. Knight is a whole identity of his own.

 

They've nailed Khonshu so far though I'd say. He's a d*ck in the comics and he's a d*ck here, lol.

[Jason]

 

 

Looks like a proper Thor comic in movie form. 

 

Knowing what I know of the comic this is largely based on (of which they've done a literal 1:1 shot of that's in the trailer) I get the impression there's probably not a single shot from that trailer that takes place outside the films first act, which is how it should be!

[hellofaride]

Haven't watched Moon Knight yet, dunno why

Probably waiting till all that hype will settle

[NileshKumar]

These bozos will end Moon Knight just like Loki

[Creed Bratton]

I just saw Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.

 

I don't think I liked it. I was tired though. But it just felt so pointless. Its existence felt forced. And it was dark and depressing. MCU has lost all meaning for me after The End Game. The last Spider-Man was cool, but now all of these movies feel forced to me and I don't like the direction in which they're going. It's like there's no clear overarching plot behind them, as it was when this whole thing began with Iron Man. You knew what they were building up to and every movie felt like a piece of a puzzle. It was exciting.

 

There's none of that now. Not that I can tell. And I don't like it when an MCU movie doesn't feel like a part of something larger.

 

Also, it's not a real Sam Raimi movie. It's a Disney movie with a Sam Raimi name stamped on it. You can feel his influence in some of the more horror-like scenes, but it's fleeting. The movie is essentially made by a committee. All the cringeworthy hallmarks of a Disney movie are there, with an overabundance of forced Disney humor in weird places that take away from the gravity of the situation.

 

I lack the precise words to describe the atmosphere of the movie, though. But not just of the movie. Rather, of the movie and its place in the MCU going forward. There's a sense of emptiness. If it's possible for a movie to be aloof, then that's kinda what it feels like. I wish I could explain it better than that. I left the theater feeling unfulfilled.

Edited May 4 by Creed Bratton

[Jason]

Moon Knight's very up and down in terms of quality. Episode 1 and 2 are pretty good, episode 3's a stinker, episode 4's great, episode 5's fine enough and the finale is pretty good but ultimately leaves plot threads they teased quite early on in the show mostly unanswered, which is a bit frustrating. There's no confirmation of a series 2 of the show but I figure it's the plan going by the finale.

 

I will say that I was unusure on the shows take on the various personalities due to their differences from the comics but by the end I think they did a really good job with Steven and Marc. And they did a very good job with making sure Khonshu is an absolute twat.

 

Oscar Isaac gave one of the best performances from a MCU lead to date I think as well.

 

Onto Doctor Strange 2 this weekend. Heard there's a sh*t ton of spoilers going around based on leaks + the million TV spots where the marketing team always end up spoiling the entire film, so I've been spoiler-protectioned up for a few days now, seeing it this weekend I think though, looking forward to it.

[Creed Bratton]

On 5/5/2022 at 12:50 AM, Jason said:

Onto Doctor Strange 2 this weekend. Heard there's a sh*t ton of spoilers going around based on leaks + the million TV spots where the marketing team always end up spoiling the entire film, so I've been spoiler-protectioned up for a few days now, seeing it this weekend I think though, looking forward to it.

You don't need to worry about spoilers. I could have known everything about the movie in advance. It wouldn't have changed anything. It's not one of those movies that can be spoiled.

Edited May 6 by Creed Bratton

[Dbzk1999]

Having watched it, I’ll say this, 

On 5/4/2022 at 4:57 PM, Creed Bratton said:

There's none of that now. Not that I can tell.

Multiverse of Madness had a very clear setup with regard to the event that’s going to be going down in the future. The first hints of it was in Loki, and this movie if anything confirmed it.

 

That being said, there’s been a common thread throughout the projects so far in various ways, it’s just been keeping it in relation to the earthbound, mystical, and cosmic pillars of Marvel so far

[Creed Bratton]

15 hours ago, Dbzk1999 said:

Having watched it, I’ll say this, 

Multiverse of Madness had a very clear setup with regard to the event that’s going to be going down in the future. The first hints of it was in Loki, and this movie if anything confirmed it.

 

That being said, there’s been a common thread throughout the projects so far in various ways, it’s just been keeping it in relation to the earthbound, mystical, and cosmic pillars of Marvel so far

So now I have to pay attention to Disney+ sh*tty shows in order to fully appreciate their sh*tty movies? No thanks.

[Dbzk1999]

3 hours ago, Creed Bratton said:

So now I have to pay attention to Disney+ sh*tty shows in order to fully appreciate their sh*tty movies? No thanks.

I didn’t say sh*t about having to watch Loki, or even paying attention to it. What I’m saying is that there was an important aspect of the film, that was specifically introduced in the film, that makes it clear where things are going (y’know, overarching arc), and simply that Loki included possible hints to it beforehand.

 

Edited May 7 by Dbzk1999

[Jason]

Loki+ teases a character who has more to do with time travel and the multiverse, where as Doctor Strange 2 directly teases;

 

Spoiler

Incursions and the Illuminati, aka Secret Wars (2015), Marvel's biggest ever crossover ever in their comic book history.

 

To know that you'd have to read the comics, but that's how the MCU over arching story lines have always been. The comic nerds like my self explain it to the mates who have nfi what is going on, and hype builds.

 

Anyway, non-spoiler review from me would be that it's good, great in some places, overall an enjoyable MCU, but it's not unbelievably great or anything. The cameos were a nice touch and I was so happy to see one of my absolute favourite Marvel characters finally done justice... and then they jobbed for the main villain. It works for the film but does make those cameos feel a little wasted at least to a fan like my self.

 

Spoilery review:

 

Spoiler

Good, great in some places, but overall probably just good.

 

Wanda's great and I was surprised to see her be the main villain as I avoided all marketing after the first 2 trailers + spoilers, I genuinely expected one of the Strange variants to be the villain, or some other entity, even half way through the film. But I did that they went full send with Wanda as it's ultimately a huge part of her character that she's very unhinged.

 

Strange's character development for me is probably the biggest issue I have with the film. They developed him as a person a bit but I don't feel that they progressed Strange the sorcerer, Wong being the Sorc Supreme makes sense given the snap but it's left Strange in a awkward place IMO.

 

Chavez is cool. Liked her from the comics when she wasn't written by someone force feeding her sexuality down the throats of every reader, she's got a cool power set and she sorta kicked a hole in the multiverse which is basically all I wanted to see her do so I'll take that lol.

 

The Illuminati is... a bit wasted. I wonder if it's them setting up the idea of them for a MCU 616 version in future as they deal with incursions, but the group in the film was basically there to just job for Wanda. Black Bolt's one of my favourite characters in Marvel and while his death was amusing it was a bit bleh and out of character. Krasinski as Richards was great to see, a bit of fan service there I think as he's been the fan favourite casting for him for yonks so probs a nod to that before they get a young FF cast in for the films. But basically, I think I wanted more from them rather than just simply existing to get absolutely wrecked by Wanda.

 

But yea, they're absolutely building towards Secret Wars now with the incursions now. That'll be the next Endgame scale movie I suspect, and not Kang. It's a pretty wild event and with the FF film coming soon(tm) it makes sense, as they're integral to the plot. Also curious to see how they explain the Eye of Agamotto as in the comics it's the third eye and in the MCU it was originally the amulet with the time stone.

 

[Creed Bratton]

Spoiler

Dude, they made Reed Richards into a f*ckin' moron.  Dr. X was also done dirty. He's the most powerful psychic in the world, and yet he loses in a mind battle against Wanda. And Wanda's powers are all over the place. She's even able to escape from the mirror dimension. She can basically do anything that the plot demands. And how does the second Wanda even have all of the powers of a real Wanda when the real Wanda is just using her body (yes, I know they are both real. You know what I mean.)?

 

That unspoken rule that Disney has, where the female character can never lose against a male character, has never been more obvious and obnoxious. Usually I don't really notice it that much and I don't care, even though I'm aware of that rule. But it's so badly done in this movie. They practically made constant sh*tty excuses to make sure that Wanda doesn't lose against Strange or some other male character.

The movie is irredeemably stupid. There are only glimpses of Raimi's genius sprinkled around, but you can tell that he's subdued. This was not his true vision.

[Jason]

28 minutes ago, Creed Bratton said:

  Hide contents

Dude, they made Reed Richards into a f*ckin' moron.  Dr. X was also done dirty. He's the most powerful psychic in the world, and yet he loses in a mind battle against Wanda. And Wanda's powers are all over the place. She's even able to escape from the mirror dimension. She can basically do anything that the plot demands. And how does the second Wanda even have all of the powers of a real Wanda when the real Wanda is just using her body (yes, I know they are both real. You know what I mean.)?

 

That unspoken rule that Disney has, where the female character can never lose against a male character, has never been more obvious and obnoxious. Usually I don't really notice it that much and I don't care, even though I'm aware of that rule. But it's so badly done in this movie. They practically made constant sh*tty excuses to make sure that Wanda doesn't lose against Strange or some other male character.

The movie is irredeemably stupid. There are only glimpses of Raimi's genius sprinkled around, but you can tell that he's subdued. This was not his true vision.

Spoiler

The Illuminati and all it's members being arrogant and under estimating their enemies due to their self perceived strength is pretty bang on honestly. I do think they were a bit wasted as they mainly existed to job for Wanda but I think my expectations going in was that they'd have more of a meaty role in the film instead of only being involved in the second act.

 

As for her powers, she's an absolute powerhouse in the comics so nothing she did here was out of the ordinary in that sense. Big part of her character is she's off her rocker and bounces between being a hero and being a villain due to having a mental breakdown. I mean, she's a reality warper in the comics, so she's really been nerfed lol.

 

[Creed Bratton]

That's why adapting the source material is necessary. Unlike the comic books, movies have certain rules. If you don't follow them, you end up making a dumb movie. And that's exactly what happened. And the pacing of the movie is all weird. It almost felt like big chunks of the movie were cut.

[Jason]

The original run time was 2 hours 40 mins I think according to Raimi, so it was trimmed down quite a lot. Do think it could have probably used some scenes fleshing out, especially in the middle act of the film.

[RARusk]

 

[RARusk]