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Post by Batflunkie on Nov 29, 2020 19:30:27 GMT -5
There are three reasons I can't put The Incredibles as my personal number 1 superhero movie. Those are Iron Man, Winter Soldier, and The Avengers (taken in context of what it was and the timing, not necessarily objectively on its owm standalone merits). Iron Man - this elevated the comic book movie as we know it. RDJR's perfect casting aside, the way they took a mostly grounded "realistic" approach without being super dark was perfect for the time. Winter Soldier was just amazing. The Avengers - first movie of its kind. Successful sequel to multiple stand alone comic book movies, and effectively the first comic book crossover put on screen. No one had done this before (at least that I know of to this scale and quality) and pulled it off. Plus, as a former nerdy comic book kid now adult, whose interests were always fringe and outcast, to see a full on superhero team up spectacle on the big screen as the apex of pop culture was pretty cathartic. That and the Hulk scene with Loki was worth the price of admission. Iron Man and Avengers did very little for me honestly. Winter Soldier was great though |
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Post by Duragizer on Nov 30, 2020 20:31:38 GMT -5
I dislike the MCU. I dislike most superhero movies in general. They are tales told by idiots, full of sound and fury, etc, etc.
There, I said it (again?).
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Post by Prince Hal on Nov 30, 2020 22:14:23 GMT -5
I dislike the MCU. I dislike most superhero movies in general. They are tales told by idiots, full of sound and fury, etc, etc. There, I said it (again?). More a Bergman fan, eh? |
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Post by Batflunkie on Nov 30, 2020 22:58:54 GMT -5
I dislike the MCU. I dislike most superhero movies in general. They are tales told by idiots, full of sound and fury, etc, etc. There, I said it (again?). I think there's some things, regardless of advancements in technology, that leaves little to the imagination. Namely the suspension of disbelief in superhero films Everything has to look "real to life" nothing can be fantastical. (I'm looking at you Roger's dislike of his USO show outfit in the First Avenger) |
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Post by codystarbuck on Nov 30, 2020 23:29:47 GMT -5
I find they are like any genre; some good, some bad, some forgettable after you leave the theater, even though you enjoyed watching them.
Of the Marvel, I enjoy the Guardians of the Galaxy, since it doesn't take itself too seriously; though, I think the plots are kind of weak. The characters are interesting and fun enough that I let it slide. I like Captain America, The First Avenger, until that rushed third act, which feels like the fast forward button got stuck, as they try to put him into the future. Personally I wouldn't have done that until at least the second film, if not a third, just because the WW2 stuff was so fun and offered a lot of possibilities to differentiate it from other superhero movies. Lets face it, Cap is a lot more fun punching Nazis. Winter Soldier was good, but, I could have waited for that.
Iron Man gets by on the strength of the actors, though the second is pretty forgettable, if you ask me, and a waste of Justin Hammer. The first is a nice origin tale, the third had a nice idea, with the PTSD; but, I didn't really care about the main plot. The Thor films didn't do much until Taika Watiti gave them a sense of humor and excitement in the action. The first had some good scene, but the overall film felt disjointed and also sacrificed its third act. Hulk did nothing for me. The Avengers films have felt rather forgettable, once they are over. Ant-Man was fun, Spider-Man Homecoming was fun. Black Panther was okay, though Killmonger was far more interesting than T'Challa. Still think Panther's Rage should have been a trilogy, though we now know the logistics of such a thing wouldn't have worked.
The only tv series I watched regularly and enjoyed, profusely, was Agent Carter. Agents of SHIELD was like watching paint dry, but with less personality. Tried Daredevil, got tired of squinting into darkly lit scenes. haven't watched Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, or Punisher.
I want a Dominic Fortune movie series or tv series (in period), a real Master of Kung Fu movie, with Bruce-Lee-meets-James Bond (classic Bond, not modern Bond), Damage Control as a comedy, a real Fantastic Four movie, an Invaders film, the real Sgt Fury and his Howling Commandos, Rawhide Kid, Kirby's Eternals (not whatever it is they are currently planning), Moon Knight (I know, but I am wary), and the Marvel Micronauts.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Dec 1, 2020 9:14:45 GMT -5
Duragizer's comment reminds me of this meme I ran across, and in my opinion I really can't argue with it. GotG2 was the last MCU movie I watched and probably will stay that way. I don't really think they are really bad movies, but they follow a formula that I can't really put my finger on, but it's there. I agree with cody about GotG, it's a great movie and the only one I've really watched more than once. It was a comedy but it wasn't. As much as liked the characters both individually in their own stories over the years and their role as a team in Annihilation Conquest, I really thought I wasn't going to like it, but I did. Actually my favorite(s) comic book movies aren't of the MCU.  |
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Post by impulse on Dec 1, 2020 10:05:08 GMT -5
You guys are the most comic-book-movie-hatingest group of comic book fans on a comic book forum I've ever seen LOL. JK
No doubt the Marvel movies can be formulaic, and few rise above decent-to-pretty-good to land in great territory. Some are forgettable, but you know what? In a way that kind of works. It's like a disposable monthly floppy that you read and move on, at least as it used to be in the old news stand days. Or at least I could imagine it that way. though I doubt that is what they intended. But a lot are about the spectacle and the moment, I think, and they largely work in that regard.
Sometimes I just wanna be able to check out for two and hours and forget about my responsibilities and worries like a kid again, you know? To get carried away into the larger than life escapist heroics of youth where right and wrong matter and the bad guys don't win in the end.
I tend to give the Marvel movies some degree of leniency for what they accomplished as a shared serialized universe like the comics instead of evaluating each one solely on its own merits as a movie. That said, with Endgame wrapping up the very ambitious first major story, they definitely need to change things up for the next phase if they want to keep interest. Reskinning the same movie 25 more times isn't gonna do it.
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Post by berkley on Dec 1, 2020 11:19:34 GMT -5
I like them, all the ones I've seen at leats, they're fun and entertaining but in no way do I consider them great films. The difference between the best and the worst isn't that great, though from what I hear, perhaps I've missed some of the very worst, e.g. the FF movies. None of them have captured the magic of the comics they're based on, in my experience, and I continue to feel that the film medium isn't particularly well suited to the superhero genre.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Dec 1, 2020 11:29:43 GMT -5
I like them, all the ones I've seen at leats, they're fun and entertaining but in no way do I consider them great films. The difference between the best and the worst isn't that great, though from what I hear, perhaps I've missed some of the very worst, e.g. the FF movies. None of them have captured the magic of the comics they're based on, in my experience, and I continue to feel that the film medium isn't particularly well suited to the superhero genre.This has pretty much been my sentiment since Batman (1989). Somehow Tim Burton made it a serious watch, yet captured the ridiculousness of superhero comics. Ever since I think superhero comic book movies have never captured a balance between making superhero characters relevant to a real world and still pay homage to watch defines superhero characters on print. And I don't think it's ever possible even with the growing film technology. I'd much rather watch anything animated that has to do with superhero comics than I would live action. The only other film I can think of that did as well as Batman, to me, was the Thomas Jane Punisher. But that can really be made an exception as there is no super in superhero for Punisher even though he is a part of the superhero genre. At the same time I am ecstatic for the popularity of the MCU movies for the people that do enjoy them as that revenue is probably what's keeping comics in print for the most part. |
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Post by impulse on Dec 1, 2020 11:44:47 GMT -5
I completely disagree. Brain-off forgettable feel-good brightly colored spectacle is perfectly suited to the summer blockbuster movie in my opinion. Anyone expecting high-art or a "film" is probably looking in the wrong place, but if you want brightly-costumed heros quipping and punching villains in the face, it's hard to do better for my money.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Dec 1, 2020 11:51:17 GMT -5
With very minimal exceptions I've been entertained by all of the MCU movies. That's really all I need from popcorn flicks.
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Post by The Captain on Dec 1, 2020 11:56:03 GMT -5
Are the MCU films "great cinema"? Not in the least. They're movies based on comic books, not "Citizen Kane" or anything by Hitchcock.
Are all of the MCU entertaining? To me, the only ones I have trouble rewatching are GotG2 and IM3, since I didn't really enjoy them the first time. Other than those, I can easily pop in the Blu-Ray or flip on Disney+ and kill an afternoon watching any of the rest of them. When my wife and girls went to Ohio in August for a weekend, I watched IW and Endgame back-to-back on Sunday afternoon, and it was glorious.
The other thing for me is that these films have given me a way to bond with my daughters, first the older one but more recently the younger. The little one (who's almost 13) and I just ran through all of the Captain America films on three successive Saturday nights while her sister had other plans; we made popcorn, snuggled on the couch, and just spent time together. These films give me an opportunity to let them into my interests in a way that I haven't had before.
Sure, the MCU is essentially the film equivalent of junk food, maybe a big plate of chicken wings or a bowl of ice cream, but every once in a while, I'm craving that over fine dining or French patisserie, and that's OK.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2020 12:09:56 GMT -5
I dislike most of what I've seen from the Marvel movies (exceptions being the first two Spider-Man movies and the Winter Soldier), but let's take a minute to reflect how cool it is that we live in world where there's a huge Marvel Cinematic Universe to talk about. The Marvel movies at least hold their own against the rest of the action movies out there. Whether or not that's your thing is a different question.
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Post by impulse on Dec 1, 2020 12:42:23 GMT -5
The only MCU movies I probably wouldn't rewatch are Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Avengers 2 and Thor 2. I fell asleep through Thor 2 and haven't been interested in rewatching. The rest I've at least enjoyed.
And yeah, there's nothing wrong with some wings and ice cream.
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 1, 2020 13:00:50 GMT -5
I prefer my superhero stuff in animation, as I think they capture the storytelling better, and don't try to "Hollywoodize" it as much. As for comic book movies, my favorites are not the MCU. Superman (the Donner film) captures the essence of "my" Superman. Rocketeer captures the spirit of fun and adventure of the comic and gets the characters right, within the compromises they had to make. Hellboy was like seeing the comic come to life. The Crow captured the bleak despair and anger of the comic. Ghost World captured the angst and fear of the adult world. American Splendor captured the idiosyncrasies of Harvey Pekar. The Adventures of Captain Marvel captured the wonder of a boy who turns into a superman. Spy Smasher captured the fun of a hero punching Nazis. The Phantom serial captured the feel of the jungle hero, the Green Hornet serials captured the radio show.
I still think the best Batman movie, bar none, was Mask of the Phantasm and I would rather watch the Adam West movie than just about any of the modern ones (I like 1st Burton and Batman Begins, to a point, but that's about it).
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