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Post by Cei-U! on May 6, 2014 10:09:49 GMT -5
Welcome to the realm of good taste & sanity. You really are screwing yourself out of a lot of pleasure, Dan. Seriously. Cei-U! I summon the unnecessary deprivation! |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on May 6, 2014 10:12:36 GMT -5
Re: comic book films, I'm beginning to feel the same way. I think Avengers was a huge eye-opener for me. The film was universally lauded; everyone loved it, and I had a good time too, but when I stop and look back, that film wasn't ABOUT anything. There was zero actual content. What the heck did I spend an hour and a half watching?
Yeah, most comic book films are more flash and trite than anything. I can think of a few truly excellent exceptions, but the bulk feel flat and meaningless to me.
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Post by DubipR on May 6, 2014 10:21:08 GMT -5
Re: comic book films, I'm beginning to feel the same way. I think Avengers was a huge eye-opener for me. The film was universally lauded; everyone loved it, and I had a good time too, but when I stop and look back, that film wasn't ABOUT anything. There was zero actual content. What the heck did I spend an hour and a half watching? Yeah, most comic book films are more flash and trite than anything. I can think of a few truly excellent exceptions, but the bulk feel flat and meaningless to me. I think my favorite comic book films are the ones that aren't DC and Marvel properties. Sure some of those are flashy and gaudy but I enjoy those over most of the Marvel schlockbusters these days. |
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Post by impulse on May 6, 2014 10:22:18 GMT -5
I totally get that the Marvel films are a mixed bag depending on who you talk to, but here is what I like about them, and my defense of The Avengers. The Avengers wasn't really about anything necessarily, that's true, but it's in the same way a couple issues in the middle of a comic story arc aren't really about anything. The plot was pretty simple on its face; Loki uses an alien army to try to take over the earth because he has a chip on his shoulder, but that wasn't really the purpose of the movie. The Avengers brought together protagonists and stories from 5 different movies, actually touched on each character and story, and built a coherent if shallow narrative. It had character interaction and development, bonding, and created a team from solo movies. To my understanding that is fairly unprecedented, particularly on that scale.
In that regard, I think The Avengers was hugely successful, and I really am impressed with the way Marvel pulled together elements of different movies into a shared universe. I will be the first to say the quality of the solo films varies wildly on a case-by-case basis, and I understand not everyone will enjoy them as much as I do, but I think the MCU is a pretty cool accomplishment and mostly well done. My two cents.
God, Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 were dreadful, though, weren't they?
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 10:38:19 GMT -5
[I think my favorite comic book films are the ones that aren't DC and Marvel properties. Sure some of those are flashy and gaudy but I enjoy those over most of the Marvel schlockbusters these days. The estimable Cei-U! to the contrary, this is pretty much how I feel. I've noted before that the (quasi-)superhero flicks I've enjoyed over the last few years have been not only non-Marvel (except for the first Captain America) or -DC, but also not comics-based, period, but rather created purely for the movie in question -- Super, Special, The Specials, Sky High & a couple of others that aren't coming to mind at the moment. Granted, the protagonists are based on easily recognizable templates taken straight from the comics, but even so they don't come with the expectations & preconceptions that I bring along when it comes to characters I've been familiar with for most of my life. |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 10:43:40 GMT -5
I really liked Avengers for all the reasons impulse mentioned. Also, while it may have been fairly shallow, it felt to me like it was a big deal in a way a movie hasn't made me feel since I was a kid. I haven't seen Thor 2 or Iron Man 3, but with regards to the former it seems like people either consider it the best of the bunch or the worst. I don't think I've seen anybody not have an extreme view. Captain America is by far my favorite of the solo films (and also the first I saw). Never saw the pre-MCU Hulks, Fantastic Four films or any of the Spider-Man films after the first (hate Spider-Man). I pretty much love all the X-films, though.
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Post by Cei-U! on May 6, 2014 10:44:42 GMT -5
Thor: The Dark World wasn't so much dreadful as a wasted opportunity. Had they followed Walt Simonson's original conception of the Dark Elves (the hidden kingdom beneath Britain, the will-enslaving faerie food, the Dark Hunt) and allowed Christopher Eccleston to play the gleefully twisted Malekith of the comics, they might've had something more than a pretty but pallid rehash of the Frost Giant storyline of the first film. I was also not fond of the gratuitous death of Frigga but that's a minor quibble.
Cei-U!
I summon the disappointment!
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 10:50:35 GMT -5
Too, in my case there's the fact that for the most part I haven't given the slighest toss about the comics & characters in question in decades. Again, Captain America is the exception there. As for Iron Man, Spider-Man, the FF, Thor, Hulk, the Avengers in general, Superman, Batman, Green Lantern & any of the other biggies ... hell, Nixon was president the last time I paid any attention. If I couldn't care less about their adventures on the printed page, I can't imagine paying any attention to them just because they're on the big or small screen.
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Post by DE Sinclair on May 6, 2014 10:52:09 GMT -5
Re: comic book films, I'm beginning to feel the same way. I think Avengers was a huge eye-opener for me. The film was universally lauded; everyone loved it, and I had a good time too, but when I stop and look back, that film wasn't ABOUT anything. There was zero actual content. What the heck did I spend an hour and a half watching? Yeah, most comic book films are more flash and trite than anything. I can think of a few truly excellent exceptions, but the bulk feel flat and meaningless to me. As far as deeper meaning or something that will make a meaningful change to anyone's life, I don't think comic book movies are the place to go. If you want to have a good time, as you mentioned, then comic book movies can be a good choice, of course depending on the quality of their making. The Avengers plot wasn't terribly deep by any means, but that's not why people liked it. It featured some intrigue, a lot of action, and some fun character bits. For me and my family, that was enough. In fact, my wife, who is not really into comics, was the one who suggested we go back and see it a second time in the theater before it left the Ultra Screen. Really, Hulk's encounter with Loki was worth the price of admission alone. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
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Post by shaxper on May 6, 2014 12:26:53 GMT -5
As far as deeper meaning or something that will make a meaningful change to anyone's life, I don't think comic book movies are the place to go. If you want to have a good time, as you mentioned, then comic book movies can be a good choice, of course depending on the quality of their making. I felt Iron Man 1, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 (Toby McGuire, I haven't seen the new ones), and The Dark Knight all had depth to them. I got something out of those films beyond the furthering of a plot and cool CG effects. But that's not the current trajectory of comic book films. Much like the hyped cross-over events and shiny new 5 part story arcs of the comic industry itself, the film producers are starting to figure out how to manipulate fans into buying generic please-everyone stuff that avoids depth and art like the plague. And, to go back to the sentiment about non-Big 2 comic book films, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Sin City, Hellboy, and even Kick-Ass were quite impressive. |
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on May 6, 2014 12:42:33 GMT -5
Captain America 2 had some stuff going on under the hood. I actually felt this one would have been stronger as a standalone instead of being tied to the rest of the MU movies, because it was just... better than the others. And I like the others fine as entertainment, but Cap 2 felt like an actual movie in its own right.
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Post by impulse on May 6, 2014 12:46:36 GMT -5
I really liked Avengers for all the reasons impulse mentioned. Also, while it may have been fairly shallow, it felt to me like it was a big deal in a way a movie hasn't made me feel since I was a kid. That is a really good way to put it. The last time I felt that rush of pure, unmitigated joy from a movie was Return of the King in theaters. It was about these iconic heroes coming together for good and justice and to fight bad guys and save everyone because, darn it, that's what heroes do! It's definitely not a complex theme, but unrestrained childlike joy is a lot harder to come by in your thirties than it used to be. Also, if you haven't seen it, Captain America: The Winter Soldier was great. Easily the best of the phase 2 films and arguably one of the best of phase 1. Thor: The Dark World wasn't so much dreadful as a wasted opportunity. I will admit it was late at night when I watched it at home, so I didn't really give it a chance with optimal conditions. Even so, I just recall it being so boring. I thought the first Thor was about 10 minutes of character development short of being really good, and The Dark World unfortunately ran with this theme. Dreadful was the wrong word. Disappointing would be more apt. If I couldn't care less about their adventures on the printed page, I can't imagine paying any attention to them just because they're on the big or small screen. There's something to that. I didn't really follow Iron Man, so IM1 being so good kind of caught me by surprise, though, but I more had zero expectations. I'm a bit fatigued with X-Men movies though considering the poor state the comics have been in for years and the mixed bag quality of the X movies. The Avengers plot wasn't terribly deep by any means, but that's not why people liked it. It featured some intrigue, a lot of action, and some fun character bits. For me and my family, that was enough. In fact, my wife, who is not really into comics, was the one who suggested we go back and see it a second time in the theater before it left the Ultra Screen. Really, Hulk's encounter with Loki was worth the price of admission alone. Well said. My wife also loved The Avengers and Hiddleston as Loki especially. She's also a Whedon fan, so that helped. |
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Post by Mormel on May 6, 2014 13:06:30 GMT -5
I have a soft spot for the Iron Man movies that have come out so far. I really think they're distinct from the other entries in the MCU, and that's mostly due to the directors Favreau and Black. I feel a certain amount of emotional involvement in the character arcs that RDJ's Tony Stark goes through in each movie. I also like the balance between action and humour in there.
I enjoyed Captain America: Winter Soldier a great, great deal. But mostly as an action film in the same vein as those old Van Damme and Schwarzie movies. Commando, Universal Soldier, flicks like that.
Overall, what I really like about the MCU is that they put some effort in translating the comic book character designs and other elements from the comic books to the silver screen, without either adapting it too much, or making a panel-for-panel copy of the books. It is its own world, but when I look at Avengers, I feel as though I'm looking at the Cap, Thor, and Iron Man I know and love (for the most part). This is in contrast with the X-Men movies, where I look at Storm, Rogue, or Jean, and I'm just thinking to myself: 'Who are these people?' And I've been reading X-Men for 2 decades.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 6, 2014 13:17:58 GMT -5
Wait, you mean to say some people want the Yankees to win? The mind boggles! Cei-U! Boggles, I tell you! It's like rooting for Walmart. |
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 13:32:48 GMT -5
For years I rooted (half-heartedly) for the Yankees just because I hated the Red Sox because of some comment the owner or GM made years ago. My favorite sports day was the last day of the 2012 seasons, when the Cardinals won and Braves lost getting the Cardinals in the playoffs and the Orioles beat the Red Sox and the Rays beat the Yankees (I believe sitting their stars) to knock the Red Sox out.
When the Cardinals played them in the World Series last year I was really excited. It was the perfect World Series for the Cardinals to win. Of course they didn't. But I realized during that series that the Red Sox were a really likable bunch of guys and now I've completely flipped on the Yankees/Red Sox thing.
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