Little Interest in The Marvels (MCU disaster?)

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I think that The Marvels will be the death of super-hero films for a bit. It's not really super-hero fatigue as much as that just about all of the super-hero films for the past few years have been bad, and that's tired people. From everything I've heard and read, The Marvels will be a spectacular trainwreck.
 
There will articles twenty years from now saying that RDJ can save the MCU.
 
I like to remain optimistic and avoid the whole "this film is terrible" parade before it's released.

It strikes me this is just a continuation of the hate aimed at the Captain Marvel film, and that was pretty cool.

I mean, it can't be as bad as Ironman 2.
 
Endless Flight said:
There will articles twenty years from now saying that RDJ can save the MCU.
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There was an article last week that said that Marvel is in such dire straights that it is considering doing just that. Bringing back all of the original Avengers, including Tony Stark and Black Widow, for a new Avengers film.
 
Scarlett said she did everything she could have with the character.
 
Lunar Ronin said:
There was an article last week that said that Marvel is in such dire straights that it is considering doing just that. Bringing back all of the original Avengers, including Tony Stark and Black Widow, for a new Avengers film.
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If that was the same article I read, it seemed to be all speculation. I mean I wouldn't be surprised if some spooked execs floating the idea of bring back the classic line up, but that might just be all that is.

I am certainly not tired of superhero movies. I strikes me as funny that critics never seem to think the public will ever tire of rom-coms or cop, or even Bond movies, but somehow super heroes must necessarily just be a passing fad.

That said, as with any movie, superhero movie need to be first and foremost good movies. What while it used to be the case that even the bad Marvel movies were still pretty good, I'm not sure that really is the case any longer. A rethink is probably warranted.
 
Stumpydave said:
I like to remain optimistic and avoid the whole "this film is terrible" parade before it's released.

It strikes me this is just a continuation of the hate aimed at the Captain Marvel film, and that was pretty cool.

I mean, it can't be as bad as Ironman 2.
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Never made it through Captain Marvel.
 
They do have somewhat of a sticky situation because of Jonathan Majors’ personal issues. I also don’t know if Kang, as much as I like the character, can anchor down two or three phases of movies.
 
I was watching Loki season 2 and just got bored with it. I’m pretty bored of superheroes. I’ve watched a lot now. I’m ready to move on.
 
I'm not bored of superheroes at all. The new season of Invincible may be the entertainment highlight of the year for me.

But I've lost all interest in the MCU. Too many bad series and mediocre films that have nothing to do with the comics.
 
Marvels has Monica Rambeu/Photon/Captain Marvel in it and it might even cameo Adam Brashir (The Blue Marvel) so I'm going to watch it anyhow, but probably in the second run cheap theater.

Loki season two is a time travel show with very little actual connection to the MCU and so far it's been, I don't know, silly and disjointed but intentionally so, maybe?

I still think the main problem is that Marvel/Disney have written themselves into a corner and created a situation where many popular characters and stories can't be done. You can take the premise of Thunderbolts and have a team of losers trying to make it as heroes but without that particular cast of long standing b list-villains it doesn't work. You can't do Wonderman without the Masters of Evil and the Avengers. You can't do the long history of contention between the X-Men and Avengers if they're in different universes. There's a similar problem with the Fantastic Four. The other big problem is that they don't know what to do with the low tier characters and think people won't mind if they mess them up. People do mind, some of Marvel's best characters are b-listers and even c-listers but they're often so tied into continuity that you can't sort them out of it intact.

While I hope to see the Squadron Supreme on the big screen one day, I don't think I'll ever forgive Marvel/Disney for screwing up America Chavz.
 
They can do ok I think with B-C listers. I liked Moon Knight both the MCU version and the more traditional version.
 
TristramEvans said:
But I've lost all interest in the MCU. Too many bad series and mediocre films that have nothing to do with the comics.
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this might be more accurate for me, as I suspect I will love the Boys new season. i've not started into Gen V. still. i've had no problems binging the americans and the wire at the same time. season 4 on the wire is trying me, though. too much kids stuff for my taste.

Bunch said:
I liked Moon Knight both the MCU version and the more traditional version.
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i liked this one as well, more than most reviews gave it.
 
Yeah, I'm still excited about the Boys and need to check out Gen V. It's on my list.
 
I've lost interest in supers movies that are flat. Very subjective statement I realize. Maybe it's become too common or maybe they've leaned to hard into the humor/reopen stuff. The original Avengers I saw with a family crowd aging from 6 to 76 and everyone had a good time. I'm not sure the ones I've watched lately would have the same mass appeal. The Boys is certainly too graphic for the young kids. Blue Beetle was fun. I watched that with my 8yr old and he enjoyed it but was concerned they swore too much.
 
Shazam (the first film) was the last what I'd call straight Superhero film that I watched and enjoyed. By that I mean, appealing to any age audience (I wouldn't let a young kid watch Invincible or The Boys). The last adult Superhero film that I saw in theatres and enjoyed was the second Suicide Squad. I like The Boys as a really dark parody, but I enjoy Invincible a bit more because it's not parody, it lets the inherent optimism of the superhero concept, with all the awe and wonder of the comics I read as a kid, exist side by side with an adult story and themes. Both series I think are better than the source material (though the Invincible comic is still very good, while The Boys comic was barely readable and I gave up after a few issues because every page was just dripping with the author's contempt for the genre and fixation on hyper-masculinism).
 
Yeah, in my mind, if your Justice League needs to swear, you have already departed from the path of wisdom. I tried to like the Titans tv show, I really did, I'll even give my one friend the point that Dick Grayson saying "fuck Batman" is quite believeable .It doesn't matter to me, these guys are the heroes, 'll leave you with some deep wisdom on the matter: "The Crimson Chin doesn't swear, except the nineties Crimson Chin, "I got cancelled!"" and "It's like I've always said, Arthur: guns and superheroes don't mix."
 
I love superheroes. I've loved superhero comics all my life, I taught myself to read with comics; I've loved superhero cartoons and videogames almost as long. I love the fact that, in the Twenties and in my forties, superhero movies and especially superhero television shows are things that I can love.

My only real regret with the MCU is it being the MCU, the same as my biggest complaint about Star Wars, that there's no real competition for it and only one studio even trying. The best part of Shang Chi was... everything about Shang Chi, but the worst part of it is that nobody else is going to try to juxtapose a modern Earth setting with that kind of over-the-top xianxia vibe until the kids who saw it as kids grow up to produce and direct movies.

The MCU is still my second favorite superhero film franchise.

And... man, as much as I hated Captain Marvel-- my least favorite MCU movie, and second-least favorite MCU production period-- as much as I hated the first movie, I'm really excited for the sequel. I love Ms. Marvel
and the trailers make it look like it's going to be a whole lot of fun. Carol wasn't really what was wrong with the first movie, Brie Larson wasn't what was wrong with the first movie, and it doesn't look like they're going to make the same mistakes this time.

Different mistakes, maybe, but different is good.
 
I was there in the Dark times, when all we had was the Punisher with Dolph Lundgren, and Captain America with Matt Salinger.
I was there when Batman was dark and gothic but slowly became about the neon warpaint and rubber nipples.

I won't moan about the MCU because for every Iron Man 2 and She Hulk ending, we get Jon Bernthal as the Punisher. We get Guardians of the Galaxy, We got Thor: Ragnarok and we're getting Deadpool AND Wolverine!

Yes, there's stuff I don't think works. Yes, there are writers I think probably hate comics. But for fans of live action superheroes we are living in bloody golden age!
 
I'll never lose interest in Super Heroes, just like I'll never lose interest in Fantasy or Sci Fi
I am, however, losing interest with all the Disney Plus MCU stuff and the declining MCU films
They may need to give it a rest for a bit and return invigorated, rather than this continual drain
 
I too remember the days when Spider-man was a weird 70's show with no supervillains, Thor and Daredevil were weirdly-translated guest stars in Bixby/Ferrigno's Hulk TV movies, and VHS bootleg copies of Cormans Fantastic Four was the holy grail of convention finds. And I loved the MCU, with all my heart, for that. From Blade to Winter Soldier, this century has given me everything I wanted and more, including three exceptional Spider-man films, 2 amazing Hellboy films, and the best possible adaptation of Watchmen that Hollywood is capable of, and an adaptation of Daredevil and Punisher that I would verge on describing as perfect.

But there was also heartbreaks. A lot of them. Cancellations; descent in quality; enormous mis-steps. I'm no longer excited for Marvel because Marvel has consistently failed to excite me for a while. And I do not have high standards when it comes to superhero flicks. I liked Iron Man 2 and Thor 2 just fine. Sometimes I am just pleased to see characters that I grew up with brought to life on the big screen in a way that looks halfway decent and is comprehensible. Because yeah, I remember the days when we took what we could get.

However, over time, I've also become good at recognizing when something won't or isn't working. I stopped watching the new Hellboy film 15 minutes in. I didn't bother watching She-Hulk or Black Widow. If I know that I won't enjoy something, I will avoid putting myself through the disappointment. And my expectation from the MCU, at this point, unfortunately, is disappointment. I want them to change my mind. I doubt this Marvels film will be the one to do that. And the behind the scenes chatter I'm hearing about new episodes of Daredevil, something I was at face value very excited for, have become depressingly grim.

Of course all of this is with the tacit acknowledgement that I am not in any way the target audience for any of this. My demographic is pretty much invisible to most media producers. And I am fine with that. It doesn't mean I don't want things that appeal to me, but it does mean I've learned not to expect them.
 
Mankcam said:
I'll never lose interest in Super Heroes, just like I'll never lose interest in Fantasy or Sci Fi
I am, however, losing interest with all the Disney Plus MCU stuff and the declining MCU films
They may need to give it a rest for a bit and return invigorated, rather than this continual drain
Click to expand...

I feel like it's Disney as a company overall. The constant spew of highly mediocre to godawful live action retreads of classics the company made in the past, the complete abandonment of traditional animation, and what they did to Star Wars...
 
I’ve been very picky about the Marvel movies and shows that I watch, based on what I think will be good, and relying on word of mouth. Though I have young kids, so usually it’s only a matter of time until we watch them.

I think Endgame was such a fitting ending that they’ve struggled a bit since then to kind of reset. I also think they need to ease off on the constant cross promotion. Let a movie be it’s own thing if that’s what it should be. Not every single thing needs to connect into the big mega story.

I will say that I saw the trailer for Echo the other day and I was surprised that it seemed pretty good. It seems likely to stand largely on its own, despite spinning out of Hawkeye and featuring Wilson Fisk.

The Marvels isn’t something I’m excited about, but that’s okay. I hope it’s good. I’m sure I’ll see it at some point because my daughter liked Ms. Marvel. But I’m in no rush.
 
I love Infinity War. It’s my favorite Marvel movie. I still remember at the end credits where I was looking around the theater at the shocked and somber crowd and I had a smile on my face. I knew the heroes would come back and beat Thanos but I loved seeing them pushed to the nearly catastrophic edge.
 
I think the whole thing is overblown, especially in certain circles that either (a) want the superhero genre to falter or (b) aren't satisfied with the direction that scripts and heroes are taking. People forget history. Between Iron Man and Avengers, they struggled. After Avengers, they struggled too until The Winter Soldier. And when AoU did poorly in comparison, doom and gloom were there. But they recovered.

And they'll recover this time, IMO.
 
Yeah, I think they’ve struggled a bit since Endgame. But not to the extent that clickbait articles would make it seem. Some of the movies they’ve released since then have still made hundreds of millions of dollars, even when impacted by the pandemic.

It’s certainly possible that level of performance won’t continue. But even with a couple of missteps, they’ll adjust and likely get things back on track.

As for the actual quality of the movies… I think it’s a mixed bag. But I think it always has been. Folks should pick and choose which movies appeal to them. They should also be aware that… as I’ve always said to fellow comic readers… despite what you’re told, you don’t need to buy them all to understand the story.
 
Endless Flight said:
I love Infinity War. It’s my favorite Marvel movie. I still remember at the end credits where I was looking around the theater at the shocked and somber crowd and I had a smile on my face. I knew the heroes would come back and beat Thanos but I loved seeing them pushed to the nearly catastrophic edge.
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I agree so muh regarding Infinity War. The first four sequences (on the Asgardian ship, the battle in NYC, in space with the Guardians and Wanda and Vision in Edinburgh are just so well choreographed and shot - it's 40 minutes of superhero cinematic perfection. And I really like the way that each cluster of heroes has a different, viable plans, to stop Thanos and they fail due to human emotions. And then there is the ending. And the music.
 
I probably won’t see another supers movie in the theater until Deadpool 3. Here’s hoping they don’t screw that up
 
Dammit Victor said:
I love superheroes. I've loved superhero comics all my life, I taught myself to read with comics; I've loved superhero cartoons and videogames almost as long. I love the fact that, in the Twenties and in my forties, superhero movies and especially superhero television shows are things that I can love.

My only real regret with the MCU is it being the MCU, the same as my biggest complaint about Star Wars, that there's no real competition for it and only one studio even trying. The best part of Shang Chi was... everything about Shang Chi, but the worst part of it is that nobody else is going to try to juxtapose a modern Earth setting with that kind of over-the-top xianxia vibe until the kids who saw it as kids grow up to produce and direct movies.

The MCU is still my second favorite superhero film franchise.

And... man, as much as I hated Captain Marvel-- my least favorite MCU movie, and second-least favorite MCU production period-- as much as I hated the first movie, I'm really excited for the sequel. I love Ms. Marvel
and the trailers make it look like it's going to be a whole lot of fun. Carol wasn't really what was wrong with the first movie, Brie Larson wasn't what was wrong with the first movie, and it doesn't look like they're going to make the same mistakes this time.

Different mistakes, maybe, but different is good.
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I want to be there with you, I do. It's just that I want them to be better than they are, I mean Iron Man, Avengers, Captain America I and II, all amazing. Then I look at the Spider-Verse (which I recently rewatched the 2nd movie) and think "They can do better if they really try." Captain Marvel didn't sell me on the character, and I liked Carol before she was Captain Marvel, but oof, the big problem is they need to give her good villains and she hasn't had that (I love Ms. Marvel as a comic character, but she needs better villains than the parrot-headed guy.)

They can do amazing things, and they're currently not, which has disappointed me. I'm hoping Marvels will be great for everyone. (Especially since Ms. Marvel is in it) but I don't get to see these things in theaters so.

Of course I liked She-Hulk (did need a better ending)
 
Silverlion said:
I want to be there with you, I do. It's just that I want them to be better than they are, I mean Iron Man, Avengers, Captain America I and II, all amazing. Then I look at the Spider-Verse (which I recently rewatched the 2nd movie) and think "They can do better if they really try." Captain Marvel didn't sell me on the character, and I liked Carol before she was Captain Marvel, but oof, the big problem is they need to give her good villains and she hasn't had that (I love Ms. Marvel as a comic character, but she needs better villains than the parrot-headed guy.)

They can do amazing things, and they're currently not, which has disappointed me. I'm hoping Marvels will be great for everyone. (Especially since Ms. Marvel is in it) but I don't get to see these things in theaters so.

Of course I liked She-Hulk (did need a better ending)
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I think you and I are the only ones that liked She-Hulk. For an adaptation of the source material it was great (and I’m a big fan of Maslany)
 
Don't get me wrong, She Hulk started well but the 4th wall breaking went from knowing asides to breaking the metaphysical barrier and a Monty Python non-ending. What a waste.
 
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