Marvel Cinematic Universe - All Marvel Movie/TV discussion

[Prime Time]

Rather than having one huge comic book thread this time around, I figure a specific thread for the myriad of Marvel films and TV would be a good idea.

So... What did you make of Infinity War? How many of the Netflix shows have you seen? And what's next after Infinity War concludes?

[mizfan]

As far as recent films go, I loved Black Panther, though it was the best Marvel film in a while. Infinity War was really fun, it didn't get me emotionally like it seemingly did some people but I had a blast watching it.

Looking back, I love the first Iron Man for changing the game, and the first two Avengers movies really did it for me too, yes even the second one (possibly because I'm a huge James Spader fan and think his performance was very underrated). Spiderman: Homecoming was also great, as was the first Guardians of the Galaxy.

Honestly I love most of the films, even though I think some of them have become a little too "open mic night" with the comedy stuff (looking at you, Thor: Ragnarok). I know people who are burnt out on Marvel films who say they all come off the same, but I don't feel that way at all. I almost always have a great time watching and I expect that'll continue for some time. Very interested to see what they do after the Infinity War sequel, I really hope they don't reset the universe as long running continuity is one of the best things they have going.

Never got into the TV shows so far, tried a few episodes of Daredevil but it didn't grab me. Also watched the Agents of SHIELD pilot with similar results. I could probably get into them if I wanted to but my TV plate is already pretty full. I do want to try Jessica Jones at some point though.

[Samuel 'Plan]

Is it not worth putting a spoiler tag in the title if Infinity War is up for discussion?

Until then, I'll simply say I loved IW, both times. I still need to take my younger sister to see it and am still very excited for a third viewing. It was such a unique piece of storytelling and has totally resparked my interest and appreciation for the MCU project since Ultron killed it.

I'm even tempted to give Ragnarok a second go! I think I need it for my Machete Order to work best actually.

Cap 1, Iron Man 2, Guardians 1, Avengers, Cap 2, Ultron, Cap 3, Black Panther, Spidey Homecoming, (perhaps Ragnarok here) and finally Infinity War! It worked great when I test ran it ahead of seeing IW for the first time.

[mizfan]

I honestly can't imagine re-watching so many movies, I can absolutely see the appeal of it but I don't think I'd have the patience. I'm sad the first Iron Man doesn't show up on your list though, doesn't that do a lot of vital work establishing the character of Tony Stark, who is arguably the protagonist of the entire arc?

[Samuel 'Plan]

It does, but nothing that isn't heavily implied in Iron Man 2 again, which coincidentally starts with a really effective scene of news clips about Stark revealing himself as and beginning life as Iron Man, when Vanko is saying goodbye to his dying father. It works great as an intro to Stark and totally took me by surprise!

The other great thing is that it pings off Cap really well - a lot of Iron Man 2 is about the return of the Stark Expo, which is nifty after seeing it introduced in Cap 1 under Howard!

[mizfan]

Nice, didn't even think of that! Any other cool connections that come out of that order?

[Samuel 'Plan]

I'm pretty sure there were a few that jumped out but it was around a month ago now so I can't really remember.

There were some cool effects to come from it though. I cut the Thor films out, so he becomes more like the Hulk later in the franchise, in that he's only ever around in the team up stuff. Some might struggle with that, but I really like the sense of mystery it creates for the Asgardians, who are, after all, essentially like gods - their introduction then happens in Avengers, and the first time anyone ever references Thor overtly is Loki on the helicarrier, where he tells Cap he's "not overly fond of what happens next" when the thunder starts; then Thor lands on the jet and kicks Iron Man's ass. It's a proper cool introduction! You get some sense of their story through lines thrown out by Thor and Loki throughout, but their sense of mystery is always there. That goes up a notch in Ultron too, with the weird mystic jaunt Thor goes on to the dope pool. I'm not sure what introducing Ragnarok will do to that, but I'm prepared to at least try it once.

Watching Cap 1 and Iron Man 2 directly after one another gives you a very strong sense of their contrast as characters and why they inevitably clash then, and it's a much shorter turn around between those clashes with fewer films between the team ups, so the tension by the time you get to Civil War is all the more pertinent I found.

I also really love seeing Guardians third as the proper introduction to the Infinity Stones, and the fact you see a glimpse of the Tesseract with nobody recognising it in the film creates a really cool moment of dramatic irony for the audience.

There's just lots of really cool small details that made it a lot more enjoyable for me! I can't wait to Panther, Spidey and Infinity War on disc so I can try the whole thing over the course of a week or two.

[Prime Time]

I liked Infinity War. Funny thing though, although there were probably fewer jokes in this than in some of the others I felt there were more out of place jokes here than in any of the ones I've seen recently. I also came out thinking that though it was fun there were about a hundred things wrong with the plot, but I'm told that the vast majority of those disappear if you've seen a lot of the Marvel films that I haven't.

But yeah, if you're interested in the take of the people I know who teach film, there's another consensus and it's a third home run in a row. I don't personally know anyone who works in the field who didn't absolutely love Ragnorak, Black Panther, and now Infinity War. Considering the strong performance with the casual fans of all three movies there's a strong case to be made for their quality, I'd say.

[sheepster]

I also came out thinking that though it was fun there were about a hundred things wrong with the plot, but I'm told that the vast majority of those disappear if you've seen a lot of the Marvel films that I haven't.

Care to elaborate on any of them? Perhaps we can help!

[Samuel 'Plan]

The issues for me were so pedantic I let them go. But as we're not the subject...

Why didn't Dr Strange portal Thanos's Infinity hand off like Wong did the henchman early on? And sent it to like, an alternate dimension or something?

Or why didn't they just stab Thanos in the neck like Lokiand Gamorra tried to when Mantis had Thanos asleep, instead of wrestling the gauntlet off of his apparently snugly fitting hand?

Dumb asses....

[mizfan]

I actually had the same thought when they were trying to take the gauntlet off. Just cut the damn arm off, you've got magic and lasers and all this stuff! Or for god's sake Quill, just shoot Thanos in the face instead of bloody pistol whipping him!!

[JacobWrestledGod]

The quality of Infinity War lies not in its plot only, its technical brilliance in CGI and live action as well as its balancing job to feature so many characters in a single coherent plot is incredible tight knit and balanced. It's not even a movie, rather a season finale of a series of big budget films - more than 10 films, spanning across different universes and cultures and tones, and then giving casual fans enough plot in one film to enjoy it while giving long time fans like us the ultimate heart-wrenching tragedy. There's no other movie that managed to hold that type of expectation because there was never a cinematic universal with that many movies and that big of a scope. To even meet that expectation, furthermore exceed it is just mind-blowing.

For comparison, while colourful, Black Panter's CGI was very patchy at times, and IMO Infinity Wars was much better without a single scene which baffles me as a CGI green screen.

What IA felt like was Lord of the Rings gone terrible wrong for Middle Earth. So many subplots merging together (Wakanda, Titan, Thor's new weapon) in a satisfying final battle, and the final scenes of the heroes stalling time so that Scarlet Witch could kill Vision, only for Vision to be revived to DIE AGAIN was incredibly understated and real. None of those CGI madness we were used to, just one hero after another trying their best to stall time, with Captain America baffling Thanos (tiny man actually able to hold off my gauntlet). That one scene was so well shot, has so much weight. The editing on Infinity War and the sound design are so intricate and builds tension very very well. What about the finger snap being so simple yet so weighty as the beloved heroes melted off one by one?

Compare this with any of the DC assembled films, for instance. Suicide Squads' editing was so haphazard that they actually destroyed the whole Joker introduction, introduced characters without a single feeling of connection. The Suicide Squad's cast was amazing, but every single effort poured down the drain with that terrible plot, direction, visuals and most importantly the EDITING. Or how about Justice League, which is a just a mess and waste of time. Overall Infinity War has convinced me, a harsh critic of a number of marvel films and also suffering from comic book movie fatigue, to get right back into the world of MCU. 10/10 one of the best movies I personally have witnessed.

[mizfan]

I do like the idea of IW as a season finale of sorts. I think there's a big future in this kind of "cinematic television", if you will.

I also agree that Suicide Squad was edited and presented terribly.

[Subho]

I actually had the same thought when they were trying to take the gauntlet off. Just cut the damn arm off, you've got magic and lasers and all this stuff! Or for god's sake Quill, just shoot Thanos in the face instead of bloody pistol whipping him!!

It has all to do with the one future possibility (out of 14,000,005) that Strange saw which leads to the heroes winning. If you notice in that scene, Strange is the only one who isn't trying to withhold Quill from attacking Thanos. He has seen it all play out, and just let the events happen as they do.

I do hope that all of this build up has a satisfying payoff, though. I don't want any one who got killed before the snap to return (Loki, Heimdall, Gamora, Vision). That'd demean all the emotional weight of this movie.

[mizfan]

I wouldn't mind getting Gamora back somehow, that shit was too sad. As long as they present it well. Maybe bring her back in GOTG 3, Search for Spock style? Comics are all about resurrections, after all, and I feel like GOTG movies would be a bummer with that death hanging over them.