Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase Three and BEYOOOOONND

[Twilight]

So apparently Michael Rosenbaum wants to write a Power Pack movie.  Since that's one of my favorite comics ever, that makes me very happy.

[zslane]

Power Pack? Isn't that a bunch of little kids?

[Bazza]

Yep.

[Twilight]

Power Pack? Isn't that a bunch of little kids?

It's a friggin awesome comic from the 80s and if Marvel does as good a job with them, presuming Rosenbaum can actually get the movie made, as they did with the Guardians of the Galaxy it stands to rake in a lot of money.

[dmjalund]

just as long as they don;t make it more for kids than say 'Spy Kids' which is pretty much my lower bar for such things

[Twilight]

just as long as they don;t make it more for kids than say 'Spy Kids' which is pretty much my lower bar for such things

If they stick close to the original comics, it won't be that kiddy.  More lighthearted then Avengers 2 sure but not kiddy in the sense you're thinking.  The characters might have been kids but the original writer didn't shy away from darker topics.  Power Pack was present for the Mutant Massacre, for example.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I have no particular allegiance to the comic or its stories, but I think if they watched a lot of anime and made it like that, they'd have a big hit.  Very cute and fun

[Bazza]

Ant-Man Could Crush Superman, Science Declares

http://www.cbr.com/ant-man-could-crush-superman-science-declares/

 

Captain Marvel Is Taking a Trip Into the Quantum Realm

http://movieweb.com/captain-marvel-movie-quantum-realm/

 

Source article for both:

Ant-Man Could Destroy Superman, Says Quantum Physics: Dr. Spiros Michalakis explains the unbelievable potential of Ant-Man.

https://www.inverse.com/article/32022-ant-man-quantum-physics-dr-spiros-superman-captain-marvel

[Bazza]

Michael Rosenbaum on 'Guardians 2' and His Wild Friendship With Carrie Fisher
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/michael-rosenbaum-guardians-2-his-wild-friendship-carrie-fisher-1006446
 

[Q:]You’ve written and sold several projects. If you could write something for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, what would it be?

[Rosenbaum:] I’d love to write Power Pack. It came out in the '80s … these young siblings get powers from an alien race right as their dad builds this planet-destroying weapon, which another alien race wants. It’s got that Spielberg/Stranger Things vibe. I could really take that concept and make it fresh.

 

[Bazza]

 

Cosmo is worthy. Clark is jealous.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Ant-Man Could Crush Superman, Science Declareshttp://www.cbr.com/ant-man-could-crush-superman-science-declares/Captain Marvel Is Taking a Trip Into the Quantum Realmhttp://movieweb.com/captain-marvel-movie-quantum-realm/Source article for both:Ant-Man Could Destroy Superman, Says Quantum Physics: Dr. Spiros Michalakis explains the unbelievable potential of Ant-Man.https://www.inverse.com/article/32022-ant-man-quantum-physics-dr-spiros-superman-captain-marvel

LOL, no.

[Bazza]

Lines Snaked Through Entire Park for Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy Ride Debut

http://io9.gizmodo.com/lines-snaked-through-entire-park-for-disneys-guardians-1795617922

 

Seven hours of waiting for a ride. Hope it was worth it.

[Iuz the Evil]

LOL, no.

Glad someone said what we are all thinking.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Seven hours of waiting for a ride. Hope it was worth it. 

 

There is no amusement park on earth worth 1 hour wait, let alone 7.

[Nolgroth]

There is no amusement park on earth worth 1 hour wait, let alone 7.

 

I dunno, if there were to be significant monetary compensation, I could get on board. 

[zslane]

Yeah, but those fools spent significant amounts of money to get into the park so they could enjoy the priviledge of spending 7 hours in line for one dumb ride. I'm pretty sure that money was spent as much on the experience as it was on bragging rights (and the opportunity to spam social media with vacuous selfies documenting the event).

[Joe Walsh]

I spend a lot of time in amusement and theme parks. I love 'em. But there is no ride in the world I'd ever wait more than 20 minutes for. Not ever.

[Matt the Bruins]

I've been on a few I thought were well worth that, like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Maelstrom. On the other hand, I once waited 2+ hours in the hot sun to get on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which actually turned out to be a worse experience than waiting in line to get on it.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I wish Marvel would do less "we have a huge story arc and angsty dramatic stories to tell" and more "James Bond" with their films.  007 is the most popular and successful film franchise in all of human history because people know what they are going to get and they like it.  James Bond doesn't mope or have a nervous breakdown, James Bond doesn't spend half his movie complaining or staring in horror at the world.  James Bond doesn't have to have a "character arc" where he struggles with some inner demons.  He does what he does and we all have fun watching it.

[zslane]

I would be profoundly disappointed if Marvel restricted the type of stories they told within their vast fictional universe to just a single style. Not everything in the MCU is huge, angsty, and epic. There is plenty of room in the MCU for small stories with low stakes and non-epic drama (e.g., Luke Cage).

[Christopher R Taylor]

This is less about style for me and more about avoiding the compuslive need to turn every single thing into a multi-part continuing epic story of vast proportions.  Luke Cage isn't just a guy cleaning up his neighborhood, he's tortured about it and feels awful, and its part of a bigger storyline!  Iron Man can't just be a charming guy in a suit having a blast while helping people, he's got to be tortured and feel awful and every movie is part of a bigger, epic storyline!.  Captain America can't be a patriotic do-gooder, he's part of a massive epic storyline and feels tortured by conscience dealing with evil corruption and his nation being a terrible place every film. Thor cant... well you get the idea.

[zslane]

My recollection is that all these characters started out as Charming Guy in a Suit of Iron, Patriotic Do-Gooder Fighting the Good Fight, Arrogant Prince of a Mythic People, etc. But today characters have to change, have an emotional arc or otherwise audiences get bored and move on. The old Jamed Bond model is largely obsolete, and even today's Bond is a bit dark and tortured/haunted, so the style of franchise-building where you just wash-rinse-repeat the same plot elements and uninflected emotional beats movie after movie is no longer appreciated the way it once was.

 

Marvel must surely feel they have a much larger dramatic canvas to paint upon, and want their stories to be as epic and sweeping as Greek Mythology, and as melodramatic and (potentially) timeless as Shakespeare. Whether they succeed in achieving those lofty goals or not is another matter for debate, but I can't fault them for aiming for them.

[Christopher R Taylor]

But today characters have to change, have an emotional arc or otherwise audiences get bored and move on.

 

 

Die Hard, James Bond, etc all disagree.  People like fun popcorn movies, they don't need misery-wracked angsty emotional characters to enjoy a film.  Each film is its own, its not part of a series.  You're not binge-watching the Avengers, and even if you did, each movie is long and complete enough in its self it doesn't need that long term epic arc to work.

 

Marvel wants to make a huge event out of the movies, a massive Summer crossover comic book happening, because that's the only model they know.

[Old Man]

Well, that model does seem to generate a tidy income, so I imagine that it will continue until it does not.

 

I suspect that the "bigger epic storyline" is successful because the public likes it that way.  Franchises and shared universes breed familiarity, familiarity breeds trust, and trust increases sales.  It's literally branding, baked in to the product itself.  Conversely, standalone films of any kind that aren't related to any established property confuse moviegoers and terrify the executives who write the checks.  That's why expensive movies are virtually always associated with another movie, book, TV show, play, event, board game, or theme park ride.  Anything that the prospective moviegoer will recognize, and feel comfortable buying tickets for.

[Lord Liaden]

Die Hard, James Bond, etc all disagree.  People like fun popcorn movies, they don't need misery-wracked angsty emotional characters to enjoy a film.  Each film is its own, its not part of a series.  You're not binge-watching the Avengers, and even if you did, each movie is long and complete enough in its self it doesn't need that long term epic arc to work.

 

Marvel wants to make a huge event out of the movies, a massive Summer crossover comic book happening, because that's the only model they know.

 

I have to respectfully dispute some of those points. The difference in James Bond has already been noted. Quantum of Solace was a direct sequel to Casino Royale, while in Skyfall Bond is confronting getting older and rusty in his skills. Even in the first Die Hard John McClane was dealing with the emotional consequences of his failed marriage, which carried over into DH2; while in Die Hard with a Vengeance McClane was faced with the brother of his opponent from the first movie, ostensibly seeking revenge against him. Not an interconnected story arc, but not devoid of angst, or the necessity for history and context.