Marvel Cinematic Universe, Phase Three and BEYOOOOONND

[archer]

From that trailer alone, it looks remarkably bland.

 

That doesn't mean that I won't watch it over and over once it reaches TV. But it does dim the chances I'll pay money to watch it in the theaters.

[unclevlad]

Other than the hint that they're gonna take the Avengers into a totally different course...which given the leadership gap, no Tony, no Cap, no T'Challa...might make sense.

 

But otherwise, yeah.  zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Spence]

3 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Yeah I just watched that.  It looks... really forgettable and has nothing at all that makes me want to see it.  I mean... the Eternals is a knock off of Fourth World which is a knock off of classic mythology its self.  And not even a very good one.  They're not even Guardians of the Galaxy tier characters.  Even really die hard comic book fans barely know any of them.

 

And where were these dudes when Thanos blew up half the universe?

 

Meh..  sums it up nicely.

 

2 hours ago, Starlord said:

I liked it, it looks good...i hope it is.  Although, as one of the few people who post in this thread who actually like the MCU...they probably already had my money as soon as they made the movie. 

 

I'd say that plenty of people here liked the MCU.  At least until the recent derailing and disastrous redirection. 

But overall the MCU was pretty good when the story was the primary concern and everything else was ignored. 

[Old Man]

As the other poster in this thread who actually likes the MCU, the trailer is interesting though it doesn’t explain much about what kind of film it will be. 
 

It’s also weird to see Gemma Chan again after she died in Captain Marvel. But I’m not complaining, believe me. 

[Tjack]

9 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

Yeah I just watched that.  It looks... really forgettable and has nothing at all that makes me want to see it.  I mean... the Eternals is a knock off of Fourth World which is a knock off of classic mythology its self.  And not even a very good one.  They're not even Guardians of the Galaxy tier characters.  Even really die hard comic book fans barely know any of them.

 

And where were these dudes when Thanos blew up half the universe?

      They really can’t be a knock off of the Fourth World since Jack Kirby created both groups..  He left DC then went back to Marvel but still had ideas he wanted to do for the New Gods.

[Hugh Neilson]

15 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

 I mean... the Eternals is a knock off of Fourth World which is a knock off of classic mythology its self. 

 

Modern superheroes are, overall, a knock off of classic mythology.

 

15 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

And where were these dudes when Thanos blew up half the universe?

 

Maybe they were hanging with Captain Marvel wherever she was when the aliens invaded, but they stuck around until last call?  This is a question that can be asked, in one form or another, whenever a character who has any backstory is introduced in a shared world.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Quote

They really can’t be a knock off of the Fourth World since Jack Kirby created both groups.

 

No, literally they are.  Marvel asked him to do a version of Fourth World for them.  Thanos is a knockoff of Darkseid too, for that matter, but movie goers will consider any film with Darkseid in it a rip off of Thanos now :/

[Greywind]

18 hours ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

And where were these dudes when Thanos blew up half the universe?

 

Snapped?

1 hour ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

 

No, literally they are.  Marvel asked him to do a version of Fourth World for them.  Thanos is a knockoff of Darkseid too, for that matter, but movie goers will consider any film with Darkseid in it a rip off of Thanos now 😕

 

Thanos grew into that knockoff. That wasn't how he was created. His look was based off Darkseid. Starlin readily admits that.

[Christopher R Taylor]

Quote

His look was based off Darkseid. Starlin readily admits that.

 

Originally he looked more like Metron, sitting in a chair etc.

[Greywind]

Thought it was a helicopter

[zslane]

The trailers for all the recent MCU movies have left me less than excited as well, for the most part.

 

Black Widow looks potentially very entertaining, but it looks to me more like a Bond movie on steroids than a "superhero" movie. Shang Chi doesn't excite me at all, mostly because the cast does nothing for me, and what (little) we've seen of the fight choreography doesn't even look up to the standards of Into the Badlands. As for Eternals, well, all I can say is that the first teaser/trailer was very weak in terms of exciting visuals or conveying any sense of the story, so it was pretty much a waste of some editor's time, IMO. But I'm hoping the movie will surprise me, like the first GotG movie did.

[Lord Liaden]

3 hours ago, zslane said:

Black Widow looks potentially very entertaining, but it looks to me more like a Bond movie on steroids than a "superhero" movie.

 

Quite a few Marvel movies have been based on some other genre, but with supers mixed in... which is what comics in general have long done anyway. Thor is Shakespearean dynastic drama, with supers. Captain America: The First Avenger is a war movie, with supers. Ant-Man is a heist movie, with supers. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a coming-of-age movie, with supers. The Incredible Hulk is Jekyll and Hyde/Frankenstein, with supers. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a political thriller, with supers. Black Panther is Afro-futurism, with supers.

 

IMHO borrowing from other genres has helped keep the MCU fresh and interesting.

[slikmar]

7 hours ago, zslane said:

Black Widow looks potentially very entertaining, but it looks to me more like a Bond movie on steroids than a "superhero" movie

Black Widow should be a spy movie variant.  She is a spy and was raised to be a spy (very similar to what was done in Red Sparrow or Atomic Blonde). Looking forward to this.

I also think Marvel has earned a level of trust. You say their movies have gone off track, but I am not sure I agree.

3 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

 

Quite a few Marvel movies have been based on some other genre, but with supers mixed in... which is what comics in general have long done anyway. Thor is Shakespearean dynastic drama, with supers. Captain America: The First Avenger is a war movie, with supers. Ant-Man is a heist movie, with supers. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a coming-of-age movie, with supers. The Incredible Hulk is Jekyll and Hyde/Frankenstein, with supers. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a political thriller, with supers. Black Panther is Afro-futurism, with supers.

 

IMHO borrowing from other genres has helped keep the MCU fresh and interesting.

Totally agree with all these points.

[Starlord]

23 minutes ago, slikmar said:

Black Widow should be a spy movie variant.  She is a spy and was raised to be a spy (very similar to what was done in Red Sparrow or Atomic Blonde). Looking forward to this.

I also think Marvel has earned a level of trust. You say their movies have gone off track, but I am not sure I agree.

Totally agree with all these points.

 

One wonders when they went off track considering no Marvel movie has even been released for 2 years....

[Spence]

7 hours ago, zslane said:

The trailers for all the recent MCU movies have left me less than excited as well, for the most part.

 

Black Widow looks potentially very entertaining, but it looks to me more like a Bond movie on steroids than a "superhero" movie. Shang Chi doesn't excite me at all, mostly because the cast does nothing for me, and what (little) we've seen of the fight choreography doesn't even look up to the standards of Into the Badlands. As for Eternals, well, all I can say is that the first teaser/trailer was very weak in terms of exciting visuals or conveying any sense of the story, so it was pretty much a waste of some editor's time, IMO. But I'm hoping the movie will surprise me, like the first GotG movie did.

 

@Black Widow:  I'm fine with that.  I love action spy movies, especially super-spies (as opposed to actual superhero/supervillains/superbeings).

@Shang Chi:  My jury is out.  I really like high action martial arts movies and shows.  Into the Badlands is one of my favorite in years.  Like you I have no idea about the cast, but I am really hoping to be surprised in a good way.

@Eternals: Meh, the trailer felt more like they were trying to discourage people from watching it rather than entice them.  I get the vibe that it is going to be a 2ish hour long moral opinion indoctrination film disguised as a entertainment movie.  Or an attempt anyway. 

 

I plan on seeing BW as soon as I can.  But the other two will wait till they are on the "not $19.99 to rent on TV" list.

[Pattern Ghost]

I'm optimistic about the actor choice for Shang Chi, though the teaser didn't look impressive. The actor, Simu Liu, is on Kim's Convenience, which is an absolutely brilliant Canadian sitcom. I think he has the acting talent, and he's in great shape and has some background in action movies,  unlike another Marvel project. (*cough* Iron Fist *cough*) I hope the weak teaser is more due to not having enough post-production footage available to make something better.

 

Black Widow looks solid to me. Of course it's a spy story, that's her background. I wouldn't expect any other sort of movie from a Black Widow movie, at least not the first one.

 

Eternals? Eh. I read an interview with Salma Hayek where she said that they wouldn't show her the script or go into any details until after she signed on. So it's possible this is one of those movies with an all-star cast that's still a dud. I'm least optimistic about this one. Hoping for better future trailers.

[Bazza]

It seemed that the Eternals teaser trailer is trying to go for a mystique vibe: say obliquely by not-saying. this may be the best way of introducing the film and the characters who are unfamiliar to moviegoing audiences. Another trailer, mimicking the first Guardians will have to introduce who the characters are. 
 

For me, the teaser doesn’t work. If anything, it works against itself. 

[archer]

5 minutes ago, Bazza said:

It seemed that the Eternals teaser trailer is trying to go for a mystique vibe: say obliquely by not-saying. this may be the best way of introducing the film and the characters who are unfamiliar to moviegoing audiences. Another trailer, mimicking the first Guardians will have to introduce who the characters are. 
 

For me, the teaser doesn’t work. If anything, it works against itself. 

 

If they hadn't been shown all laughing at the one guy who stepped up and said that maybe he'd lead the Avengers, it would have been much better as a teaser.

 

Have them look at each other to see each of the other's reactions: okay.

Have one of them laugh softly then say, "Maybe you will." Okay.

 

But having all the people who apparently know him the best just laugh in his face (after apparently knowing him for an eternity)...that's not promising. At all. On any level.

[csyphrett]

43 minutes ago, archer said:

 

If they hadn't been shown all laughing at the one guy who stepped up and said that maybe he'd lead the Avengers, it would have been much better as a teaser.

 

Have them look at each other to see each of the other's reactions: okay.

Have one of them laugh softly then say, "Maybe you will." Okay.

 

But having all the people who apparently know him the best just laugh in his face (after apparently knowing him for an eternity)...that's not promising. At all. On any level.

he was joking about being on the Avengers. That's why he laughed too

CES

[Greywind]

5 hours ago, Starlord said:

 

One wonders when they went off track considering no Marvel movie has even been released for 2 years....

 

That's where they went off track, man! Junkies need their fix!

[zslane]

 

18 hours ago, slikmar said:

Black Widow should be a spy movie variant.

 

I agree. I'm not saying that Black Widow isn't striving to be exactly the movie it should be. I'm only saying that, being a "super spy" movie (not my favorite genre), it is going to have to be at least as good as Winter Soldier to satisfy/impress me.

 

18 hours ago, slikmar said:

You say their movies have gone off track, but I am not sure I agree.

 

I don't recall saying that.

[unclevlad]

19 hours ago, Starlord said:

 

One wonders when they went off track considering no Marvel movie has even been released for 2 years....

 

OK, but...how much of this is just Very Bad Luck?

 

Endgame was released in April, 2019.  It is HUGE.  It ends Phase 3.  OK, so there's strategic planning to do Phase 4, and build its new direction.  That takes a while, right?   PLUS determine the mix of theatricals and streaming.

 

So come early 2020 and......BOOM.

 

And last...Chadwick Boseman's death.  We don't know, for sure, how large this was, but most of us think it's had a huge effect on their plans.  

 

And when did production restart?  April?  So for the most part, they're still playing catch-up.

[Starlord]

25 minutes ago, unclevlad said:

 

OK, but...how much of this is just Very Bad Luck?

 

Endgame was released in April, 2019.  It is HUGE.  It ends Phase 3.  OK, so there's strategic planning to do Phase 4, and build its new direction.  That takes a while, right?   PLUS determine the mix of theatricals and streaming.

 

So come early 2020 and......BOOM.

 

And last...Chadwick Boseman's death.  We don't know, for sure, how large this was, but most of us think it's had a huge effect on their plans.  

 

And when did production restart?  April?  So for the most part, they're still playing catch-up.

 

I agree, but others feel it went downhill at some point.  I just don't see when since the last two Marvel movies (Endgame and Far From Home) were incredibly popular.  I see a lot of negative comments about MCU direction but since no movies have come out to criticize, it doesn't make sense to me.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I think Shang Chi faces a pretty huge uphill battle.  Its not like martial arts movies are fresh or unexplored territory.  The reason the comic was so interesting was partly the phenomenal artwork, and partly the novelty of a kung fu comic.  Neither of those are strengths in a movie.

 

Quote

since no movies have come out to criticize, it doesn't make sense to me.

 

They changed directions with Captain Marvel and ant man and THE WASP, neither of which were particularly beloved or considered great movies, although people went to see them mostly for "this helps tie into the Avengers which I actually do like"

[Ternaugh]

I enjoyed Ant-Man and the Wasp, and it has a score of 87% with critics and 75% with audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. I bought it in 4K for home viewing. Captain Marvel was okay, but not outstanding.