2 cents on MCU

Alduin

I think that a lot of the "flaws" the MCU has can actually be explained by people judging it by standards commonly associated with most movies. Which is fair, but MCU movies are not most movies. They're trying something completely different, something which twenty or even ten years ago would be completely implausible.

The thing I love the most about the MCU is that it is insanely ambitious. It's not a movie series or a franchise as it is commonly understood - it's not like the Die Hard or Star Wars franchise at all. It's a big continuity consisting of so many franchises and so many running threads that all tie in to something bigger. I cannot stress enough how hard making something like this is. Everyone has to be on the same page at every turn, because there's no taking back any continuity errors (unlike in comic books).

To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, let's take the Netflix show Daredevil and turn it into a trilogy. The first movie is the Russian brothers, the second is Nobu/Gao and the third is Fisk/Owl/Wesley. The problem with structuring things like this - with one continuous plot containing multiple storylines - is that there's so much shit to be resolved that things either get resolved in half-assed ways or not at all. You want a good standalone movie, but you also want a good sequel movie, but you also want to tie into the larger plot, but you also this and that and so many things get cut in the middle. 

The end product is something that can't stand on its own two feet in a vacuum and only makes sense when taken into context. Returning to our example, we'll probably have to cut most of Nelson's and Page's screen-time as well as end movie 1 with setup for movie 3, among other things. Overall, you have three very poor products that can't stand by themselves well and only really work with all three taken into context.

tl;dr MCU has inherent pacing issues based on how the entire project is structured

Odradek

I am posting here to let you know that I am not going to post in this thread after this post.

Everyone feel free.

Salix Babylonika

3 cents on the MCU

One-Winged Eagle

None of those things are things I care about.

Salix Babylonika

we skipped four and went straight to five, FIVE cents on the MCU.

Alduin

then what do you care about

One-Winged Eagle

I care about aesthetics, characterization, and marketing.

For example, Thor: Dark World was a major disappointment on the aesthetical front. Incredible Hulk did not have very good characterization. And they need to stop pushing Iron Man in general because I am sick of him.

Yarrun XIX

I find that the  major issue of the MCU is that, regardless of how highly you see what they're doing, they've inspired a generation of copycats who do not have the skill.

Everybody and their mother is trying to build a franchise and for the most part, screwing it up.

Alduin

TBF that happens with every good thing that becomes popular. People look at the surface traits and disregard what made it good, and the end result is superficial and derivative.

Salix Babylonika

the thing is that the surface trait here is "movies that are tied to 20-entry franchises", which affects way more movies by default than other trends would.

Alduin

That is true!

Alduin

I honestly think that this is why Daredevil works. It's because a series has enough screen-time to pace things properly, so that we're engaged in the characters' struggles and care about what they're going to do next. I think that Marvel's Defenders does what the "main" MCU does better at this point.

Of course, the reason such a thing exists at all is because the MCU has established enough brand power to take such risks, and I respect that.