Well, this continues the phase 4 trend of great D+ shows (mostly) and really, really underwhelming, disappointing films. I think I'll just mentally wrap it in a bow at the end of phase 3 and let the MCU die to me. So much wasted potential.
Damn. I haven't seen What If or Moon Knight yet but I've loved the shows (except Hawkeye) and the only film I haven't liked is Eternals. And Black Widow if that's phase 4. What do you think it is that you dislike about the new phase?
In some cases, it is individual things about certain films. But I can definitely make some generalizations about the entire phase:
1. The multiverse is a really stupid concept and I hate it. It is too much of a license to do whatever they want to do, to ignore inconsistencies, and it is a dumb excuse to pull in weaker franchises and "pollute"/"dilute" an otherwise stellar franchise through 23 films. That said, I won't give them too much flak for this because it is a conscious writing decision rather than just accidental poor writing, and if that's the direction they want to go, so be it. But I mention it because you asked what
I don't like, specifically.
2. The "third act problem" seems much more glaring in phase 4 than any other sustained period in the MCU. Even when you had massive CGI-fests in the finale of earlier films, they felt like they had much more of a point that had a connection to the themes and emotional appeals of the films. The final battle in Age of Ultron, for example, was a logical conclusion to the film, and the film had built up to that moment, thematically, emotionally, and logically. To contrast that with Shang Chi, for example, that film was about family and about finding oneself and one's place in family and in the world at large. The final confrontation between Shang Chi and Xu Wenwu should have been the focal point. But instead, that got diluted and way overshadowed by a fight with 2 giant CGI dragons, which was thematically, tonally, and emotionally
dissonant from what the film had been focused on up to that point. And it's a real shame, because that film could have and should have been awesome. But once they got to Ta Lo, once I got past how visually stunning everything was, I just found myself not caring much what happened. Because there was no reason to. Too much of phase 4 falls into the same trap, albeit maybe not quite as badly as Shang Chi (with the exception of Eternals, which missed the mark even farther).
3. Bad writing. There are way too many times when things happen "just because" or a character does something that is completely out of character or lacks sufficient motivation (think Anakin's instantaneous turn and willingness to go kill kids in Revenge of the Sith). Or plot points that just don't belong in Marvel films. Once we can post spoilers about this film, there is a LOT I can write in that regard. And there is one character moment in particular that drove me bananas because there is NO WAY that character makes that decision.
4. Phase 4 has The Eternals, which is one of the worst "superhero" films of all time, and is not worthy of the Marvel name.
Topic: Dr Strange in The Multiverse of Madness --- SPOILERS ALLOWED --- (Read 19205 times)