Things That Bother You About Moving Pictures

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It's simultaneously funny and disturbing that she can crack that joke.

[Daxdiv]

Why does that 1 kid not have ice cream?

[Dr. Insomniac]

Why does that 1 kid not have ice cream?

Because he already got a lick.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I've been thinking a lot about the growing complaints that people have about MCU movies and the superhero genre in general. I may elaborate more on this subject later, but as it stands here are my thoughts on the subject:

Yes, there are certainly valid criticisms that can be said about plenty of superhero flicks, and yes, Marvel Studios is not above making some dumb decisions from time to time (particularly in how they've over-controlled or outright turned away some of their creative talent in the past); Kevin Feige has even willingly admitted some of their past mistakes and more importantly shows a desire to improve from that.

No, these movies aren't "killing cinema," or actively making people dumber. The more I hear these accusations and look into their corresponding arguments, the more baseless hypocrisy I notice. Hollywood as an industry has a lot of problems, but the MCU itself is not one of them. Numerous head executives of competing studios trying so hard to replicate Marvel's hard-earned success without grasping the concepts of what makes their business format work (namely, actual good movies with heart to them) is definitely a problem, but then again, Hollywood executives trying to cash in on whatever's popular without getting the point has been going on for about as long as the industry has existed, so I don't quite understand how that's Marvel's fault for being among the few studios to actually do their job right.

In short, I'm just getting tired of all of the bashing that I feel the genre at large (and particularly the MCU) undeservedly gets. I can understand bashing a movie like Batman V. Superman individually for being a piece of shit all on its own. But this logic doesn't make much sense to me on movies like Guardians of the Galaxy or The Winter Soldier.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Anyone who makes the argument that the MCU is killing cinema are bitter snobs that prop themselves up as pristine film buffs the same way a Yelp critic deludes themselves into thinking they're a food connoisseur. And besides, most of these people complaining are usually from /tv/, the 4chan board that even other boards think is garbage.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It's more annoying specifically when it comes from people within the film industry, though, like Alejandro González Iñárritu or Jodie Foster, along with other like-minded individuals. While I don't have any particular issues with people expressing their opinions on a genre, whether I agree with them or not, what bothers me in these cases is that their comments of their distaste in the superhero genre and how it ruins cinema is just that: comments without basis. Neither of them or their like-minded peers ever offer up anything in the way of actual arguments or examples of how the existence of the genre as it is has stopped the kinds of movies that they prefer from being made or being successful in their own right. What bothers me more than that, though, are the droves of pretentious, mindless idiots that blindly agree with everything that they say.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Also, I don't get why people act as if superheroes changing blockbuster cinema is a bad thing. For the most part, blockbuster cinema has always been hit or miss. Do people really want to go back to the days when films like Independence Day and Liar Liar dominated the box office? Arthouse cinema, foreign films, and indie flicks still exist today and aren't being harmed by the presence of superhero films, so complaining about it is nonsense.

[gunswordfist]

  There's nothing wrong with Independence Day or Liar Liar.

[Foggle]

While I maybe rag on some of the MCU films a bit too much, I would argue that they're actually doing the opposite of "killing cinema." While I'm not a huge fan of every Marvel release, the fact that blockbuster movies which are overall positive and fun are super popular right now makes me happy. I love artistic and experimental cinema but I love popcorn films and campy B-movies just as much. I harbor no ill will toward Snyder or his fans but I'm sincerely glad that Batman v. Superman and its ilk aren't the face of mainstream cinema right now.

I don't remember much about Independence Day but I did love it as a kid.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

On top of that there's also the fact that Marvel has been giving lesser-known and more talented film-makers the reigns to break into the mainstream by directing entries in the MCU, which has made phase three in particular a marked improvement in quality for them.

Yes, they did make the mistake of over-controlling the creative freedom of directors in the past, which in particular negatively affected Joss Whedon in making Age of Ultron and outright turned away directors like Edgar Wright. Kevin Feige even admitted that this was a mistake and changed things up to allow directors to have more input on future films, which has been proven recently. I honestly couldn't see other big studios entrusting big IPs to directors like James Gunn, Taika Waititi, or Ryan Coogler given their relatively limited filmographies before their Marvel debuts, yet each of these choices was a big success both critically and commercially. And you can't tell me that a movie like Black Panther feels anywhere close to tonally similar to something like Thor or Guardians. Each of these directors brings a sense of authorship to their respective movies that make them stand out despite being part of the same shared Universe. However, it annoys me that people are somehow either so quick to forget this fact or just outright ignore it. The MCU is far from perfect, but Marvel Studios has done a damn good job of finding ways to continuously improve themselves and stay relevant, which is something that very few other film franchises can boast.

Also, I don't care if it falls under the category of "just another dumb comic book movie" or whatever you want to call it; I'm excited for Avengers: Infinity War not because I just want to see tons of blatant fan-service, but because Marvel has made me a fan of their heroes and Universe by carefully crafting it over the past ten years, and the prospect of this and part four (next year) being the official conclusion to this era of MCU films feels well-earned to me. I mean, yes, phase four and onward will obviously happen, but all of their original IPs will be definitively over by next year to make way for new series in their canon.

[Dr. Insomniac]

I stopped taking MCU criticism seriously when I noticed that 90% of the negative reception I saw came from rambling headcases complaining about SJW propaganda and how Marvel's promoting white genocide and the emasculation of American culture. If those kind of people are getting mad at superhero movies, then keep the capes coming.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

"The Avengers: Infinity War" isn't just a gussied-up mediocrity being widely mistaken for a good movie. It's also, at least arguably, a dangerous movie for anyone who cares about the future of American cinema.

https://www.salon.com/2018/04/27/the-avengers-infinity-war-not-just-a-mediocre-muddled-mess-but-possibly-a-dangerous-precedent/

See what I mean? Regardless of what anyone thinks of the film, we get bung-holes with this seriously misguided notion that really just irritates me to no end. And yes, I actually read the article in full and the thing that I don't think the reviewer gets is that this movie isn't being advertised as a stand-alone feature nor is it meant to be. It's the culmination of several movies, and thus it's plot threads are really built off from those films, rather than being outright rushed.

Now to say that one doesn't care for a movie of this nature is fair. It's personal opinion and that's absolutely fine. To say that it's a "dangerous precedent" that will "ruin cinema" is fucking stupid. And the notion that people "mistakenly" call this a good movie just reeks of condescension from the reviewer, as if any opinions disagreeing with his own are invalid and come from people "not smart enough" to discern true quality.

People with this mentality can go shove their opinions up their ass for all I care.

[Dr. Insomniac]

This guy The New Yorker writes as if this were the first MCU movie he's ever watched. And he inexplicably thinks the movie is an allegory for American foreign policy.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, to lay it out straight, I hate SJW-shenanigans as much as anyone else with a sane mind does. That said, I'm noticing an increasing crowd of fanatics who are rallying against big blockbuster Hollywood franchises like Marvel and Star Wars for what they perceive to be pushing SJW propaganda and that this is what's ruining the industry. On the one hand, yes, there are definitely cases of stupid BS politics making their way into all kinds of fiction in various mediums, including film. On the other hand, it's like some of this crowd is so lacking in self-awareness that they don't realize that they themselves are being just as soulless and mindless as any SJW in how they try to view entertainment in extremes.

Like, it's alright to dislike The Last Jedi all you want (I personally think that it's a decent movie with some big flaws), but for all of it's perceived issues, Kathleen Kennedy and Rian Johnson trying to push politically correct views on Star Wars fans isn't one of them, because....you know....that isn't actually a thing.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Obviously, anybody who thinks a mainstream Hollywood movie is out to promote Marxism or far-left agendas, when in reality they're meant to make money and continue a franchise which is about as antithetical to those ideas as you can get, has a screw or two loose. Casting a woman or a black guy in a lead role isn't the radical political statement they like to think it is. Or those guys who think Star Trek Discovery is too political correct when it's less diverse than Deep Space Nina or Voyager.