Comic Book Movies

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Watched the movie and, yeah, I can attest to it being a pretty big dud. Like most people, I at least like Johnathan Majors' performance as Kang, but even then the writing leaves a lot to be desired (the AEMH version of the character somehow comes off as more menacing in concept than the live-action interation).

I have to admit, my stock in the MCU is at an all-time low at this point. I'm still excited for Guardians 3 but that almost feels MCU adjacent since James Gunn mostly seems to be left alone to do his own thing (for the better), but it's the only MCU project by a long stretch that I currently have any interest in.

I'm still at a point where I will probably see all the movies out of a sense of obligation and maybe catch some of the Disney + shows if they manage to peak my interest, but I'm getting much closer to falling off the wagon altogether.

I'll still always fondly remember the Infinity Saga for the most part, but it's starting to feel more and more like the MCU should have ended there.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Yeah, it just reminds me of when the X-Men movies needed a wake-up call after X3 and Origins (to the MCU's credit, nothing in Phase 4 was as bad as either of those films, but still). I assume Guardians 3 will be cool, I'll probably end up watching The Marvels when it comes out on streaming and think "meh", and really hoping Captain America: NWO echos the good parts of Falcon and Winter Soldier.


Maybe I'll be more forgiving if they adapt this panel.

[Avaitor]

There are a couple of things that I liked about Quantumania, but it just isn't very good, and while I know Peyton Reed wanted a movie with higher stakes, I don't think he was ready to handle something this big. I'd much rather have a third Ant-Man like the first two, with Michael Pena and the boys, or maybe even a series. Because those worked fine doing their own thing while this has a lot of the franchise's biggest sins- poor CG visuals, weak comic relief during supposedly series moments, an underwhelming "all hands on deck" final battle scene.

As for what I did like, Jonathan Majors does good work with whatever they're doing with Kang, and I like the cast enough (even if I'll take 616 Janet over Michelle Pfeiffer's take any day) to appreciate some of what they're doing. I especially like how Cassie is basically her dad, thinking entirely about the present without having much regard for what goes next. Kathryn Newton gets a little annoying, though.

[Avaitor]

I came into Shazam! Fury of the Gods with an open mind, even though I respected the first film more than I really liked it, and it's just not very good. The story was weak and didn't quite add up, primarily for the kids/heroes. Freddie was probably the closest character to having a complete arc, but I thought that Billy and Mary's stories didn't go anywhere, while the other three were just there. And I appreciate the movie for trying new antagonists, but I was disappointed by Lucy Liu's lack of development. Helen Mirren turned out okay, and Rachel Zegler almost surprised me with her turn. The action was also unimpressive and the CG looked especially cheap.

If this is the end of this part of the DCEU, good riddance.

I will say this, though.

Spoiler

the ending reminded me of how badly I'm looking forward to Peacemaker season 2.

[close]

[Dr. Insomniac]

Spoiler

Yeah, I'm cool with James Gunn's wife being the DCEU's Coulson.

[close]

[Avaitor]

Also, something I just thought about- Mary's human actress now plays her in hero form, so was there a plan to replace the Shazamed-versions with their human actors when their characters turn 18? Billy is supposed to turn 18 soon in the movie's universe, so ostensibly he should be next, yet Levi is the face of the franchise.

I'd honestly be okay with it, because I prefer Billy's actor to Levi's performance, even though he's barely in this one. Although I've always hated the age swap trend where kids/teens who turn into adults act like much younger versions of themselves. I don't like it in Big, and it bugs me in both Shazam! movies.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Wouldn't have been my first choice, I'd have gone with Court of Owls, but okay.

[Avaitor]

It's a little surprising, since I felt like the first movie tried to double down on the realistic side of Batman, but this would definitely make it stand out from the Nolan trilogy.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Wasn't expecting Snyder and the Russos to break bread and talk to each other.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Just watched Guardians Vol. 3 and personally I loved it. Not sure I'd rank it above the first which I hold in high regard, but I need to watch it again. I can honestly say that it stuck the landing though.

I also don't get the complaints about the movie being too dark. It has some intense scenes for younger viewers, but no more than Infinity War or Endgame, and those movies weren't called too dark. I mean, God forbid that an MCU movie have some actual emotional weight to it instead of just being two hours of empty jokes.

Anyways, Gunn has yet to misfire for me, and I personally can't wait to see what he does with Superman.

[Foggle]

Just watched Guardians Vol. 3 and personally I loved it.

Same. I think it's the best film Marvel or Gunn have made, genuinely moving and beautiful in a way I didn't expect. I must have spent like 20 minutes of its runtime crying. Haven't gotten emotional like this over a piece of media in a long time. Just a wonderful movie all around, and I don't understand how people can complain about it being too dark when a lot of similar content has been in movies aimed at much younger audiences for decades. Kind of shocked the MPAA let them get away with that face reveal though!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Just watched Guardians Vol. 3 and personally I loved it.

Same. I think it's the best film Marvel or Gunn have made, genuinely moving and beautiful in a way I didn't expect. I must have spent like 20 minutes of its runtime crying. Haven't gotten emotional like this over a piece of media in a long time. Just a wonderful movie all around, and I don't understand how people can complain about it being too dark when a lot of similar content has been in movies aimed at much younger audiences for decades. Kind of shocked the MPAA let them get away with that face reveal though!

I still need to mull it over on whether I would rank this or Captain America as my favorite Marvel trilogy, but needless to say, I do love all three of these movies (the second one really does get better with each re-watch for me).

It really is the most raw emotion that I have ever gotten out of an MCU film. It's always interesting to me how much that can make-up for other shortcomings when a filmaker, cast, and crew are all talented enough to get you so emotionally invested in fictional characters. Like, if you asked me which was better between this and the first movie, it'd be very hard for me to answer since I do think that the first movie is actually much tighter in terms of pacing and editing and still has a very strong balance of humor and some genuine heartfelt emotion, but this movie really managed to bring those emotions out to the forefront of my mind in a way that very few films really can, but at the same time I do recognize that it has some sloppy execution and editing at certai parts.

More than anything, though, it's movies like this which is why I don't fully acknowledge the idea of "Superhero Fatigue" as so many people like to bring up. Don't misunderstand me, it is entirely possible to get sick of a genre and we are seeing that right now. Like many other people, I have been pretty burned on a lot of recent offerings whether it be Marvel, DC, or otherwise. But to me, it's never really the fault of a genre if what's being dished out is sub-par, it always comes down to how much actual passion is put into it by people who care and if it is actually executed well. James Gunn continually proves to me that he understands how to speak to an audience through his films, regardless of how silly they may be on the surface (that is probably the most endearing thing about them to me). The core of his stories are always about human relationships and our varying emotional responses and developments to them.

What's interesting to me is that, while the reception to the movie has been mostly positive from what I can tell, the vocal naysayers are kind of baffling to me in some of their criticisms. Like, there are definitely valid reasons to not like this or any of James Gunn's movies, but when I see people complaining about things that clearly have a reason behind them in this movie it just makes me tilt my head and be puzzled by what I'm hearing or reading in how much people can seem to miss the point. For example, one review I came across said that this movie was too "been there, done that" because the whole quirky space shtick was old hat now that other MCU movies have done that as well. I mean, yeah, the general amalgamation of tone and genre set to a licensed music track has been copied to death ever since the first Guardians of the Galaxy. But, I mean, do these people not comprehend that there is difference in how well that style is actually executed. Guardians and The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker work because James Gunn makes that quirky tone his own and his song choices actually make sense of the context of his stories to evoke an emotional response. Movies like 2016's Suicide Squad or Thor: Love and Thunder or Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania don't work because despite attemptin to do something similar, they are jumbled messes of stories that fail to really make you connect with the characters or deliver on any kind of emotionally satisfying themes. To me, complaining about Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 because it's in the same genre as other not as good movies is like if you complained about The Shining for being a psychological horror movie and you have seen a lot of other horror movies that are not good, so somehow that makes this movie in question worse. It's an argument that makes no sense to me.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Finally watched Quantumania, and it felt like a really long Rick and Morty episode, but without the Roiland self-banter. Which you'd think is a good thing, but that means you're stuck with all the Beth/Jerry/Summer nagging that's just as annoying. Nothing but annoying generic jokes and the characters just being tired and lifeless, with a Quantum Realm that looks like something out of a bad Robert Rodriguez kids' movie. Never really liked any of the Ant-Man movies all that much, greatly prefer Scott as a side player than the lead, and this one emphasizes why his own POV doesn't work.

Which honestly made GOTG 3 far more enjoyable by comparison. There was more effort put in to make these alien worlds unique and still coherent, High Evolutionary is a fun villain who steals every scene he's in, and everything about Rocket's flashbacks are filled with so much dread because you just know even from the beginning that his animal friends aren't gonna make it. I don't get the "too dark" complaints either. Aside from maybe one face-off scene near the end, and maybe MCU movies need more shit like that.

Spoiler

Pretty surprised that Drax lives considering how vocal Bautista's been about being absolutely done with Marvel. What's great is the movie knows the audience is fully aware of that, so they throw a bunch of fakeout Drax deaths just to troll us.

[close]

[Avaitor]

I feel like every time Marvel is close to losing me, they win me back. Love and Thunder was a worst of both worlds scenario, but I loved Wakanda Forever. Then Quantumania lost the charm of the previous Ant-Man movies without picking up the stakes or weight that made the Avengers films matter, and just before I'm considering back out, Guardians Vol. 3 reminds me of why I love Gunn's super hero work. I think the heavier moments work here due to how well he's succeeded at making the characters likable and as well-defined as they are.

It's as fun as the previous films and Christmas special, but also the emotional finale these characters deserve. Honestly, I thought this was a better finale than Endgame, and I kind of wish that this could have ended with autographs from the cast ala that and Undiscovered Country.

So next is The Marvels, and I have to say that as someone who didn't have much use for Captain Marvel, this one is looking pretty fun so far. I think part of that is that I really liked the MCU's take on Kamala, and I get the feeling that making this a Ms. Marvel movie as much as CM 2 is the right direction to take the franchise. I don't have much of an opinion on Monica yet in the MCU (she didn't get much to do in WandaVision), but I'm happy to see her as a fan of her run in the Avengers back in the 80's. I'm not a Brie Larson hater but I can take or leave her as Carol.

[Dr. Insomniac]

Yeah, I'm really hoping there isn't a Marvel curse where only every other movie is good. Maybe hopefully, Kraven can take the blow so The Marvels can be the other movie.