After a few weeks, I have finally finished my MCU binge. I had seen all of the Marvel movies to date, but not too long ago I felt the urge to revisit them and watch them in chronological order. I started from Phase 1, the first film being The Incredible Hulk, all the way to Phase 3 with the last film Spider-Man: Far From Home. In preparation for this post, I thought long and hard about what it was going to be. Would it be a Ranking? Analysis? Or a reflection. I found it easier to just lay out all my thoughts on the table.
I really like the MCU movies, to put it simply. I mean what’s not to like? Interesting characters, who are different and have distinct personalities, but are also full of charisma. Creative set pieces and visuals. The list goes on. When the MCU falters, it usually has to do with being overdramatic, formulaic, inconsistent in terms of narrative, etc. The marvel movies, in my personal opinion, are the kind of movies you can just turn off you’re brain off to, and be entertained by the given runtime. I don’t like the MCU is breaking any boundaries in terms of characters, story, or any aspect of filmmaking, and that is completely fine.
American-Italian Filmmaker Martin Scorsese once compared the MCU to theme parks. Scorsese stated “Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.” Because of this statement, there was of wave of backlash, but Scorsese still stands by what he said then. When I first heard of his comments, I was surprised. I didn’t hate him for it, but I disagreed. As time has passed on, I can’t help but acknowledge that there is some truth to that statement. The only comic book/superhero movie that I can think of, that truly challenged it’s audience, was and still is, The Dark Knight. Now I am not gonna compare the two franchises or films within them, but Marvel hasn’t made a movie with that kind of impact. Marvel is for the most part, looked at as a spectacle, a franchise that stays in it’s lane for the majority of the time. From time to time, we will get a movie from the MCU, that is a little bit more mature than the others. It is always a nice surprise and we leave the film with a little bit more than what we came in with. However, most of these movies are the same in many aspects.
Maybe it’s the fact that I have seen a wide variety of cinema, and my film taste has been sculpted differently each time. The MCU isn’t the most important franchise in the world, but they are fun movies that we can sometimes become attached to whether we are aware of it or not. It is also a nice form of escapism.
Cedric Cinema 