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True. All the Marvel films are broadly the same. They've got absolutely nothing to say about the world or the human condition but they are of course entertain

by sdwa 9y ago

True. All the Marvel films are broadly the same. They've got absolutely nothing to say about the world or the human condition but they are of course entertaining (well, some of them anyway).

slg 9y ago
>They've got absolutely nothing to say about the world or the human condition Which is what made this show so special. Wolverine probably spent more time dealing with the death of Morph in this Saturday morning cartoon than characters in the MCU spend dealing with the death of their twin in PG-13 movies.
- cavanasm 9y ago
  Well, part of that is movies (especially action movies) aren't well equipped to deal with those things. The cartoon gets ~20 minutes a week for weeks on end, the movie gets ~2-2.5 hours in one sitting. TV show can devote an entire episode to something like that, or continue bringing it up in 1-2 minute segments. Movie has to get it over and done with.
  - slg 9y ago
    It isn't about length of screen time. The different mediums have different opportunities and obligations. What is important is the emotional weight of the screen time given. Plenty of movies, even super hero movies like Logan, are able to give that weight in short bursts.
BOBOTWINSTON 9y ago
"absolutely nothing to say" is a bit extreme. The Winter Soldier had a very clear political message, Guardians has always been about artificial family, every origin story movie is an individual overcoming some relatable human flaw. They aren't complicated, but they aren't Transformers/BvS. The victory lap movies tend to fall into your categorization at least (Avengers, Civil War, maybe Thor 3).
- brightball 9y ago
  Very similar to people who think the Rambo movies are just action movies. Every one of those movies had a political purpose.
dragontamer 9y ago
I've always liked Prozd's 30-second videos on the subject of MCU. * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zPEtyAsM94 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zPEtyAsM94 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNWFHLy2NI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNWFHLy2NI Iron Man was definitely fresh and new when it came out. But a lot of MCU movies have been more of the same. A lot of villains are simply evil counter-parts to the hero (the exceptions are basically Thor / Loki... Guardians of the Galaxy, and Spiderman). I still enjoy MCU movies, and have watched most of them. But the formula is becoming stale and old for sure.
kevinmchugh 9y ago
many of the marvel movies insist that power properly belongs to the strong, and that weak bureaucrats and politicians will be corrupted. You can identify the morally strong in the Marvel Universe by looking for the physically powerful. They certainly have something to say, and it's the typical propaganda of super hero fiction.
- swivelmaster 9y ago
  I strongly disagree with this. Part of Captain America’s story was that he was only given physical strength because he deserved it as a moral individual. Iron Man spends a few movies feeling guilty for being a war profiteer and trying to make up for it by doing good, and then in the post-Avengers movies he struggles even more with the idea that his heroics have resulted in just as much death and destruction as his weapons sales. Doctor Strange gains his power by being willing to question his beliefs and then work really hard. And of course there’s Spider Man, who tries to use his powers for good but ends up bumbling around and screwing things up most of the time because he needs to learn that teenagers don’t actually know everything and the wisdom of age is important. Winter Soldier specifically railed against giving the government too much power because it’s impossoble to ensure it will be used for good. I could go on, but hopefully I’ve made my point!
ilamont 9y ago
What about Deadpool?

by sdwa 9y ago

True. All the Marvel films are broadly the same. They've got absolutely nothing to say about the world or the human condition but they are of course entertaining (well, some of them anyway).

slg 9y ago

>They've got absolutely nothing to say about the world or the human condition Which is what made this show so special. Wolverine probably spent more time dealing with the death of Morph in this Saturday morning cartoon than characters in the MCU spend dealing with the death of their twin in PG-13 movies.

cavanasm 9y ago
Well, part of that is movies (especially action movies) aren't well equipped to deal with those things. The cartoon gets ~20 minutes a week for weeks on end, the movie gets ~2-2.5 hours in one sitting. TV show can devote an entire episode to something like that, or continue bringing it up in 1-2 minute segments. Movie has to get it over and done with.
- slg 9y ago
  It isn't about length of screen time. The different mediums have different opportunities and obligations. What is important is the emotional weight of the screen time given. Plenty of movies, even super hero movies like Logan, are able to give that weight in short bursts.

BOBOTWINSTON 9y ago

"absolutely nothing to say" is a bit extreme. The Winter Soldier had a very clear political message, Guardians has always been about artificial family, every origin story movie is an individual overcoming some relatable human flaw. They aren't complicated, but they aren't Transformers/BvS. The victory lap movies tend to fall into your categorization at least (Avengers, Civil War, maybe Thor 3).

brightball 9y ago
Very similar to people who think the Rambo movies are just action movies. Every one of those movies had a political purpose.

dragontamer 9y ago

I've always liked Prozd's 30-second videos on the subject of MCU. * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zPEtyAsM94 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zPEtyAsM94 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNWFHLy2NI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNWFHLy2NI Iron Man was definitely fresh and new when it came out. But a lot of MCU movies have been more of the same. A lot of villains are simply evil counter-parts to the hero (the exceptions are basically Thor / Loki... Guardians of the Galaxy, and Spiderman). I still enjoy MCU movies, and have watched most of them. But the formula is becoming stale and old for sure.

kevinmchugh 9y ago

many of the marvel movies insist that power properly belongs to the strong, and that weak bureaucrats and politicians will be corrupted. You can identify the morally strong in the Marvel Universe by looking for the physically powerful. They certainly have something to say, and it's the typical propaganda of super hero fiction.

swivelmaster 9y ago
I strongly disagree with this. Part of Captain America’s story was that he was only given physical strength because he deserved it as a moral individual. Iron Man spends a few movies feeling guilty for being a war profiteer and trying to make up for it by doing good, and then in the post-Avengers movies he struggles even more with the idea that his heroics have resulted in just as much death and destruction as his weapons sales. Doctor Strange gains his power by being willing to question his beliefs and then work really hard. And of course there’s Spider Man, who tries to use his powers for good but ends up bumbling around and screwing things up most of the time because he needs to learn that teenagers don’t actually know everything and the wisdom of age is important. Winter Soldier specifically railed against giving the government too much power because it’s impossoble to ensure it will be used for good. I could go on, but hopefully I’ve made my point!

ilamont 9y ago

What about Deadpool?