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Marvel Cinematic General Discussion 7


Calibandar

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5 hours ago, Argonath Diver said:

Red Snow, I apologize for the vitriol in that post. I would blame the whisky, but as a bartender, I know that's really not an excuse to be mean. You're a great poster here and don't deserve snark, I know you didn't mean anything, and what I read won't really affect my enjoyment of the movie. Cheers, mate.

I should count myself lucky, I won't have time to watch more Stranger Things untll the weekend, and have somehow managed to hide from all conversations about it all week! (Knock on wood)

No worries - I honestly didn't detect any hostility from you. I'd have been more pissed if I'd been the victim of sloppy spoiler awareness. I'm just kicking myself as I tend to do this at least once a year and should know better.

Speaking of Stranger Things - I've been trying to avoid spoilers while working my way through the second season and was pretty annoyed at screenrant doing a "character who remains unnamed does x" with a picture of ONE character from the show attached to the headline. Great.

4 hours ago, RumHam said:

Not really part of the MCU, but apparently New Warriors is looking good and won't air on Freeform

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/marvels-new-warriors-wont-air-freeform-series-will-be-shopped-1052696

I'm clearly not reading enough genre news sites as I completely missed there was a "new warriors" show in development. I think I maybe conflated it with "runaways". Although it seems "new warriors" has a much stronger comedy angle. It's an approach that hasn't really worked with superheroes so far.

Interesting that Disney has apparently told Marvel they aren't allowed to sell shows to non-Disney properties in the future. Guess they are shoring up material for their own streaming service. It's a shame the streaming world is expanding. Part of the appeal of online streaming was only needing a handful to cover pretty much everything. If the big companies force their way into the arena it's going to mean the content is diluted in terms of having to pay for multiple accounts. There obviously has to be more than one to prevent a monopoly but the drive for exclusive content makes it trickier as a consumer.

 

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8 hours ago, denstorebog said:

Don't worry guys, Calibandar is dead wrong on this one.

 

No one's opinion on a movie can be wrong, one feels how one feels about a movie (or any other art) and all we can ask for is an honest expression of how one felt. Out of step with most of the audience, sure, and divergent from my own opinion, definitely.

Wrong on points of fact, yes. There might be a couple of factual things about which he's wrong, but mostly he's expressing an opinion, which happens to be different to most.

11 hours ago, Eggegg said:

I wanted to like 'What we do in the shadows', but I found the humour didn't hit the mark. I'm a massive fan of Jemaine Clement and Flight of the Conchords but this wasn't anywhere near as funny as I was hoping for. I have seen a bit of Hunt for the Wilderpeople and enjoyed what I saw, but again its not laugh out loud funny. 

There has been a massive trend towards improv style comedy in movies these days, and when it works its hilarious. But it needs good quality comedians and comic actors to make it work, and they need direction. If you watch the Ghostbusters remake you can see how it can all fall flat on its face if the talent isn't there. ( I don't mean Kristen Wiig btw who is someone who can do it) 

Thor 3 is possibly not for you then.

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Saw it, thought it was clearly the most weird of any of the MCU films.  There were huge amounts of comedy, and I get why people said it was comedy first and action second.  The irony being, it was probably the most brutal of the films.  Some of the guys considered "good", committed murder at whim, plenty of semi-important characters kick the bucket, and overall some of the themes around Odin, family, Asgard, are very dark.  There is also some of the more poignant dialogue between Loki and Thor that has occurred.  It veers from one extreme to the other, and I did finding the lack of, um, weight? importance? consequences? given to the dark elements to be a little jarring.  

I did enjoy it though. 

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17 hours ago, ants said:

Saw it, thought it was clearly the most weird of any of the MCU films.  There were huge amounts of comedy, and I get why people said it was comedy first and action second.  The irony being, it was probably the most brutal of the films.  Some of the guys considered "good", committed murder at whim, plenty of semi-important characters kick the bucket, and overall some of the themes around Odin, family, Asgard, are very dark.  There is also some of the more poignant dialogue between Loki and Thor that has occurred.  It veers from one extreme to the other, and I did finding the lack of, um, weight? importance? consequences? given to the dark elements to be a little jarring.  

I did enjoy it though. 

This may have been not quite the right Thor to be mainly a comedy. In some ways you'd say the Dark World should have been the comedy and Ragnarok should have played it straight(er). I mean, dark elves from outer space, that sounds funny right? Ragnarok (the destruction of Asgard) and the end of the world, does not immediately invoke thoughts of mirth. But they played dark elves from outer space straight, and it didn;t work all that well, so they felt a need to mix it up and go for funny. And for the most part it worked. It probably worked better than it should have, thanks to all of the talent involved.

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On 10/30/2017 at 2:48 PM, The Anti-Targ said:

Do we know if they haven't done this? Only US critics have seen the movie so far in the USA and they probably wouldn't mention subtitles for Korg's dialogue in their reviews. US board members please report once you see it.

Another thing I wonder about is how does the NZ accent play with audiences? It's hard to know how others perceive it. For me it's somewhat jarring hearing my own accent pop up in a context where it does not normally appear, even when I know its coming. In this case Taika kind of accentuated the accent by also giving Korg a vocal tone that would be unexpected from a monster made of stone. In other situations (such as some of the LOTR and Hobbit actors) the NZ accent is deliberately toned down and is less noticeable.

Hardly the perspective you're asking for, given I'm Australian, but the jarring accent was so perfect - I absolutely loved his contribution. I loved the movie as a whole for that matter, and I've loved all 3 Thor movies now which seems to put me in a small group.

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On 10/30/2017 at 3:48 AM, The Anti-Targ said:

Do we know if they haven't done this? Only US critics have seen the movie so far in the USA and they probably wouldn't mention subtitles for Korg's dialogue in their reviews. US board members please report once you see it.

Another thing I wonder about is how does the NZ accent play with audiences? It's hard to know how others perceive it. For me it's somewhat jarring hearing my own accent pop up in a context where it does not normally appear, even when I know its coming. In this case Taika kind of accentuated the accent by also giving Korg a vocal tone that would be unexpected from a monster made of stone. In other situations (such as some of the LOTR and Hobbit actors) the NZ accent is deliberately toned down and is less noticeable.

I loved the accent - it took me a little bit to place because sometimes I think the Kiwi accent sounds a lot like a South African accent (to my untrained ears).

Generally, I thought this movie was a huge amount of fun and I enjoyed all of it. It had the same flaws of other Marvel movies in that the villain ends up be inconsequential because you know the heroes are going to win the day. What I did like about this, is the very real consequences at the end of the movie. That is going to be interesting in how it's handled in the next installment.

I'm not a a comic book aficionado so happy with not taking itself to seriously route this one went. I'll happily see it again. Also I love a bit of retro with my movies (one thought did occur: given the success of GoTG and the retro stuff there was this a conscious effort to tap into that nostalgia?).

 

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I liked Ragnarok a ton, almost in spite of itself. If there's one thing that got on my nerves in all the reviews was the overuse of the adjective "fun." I feel like, if you say that word enough, it becomes white noise. You get paid to review things -- try and come up with a better variety of adjectives. But, after seeing this movie, I can't think of any other way to describe it. It is what it is.

I think you could argue that some of the comedy undermines a lot of the heavy stuff that happens in this movie, almost to the point where it doesn't register that someone important just bit it. But, the thing is, the movie is so funny, that you forgive certain moments being trivialized because the movie delivers in sheer entertainment value.

Spoiler

For example, I wanted them to linger more on what Odin's death meant for Loki and Thor.

I think this is the most "at home" Hemsworth has been with the character. He's a great comedic actor and he felt energized in this role. I liked the fact that they gave Hulk a true character in this film outside of just being a WMD -- Hulk is as likeable as Banner now. Tessa Thompson was a standout as Valkyrie and warrants a beefed up presence in the MCU, outside of just the Thor films. Loki was funny in this film, but I felt like he -- more than anyone else -- really suffered from the tone. The entire Asgard takeover plot of the last film was resolved within about two minutes. Loki was in the movie, but he didn't truly feel IN the movie. Cate Blanchett's Hela was good, but not necessarily great. She owned when she was on screen, but it mostly just made you want them to do more with her. Still, she defies the standard "MCU has weak villains" narrative.

Overall, I liked it and it has tons of rewatch value, but I wouldn't necessarily put it in my top 5. The interesting thing is, there are movies in my top 5 that don't have as much rewatch value as Ragnarok...and it's a testament to how "fun" this movie is. You can't help wanting to watch it.

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This movie was fantastic.  It’s a comic book movie and more than practically any other Marvel movie, it understands that.  Everything about this movie hit the right notes for me.

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I really enjoyed it and it came so close to being great but fell just short.
 

 

I wish Marvel (Disney) would stop needing to put in some big fight with numerous chumps in their movies.  It's just..boring.  This one even had a couple of really striking shots (and Immigrant Song) and even with the shocking decision to change Thor into Raiden, it still couldn't stop the boredom.

I'm very confident that the Director probably had planned for them to get the people out and turn the helmet on with the only fight being Thor vs Hela to distract her and maybe Hulk vs wolf but then the call came down from on high to add in the faceless automatons because it looks kewl. I'm just sick of that shit.

Up until that though I loved it, I especially loved Jeff Goldblum and the rock guy.

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On 11/4/2017 at 0:35 AM, Chaldanya said:

I loved the accent - it took me a little bit to place because sometimes I think the Kiwi accent sounds a lot like a South African accent (to my untrained ears).

Generally, I thought this movie was a huge amount of fun and I enjoyed all of it. It had the same flaws of other Marvel movies in that the villain ends up be inconsequential because you know the heroes are going to win the day. What I did like about this, is the very real consequences at the end of the movie. That is going to be interesting in how it's handled in the next installment.

I'm not a a comic book aficionado so happy with not taking itself to seriously route this one went. I'll happily see it again. Also I love a bit of retro with my movies (one thought did occur: given the success of GoTG and the retro stuff there was this a conscious effort to tap into that nostalgia?).

 

I'm note sure "win the day" is necessarily the correct description of the outcome of the movie. Honestly, who actually predicted this outcome, aside from people who know the comics (I assume the same outcome happened in the comics, so comic fans would know what was going to go down?). Surely Ragnarok is as far a departure from winning the day as any MCU movie is likely to get aside from Infinity War, which is really part 1 of a 2-part movie, where the heroes will still win the day.

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On 11/4/2017 at 7:55 PM, Slurktan said:

I really enjoyed it and it came so close to being great but fell just short.
 

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I wish Marvel (Disney) would stop needing to put in some big fight with numerous chumps in their movies.  It's just..boring.  This one even had a couple of really striking shots (and Immigrant Song) and even with the shocking decision to change Thor into Raiden, it still couldn't stop the boredom.

I'm very confident that the Director probably had planned for them to get the people out and turn the helmet on with the only fight being Thor vs Hela to distract her and maybe Hulk vs wolf but then the call came down from on high to add in the faceless automatons because it looks kewl. I'm just sick of that shit.

Up until that though I loved it, I especially loved Jeff Goldblum and the rock guy.

@ the spoiler bit. Agreed it's one part of the formula that needs to become rare. Doesn't need to disappear completely, but the majority of movies shouldn't have it.

However, expect Captain Marvel to have it, given what we know the context for the movie will be.

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Thor Ragnarok

Wow! What an incredibly enjoyable film. I feel like this is the MCU version of a well-earned ice cream treat (Or whatever sort of desert you might enjoy if you’re lactose intolerant) . Allow me to briefly elaborate on that analogy. If you have been a fan of the MCU and saw all the films up until now, ate every bit the MCU has thrown out at you over the past decade, then Ragnarok rewarded your loyalty and investment with these characters in a big way. Despite the overall humorous tone some really huge, MCU altering events occur.

 All the little in-jokes and pieces of dialogue that relate to past MCU events and characters sprinkled in amongst the new characters in worlds was just blended perfectly in opinion. Granted, most of Hela’s origin and motivation was given in exposition, however, Cate Blanchett was just chewing up the scenery so well and in such a completely kick ass costume that I really didn’t give a fuck that her character wasn’t better fleshed out. Even Skurge had a great little character arc.

Donutella is right in that despite big stakes for Thor, the humor undercut the film’s sense of urgency.  But again, you’re having so much fun watching these characters that you really don’t mind. Or at least I didn’t.

 And is it just me, or is anyone else planning on seeing this again while it’s in theaters? I saw it in IMAX, and  I will probably be going back to catch it in 3-D. 

Comic and film spoilers

 

I like how this was a mash up of two of my favorite runs from the Marvel Comics in recent memory, although Planet Hulk isn’t so recent. The other is the current Jason Aaron run on Thor. The way it happened is different than it went down the comics, but Asgard fell, Thor lost a  major body part (in the film and I and the Comics I believe he still has both of his eyes but he has lost an arm), Odin is dead (or should I say “dead”), Loki and Thor’s relationship was pitch perfect, and they even managed to squeeze in a tiny bit of pathos for Banner/Hulk. The Sakaar stuff was way different than the comics, but a halfway decent animated adaptation  was done a while back, and we did see Korg play a major role in the film, so I won’t hate on it.

Minor(?) nitpicks on the film.

 

Ragnarok had absolutely zero respect for previous Thor secondary characters. Jane Foster got a short mention, but the rest of Team Mew Mew got no love.

And speaking of no love, the Warriors Three are mowed down unceremoniously from the start.  I’m guessing it’s a good thing the actress who plays Lady SIF had scheduling conflicts and couldn’t be in the movie or else she would be dead as well. I’m hoping she was just away from Asgard and can show up again in Infinity War. Valkyrie was such a great new character  that I don’t consider Sif’s absence a major flaw, but she could have at least gotten a mention.

Too little Banner/Hulk.  I’m not sure how you would’ve put more of them in there with the film already so jampacked, but I still would’ve liked more. I guess it’s too much to hope that a standalone Hulk film will happen that could explore his two years on Sakaar. Ah well.

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4 minutes ago, Bastard of Boston said:

Meanwhile Newscorp would get a huge cash injection to continue its mission to destroy equality, and democracy. I swear if Disney goes through with this im boycotting everything with their name on it.

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11 minutes ago, Relic said:

Meanwhile Newscorp would get a huge cash injection to continue its mission to destroy equality, and democracy. I swear if Disney goes through with this im boycotting everything with their name on it.

Lighten up, Francis.

I rather like the news because it gives the MCU access to two of Marvel's greatest villains: Dr. Doom and Magneto. I've agreed with the MCU criticism that they've had weak villains. I wonder if they would greenlight Secret Wars ?

 

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