Marvel Movie Madness

[Primula Baggins]

Me either!

[Primula Baggins]

Me either!

[Frelga]

Overpowered?

[Frelga]

I saw it. I don't really know what to say.

They did pull off a coherent story with an enormous cast, I will at least say that.

[yovargas]

Oh come now, I need more than that!!

[Frelga]

Well. Now that I had time to think about it, I'd rank it towards the middle of the MCU string. At no point in the movie was I moved to shed a tear, which is a crime given how I feel about some of the characters.

Also, the premise was stupid. In comics, AFAIK, Thanos goes on rampage because he is in love with the personification of Death. That was the "court death" reference at the end of the Avengers. Here, I guess Thanos missing the obvious solution to his (stupid) problem would just mean that he's an evil hypocrite, but he explains it to the alleged geniuses Strange and Stark, and they miss it too.

Hidden text.

Like, dude! You've got the stones, you can create resources as easily as you can destroy people, maybe chill a moment?

Overall, it works when it's funny, it works as an entertaining action movie, but I have expected more.

[yovargas]

Aww, that is not the reaction I was hoping for.

On the Thanos thing....

Hidden text.

There's been a lot of talk about whether or not Thanos' plan makes sense with many people saying, like you, he should have just increased resources. While I get the criticism, I don't agree that it's a flaw in the movie. To say "once he got all this power, why didn't he do something constructive instead of destructive?" ignores how often, in the real world, all-powerful tyrants have done horribly destructive things with their power when they could just have easily done constructive things. That parallel to real world tyrants maybe doesn't work examined under a microscope - real world tyrants don't get magic wands to solve their problems which strains the comparison a bit - but I think broadly, the underlying truth is the same: the road to absolute power turns even well-intentioned men into myopic zealots. And myopic zealots aren't known for listening to reason.

IMO the movie shows us that he's such a zealot, who thinks that he has been called upon to "balance" life with death. That his rationalization for why he wants to do this doesn't seem like great thinking is not very different at all from all the terrible things humans have done because they believe in that their insane calling is "good".

As to the movie in general, it is certainly not perfect by any means and, like all of these movies, I could pick through tons and tons of little things that bugged me. (My biggest issue is that IMo the Guardians-style humor did not fit in well with the rest of the tone of the movie. Many of those jokes landed with a thud for me.) But overall there is this epicness to the movie, this sense of grandeur, that I don't think I have felt in a movie since Lord of the Rings. Not to say that this movie is anywhere near the high level of quality of those films, not even close really, but it is the last time I can recall a movie where I felt so swept away by its epic sweep.

[Frelga]

It's not the reaction I was hoping for, either. I brought tissues! (In a Civil War themed package.)

But I am gratified that you invited my reaction.

I do agree with you that it was visually very good, but that's never been enough for me. They managed all those characters very well, mixed them up in fun ways, and gave each their moments. The Bucky and Rocket scene was pure fan service. But the movie left me with no time to feel. And it had no time for resolution of the complicated relationships. OK, life's like that sometimes, but that's why we have fiction.

Someone spoilers, although very, very non-specific.

Hidden text.

Instead, they focused on the two characters that fans frankly care about the least. The grand coda of ten years of epic is not the time for that!

Sebastian Stan, as usual, steals the show with very few lines. That resigned, "Where's the fight?", because why else would anyone do this for him. And that quiet, "Steve?" I wanted the whole movie to be like that.

As for Thanos, like I said, I can see why HE missed the obvious. That all the good guys did only implies that he may have had a point.

I'm not saying it's not good, I'm saying Winter Soldier is better.

[yovargas]

I do agree with you that it was visually very good, but that's never been enough for me. They managed all those characters very well, mixed them up in fun ways, and gave each their moments. The Bucky and Rocket scene was pure fan service. But the movie left me with no time to feel. And it had no time for resolution of the complicated relationships.

I can understand that reaction. I can see wanting that to be what this movie was about. But instead they made a different choice, one that was risky and unexpected - they made Thanos the protagonist and our heroes the side characters. If the movie works at all, and obviously it does for me, it is because Thanos is a compelling enough of a presence to carry the story which in my opinion he thoroughly is.

The movie is very much counting on you to bring your prior emotional connections to all the heroes into this movie because it has no interest in building or exploring them at this point. I understand that being a problem for some but for me, seeing how all of these characters that I've grown too love stand up to and face off with the greatest threat they have all faced was easily the most emotionally resonant of all these Marvel movies.

Hidden text.

Side note - James Gunn, the writer of Guardians, said Groot's last line was "Dad?"

[Frelga]

yov, should we take this to a separate thread before we are kicked out?

I just wanna say, has anyone commented on

Hidden text.

Steve wearing his old shield harness the whole time even though it's been two years since he's worn the shield?

That's not all I want to say, but I need to adult for a while.

[yovargas]

Frelga - not sure what you are trying to say? Or are you just remarking on the interesting detail? Because I missed that both times!

[Frelga]

Yeah, just remarking. Obviously not a random choice, but never commented on. Like, did anyone call him out on it at any point?

[yovargas]

No time to comment on such things, Thanos is coming!

[Frelga]

No time to comment on such things, Thanos is coming!

There was time to comment on Thor's haircut. Apparently that was improvised.

The Russos also said that

Hidden text.

the Galaga guy from the Avengers died in the Thanos Snap, just as he was about to beat his high score

[Frelga]

OK, I know I had complaints about the Civil War, but it's a flawless masterpiece compared to Batman vs. Superman. That's just dire.

[yovargas]

That is some damning with faint praise right there.

[Frelga]

That is some damning with faint praise right there.

It's not meant to be, actually. Civil War was a satisfying movie in every respect except for the premise, and I managed to ignore the illogical parts while watching. BvS was... not a satisfying movie.

[yovargas]

If nothing else, BvS gave us the legendary Martha scene, which has brought me countless laughs.

[Frelga]

Ugh, that was embarrassing to watch. It will never cease to amaze me when movies spend millions on special effects but apparently use an alpha version of a knitting AI to write the dialog.

P. S.: Deadpool take on the Martha scene
https://www.polygon.com/comics/2017/7/5 ... a-deadpool

[Frelga]

Aquaman trailer looks terrible, TBH. But dayum does Jason Momoa look good.