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... the action in the TV shows has been flat out mediocre. Flat visuals, murky gray sheen, blurry CGI veneer, haphazard editing.
The strength of Marvel has *always* been its casting and its weakness has, by and large, been its ability to construct memorable action. They'll nail bits and pieces here and there, yes, and a couple of movies have more bangers combined than the rest (and if you're thinking "but what about this movie?" yes, that's probably one of the exceptions)... but the success has nearly always been predicted on the correct casting of characters and the ability to make us care. I don't think that's been consistent in the TV shows either, but I admit that I've felt mostly alone on that island, so I won't go to bat for that as gospel truth or anything. But if you compare the MCU TV action to not just movie action with a similar budget, but TV action on shows with a similar budget and more episodes, it's just... not as good. Which, as a Marvel fanboy since birth, sucks to say, but it's true imo.
And I think it'll take Marvel-- and Disney-- some serious work to earn back the good will of fans who think, after this entire phase, that they've lost the plot and are just churning out content to churn out content. An ending like the SECRET INVASION ending does nothing to alleviate the concerns that there hasn't been a plan and isn't a real plan going forward. And the previews for the MARVELS movie raises real concerns that the movies are just going to feel like 2-hour MCU TV episodes. Which... isn't a compliment.
If there's anyone rooting for the MCU to find the path again, it's me. I don't like being on the "what the fuck are they thinking" bandwagon. But it's increasingly hard to ignore. I *do* think that cutting back on doing *so* many TV shows and movies is the right move. Hopefully the next correct move is investing more money in pre-production and investing more time and money in FX houses to allow them the time and resources to make these things look good again-- and to hopefully make all the crossover stuff and build-up-to-other-shows stuff feel less forced and convoluted. My movies: http://russellhainline.com My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/ My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide
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