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The Marvel Overextended Universe movies are as sterile as still packaged surgeon gloves. But that's what people want. Not even infinite repetition of the same scenes, a grape colored CGI villain with a ludicrous motivation and inconsequential, pointless battles where no one loses or wins can kill audience interest. They are like those quick time event games, without the quicktime events.

I actually liked Infinity War for breaking the formula. In the end, the antagonist won and half the universe died. They didn't pull out a last ditch win using the power of friendship or childhood promises from flashbacks or other such cliches.

Of course, this will all be subverted when the sequel comes out, but I can at least enjoy it for now.

That was the first Marvel movie that I actually liked in a long long time - it felt like it had some weight to its scenes, it wasn't peppered with idiotic, unnecessary jokes every 30 seconds(looking at you Thor&Gotg2), and the antagonist had an understandable and well thought out goal, not just "I want to kill everyone because I'm evil lol". The only other Marvel movie that had a decent antagonist was Spider Man: Homecoming - it wasn't some evil being from outer space, but a normal dude who lost his income and wanted to provide for his family, that was actually relatable, even if his methods weren't.

Like you said, the sequel to Infinity War will probably undo this and be disappointing in comparison, but I'm enjoying what we got.

>and the antagonist had an understandable and well thought out goal, not just "I want to kill everyone because I'm evil lol".

The movies improve on the original in that regard, where Thanos gets the Infinity Gauntlet and murders half the universe just to impress a woman.

I dunno, I've done some pretty dumb things to impress a girl. If anything that would be even more relatable!

The Joss Whedon inspired comedy is great for many of us. I loved Taika Waititi's take on Thor, especially compared to the first one, as did most other people. And it's sitting on 7.9 on IMDB, which is pretty much a resounding "Wow". If you loved Thor Ragnarok, watch Hunt for the Wilderpeople, it's a real indie gem and you can play spot the Ragnarok actors.

Also Chris Hemsworth's comic timing is great, he was a real highlight in Ghostbusters too. It reminds me of Ryan Gosling in the Nice Guys, a rare surprise that an actor can do comedy too that you weren't expecting.

As for Marvel baddies, yes, I generally agree with you. Their best baddies have been in the TV shows, namely Wilson Fisk's Kingpin and David Tennant's Kilgrave.

I thought the first Thor movie was the better one of the Marvel movies, perhaps it was because of Kenneth Branagh's influence, and his experience with Shakespeare; he did the family conflict in Asgard quite well.

It seems like they've taken the usual formula and just stretched it out over two movies. Most superhero movies have a moment where our hero is down, and all hope looks lost... only to bring it all back from the brink. So, part two it is.

I've come to accept the Marvel movies on the basis that they're a giant subsidy program for the industry at large. Talented actors and directors can phone it in and make huge salaries, which enables them to choose an interesting, low budget project next. I'd still rather those low budget movies got even a tenth of the budget that the average Marvel movie does, but oh well.

The hero's journey is the reason I find it so hard to care about anything that happens in Marvel and most fantasy films. Knowing what comes next (Oh look, here is the part where Thor/Black Panther/Spiderman/etc loses his power) really kills my interest in the plot.

One argument I've seen explaining why Infinity War works is that Thanos isn't really the antagonist, but the protagonist.

Also, considering what happened in the Infinity War arc in the comics, I don't think they could have done otherwise.

The Infinity Gauntlet sounds like the start of an ancient writing unraveling under weight of continuity and past easy fixes to writing oneself into the corner since it not only allows retcons but in character which makes nothing really matter. A literal plot device. Captain America is dead and/or a nazi? Someone go punch Red Skull. Okay you reversed it without ending world hunger, disease or preventing the Holocaust? Our hero sure is an asshole.

Fundamentally if all major conflicts don't revolve around it they are either completely out of its reach or being stupid.

I watched the Karate Kid the other night. My 10 YO boy fell asleep. The movie is really slow by today’s standards; it has character development. People don’t have the attention span anymore, hence the marvel crap.

I would like to see a comparison between Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther and Avenger: Infinity War that supports your hypothesis (the three most recent films besides the very recently released Ant Man and the Wasp).

I'm not arguing the Marvel movies are the perfect movies or that they should displace and divert funding from other movies like say Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Dunkirk, or The Big Sick, and maybe 3 of them per year is a bit too much, but c'mon, "sterile as still packaged surgeon gloves"? Marvel's Overhyperbolic Universe?

Whoa! I get that for more sophisticated individuals the Marvel Universe is an absolute total joke! However, altogether the franchise has grossed over $30B!!! To say people are tired of these films with these numbers is a vast oversite. These are basic variations of the hero’s journey, and that story line while done to death will never get old as long as people enjoy stories themselves. In addition as someone who lived vicariously through high-concept films in my youth and subsequently let down by the mid-90s trend of crap hook endings as well as having experienced total meltdown to stress... I can absolutely appreciate mindless entertainment that is fully predictable.

I'm honestly surprised at the reactions here about the MCU. Are they pop movies that mostly adhere to a formula and tend to go for mass appeal over daring auteurship? Absolutely. These are big-budget tentpole films from Disney, they serve a corporate purpose, too.

But where they are not necessarily daring, they are at least challenging the genres they take on. Kevin Feige and co. have found a way in the 2010's to make blockbuster movies that have real heart, story, and messages. They don't hire the Michael Bays of the industry, but the James Gunns, Ryan Cooglers, and Taikas (and whoever is directing Captain Marvel, they're so under the radar that I don't remember their names). Infinity War was truly a spectacle; a roller coaster from beginning to end that gave its fans a new experience and a real punch to the gut. That takes guts. There has never been a movie of that scope & scale, with such a collection of actors, with such an enormous budget -- and it almost entirely focused on the story and character development, and let the big action grow from those two things.

Marvel's made the biggest movie franchise ever, and it's not from tricking audiences. This is what puts people in theater seats. Those of us who like "film" are staying at home to watch, more and more. What they've done sounds really hard to me. It's not apples-to-apples, but would anyone argue that, although strictly pop and mass appeal, the likes of Elvis, MJ, Madonna, and even Lady Gaga don't have their moments of real musicianship?

>Disney could probably buy theaters. They probably wouldn't. The margins are not very good.

yesterday's vertical of studio+theaters today is studio+streaming, and thus studios are trying to get streaming while streaming/cable rushing to get studios/content.

What you see as sequelitis, others see as brand new stories, using the guise of existing characters and settings to bring in an audience. Or in other words, what artists have been doing for centuries. Shakespeare was notorious for it...and yet is regarded as the best playwright in history.

What matters is what's underneath the surface. Winter Solder, examined the role of covert operations, the military-industrial complex, and nationalism. Civil War was about the motivations for regulation, patriotism, and even terrorism. Black Panther examined the role of fathers and environment on the black community. Antman satirized the situation of released convicts and the drives of divorced fathers. Spiderman Homecoming took a dive into the lives and drives of teenagers, showing how teenage conflicts were just as meaningful (to teenagers) as the Avengers and Captain America stuff was to adults. Infinity War examined the extremes of authoritarianism and conservationism and the costs of all-out conflict. Wreck-It Ralph was about chasing the American Dream. Each Toy Story movie has examined a different phase of its characters lives over the course of decades, and has explored the topics of inclusion, purpose, death, family, and commercialism.

You say rut? I say that we are in a glorious age of movies...as long as you can look beneath the surface to what the movies are really about.

Thank you. The Marvel movies aren't deep philosophical treatises, but they are fun, enjoyable movies that do have some substance. And that's the most important thing here: They are fun and exciting. They precisely capture what made the Marvel comic books so great in their golden age of the 60s, 70s and into the 80s. Gaudy colors, over the top action, boldly drawn characters. This is pulp entertainment at its best. If I want to be challenged I can (and do) read a book. If I want escapism, I'll watch a Marvel movie.

Yes, they are on the surface summer popcorn fluff movies, but there's plenty of room for that in a society that relentlessly wants to deconstruct and subvert everything good and wholesome about our society.

>The Marvel Overextended Universe looks tired. Star [Wars|Gate|Trek] has been done to death. Coming up from Disney: another... [long list of upcoming remakes/sequels] ...the Disneytoons sequel mania seems to have taken over the company.

Yes, but look at the financial results: this strategy is working very well for them. You may bemoan the current state of the movie industry with all the sequels and remakes, but apparently, this is what moviegoers want. They're happy to spend their hard-earned cash on it.

I don't like it either, which is why I haven't seen a movie in theaters in years, but apparently I'm not representative of the general population.

Sure but this too shall pass.

I think They’ll survive and eventually make great movies again.

But they are making great movies. As well as not-so-good and overly generic movies.

And while their sequels aren't the best thing in cinema, they are much better than their old straight-to-vhs sequels.

I made the mistake of watching "Aladdin 3". It's incredibly bad, especially compared to the amazing first one.

I think they used straight-to-vhs sequels to train their new hires.

What did you find incredibly bad about it? I might agree if you said Aladdin 2 was bad, but I thought 3 was quite good.

Pretty much everything. But since I don't want to start a debate...

Aladdin 1 magic carpet:

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/f/f4/Magic...

Aladdin 3:

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/aladdin/images/d/d1/C.A_...