That's a silly dichotomy. We don't even want films to look completely realistic, that's why CGI exists in the first place. Imagine that you ran this over something like an Avengers movie, or even better, Blade Runner 2049. The AI would remove all the stylized/unrealistic details, and someone here would claim that this is clearly an improvement, and any criticism must come from luddites!
Styling as done in some of them is an optional bonus if creators strive for some additional artistic message, but otherwise its all about money, money, money.
You even contradict yourself - they tried to look Avengers as realistically as possible within the realm of comic book fairy tale, that's why they changed character of Thanos significantly well after introducing him (arguably a good choice). From cartoonish styling to realism. Nobody would take the epic battles so seriously if they all looked like Ready Player One.
Modern CGI in films is already basically indistinguishability from reality. You only notice it these days when it has to be CGI (e.g. space ships) or is badly done (which leads to the impression that CGI is still bad like it was in the 90s).
There are several, several youtube videos showcasing the incredible work of studios like Industrial Light and Magic creating most of the backdrops you thought were shot on location.