Marvel Cinematic Universe

[OCH]

3 minutes ago, Maryokutai said:

Aren't only three of those X-Men adjacent, regarding 'Mutant Saga'?

Depends if they are going to take the plunge with Scarlet Witch. Also if Darkest Day will follow on with the cast from Brand New Day? I can only assume Mutants will factor into every film in some capacity.

 

I hope that Ryan Gosling is going to be Danny Ketch in the Ghost Rider film. The only one that hasn't been in Live Action yet.

[Maryokutai]

Isn't SW some kind of experiment in the MCU? I forgot the details about her, it's been a while since Age of Ultron or whenever they introduced her. But it's probably not out of the question for a mild retcon either.

[OCH]

4 minutes ago, Maryokutai said:

But it's probably not out of the question for a mild retcon either.

That was my thinking. Especially as we don't know what the state of the world will be, post-Secret Wars.

[one-armed dwarf]

I watched about half of Shang Chi, not cause I thought it was bad like Deadpool 3 but cause I go maf mode with MCU films and find them hard to sit through in one go. I think that film has some pretty cool things, charming characters, good action, a bus got cut in half and it has Tony Leung, who I guess won't be in the sequel cause he kinda complained a bit about having to work in a Marvel production and how strict they are about not going off script, and the type of action choreography (and I'm guessing there's a more literal reason he won't be back, not sure).

 

Apparently he wanted it so his character would have a highly evolved synthesis of multiple martial arts built over 1000s of years, rather than just kung fu. But Shang Chi is kinda Marvel doing they're very corpo-sanctioned take on classic martial arts films, which tbh, for what it is it does work pretty well. 

 

I'd watch a sequel but people don't seem to think there will be one, and the director is locked in for Spiderman 5 and 6

 

btw, has anyone else here seen Brand New Day yet? I can't be the only one who did. 

[one-armed dwarf]

Slop-Man

 

https://thedirect.com/article/spider-man-brand-new-day-ai-usage-peter-parker-nyc-concept-art

 

[Maryokutai]

Finally watched the first season of X-Men '97. Very uneven I'd say, there are moments where it really shines, either by putting a spotlight on mutants that have been mostly ignored in the live action stuff to make them shine in action scenes, or just by exploring a plethora of rich themes linked to social dynamics, for which the X-Men universe has always been a great, if maybe no very subtle playground. But at other times it just rushes at mach 10 through what would otherwise be interesting narrative concepts if they had time to breathe (the whole Jean Grey thing in the first half), but end up half-assed as a result. Not to mentioned that the ultimate baddie-duo of the season is completely ridiculous, which I realise is on brand, but still a bit of tonal whiplash next to the more grounded topics it also tackles. In other words I find it kind of hard to care about about Cyclop's family situation when they're fighting a cyborg in space in the same scene.

 

I might have gone into this with too high expectations as well, maybe. It has such a good reputation to the point where I thought it was a cut above the usual high-quality animated shows, but ultimately it's roughly on the same level. Maybe due to the strong MCU brand this simply has reached more people than animated shows usually do, which tend to be ignored as 'stuff for kids' by more general audiences.

 

One thing I really did appreciate is that it just throws you into a moving train. There's a lot of backstory here that is barely getting explained, and whether you're aware of it or not, it adds to a richer history of the universe that feels somewhat real and tangible because nobody is going on an exposition tangent. I found that quite refreshing because it's the polar opposite of the live action stuff.

[one-armed dwarf]

I think the first half is good, but after all that Genosha stuff it really loses me.

 

I saw a quote just now by the Sony boss saying that the reason Brand new Day has resonated with people is cause it's just about a lonely guy. Which is a funny quote, but I think it's very true. It's not about this Jimmy Neutron bullshit the other three are about, it's about a guy going through a difficult life transition. It's rooted in a universal life experience that gives it an emotional dimension those other films just don't have.

 

For some reason, that quote annoyed people though. Maybe cause of comic book bullshit, I don't know. Don't let nerds get in the way of making a great film is what I think, let this guy (Destin Daniel Cretton) cook. 

[Maryokutai]

I haven't seen Spidey but that was exactly why people liked the Raimi movies so much back in the day. Peter and aunt May arguing over a 20 dollar bill. I haven't read many Spidey comics in my life but that is kind of the foundation of the character anyway, so a bit of a weird thing to get annoyed by.

[OCH]

2 hours ago, Maryokutai said:

One thing I really did appreciate is that it just throws you into a moving train. There's a lot of backstory here that is barely getting explained, and whether you're aware of it or not, it adds to a richer history of the universe that feels somewhat real and tangible because nobody is going on an exposition tangent. I found that quite refreshing because it's the polar opposite of the live action stuff.

To be honest, that was a factor in the original series too. A lot of backstory EG who the original team even were comprised of, character histories etc was left ambiguous. For example, during the Season One finale - Days of Future Past - Storm states to Gambit that she knows him better than anyone (with a side glance to Rogue). This has never been elaborated on.

[Maryokutai]

That sounds like something they couldn't elaborate on without getting a mature rating. 😳

 

I've only seen a couple of episodes of the old show here and there so I have little anchor points outside recognising the character designs. Maybe I'll check it out after seeing S2 of the new one, I'm a bit curious about the proper chronology of it.

[OCH]

20 minutes ago, Maryokutai said:

That sounds like something they couldn't elaborate on without getting a mature rating. 😳

Spoiler

The popular consensus was alluding to this comic book issue (the debut of Gambit). But again, it's never mentioned specifically. 

There was also the fact that the "90's team" was the first time they encountered Magneto. Also the minor issue that Angel was part of the original team, shown several times across the show in flashbacks. But in his debut episode (in Season One) their reaction was as if it was the first time they met him, too??

[Maryokutai]

Seems like the continuity is as consistent as it was with the FOX movies then.