We've Been Taking the MCU for Granted.

we as a society have been taking the MCU for granted what do I mean by that basically I've seen so many people over the years writing off every single MCU movie as the same and formulaic and painfully average people say these sort of interconnected blockbusters are ruining Hollywood because they shift the general public's attention away from art house films and movies they have more intelligence put into the screenplay and direction people say Marvel doesn't try to do anything new and simply rides out the same old formula with every new release and overall they're just tired of a never-ending series they see is just ok these are all valid critiques and people can definitely feel this way but as you can probably tell from the existence of this video I disagree strongly that's like the only quote I remember from Incredibles - Wow these movies are beyond fun to me and it's not turn your brain off fun it's I'm genuinely invested in these characters and their struggles but also they're hilarious fun the idea that all these movies are all the same is ridiculous I don't know how anyone could possibly take a look at guardians of the galaxy next to Black Panther and say oh yeah the same same story same characters same humor same tone no you idiot but on the other hand I doubt anyone would ever make that specific argument well here's Iron Man Man Man they're the same movie right guy gets suit guy fights bald businessman was scarier but ultimately same suit same movie well I'm sorry but you're a barnacle head if you think that that makes them the same Iron Man is very much about character growth it features a billionaire playboy who gets kidnapped by terrorists and is forced to witness the horrors his weapons have wrought on the world he grows throughout the course of the story a story that feels distinct due to Jon Favreau's unique directorial style ant-man is a comedy heist movie about a petty crook who doesn't really grow they save that for civil war ant-man is way goofy or and lighter than mr. shrapnel eaten away at my heart and this tone difference allows these movies to feel very different this is basically the New Hope vs. force awakens thing all over again this is what happens when you take movies at face value and ignore the tone each movie is going for force awakens is faster quicker and much more action-oriented if features hold the original characters which makes for a story that hits the same narrative beats while remaining its own thing if you think it's an inferior copy of the original you can feel free to think that but you can't deny that they feel very different but then let's take a look at movies with similar tones to each other guardians and thor ragnarok one is clearly copying the other success right Guardians and Thor could not feel more different in terms of writing in direction the dialogue and delivery and guardians is very concrete very deliberate the jokes are distinct and they very much feel like a part of James Gunn's vision use of pop songs feeds into the story and the emotional through line is incredibly strong here thor ragnarok on the other hand is an improv comedy and it shows it feels much looser and more laid-back because that's the direction Tycho wanted to take there's no emotional through-line the focus is purely on unburdened unbridled fun as a result the movie feels very unique compared to James Gunn's previous entries in the MCU in terms of comparing these movies tones characters and storylines I could do this all day I really hope we can move past the idea that all these movies are the same and talk about other things how about this instead Marvel hasn't made an objectively bad movie since Thor to the level of consistency is astounding most franchises would kill to have two or three critical hits the Marvel has only had two or three big critical misses out of 21 films and I wouldn't even call Thor 2 and Hulk critical misses compared to their competition at its worst Marvel is bland and uninspired never incomprehensibly awful like the DCE you or the x-men they somehow have made 21 films in a row without an abysmal failure Pixar couldn't even manage that on the flipside yes it's true that the best of the MCU can't top the very best of DC or x-men or Pixar but I'm gonna make the bold ish claim that it's come close movies like Winter Soldier black panther or the guardians of the galaxy films are about much more than stopping an evil bad guy with superpowers they have emotional storylines to focus on the growth and interaction between fully realized characters and their action scenes have purpose ok maybe not all of them these movies despite not being dark night or Logan levels of excellent still have unique filmmaking merits that people don't give enough credit to the Russos create a grounded serious tone that feels more real amplified by the hand-to-hand nature of the action ryan coogler takes us to what feels like an entirely new world within the MCU with a unique location and story enhanced by amazing production values this movie totally earned those costume and production design Oscar wins I just wish thor ragnarok and guardians didn't get ignored in these categories but whatever but speaking of guardians this is a very well fleshed out world that expands this universe not just in terms of the universe itself but the emotional capabilities of the story any franchise that can make you burst into tears by ending a movie with a shot of a CGI raccoon crying is doing something right then you got spider-man homecoming one of the most unique films in the MCU because it manages to give us a brand new perspective on this world we've seen over a dozen times it takes a look at what normal life is for the people within this world this works wonders when it comes to making the settings seem entirely believable and real it's not all gods and monsters here's a movie about average people living in the society where superheroes are real of course kids talk about them all the time of course alien tech is pawned off on the black market everything fits and it makes the struggle of our young relatively grounded main character feel way more real letting us relate to his desire to prove himself even more also this movie gets everything right about cringe worthy student run morning announcements trust me I have plenty of experience in that field the MCU also has the advantage of allowing multiple writers and directors to give their interpretations of certain characters and what's great is that the growth each character goes through remains consistent throughout each movie they appear in so the character changes are never jarring Thor is jokey and fun and Ragnarok and this makes sense he's been spending time with a bunch of jokers in the time between Winter Soldier and age of Ultron and he's really loosened up tyka reinterpreted this character in his movie and allowed him to connect with audiences but it's still consistent with Joss Whedon's half serious half silly version of Thor then there's Black Widow do you hate the way Joss Whedon writes her I know I do fortunately the Russo brothers made her a really engaging character with a real sense of intrigue behind her motivation and you by the connection between her and cap spider-man feels like a really fun addition every time he's given to the Russos Danis turned from blah bad guy to a real person thanks to the Rousso Black Panther has a more engaging character arc in civil war compared to his own movie I think the moral the story here is just give all the characters to the Rousso anyway though regardless of who's making the movies the fact that the character growth in these films is so pronounced and so consistent is honestly incredible the MCU is like a long-running TV show with the benefit of feature film length episodes to give its central characters moments of growth no other franchise has ever allowed for such well realized characters that have been allowed to change so significantly over time including endgame but not counting the Incredible Hulk Tony Stark has appeared in nine movies in the MCU and you can pinpoint the moments that deeply affect and permanently change his character he's a big [ __ ] in Iron Man one two and the Avengers once he goes through that wormhole at the end of the ladder film he's not the same he's riddled with anxiety at the mere thought of Thanos retaliating which causes him to break down at multiple parts in Iron Man 3 and thanks to an anxiety boost from Scarlet Witch convinces him to build Ultron which only ends in more destruction he's still trying to be his old quippy self in these movies but there's now a darker undercurrent to his character he's motivated by his fears rather than his selfishness and oh yeah the whole Ultron thing had some rough consequences now from Civil War on where Tony is motivated not by selfishness or by fear but by guilts Civil War is all about Tony dealing with the guilts that comes from accidentally creating a murder by Tony somewhat resembles his old jokey self in Iron Man 3 and age of Ultron but Civil War paints a portrait of a man exhausted of battle and crippled by the moral ambiguity of his violent actions the only scene where he remotely feels like his old self is when he meets Peter Parker the rest of the movie he still tells a couple of jokes but they're not delivered with the same gusto he had in previous films this is intentional Tony is acting different because the events of the overall story change him in a realistic way a story mind you that started with Jon Favreau got bounced the Joss Whedon was briefly adopted by Shane black returned the Joss Whedon with the receipt and finally given a loving home with the Russos for different filmmakers and Tony Stark story remains consistent throughout and it doesn't stop with Tony and we'll go as in-depth with everyone for the sake of time but obviously we got our boy cat he starts out idealistic and wanting to serve a cause as best he can during his first movie and the Avengers he's a big team player right yeah let's completely shatter his worldview about serving government's in a very black-and-white good versus bad scenario by having him fight in a morally great conflict when the villains of the people he previously blindly trusted and let's have that conflict deeply change his worldview to the point where it becomes a vigilante that's a complete 180 to how he started out and it makes perfect sense given his experiences star-lord and Gamora have a budding romance that goes incredibly slowly because neither of them are fully formed people at first Gamora is very closed off to the trauma she endured as a child of Thanos and star-lord is too entitled due to his immature worldview of how relationships actually work James Gunn very consciously doesn't hook them up because despite their growth as individuals throughout the two movies they aren't quite fully formed enough to be a couple then the Russos take over the story in a way that makes sense given the context of their situation it's been four years since guardians - and star-lord despite being as ready as ever to start a relationship has respected her boundaries now Gamora is confronted with her own personal endgame either she kills Thanos or probably the more likely scenario in our minds she fails and is killed by Peter taking the location of the soul stone to her grave this is her last chance to share a moment of affection with someone she cares about even if she doesn't feel emotionally ready to take on a full relationship it's now or never to let Peter know how she feels that's why this kiss isn't jarring it's in line with gamora's motivations given the most likely scenario that will play out and she was right [Music] character development cohesiveness consistency all of these take place within the MC use characters which is not the singular vision of any one person unless you want to count Kevin Feige even then I doubt he's personally responsible for every bit of cohesion and all the callbacks within these movies the little details and moments of foreshadowing which again are consistent across multiple writers and directors really pay off tony is traumatized by space at the end of the Avengers now he's stuck in space with no hope of rescue Steve repeating lines that meant something in his past and now take on an even greater meaning in his presence because you know T'Challa is seen cradling his dead father in his arms in civil war only for that same imagery to be used for kill monger and a movie made two years later rocket has a ton of lines that infinity war has utterly devastated but this one takes the cake for me I'm sorry I can only afford to lose one friend today Tony tells Peter if you die I feel like that's on me leading to the biggest gut punch of infinity wars finale and then there's this line from Doctor Strange which I've never seen anyone talk about you no idea the things I've done and the answer is yes without hesitation even if there's another way there is no other what are you black imagination there was no other way what other franchise can give you chills when you revisit an older movie what other franchise ever had this strong of a plan what other franchise can go on for 22 films and keep its audience invested in these characters by God just think about how much people care about these characters think about their struggles their fears their insecurities and their triumphs all of which we've gotten to witness over the course of an 11 year old journey think about a group of misfits who come together to form their own family who bicker and argue because it's the only way they know how to behave with each other who act out and trying to sabotage their good relationships because they believe they're unworthy of love and will only end up alone in the end think about a man forced to shoot the woman he loves more than anything and then going through with it because her needs are more important to him than his desire to be with her think about two women orphan and raised his battle slaves first and sisters seconds think about the psychological torture they both endured from an abusive father the mutilation one endured every time she lost in battle to her sister and the unceasing resentment that built between the two of them to the point where even after a reconciliation the more abused of the two can barely muster a sad expression upon the realization that her sister is dead think about a man who's lost everything from his trusty weapon to his lifelong home to the people he swore and failed to protect to every last one of his family members he has nothing left but a chance to save the rest of the universe from a similar fate and when he finally gets that chance he succumbs to his desire for vengeance and vanity above his desire to save the universe think about a child who gives up a magical night with his friends and the girl of his dreams because he knows that there's something he can do to make a difference and that with great power comes great responsibility think about that child alone and trapped with no one to save him finding the strength and the courage and the will within himself to break free and continue to fight for no other reason than it being the right thing to do think about a man forced to live in a country that stigmatizes his existence despite being the prince of a utopia he has never to return to think about his journey to exact vengeance on this utopia for taking his father away and abandoning him think about his desire for revenge consuming him warping him into a bloodthirsty monster with no concern for anyone just a desire to see an oppressive world torn down and once his cause is thwarted he has nothing left to live for and the man who beat him the same man who previously stopped another bloodthirsty monster from committing suicide once their plan was complete this time grants his opponents wish and lets him die in peace think about a pessimist who continues fighting despite how hopeless he thinks things look who turns from a man driven by selfishness and egotism to an emotionally scarred wreck who feels as if the burden of protecting the world rests solely on his shoulders to a guilt-stricken broken-down guy who tries to reverse his disastrous legacy and whose worst fear is realized when everyone around him dies including his surrogate son and finally think about an optimist fighting for everything that's good and just in a simpler time laying down his life to save the world and waking up in a time where everyone he knows is either dead or close to it losing the trust in the institutions he dedicated his life to for so long and learning that the only way to win the fight is to take matters into his own hands think about this scrawny kid from Brooklyn the same kid who was bullied and told he would never make for a good soldier going toe-to-toe with the most powerful being in the entire universe these characters mean so much to so many people because we've watched them grow over the course of an 11-year journey with a defined beginning and end and a consistent level of quality the only series that even remotely comes close to this feat is Harry Potter but that was an adaptation of an already tried and true narrative that focused on only a few characters the MCU is a new continuity with plenty of comics to pull from sure but overall it's a masterwork of serialized storytelling that allow for these goofy comic-book characters to strike a chord with millions of people around the globe people who had never picked up a comic book in their lives people like me these movies single-handedly cuts my interest in summer blockbusters alive due to the four thought emotional intelligence character development and fun that goes in the craft in nearly every corner of this world and the stories told in it I grew up loving Star Wars as a lot of people did but in terms of the heroes I look up to and the villains I fear yet pity for all intents and purposes Steve Rogers is my Luke Skywalker Thanos is my Darth Vader and as fondly as I remember my world changing first go with Star Wars the MCU in my opinion is better I can't think of any higher praise than that [Music]

Channel: Schaffrillas Productions

Views: 2,277,698

Keywords: Schaffrillas Productions, MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers, Endgame, Infinity War, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Spider-Man, Black Panther

Id: yfJ3cQFT2d4

Length: 17min 17sec (1037 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 22 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/Evilproduct]

YES
Give me more Positive MCU Hot Takes

[u/TheDPurcell]

Saw this yesterday, I dug it!

It's good to hear these kinds of perspectives, cus despite having grown up with these films, I think I grew up with them during a time when a lot of my personal cinematic DNA / inspiration was from different worlds and stories.

He reads a lot into character arcs and thematic points that, to me, feel kinda glossed over, but that's because I think I grew up with different kinds of ideas on pacing, characterization, etc.

So I totally appreciate these thoughts!

[u/cavEat1670]

This was a really nice video. I really like hearing all of Patrick's quibbles with the MCU. They are super interesting and informative! But it's also really nice to see these celebratory videos every once in a while. I think Patrick is right to always push for better, but this video reminded me just how much I have to be thankful for.

[u/AudiencesLovedGotti]

Love this video.