Marvel Cinematic Universe

For those who have seen it.. Venom: Thumbs up or Thumbs Down

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    Votes: 87 61.3%
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    Votes: 55 38.7%

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Kingpin should have been introduced in episode 2
It’s been forever since I watched Daredevil but was the Kingpin so immobile in that? I legitimately was wondering if Vincent D’Anofrio was injured or something. They really seemed to be limiting his action scenes as well.
 
I enjoyed the finale, even though it was the most flawed episode of the series (which I thoroughly enjoyed). They really needed at least one, maybe two more episodes, or to have saved more of the Maya/Kazi/Kingpin/William storyline for the Echo series. They just tried to tie up too many arcs in one episode, so they needed either more runway to tie those up or fewer things to tie up. Even Maya confronting Kingpin in a stinger would have been better, even though there's absolutely no way he's dead (I'm not 100% certain that Kazi is dead, either, for that matter).

The biggest disappointment created by that problem, IMO, was the resolution for Kate/Eleanor. Kate's decision to turn her mom over to the police should have carried a lot more emotional weight than it ultimately did, but there just wasn't enough oxygen in the script for that particular fire to do anything but fizzle.

The watch was just annoying as hell. We got zero explanation for why Kingpin wanted the damn thing in the first place, and I really don't know how they would incorporate Laura into future projects as Agent 19/Mockingbird, so that reveal doesn't seem to hold much value.

Kingpin's handling was a little off, IMO. It's still not clear that it's supposed to be the same Kingpin from Daredevil or if he's a variant, but if he's a variant, then they *really* mishandled the introduction. It's not great if it's the Netflix version and they relied on the audience knowing his characterization as a shortcut, but if it's a totally new character than the lack of explanation is inexcusable. I didn't expect to see a true 1-to-1 adaptation since the Netflix series was a lot darker and more brutally violent than the MCU probably ever will be, which is another reason why it's not great to rely on the audience knowing the Netflix version of the character.

That said, I still loved the series, and it's in my top 2 with Loki. Kate is a great addition to the MCU, and they need to pair her with Yelena at every opportunity. Their chemistry was off the charts. The series also did a lot to elevate my opinion on Clint in the MCU. I really didn't care much about him before, but this series did serious work in that regard. It also finally fleshed out more of his relationship with Natasha, which was long overdue but still appreciated. Learning that Natasha talked about Yelena a lot, even if off-screen, was good. Without that, it would have undercut the idea that she and Clint were as close as the MCU wanted us to believe. And Clint whistling back to help convey that was a serious tear-jerker.
 
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I enjoyed the finale, even though it was the most flawed episode of the series (which I thoroughly enjoyed). They really needed at least one, maybe two more episodes, or to have saved more of the Maya/Kazi/Kingpin/William storyline for the Echo series. They just tried to tie up too many arcs in one episode, so they needed either more runway to tie those up or fewer things to tie up. Even Maya confronting Kingpin in a stinger would have been better, even though there's absolutely no way he's dead (I'm not 100% certain that Kazi is dead, either, for that matter).

The biggest disappointment created by that problem, IMO, was the resolution for Kate/Eleanor. Kate's decision to turn her mom over to the police should have carried a lot more emotional weight than it ultimately did, but there just wasn't enough oxygen in the script for that particular fire to do anything but fizzle.

The watch was just annoying as hell. We got zero explanation for why Kingpin wanted the damn thing in the first place, and I really don't know how they would incorporate Laura into future projects as Agent 19/Mockingbird, so that reveal doesn't seem to hold much value.

Kingpin's handling was a little off, IMO. It's still not clear that it's supposed to be the same Kingpin from Daredevil or if he's a variant, but if he's a variant, then they *really* mishandled the introduction. It's not great if it's the Netflix version and they relied on the audience knowing his characterization as a shortcut, but if it's a totally new character than the lack of explanation is inexcusable. I didn't expect to see a true 1-to-1 adaptation since the Netflix series was a lot darker and more brutally violent than the MCU probably ever will be, which is another reason why it's not great to rely on the audience knowing the Netflix version of the character.

That said, I still loved the series, and it's in my top 2 with Loki. Kate is a great addition to the MCU, and they need to pair her with Yelena at every opportunity. Their chemistry was off the charts. The series also did a lot to elevate my opinion on Clint in the MCU. I really didn't care much about him before, but this series did serious work in that regard. It also finally fleshed out more of his relationship with Natasha, which was long overdue but still appreciated. Learning that Natasha talked about Yelena a lot, even if off-screen, was good. Without that, it would have undercut the idea that she and Clint were as close as the MCU wanted us to believe. And Clint whistling back to help convey that was a serious tear-jerker.

I like this write-up. It seems both you and I are pretty much in agreement on both what worked in the series and what didn't work. However, the biggest difference is simply that the net effect for you was really still enjoying the series, while the net effect for me was kind of a house of cards all tumbling in on itself with a negative net effect. I can respect that. Glad you really enjoyed it.
 
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Finally saw No Way Home last night. I'm glad I took the time to re-watch SM1, SM2, along with watching TASM1 and TASM2 before going. It wasn't necessary, but it helped. Things I liked and didn't:

Liked: AG redeeming himself by saving TH's MJ was a cool moment. And even though the conversations between the 3 Spideys felt clunky at times and was total fan service, there was good humor in there.

I'm surprised they didn't have someone grab the wrong mask or throw some shade about each other's costume. Or an "I prefer redheads/blonds" quip could've been funny. Maybe have AG say "Well, I should really be Spidey #2". I didn't mind them being heavy-handed with the humor. Spidey is supposed to be funny.

Didn't like: Sandman, Lizard and Electro's allegiance and heel turns flopped too conveniently for me. They had numbers right away while walking to Happy's, they saw TH fix Doc Ock, but then Osbourne's 30 second speech made them reconsider?

Sandman, Lizard and Electro were all nerfed at various times in the movie. I know that is a trait of battles involving multiple villains, but it still bothers me. I will admit, Electro's comment to Sandman about being careful about what you fall into was probably my favorite line in the movie.

Overall, I really liked it. Like others said, I wish I would've been able to avoid hearing about the characters beforehand so I could have been more surprised. Once that got out, it wasn't hard to guess how the plot was gonna go.

As I left the theater, I realized that by leaving TH's origin story out, they were able to write it into NWH a little bit. That was a nice way to fill in some of the blanks without having to retell the story.
 
Due to Omicron surge, Morbius has been officially moved from January 28th to April 1st. Suck... Gonna make for a pretty decent superhero film gap.

 
Now that we are officially in 2022, I'd love to see everyone's most-anticipated 2022 superhero movie list. Here is mine:

  1. Morbius
  2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part 1)
  3. Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness
  4. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom
  5. The Batman
  6. Thor: Love and Thunder
  7. Black Adam
  8. The Flash
  9. Black Panther Wakanda Forever
I'm honestly shocked how high I have Morbius ranked, but I've just been digging the trailers. Nothing more, nothing less. Therefore, I'm pretty disappointed to see it get bumped until April when we were so close to seeing it. Its a shame Black Panther Wakanda Forever is so low on my list and its solely because they have chosen to NOT recast T'Challa, which I think is a big mistake. If they would have recast him, it would have jumped much higher on my list. I also wish all the DC films were higher on my list, but with the seemingly shift away from the mainline Snyder-verse DCEU to an altered (though the Flash) multiversal one, I've just quickly lost interest in their future direction. Anyway, those are just my thoughts and my thoughts alone. Feel free to disagree and show me your list.
 
Now that we are officially in 2022, I'd love to see everyone's most-anticipated 2022 superhero movie list. Here is mine:

  1. Morbius
  2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part 1)
  3. Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness
  4. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom
  5. The Batman
  6. Thor: Love and Thunder
  7. Black Adam
  8. The Flash
  9. Black Panther Wakanda Forever
I'm honestly shocked how high I have Morbius ranked, but I've just been digging the trailers. Nothing more, nothing less. Therefore, I'm pretty disappointed to see it get bumped until April when we were so close to seeing it. Its a shame Black Panther Wakanda Forever is so low on my list and its solely because they have chosen to NOT recast T'Challa, which I think is a big mistake. If they would have recast him, it would have jumped much higher on my list. I also wish all the DC films were higher on my list, but with the seemingly shift away from the mainline Snyder-verse DCEU to an altered (though the Flash) multiversal one, I've just quickly lost interest in their future direction. Anyway, those are just my thoughts and my thoughts alone. Feel free to disagree and show me your list.
I don’t really have a list but by far my most anticipated movie is Thor Love and Thunder. Ragnarok IMO is the most rewatchable and entertaining of the marvel movies. I was slightly disappointed to know they’re bringing back Jane Foster, she’s pretty much been a drag on the Thor character, but I trust Waititi to make her character more interesting even before the Mighty Thor angle is introduced.
 
I have to adjust mine a bit. I’ll give Twilight a chance and add “The Batman” as #4 on my list. I saw the trailer when we went to see NWH, and it looked (a lot) better than I expected.

I loved the Christian Bale/Christopher Nolan Batman, but Affleck really soured the character for me. Maybe it wasn’t even Affleck that soured the character (though i never understood the casting choice). Maybe it was the movies overall or comparing to the Dark Knight Trilogy that did. Either way, I’m at least curious enough.
 
Spiderverse 2
Thor Love and Thunder
Dr. Strange Multimadness
The Batman

No plans to see any of the others.
 
I have to adjust mine a bit. I’ll give Twilight a chance and add “The Batman” as #4 on my list. I saw the trailer when we went to see NWH, and it looked (a lot) better than I expected.

I loved the Christian Bale/Christopher Nolan Batman, but Affleck really soured the character for me. Maybe it wasn’t even Affleck that soured the character (though i never understood the casting choice). Maybe it was the movies overall or comparing to the Dark Knight Trilogy that did. Either way, I’m at least curious enough.
I’m not sure there’s been a single Batman casting that hasn’t freaked out the fans, and there really hasn’t been a bad Batman. There was such a backlash to Keaton in the pre-internet days that WB had to rush out some footage to calm down the fans. Kilmer and Clooney were fine, it’s hard to judge them on their own when they were given such weird and ****** material to work with. Bale was amazing, and I thought Affleck was probably the best Bruce Wayne and a decent Batman. Pattinson will do well, the guy has proved himself a good actor and really distanced himself from Twilight.
 
Now that we are officially in 2022, I'd love to see everyone's most-anticipated 2022 superhero movie list. Here is mine:

  1. Morbius
  2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part 1)
  3. Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness
  4. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom
  5. The Batman
  6. Thor: Love and Thunder
  7. Black Adam
  8. The Flash
  9. Black Panther Wakanda Forever
I'm honestly shocked how high I have Morbius ranked, but I've just been digging the trailers. Nothing more, nothing less. Therefore, I'm pretty disappointed to see it get bumped until April when we were so close to seeing it. Its a shame Black Panther Wakanda Forever is so low on my list and its solely because they have chosen to NOT recast T'Challa, which I think is a big mistake. If they would have recast him, it would have jumped much higher on my list. I also wish all the DC films were higher on my list, but with the seemingly shift away from the mainline Snyder-verse DCEU to an altered (though the Flash) multiversal one, I've just quickly lost interest in their future direction. Anyway, those are just my thoughts and my thoughts alone. Feel free to disagree and show me your list.

Batman looks good. Is it a standalone film or in the DCEU? The DCEU is such a mess and so hit or miss I don't really get excited for those movies. I still watch em!

I am very excited for Thor and Dr Strange. I would be super excited for Black Panther if Chadwick was going to be in it
 
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I’m not sure there’s been a single Batman casting that hasn’t freaked out the fans, and there really hasn’t been a bad Batman. There was such a backlash to Keaton in the pre-internet days that WB had to rush out some footage to calm down the fans. Kilmer and Clooney were fine, it’s hard to judge them on their own when they were given such weird and ****** material to work with. Bale was amazing, and I thought Affleck was probably the best Bruce Wayne and a decent Batman. Pattinson will do well, the guy has proved himself a good actor and really distanced himself from Twilight.

Agreed. The tones of Batman movies have shifted so much over the years. From the campiness of the show to Keaton, Clooney and Kilmer's over-the-top comics-styled scenarios to Bale's darker grittier takes to Affleck's dark, monotone and prop-heavy Batman, fans have been subjected to a pretty wide variety of material. Bale certainly benefitted by having the best scripts and best-written villains, so I tend to prefer him over the others.

I think Pattison will probably go a great job, but I'm personally ready to move on from more Batman movies. I loved the character growing up, but there is Batman fatigue going on for me.
 
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  1. Morbius
  2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part 1)
  3. Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness
  4. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom
  5. The Batman
  6. Thor: Love and Thunder
  7. Black Adam
  8. The Flash
  9. Black Panther Wakanda Forever
  1. Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness (feels like everything since Endgame has been setting this one up)
  2. Thor: Love and Thunder (All the actors seem to love the script)
  3. Black Panther Wakanda Forever (Less excited give the circumstances)
  4. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom (Enjoyed the first one and him as aquaman)
  5. Morbius (Only because the trailers look good, otherwise not a spiderman villan I ever cared for.)
  6. The Batman (Really hate the idea of another batman reboot that doesn't include Greyson's nightwing, but trailers look good.)
  7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part 1) (Would be shocked if they followed up the massive success of the first one with a second solid movie, hoping I'm wrong.)
  8. Black Adam (Shazam pleasantly surprised, but not sure if they'll keep that momentum going.)
  9. The Flash (Flash is one of my favorite characters and I hated what they did with him in Justice League, feeling like this will be a major let down.)
 
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  1. Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness (feels like everything since Endgame has been setting this one up)
  2. Thor: Love and Thunder (All the actors seem to love the script)
  3. Black Panther Wakanda Forever (Less excited give the circumstances)
  4. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom (Enjoyed the first one and him as aquaman)
  5. Morbius (Only because the trailers look good, otherwise not a spiderman villan I ever cared for.)
  6. The Batman (Really hate the idea of another batman reboot that doesn't include Greyson's nightwing, but trailers look good.)
  7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part 1) (Would be shocked if they followed up the massive success of the first one with a second solid movie, hoping I'm wrong.)
  8. Black Adam (Shazam pleasantly surprised, but not sure if they'll keep that momentum going.)
  9. The Flash (Flash is one of my favorite characters and I hated what they did with him in Justice League, feeling like this will be a major let down.)

Curious, but did you see The Flash in Zack Snyder's Justice League? Did it change your opinion at all? Then again, I actually liked The Flash in both Justice League movies.
 
Curious, but did you see The Flash in Zack Snyder's Justice League? Did it change your opinion at all? Then again, I actually liked The Flash in both Justice League movies.

Snyder's version was better for sure. I just hate how underpowered they made him...it only makes sense because they seem to declare him a very young Berry Allen. Seems weird next to an old Bruce Wayne. If they wanted an old Bruce and a clutzy, rookie flash, they should have went with Wally West stepping up from Kid Flash to The Flash after Berry's death. IDK, I hate what DC has done with their movies so there's that. Also, Grant Gustin is a better Berry Allen. Don't even start me on how much I hate the current version of Superman.
 
Snyder's version was better for sure. I just hate how underpowered they made him...it only makes sense because they seem to declare him a very young Berry Allen. Seems weird next to an old Bruce Wayne. If they wanted an old Bruce and a clutzy, rookie flash, they should have went with Wally West stepping up from Kid Flash to The Flash after Berry's death. IDK, I hate what DC has done with their movies so there's that. Also, Grant Gustin is a better Berry Allen. Don't even start me on how much I hate the current version of Superman.

Appreciate the opinion. I always love how different people can be with their thoughts. Henry's Superman is by far my favorite Superman even though I hated what they did with him in Batman vs Superman. It still doesn't change that I love his Superman. Man of Steel is one of my all-time favorite comic book movies.