Topic: The Marvel Thread

@nessisonett Nothing to do that you absolutely detest Florence Pugh? 😂

@JohnnyShoulder Haha, I’m not the biggest fan of her as an actor but I have a lot more respect for her with the way she’s handled this movie with Harry styles!

@nessisonett Yeah a lot of drama surrounding that film. I'm always a bit sceptical when it comes to these things, and never sure if it has all been drummed up by the studio to stir up a bit of interest in the film.

I've only just seen that Marvels Midnight Suns has been un-delayed and it is coming out this year after all?! Don't remember that happening before!

@JohnnyShoulder Regardless of the bizarre spitting drama, Olivia Wilde paying her non-actor boyfriend more than the Oscar nominated star of the movie is scandalous. Don’t blame Florence Pugh for being a bit annoyed and refusing to take part in the media circus.

@RogerRoger Yeah, I’d definitely place Moon Knight in the middle. I might be subconsciously docking it a few points because of the high likelihood that the series won’t get a second season and that despite the nebulous promises that Moon Knight character will show up again in the movies, I have my doubts that Oscar Isaac will reprise the role and I can’t see anyone else being subbed into the role without it coming across as weird.

As for the Hippo, I think the portrayal of Tawaret as being a silly, old-maid type character was probably an attempt at comedic relief, but she just felt a smidge out of place with the rest of the show and certainly the rest of the gods. I’m usually a big fan of the asinine and the absurd, but tonally I’m not sure I loved the approach here.

Started She-Hulk and in a lot of ways it’s the antithesis of Moon Knight. It’s a show which definitely doubles down on the silliness of the MCU. I like it so far, but I don’t love it. Another one for the middling, unless it really does something special or horrendous in the last half.

@RogerRoger Totally right about the balance. I think part of the issues with Thor: Love and Thunder is it struggles to find such a balance. I think we all took it for granted with the early MCU that they would always find that trademark punchy wit seamlessly woven into a serious end-of-the-world scenario. But as time has gone on, the cracks in the foundation are showing without the comedic timing of Robert Downey Jr., Paul Rudd, Chris Pratt, etc. Perhaps it’s more the script writing which is struggling, but I think it’s a combination of spotty performances and writing that is out of touch with delivering that special something which was present earlier in the franchise.

Regardless, there’s still time to “strike the balance” and come up with something more along the lines of the quirky one-liners that don’t downplay a sense of dramatic urgency. And to be fair, I liked Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder more than most, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned that they’ve lost a bit of their edge. DC should be licking their chops at the opportunity to capitalize on Marvel’s wobbling.

Edit: Oh, and good to hear that Moon Knight may indeed carry on. I had done some similar light googling and all I saw was that Isaac was very specific about his contract and made sure that he didn’t get trapped into what they call the “golden handcuffs” of Marvel/Disney and he wasn’t locked into continuing the role. Apparently he was uniquely able to retain control over whether he ever did another show as this character(s).

Very disappointed with Thor: Love and Thunder. I found it to be an incoherent mess, with poor pacing, rambling dialogue, and a severe lack of focus. Taika Waititi needed reigning in a lot, because the film was his style, and little else. It's a shame because I loved Ragnarok, and felt it struck a nice balance. On the whole Phase 4 has been a bit all over the place.

Loving She-Hulk thus far. It's genuinely funny, and I like that episodes are largely self-contained. Wong is also fast becoming my favourite Marvel supporting character.

@LN78 I do love a good Honest Trailer, but will only watch em if I've either seen the film or have zero interest in watching it.

@LN78 Ooof, that is worrisome that the script was in that much flux. I mean, I’ve heard about authors jotting down great ideas onto cocktail napkins, but I expect that should usually be limited to pre-production!

@RogerRoger I’ll be interested to hear what you think of the latest movies and shows. Like you I’m really hesitant about Ms. Marvel. I’ll probably watch it eventually, but I’ll be shocked if it ends up as a favorite of mine.

I keep wondering what the long term plan is here with the MCU. There are flashes of interest here and there, separated by head-scratching “what was the point of this?” moments as well.

@RogerRoger @LN78 Those and Pitch Meeting vids are my go to when I want a quick chuckle. They work much better for me when I have not liked the film, but I still fund them funny for film I like.

@RogerRoger Love your take on the Dr. Strange film title! 😂

@RogerRoger I go in fits and starts with my TV viewing also. Not sure why I just decided to go on a Marvel run lately, especially when I have a litany of other shows on my collective watchlist, but here we are.

I’m feeling pressure now to catch up with the Star Wars shows now, before I jump into Rings of Power. It’s that mountain of Clone Wars which has me sputtering to make progress through the Star Wars output. I might have to give up on it. Not because I don’t enjoy the animated series, but I do gravitate to the live action shows more.

Anyways, I’m a bit off topic now, but I’ll drop more She-Hulk thoughts in weeks to come.

Yeah, I’m trying not to worry too much about what to do when. I’ve been much more deliberate about flying by the seat of my pants lately. “Do, (or watch, or play) whatever feels good.” So far it’s a philosophy that has made life enjoyable. Unfortunately I’ve gained 15 pounds… that’s what happens when you have ice cream for breakfast.

Watched the latest she hulk, pretty funny court room sequence 😀

I wish the episodes were a bit longer but at least I can justify fitting it in during the previous few hours I have free after work on a Thursday

Also.... Loving Adrian Chase in this show (I know that's not the character or actors name but he will forever be Adrian Chase to me). He seems to be enjoying himself playing a light-hearted character!

She Hulk episode 5 manages to bring male edna mode into the MCU and I love it

@Jackpaza0508 That guy is such a deep cut in comics lore that you’d have to be a genuine collector to have any idea who he is.

I decided to go back to the beginning on the MCU and watched Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk on Saturday.

That opening scene in Iron Man when the Ten rings attack the convoy really got me for some reason.... It's just crazy how that scared guy in the "Fun-Vee" is the same bloke who clicked his fingers to dust Thanos and kill himself in the process all those years later.

@LN78 Ha yeah my exact thoughts about Iron Man.

@ralphdibny How did you feel about The Incredible Hulk? When I rewatched it a couple years ago I found it highly forgettable. It wasn’t quite as bad as people say, but it didn’t really impress either. As I recall, the post credits scene was one of the best parts.

@Th3solution not bad at all really. CGI could have been better, Liv Tyler could have been someone else, some strange dialogue here and there (it's a noughties superhero film so shoehorning odd character names into dialogue was a a thing - iron man did the same thing with "we are iron mongers Tony") but otherwise ok!

I think when I catch it on TV, I normally stick around to the end because it's better than I remember but because I sought to watch it on Saturday, it was about as good as I remembered.