Black Panther: Wakanda Forever When Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special has completed Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is the shortest, longest, and weirdest phase yet in Marvel Studios’ ongoing experiment in building a cinematic dynasty. Due to pandemic delays, it was the shortest, as it only lasted less than two years, but the longest, as it included seven films, eight TV series, and two one-off specials.
And it’s the strangest, because in addition to introducing a mind-bending multiverse, it’s the closest we’ve come to responding to long-standing MCU criticism. multiverse sagabut in reality, Phase 4 was the filmmaker phase, and Marvel may not have been prepared for the immediate demands of the project.
Cinematically at least, this was the MCU’s most eclectic director lineup to date. Their new additions include the franchise’s first solo female director, Kate Shortland (black widow); Chloe Zhao (Eternals), which just won an Oscar. Experienced studio stylist Sam Raimi (Doctor Strange in the Mad Multiverse); and Destin Daniel Cretton (Shangqi), coming from the background of human-scale drama short term 12Of the three directors brought back for the sequel, Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder) and Ryan Coogler (Wakanda Forever) are the two most distinct and immediately recognizable voices of Phase 3.
In contrast, almost half of Phase 3’s films were directed by either the Russo Brothers or Jon Watts, who also directed Phase 4. Spider-Man: No Way Home(Meanwhile, the Russo family conducted parallel counter-experiments at their posts-the avengers Filmmaking, and came up with something terrible cherry and ignorance man in gray.)
Phase 4 was the perfect opportunity to experiment more broadly with what a director with a strong, specific, and unique voice can bring to film.suddenly released from the long march to Infinity Saga ClimaxMarvel can relax and play with remaining relatable characters, introduce important new characters, or do more of both. a constant stream of television programs. of course, end game It had the feel of a series finale, but it made this vast world of interconnected characters feel more open to interpretation than it had in the decade since the first installment. iron man, ThorWhen captain America Everything felt distinctly different from one another before the Marvel House style really took shape. A person could easily mistake Sam Raimi’s slapstick for Mordant. Ryan Coogler’s emotional grandeur.
So why did so many fans and critics spend so much time diagnosing how Phase 4 failed?
Some Marvel followers will no doubt accuse the studio of not having enough control in this early stage of the Multiverse saga. And perhaps the idea of spotlighting a distinctive filmmaker is fundamentally at odds with making a long-running series of interconnected superhero movies.
Look at any similar DC movie released in the last two years. At times they seem really eclectic and filmmaker driven. and different people playing the same character. The multiverse seems to be such a mess. So shouldn’t Marvel at least suppress it enough to give it a sense of focus and coherence?
movies like Eternals, Thor: Love and ThunderWhen Black Panther: Wakanda Forever It certainly looks like a case for a better reconciliation between filmmakers and studios. Chloe Zhao’s Eternals Zhao’s introspective poem egyptian godsWind historical fantasy soap. Zhao isn’t very good at CG Haze his climaxes and lethargic punch-up laughs that are supposed to lighten the mood.
love and thunder We’re putting more faith in punchlines — Taika Waititi is one of the few MCU filmmakers who actually seem to invest in comedy instead of programming it at required intervals. but, love and thunder, he pursues gags with an overconfident zeal that undermines the story and characters. It’s a classic example of where the filmmaker’s voice takes precedence over the basic storytelling, resulting in a movie that doesn’t serve the MCU’s overall arc, or established cinematic characters. Become.
On the other side of the equation, the need to fit a gigantic narrative doesn’t particularly serve the needs of artists whose voice is their primary asset. Wakanda Forever From an artistic standpoint, it could be considered the MCU’s biggest recent disappointment.Coogler has such deep feelings and graceful image making. black pantherbut the need for a sequel to maintain and establish an ongoing narrative is a canned conflict over exposition, the futility of revenge, and what the arc is being saved for future installments. It means that it is full of characters that cannot be played.
Still, like nearly all interesting things Wakanda Forever It feels like Coogler, but almost all of Phase 4’s standout elements are credited to the specific filmmakers hired for this experiment rather than the usual Marvel Studios elements.in the meantime Doctor Strange in the Mad Multiverse had to Readjust or repair some of what went down inside Wanda Visionit also really does Sam Raimi’s interpretation of Stephen Strange and Scarlet Witch, even though Raimi himself downplays his remarks on the film and describes himself as an overzealous hired hand. The MCU version of Strange sometimes comes across as a disdainful stiffness. And what better way to reduce the teasing of a never-ending crossover than a scene in which Wanda systematically dispatches a string of big character cameos? may have agreed to do these scenes, but it’s hard to imagine anyone else crossing them with the same momentum Raimi brings to the table.
Kate Shortland’s stylistic deviations black widow It is subtle. The film was largely dismissed as an addendum to the story of Natasha Romanoff, but set some characters Designed for use in future shows and movies. But Shortland lends a surprising amount of visual texture to the film, with evocative close-ups, environments that don’t feel as washed out as some MCU movies, and a ruthlessness befitting human interaction. fits neatly into a certain point in his MCU’s timeline, so long as black widow I don’t feel particularly blessed with that greater connection. This is a story about a character that fans already love, the avengers movie.Too bad Marvel Studios didn’t realize that can Talk like that about Natasha until the character is already dead.
An MCU that looks like a relatively standalone spy thriller black widowleaning but sincere goof crazy multiverseor the saddest part Wakanda Forever It’s not necessarily more fan-pleasing or financially successful than the programmatic blockbusters that built the MCU’s reputation. , the problem lies more in the financial model than in the movie.) But those are the elements of Phase 4, which feels more like a movie franchise than a tendrils.
Phase 4’s biggest hit, Spider-Man: No Way Home, provides the nostalgic kick of seeing three different versions of Spider-Man inhabit the same on-screen space. This kind of magic trick can only really be performed once before the audience asks for something bigger, better and flashier. Especially when modern franchises encourage us to think purely in terms of longtime favorites.
That tension between serialized familiarity and individualized variation has been part of the MCU since the beginning. iron man The movie, the Marvel Cinematic Universe component of the long-term filmmaking plan, was new, and Robert Downey Jr. made audiences feel at home as the hotshot, motormouth movie star at its heart. .
But in Phase 4, the avengers Immediate freshness of things like movies and originals iron man Also black panther, brought that conflict to the fore more clearly than ever before. Even without an eclectic roster of famous filmmakers, the TV show similarly flies between experiments (Wanda Vision, Loki, what if…?) and comfort (Falcon and Winter Soldier When Hawkeye). Sometimes it strikes a perfect balance, like Ms. Marvel, a show that is part of the MCU without being incorporated into it. (favorite black panther, there’s a whole world of characters who seem completely uninterested in crossover into the main storyline and exchanging jokes with Ant-Man. ) other times they land awkwardly in the middle — She-Hulk While it seemed made with the intention of subverting MCU conventions through the language of sitcoms and old law dramas, the production team didn’t really pay attention to the format of those shows.
With the sheer amount of Marvel work available, it shouldn’t be considered a major disappointment if some movies or TV shows don’t work out well for all fans. part of the reason. If anything, Phase 4 will be viewed on the idea that with so many Marvel properties on screen, it’s okay to traffic in unexpected elements beyond the kind of twists and turns that warrant a spoiler warning. It was not enough to acclimatize the person.werewolf of the night probably, MCU canon compliant project It can have a unique flavor and approach that doesn’t reach all audiences. Many distant projects of this kind are likely to expand fan expectations, especially with a ton of new material coming to the screen.)
As the MCU has become more graceful in integrating multiple characters, franchises, and even dimensions (remember that awkwardly inserted Hawkeye tease at the beginning? Thor?), the film looks more technically limited. In doing so, you’ll be able to whiten the white skies in Sam Her Raimi’s thrill rides, or enjoy a choking climax in dark CG. ShangqiFilms shot by cinematographers of Scott Pilgrim against the world When Alita: Battle AngelThis diverse group of filmmakers has so far only been able to collectively bend the boundaries of Marvel. It’s possible that the studio doesn’t want anyone to go further. is never going to be the endgame. Marvel should have at least tried to stretch its boundaries or die trying. is shown.