THE WAR BETWEEN THE UNIVERSES: PART 1 - MARVEL

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 

on THE WAR BETWEEN THE UNIVERSES: PART 1 - MARVEL

With AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON around the corner, with TV shows wrapping up their sophomore year, and new releases on the horizon, MARVEL has a lot to talk about and mull over. 

Many have said that MARVEL has set the bar high for the franchising process with THE AVENGERS.  This is true as an overall building plan but the parts were just as integral to the whole.  Looking at each story as a standalone piece, there have been some troubles.  The THOR movies were the weakest.  I couldn't fully invest in these as they were too clean and pretty.  This is Norse mythology, nothing should be clean and pretty.  The IRON MAN trio was not so nicely received by the third film. I, on the other hand, thought they were strong stories with unforgettable characters.  I found them important to the Tony Stark's development, and thus making Downey almost irreplaceable.  And then the CAPTAIN AMERICA set, another fine display of film and writing.  Bringing the heroes together for THE AVENGERS made for an enhanced experience, playing off the strengths of each, with the Hulk for additional flavor.  

Spider-Man has been troubled thanks in part to the studio's lack of conviction.  Both sets of stories contributed to the overall growth of Spider-Man's popularity, making him a top grosser.  I believe that there has been too many chefs in the kitchen to really launch this project to the level it could be.  The SPIDER-MAN collection for Sam Raimi was a shot into the upper echelon of hero films until the third film floundered.  THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN movies were great, the first being the better of the two.  The second one stumbled in parts but the full storyline could easily have been recovered with a third story to bring them together and move forward.  They tried to do too much.  This I believe was thanks in part to some studio desk jockeys trying to play the numbers and thinking they need to amp up the 'wow' factor.  Now with the Sony breach and snafu, MARVEL has a chance to recover Spider-Man's faltering with some grace in the coming feature, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR.  I would suggest they show a little backbone and keep Andrew Garfield in as Spider-Man rather than admitting to a sense of failure, when there really wasn't. 

Ryan Reynolds and the launching of the DEADPOOL project has made for great theatre.  The release of the completely digital test footage and the continuing stream of images and special promotional skits are keeping the buzz high.  This could be the greatest marketing strategy in play or eventually it will become the cliff all Deadpool fans jump from if the movie sucks.  I'm thinking we will all be safe from a rash of sudden-impact deaths.

'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.' (AoS) has continually sat on the fence for me.  There are moments of clarity, and then there seems to be this sense of the plot ambling about with no direction.  I wish they would have started with a grounded and stable first season before sending everything up into the air in a game of Fifty-Two Card Pick-up with Hydra, and now Shield 2.0.  I haven't really had a chance to relate to any one character, as each is always in flux.  The story arcs seem to try and trump the one another, never giving me the time to bond.  And then they tunnel vision the size of S.H.I.E.L.D..  They want you to know that they are large organization, but yet it seems like it's always this small team against everyone else.  That is a tall order, even without having a ton of pesky ?Inhumans? (I dare say, since they won't).

'Agent Carter' was a long shot.  I did not place my money on this bet but after watching the show, I thought it was handled better than AoS.  The stories were tighter and Hayley Atwell had a presence that made the show work (and I would not have guessed).  Unfortunately, there is a chance that all those unresolved story elements will remain so since the ratings were not up to the high standards required for renewal.  Time will tell.

'Powers' is a b-class series put out by the PlayStation Network.  There is a lot of cussing, some awkward sexual innuendo, and plenty of lines of bad dialogue to choke on.  There is such an imbalance in the show, it is hard to get a grip on everything occurring and care.  The poor quality in CGI is something found in amateur films and the set-ups are generic plot tools.  I'd rather watch THE TICK, at least it's meant to be funny.

'Marvel's Daredevil', in my opinion, is the strongest show available to date.  The story is by far some of the best writing and having the best character development on display.  The grittiness puts you in the streets, taking the punches, and forever stitching up the mess afterwards.  The fight sequences have thought behind them, with an Indie sense of presentation at times.  This one is a game changer, mark my words.  Also on the Netflix's to-do list is 'Luke Cage', 'Iron Fist', and 'Defenders', so the future looks promising.

The X-MEN films are there own creature.  The first was by far the best of the three originals., and that is not saying much with how 3 left a bad taste in my mouth.  The Origins films have mixed reviews but I give full support and enjoyed.  FIRST CLASS was so rough in the acting department, I put it on the list with STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE.  McAvoy and Fassbender carried that film.  DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is there saving grace for any 'future'.  It corrected the problems from the earlier films and reset the stage.  Here's to hoping...

There is also a hidden component that needs to be addresses, the various animated series currently in play.  They have 'Ultimate Spider-Man', 'Avengers Assemble', 'Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.', and the soon-to-be 'Guardians of the Galaxy'.  Unless you are closing paying attention or a die hard fan, this are quiet blips on the radar.

Next week - DC Universe....