I like most of you grew up watching the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These characters and films have long held a special place in my heart, one that arguably shaped the person that I am today and the interests that I hold. Me and my family always made it a point to go out and see the newest MCU film in theaters and most of them we saw on release day. We have gone through the emotions and anticipation of each film, and we’ve been doing this since I was maybe five or six years old—the MCU has always been a part of mine and my family’s lives. I was so excited for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to come out and I even went as far to make a comprehensive list of all the projects to watch beforehand and I watched them count-down style until the movie’s release.
If you aren’t already familiar with the reviews and critics of not only Multiverse of Madness but also of the entirety of phase four, they are to say the least very strongly opinionated. One viewer says:
Sam Raimi hits the mark on his return with the Multiverse of Madness version of Doctor Strange. With so many elements to the movie, it was so easy to have screwed this up big time but I felt this was a perfect mixture of everything. Horror as a genre makes its way into Marvel world through this one. Loved both Cumberbatch and Olsens performances in this one. A must watch and an apt follow up on the multiverse world.
THIRONTHORAMDUDE, IMBD
While some might agree with this IMBd user, some completely disagree for the very reasons some like the film. Another review on the opposite end of that is
It seems that each Phase 4 project in the MCU is competing to be the worst project yet! The plot was pushed forward by contrivance after convenience… The theme falls flat on its face as the story seems too preoccupied with cameos and side characters to really focus on it. Aside from Elizabeth Olsen’s stellar performance as Wanda/Scarlet Witch, there was nothing to enjoy in this film. Just cheap CGI visuals which often seemed undercooked.
JOHNPQUILLIN, IMBD
This viewer asks,
What happened to the MCU I loved?
JOHNPQUILLIN, IMBD
Because these opinions have carried over into other projects, let’s look at why that might be happening and how we might try to fix it.
In order to enjoy the newer Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, we need to be able to separate what they’ve released in the past to allow for different paths of storytelling. The new saga is going to be different and picking it apart ruins the watch experience and ruins the fan environment. By developing a set of simple and attainable cinema skills, viewers can enjoy the projects a little bit more by appreciating what each has to offer on its own. Here are some of the most common critics of phase 4:
- Too different from the Infinity Saga
- Lack of Direction
- Too Many New Characters/Where are the Avengers?
The Infinity Saga was something that happened seemingly magically and seamlessly. There was a point in the saga where you started to see that all the Marvel films connected which was, at least to me, unexpected. While we had the Avenger’s films in the middle, never did I think it would become such a big ensemble as it did in Avengers Infinity War and Endgame. That being said, we’re still relatively fresh off such a big success. It’s fair to say we’re all expecting the same success as the Infinity Saga, yet we want it quicker now. We are incredibly critical of all the new projects and new characters because of this. But most are being so critical as to the point where most people are falling off their love for Marvel. Comparing this saga to the last only ruins the watch experience for most people and then the online discourse can be very unproductive and sometimes hostile. This creates a rift in the fan environment. But here this raises the questions: are these movies really all that bad, do tastes ultimately differ, or do people have unfair expectations and aren’t giving these new projects a chance at being something on their own?
The solution to these problems and questions can be found in audience behaviors. When you go to or watch a movie at home, what are your initial reactions? Do you read critic reviews before or right after viewing? Were you blown away? Why? Were you disappointed? Why? These questions are good to ask yourself when examining what opinions of films you have and why you have them.
Suggested by Max Phillips, writer for BetterHumans.pub audience members can implement a few behaviors to increase enjoyability when watching films:
Number 1. Let Go of Your Favorite Genres
Number 2. Develop Cinema Etiquette
Number 3. Watch the Film Twice Using Two Different Viewing Lenses
Number 4. Have an Immediate Post-Film Action Plan
Letting Go of Your Favorite Genres
This is important if you want your opinions to be well rounded. Say you were coerced by a friend into seeing the newest Romantic Comedy, but you hate Rom-Coms and prefer to watch only action movies. It’s no wonder you come out of the theater and you hated it! You went into the movie with your favorite genre in mind and might have tried to find the aspects of action movies in the Rom-Com but couldn’t find any. You were disappointed but you shouldn’t have been surprised.
In this scenario, if you would watch differing genres more often, you might have found aspects of the genre that you like would be familiar with storytelling elements unique to the genre and would have enjoyed the movie more.
Develop Cinema Etiquette
Watch a new film with intent. What you come to learn watching more and more films of all merit and ranking is that every shot matters. Even if it’s a kid’s movie, the fundamentals are still there and serve a purpose. Try to find the director’s purpose! It’s a fun way to dissect film when viewing for the first time and can often be the first step in developing your own opinion and interpretation of the film.
Watch the Film Twice Using Two Different Viewing Lenses
First go around recognize and understand the plot and setting. That’s it! Look at the set pieces and costumes and try to pinpoint when it’s set. Figure out where it’s set. Then you can move onto how those effect the plot. And with the plot, the characters. Let yourself feel the emotions of the film!
On second watch you can turn on your “analytical lens.” Think about directing, cinematography, camera angles, and music! You’ve already gone through the emotion and storytelling aspects of the film and now you can analyze and go nuts criticizing every shot if you wanted to.
Have an Immediate Post-Film Action Plan
To really capture your true and unbiased thoughts of a movie, write or discuss with a friend about what you liked or disliked, your favorite or least favorite scenes, etc. I think this part is the best part about watching and analyzing film! I love hearing my friends or family’s opinions of the movie because we’re all bound to have different opinions! My brother might have picked up on something or got a reference I didn’t and that completely changed his view on the film as a whole! That’s the beauty of movies. Everyone will have a different experience watching the same film and have differing opinions, but it’s important to be able to talk about those views and not fight about them.
I wouldn’t recommend going back and rewatching the Phase Four Marvel projects because you’ve already made up your mind about which ones you like and which you dislike, and it will probably be a waste of time to go back and try to reevaluate each project. Instead, take these skills and apply them with the future projects. Phase four is over and has left a lot of fans at a standstill or a crossroads at where they stand with marvel. Yet we can gear up and get excited for the new characters and stories that are in Phase Five. But these skills can be used past the MCU, they can be applied to any genre of film and television show and can be a great asset to social situations.
Because of how heavily influenced our society is on media and on the goings-on in Hollywood, it’s important to have these skills to create and express informed and intelligent opinions. Once you have those opinions you can enter spaces where you can have meaningful and productive discussions with others about film and television. Save yourself from arguments that lack substance like: “Money down the drain…don’t even watch if someone shows it to you for free…Marvel just spent millions of dollars to show a dodgeball match between Wanda and the rest of the cast with a Halloween backdrop.” This is one of the top rated 1-star reviews on IMBd for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, by the way.
What I’ve found in the years I’ve spent taking film analysis classes is that even you if hate a movie you can still find the value and understand why it holds value to audiences or has value in the grander scheme of things. There will be films you absolutely despise and yet there will be the people that love it. The rule that says you can’t please everyone applies even to the film industry. Sometimes the box office top hits aren’t always “good movies” but somewhere in all that you find what you enjoy.