The Marvel Cinematic Universe begins Phase 5.
The thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that there is always more.
What has been billed as “Phase 4” officially ended last year with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Taken together, this series of movies and TV shows, which included “Thor: Love and Thunder” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” were praised for including some major twists, like the parallel universe antics of “Doctor Strange.” “. in the Multiverse of Madness” and introducing new characters like Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel.
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But the shows and movies were often criticized for feeling a bit crude at times and lacking a clear direction, with many fans complaining that Thanos, the main villain of the MCU’s first decade, was once dealt with. , everything else felt disappointing. .
Also, there was a lot of Marvel in this phase, which started in 2021 with “Black Widow” and included seven movies and eight TV shows, which is a lot for even the most devoted fan. Not every movie and TV show was important to understanding the overarching narrative, but there was a growing sense that you had to do a lot of homework to keep up with the whole Marvel thing.
Marvel could try removing these things a bit
Now any notion of so-called Marvel fatigue is a bit of a stretch, as four of last year’s top ten movies they were from the MCU.
But even MCU mastermind Kevin Feige knows that 18 shows and movies in three years is a lot to take, and in an interview with Entertainment Weekly to promote “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” he noted:
“I think one of the powerful aspects of being at Marvel Studios is that these movies and shows hit the zeitgeist. It’s harder to get the zeitgeist right when there’s so much product and so much “content,” as they say, which is a word I hate. (laughs) But we want Marvel Studios and MCU projects to really stand out and stand out. So people will see that as we move into Phases 5 and 6. The pace at which we’re introducing the Disney+ shows will change so that each one can have a chance to shine.”
These comments are similar to the sentiments of the return of Disney (DIS) – Get a free reportCEO Bob Iger, who was behind Disney’s push to acquire Marvel. As the battle for streaming heats up and companies start to take a close look at their budgets, the myriad of things out there will naturally shrink.
Iger recently commented that the company needs to be “better at curating” TV shows and movies that are “extraordinarily expensive.”
He added that “we want quality on screen, but we have to look at what they cost us.”
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What do critics say about ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’?
Marvel’s latest movie, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” will kick off what’s known as Phase 5, which is part of the Multiverse Saga.
The Ant-Man film series, which began in 2015, has so far been light, comedic fun carried by the charm of Paul Rudd, who plays Scott Lang, an ex-con who falls into the world of superheroes to reconnect with his life. daughter.
But returning director Peyton Reed has spoken about his intentions to make the third film a full-scale adventure, paradoxically going into the microscopic parallel universe of the Quantum Realm. In the latest outing, Scott Lang and his family are trapped in the kingdom and threatened by the conquered time-traveling Kang, played by Jonathan Majors, a new addition to the MCU.
While Rudd gets plenty of opportunity to deliver his clever one-liners, there’s a greater sense of scale and more worldbuilding here, though critics are mixed as to what it adds up to.
Entertainment Weekly thinks the film is overwrought, but overall enjoyable, saying Reed “sometimes gets sucked into the dizzying spectacle of it all: an emcee outstripped by pew battles and talking space blobs. However, in just over 120 minutes, a blink in Marvel time: this ‘Ant-Man‘ He’s smart enough to be funny, and wise enough not to stay longer than expected.”
Is bigger always better? Hollywood Reporter appreciates the effort, but feels it loses some of the comedic charm of the previous films.
All of this gives The Daily Beast a headache, really.
Rolling Stone is getting sick of the MCU in general, it seems, and thinks this movie doesn’t breathe new life into proceedings.
The Times believes that the epic scale collapses in on itself, feeling like a strange hodgepodge.
But Consequence loves the fun, comedic tone, and enjoys that the movie doesn’t try to be too serious.
Like many critics, Variety thinks Majors brings the show to a complete halt, making him one of the most compelling villains Marvel has ever had.
