I f*** with the MCU. I’m a lifelong Marvel fan and I appreciate how the films bring what I love about the comics to life. But the cinematography is often flat, bland, and lacking in character, and it has greatly affected how the stories are perceived

I believe a core reason the MCU is sneered at by film nerds is because of the sterile digital look of their films. Sure, the superhero genre has always been seen as lowbrow, but superhero films as a whole never got the same vitriolic contempt aimed at it by film nerds that the MCU gets

It can’t be because of the quality, because the MCU doesn’t have a single film as bad as Catwoman, Daredevil, or any of the worst Fox-Men films. Yet it was never ”superhero films are ruining the industry”...they were just bad films that put a stain on the superhero genre alone.

You can say ”the jovial tone and being proud of its comic-bookiness is why the MCU is looked down upon”...so why weren’t Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 seen as lesser, “not real cinema” films? Let’s talk about how film is still a visual medium at the end of the day, and how the look shapes how films are perceived...

Notice how it’s almost exclusively the MCU with the finger pointed at it for storytelling issues? And the idea of the “superhero genre” bringing down film is just the “superhero genre” being synonymous with the MCU. Also notice how the MCU has noticeably the only superhero films not being shot on celluloid. Those same film nerds that sneer at the MCU for not being real cinema? Don’t be shocked at them considering Zack Snyder’s DCEU films as works of real cinema

That’s not truly because of the “dark and mature” tone or “Zack Snyder is an auteur while the MCU is committee”. While those are reasons, it’s not what’s at the core on a fundamental film level. Zack Snyder’s films are notable for having a grimy and obviously celluloid look to them, lending some “real cinema” legitimacy.

Michael Bay films have to go above and beyond as the most obnoxious and offensive schlocky films in order to get even half the vitriol that the MCU gets for existing. And Michael Bay films? Shot on celluloid with a distinctly celluloid look and feel. JJ Abrams films? They’re criticized for how too-on-the-nose and shallow with how referential they are to other films, yet they aren’t nearly as hated as the MCU. JJ Abrams films are shot on celluloid with a distinctly celluloid look and feel.

Take the flat, digital look of some of the MCU films:

...and compare it to the rich, celluloid look of some non MCU films:

We all know the MCU has a flat, bland look to it most of the time, but this has a bigger impact on its perception than we think

(Here’s a great video about it)

- BRAVE

I agree with the fact that the MCU overall looked flat, especially before 2016 i’d say. But you can easily get some great screenshots out of MCU movies too. You probably chose the worst ones as examples.

Overall i don’t mind this. I’m glad they have changed. GOTG, Ragnarok, Infinity War, WandaVision all look really f***ing good in my opinion.

I don’t think this is the reason the MCU is hated though lol

Tbf I chose shots from some of the more memorable moments in those MCU films

It’s really a color grading issue more than anything because these shots>>>>>

I agree.

Its the color issue.

They need their reds to pop more

They look bland
They feel bland
They're told bland

zero risks. Zero artistic choices. Zero soul

the MCU is glorified made by committee toy commercials

Deviation from a closely uniformed look defeats the purpose of a shared universe. This line of thinking can be applied to tone and other aspects regarding their films.

I want to like Rosebud I really do but every single time I see him he’s complaining about the MCU/Hollywood in general

Brother

In

It seems like they're aware of the issue and they taking steps to up their filmmaking.
I thought GoTG Vol2 was gorgeous. Thor Ragnarok and Infinity War/Endgame were way better too

I don't get how anyone eats it up either.

Ben Davis has done a number of MCU films including Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Strange and Guardians were both lauded for their visuals from what I recall.

He's also been DP for Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths, Three Billboards), Clint Eastwood (Cry Macho), and Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Kick Ass, Layer Cake).

I think the problem is just that these films are corporate cinema. They are very samey and uniform and safe. That have a formula and are sticking to it. Even minor breaks from it are lauded. I think they're fine for what they are.

Ang Lee was maybe the most ambitious director yet in making a mainstream comic book movie with Hulk (2003). It was very comic-like in its composition and editing with picture-in-picture and split panels and such. There are still better MCU films. I definitely prefer Winter Soldier to it for just being a dumb 1990s spy thriller. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man is still the gold standard though. That trilogy fell apart the moment the studio intervened and forced the third to be a bloated mess.

Also, Zach Snyder movies look like dogshit.

This is a good point. It’s not like there aren’t beautiful shots like this with rich colors, but so much of the time the colors have no flair or soul to them, and it’s the most apparent in dialogue shots/big third acts (parts of the films that people really remember)

f***in 'ell it's RAW

Im not saying you're wrong but the Zach Snyder films are even uglier

Dr. Strange is a pretty nice looking film

this just reminds me how much i love hulk 2003

Yeah I hope that they’re spicing it up with Eternals

How dare people like things I dont

they fun to watch

I think it's mostly a color balance issue. A lot of shots and scenes fail to really define much outside of a character/object focus so it feels unconnected, cheap and rushed when viewed altogether.