#tlat criticism

[meimaru]

People are just now waking up? Better late than never.

(Also, I couldn't help but add this meme I found on Twitter, that is legitimately funny yet Gagnarok fans call it cringe and boomer humor. Oh well~ there's a reason why a schism is a thing.)

Is it boomer humor? Maybe.

#anti chris hemsworth #anti taika waititi #anti thor love and thunder #thor love and thunder #taika waitit criticism #tlat criticism

[cakewitch43]

What I didn’t (and did) like about Thor: Love and Thunder

-it’s a fun movie about space vikings, and this is just my opinion-

TLAT is a comedy movie trying to fit into an action/adventure frame.  And it doesn’t work.

Taika Waititi is a great director, and I love his work.  But I feel like, with this movie, he needed to pull back a little and let the audience enjoy the motions of an action movie he was trying to instill, to believe there was some sort of danger.  If you’ve ever seen Jojo Rabbit or even Thor Ragnarok, you know Taika can do serious.  

This boils down to two main points that sort of feed into each other- tone, and lack of stakes.

When we first meet Gorr in the beginning of the film, the tone is very serious.  His grief, desperation to protect his daughter, and betrayal from his god are all done very well.  Overall, Gorr is the one serious character in this film.

But as soon as we leave Gorr to join Thor, everything shifts.  The proceeding battle is all one big joke.  Thor starts in a robe, which he shucks off in the open, just getting grazed with 1 shot (not even near the arm or something, in the middle).  The camera spends a lot of time on the Guardians, who kinda look concerned about the battle, but are mostly there to roll their eyes and say “come on Thor, its time to win this battle”.  And yes, I think this is on purpose.  At this point in the film, Thor is having an existential crisis.  He doesn’t care, really.  He just wants to get the battle over with so he can go back to feeling nothing.  Everything in this section is played off as a joke because Thor can’t handle being serious.  But then this tone carries through practically the rest of the film? And while it could be argued that the tone is used to reflect Thor’s nihilism, all it does is make it appear to the audience that there are no stakes in the movie.  That we shouldn’t care about the villain, or the children, or Jane because this is a classic Thor adventure.  

I think the best example is the appearance of Sif.  Thor finds Sif, and the slain god of this planet, the nicest god you’d ever meet (who, for the life of me I can’t find the name of).  But unlike Gorr in the beginning, we get no sense of Thor’s grief for the god, or his fear for Sifs life.  He rushes towards her, and there is no emotional swell of music.  If I remember correctly, it is almost completely silent.  Her injury is treated as a joke, and when she says to let her die, Thor chuckles, and says, “actually, you have to die in the battle to join Valhalla, not after the battle.” Sif says “shit” alright then. And is whisked off to New Asgard.  Which was just, a really odd choice, I thought? Watching in theaters, Sif seemed really desperate in her distress call.  I thought maybe seeing Sif, one of his oldest, best friends, in danger would start Thor’s journey towards caring again about his people and himself (towards choosing love, and feeling shitty instead of feeling nothing).  But instead this interaction is treated as a joke, and an excuse for Thor to go home, meet Jane and start the adventure. The proceeding battle, again, has no stakes.  Remember the opening fight in Thor Ragnarok, the one everyone loved so much? We loved Thor's jokes, his levity in battle.  But the reason we loved it so much was because there were still stakes.  Surtur, his minions, the music, even Thor, were all aware of the danger.  In that scene, Thor isn’t just making jokes, he is angry.  Angry at Surtur, angry at the prospect of Ragnarok, of losing Asgard.  I know that in TLAT, Thor has lost a lot.  He’s gone past anger and depression, and gone straight to complete nihilistic crisis mode.  But something needs to bring him out of that.  It’s not the battle in New Asgard, it’s not the threat of losing his life, it’s not even the children being stolen.  It ends up being Jane, but in my opinion, it’s too late in the movie for the audience to care.  

Frankly, I wanted Korg to die in Omnipotence City.  I know that sounds harsh (and I did truly love Korg later in the movie, his funny bits in Val’s hair, his husband Dwayne, his final narration) but it would have created some seriousness in a movie truly lacking it.  It would have made Thor angry, it would have told the audience that these characters aren’t immortal, it would have given Thor a little more sympathy for Gorr, having been mistreated by the gods himself.  I just wish, as an audience member, my history with these characters wasn’t the only reason I cared about them in this movie.  I wish there were emotional ups and downs.  At the end, Thor is at a better place than he was in the beginning.  He’s adopted a child, cares for her, and is fighting for her.  He’s out of his nihilistic funk, and he cares.  But Thor was basically passive in this journey, and I feel like he could have learned so much more.  

Thor’s emotional journey doesn't feel complete, perhaps because too much was left on the cutting room floor.

There were so many bits I thought would go somewhere, but didn’t.  Bits that probably didn’t get included because they weren’t jokes. This movie is just under two hours, you could definitely fit some more stuff here, especially if you cut more unnecessary stuff.  

They could have explored Thor’s relationship with Stormbreaker a bit more (Thor is yearning for the past, Mjolnir and Jane, but he must find meaning in the present and appreciate what he has now).  

They could have spent more time with Valkyrie and Thor (remember that bit, when the children are taken and King Valkyrie can’t calm her people, but Thor’s booming voice gets their attention and he makes a speech).  I feel like that was a bit of an offense.  Valkyrie is King, and Thor has been gone for years, after spending his time as king in crippling depression and alcoholism. They could have spent more time talking about his reign, or Val’s reign, or just anything. 

And finally, I feel like they should have spent a lot more time talking about who Thor is now.  Starlord mentions it in the beginning, that Thor doesn’t really know who he is.  And he doesn’t.  Because he doesn’t care to think about it.  And at the end of this movie, we should have had an answer.  But I don’t think we do.  And yes, at the end, Thor chooses to be a lover.  He chooses to care, even if it means feeling shitty.  But that’s not what I’m talking about.  Who is the Thor who cares?  Is he a warrior? A prince? He’s definitely not a king.  Is he a father? A protector? A god? I don’t want it spelled out, I just think they should have focused more on his internal journey as well.

Omnipotence City.

I originally had a much bigger problem with this.  I think the whole, mysterious, convenient city of the gods got a little too “Supernatural” for me.  But it totally has comic basis, and it’s an important place for Thor to visit, to illustrate that the gods have become so proud and conceited that they’ve forgotten how they got the title of gods.  They no longer protect their people, and instead rank each other based on how many lives were sacrificed in their name.  I feel like it would’ve been cooler if TLAT had again, explored this a little more.  Said that a real ‘god’ protects their people, and the people who worship them. 

“Your ancestors called it Magic, and you call it science. I come from a realm where they are one in the same.” -Thor, Thor

“We are not gods.  We’re born, we live, we die.  Just as humans do.”- Odin, Thor: The Dark World

Asgardians only received their ‘god’ status because humans gave it to them.  On visits to Midgard, Thor showed off his elemental lightning magic, and youthful promiscuity, and became the god of thunder, and the god of fertility.  Tales of Odin’s campaign against the Jotun on Earth earned him the title as god of war, associated with wisdom, poetry and magic.  The Jotun “devourers” earned the place as the evil in Norse bedtime stories.  In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Asgardians are astoundingly powerful yet mortal beings, given the title of god because they are worshiped by the people of Earth.

I did like some things, though

Zeus’s greek accent- I don’t know, I’d just never heard any version of Zeus have his origins actual accent, and I think it was the right choice.  

The way Jane’s cancer was treated was decidedly serious, but it wasn’t a pity party. I love when she breaks the sink.  She’s tired, hurt, and desperate.  But this is Dr. Jane Foster, a tough workaholic who has told only a few people about her diagnosis.   I actually think Jane was meant to mirror Thor emotionally.  Jane knows it doesn’t matter what she risks as Mightier Thor, because she is dying anyway.  But instead of joking off and not caring, Jane actually works hard to do good with her remaining time.  She is a hero. 

The bit where Val kisses the Olympic girl’s hand was really cute (Though I know some people have problems with her representation as a “slutty bisexual” and I agree, i just feel like this moment in particular was nice.)

The colors! I loved the visuals in the battle with Gorr, the contrast of magic vs decay

Though I was kind of annoyed with the goats in the beginning (ANOTHER JOKE, really?) I liked the bifrost ship.  It was really cool to see the carriage moving like that, and it gave the characters time to talk instead of just fast traveling everywhere.  

I didn’t know how I felt about Thor’s new costume, I’m so used to him wearing silver, but I do like that his gold was used to contrast with Jane’s silver.  Maybe even upping his shininess (he was competing with her in the beginning after all 😄)The dusting of him in gold after Omnipotence city and his use of the lightning bolt was really cool.  Overall, this movie is so pretty.  

The kids at the end was a really feel-good scene, though I wish it had a little more seriousness in it (maybe a close shot of Thor, realizing this was his only option, that these kids have to fight if they want to survive, he can’t protect all of them AND fight Gorr, then acting all cheery for their sakes.)

Thor and Jane holding pinkies going into battle🥰

I both did and didn’t like the assimilation of Asgardian culture into Midgard.  Get money however you need to, but I feel like the tourist-trap ification would be really disappointing to the Asgardians who died.  But I also know, that is exactly what would happen if there were an actual Asgardian settlement on Earth.

Jane and Val’s friendship was really great.  I’m glad that even though we didn’t get to see it, those two bonded :)

The title? “Together they’re known as Love and Thunder” ethereal.  Poetic cinema.  The deepest part of the movie.

Overall, TLAT had some issues, and I can see why people were upset. But at the end of the day, its just a fun movie, and it should be enjoyed for what it is

#tlat spoilers #thor odinson #thor love and thunder #tlat criticism

[tangyyrine]

The MCU destroyed Asgard way too early imo. There’s so much we still could’ve seen, so many characters that could’ve been introduced.

New Asgard doesn’t really replace it well imo… it just felt kinda lifeless in TLAT, like a big joke without much substance? Idk.

#we could’ve had sm more #i hate tlat #mcu critical #yeah they can still introduce new asgardian characters without asgard #but i think it would’ve been cool to see them there too #mcu #thor odinson #tangyyaps

[iguessyouregonnamissthepantyraid]

in other news: i am having entirely too much fun with this

#i'm taking my two biggest criticisms of TLAT and fixing both #1. thor and valkyrie should have gotten together and 2. loki should have been there #it helps that i am not beholden to IW or endgame #i take a hammer and i fix the canon #me #twll

[presidentlokis-hornyhelmet]

True.. just not in the way he meant

#Thor4 #Thor love and thunder #tlat #He has the wrong take #As someone said in twt taika knew nothing abt thor or his fans :( #Truly sad #This movie was better unmade #This thor none of us really want :( #He is right fabs really don't want this thor #Thor 4 criticism #Why are they acting as if thor has never been in love before???

[superectojazzmage]

So. Got back from Thor: Love and Thunder a while ago. Have… opinions.

THE GOOD

Christian Bale is fantastic as Gorr. Completely steals the show. Dominates every scene he’s in, delivers a powerful performance that is, frankly, too good for the movie. It’s like he’s in a completely different film then everyone else. That is also a negative more on that later.

Most of the acting is good in general. Chris Hemsworth continues to do Thor well, Natalie Portman is wonderful, Tessa Thompson sells her feelings, Russel Crowe manages to get some of the few genuine laughs, everyone is doing their best with what they were given.

Action scenes are very good. There aren’t enough of them, honestly, but what action scenes there are are pretty awesome.

The core story arc the film is built around is a great premise. This whole idea of Thor going on a spiritual journey of self-discovery while stopping Gorr’s deicide is a strong idea for a movie. Execution… is lacking, again more on that later.

Visuals are great. Yeah, it’s Marvel Studio’s usual overuse of CGI, but they DO manage to get the visual style and aesthetic of the proper Marvel Comics universe down really well. Eternity especially looked absolutely amazing just as he should.

Jane Foster with Thor’s powers was handled infinitely better then in the comics, not that it’s Jason Aaron’s crap run is a high bar to clear. She has an actual character arc, is genuinely likable, and they even had the balls to let her die and stay dead in Valhalla. Kudos.

The resolution of the story with Gorr’s daughter and all that was good. Powerful stuff, or it would’ve been in a better movie. Again, the idea was solid. Thor as a dad is good growth.

Soundtrack is nice. Hair metal and Marvel Thor go together like bread and butter.

THE BAD

Pacing is breakneck and godawful. Nothing has any room to breath. Everything is rushed. Everything meaningful or good or fun is crammed into little spaces to make room for the jokes. Speaking of…

The humor just does not work. There is far too much of it, disrupting and undermining the larger narrative, and most of it just does not land at all. It’s “self-aware” quippy humor at its most obnoxious and terribly executed. Some good gags here and there but drowned out by crap. Even good gags are dragged out and beaten to death; the fucking goats were funny the first two or three times and never again after that.

Tone is all over the fucking place. Christian Bale feels so much like he’s in a different movie it’s laughable and destroys any drama. It’s like a character from Schindler’s List stumbled into Animal House. Every somber moment is interrupted with cringeworthy gags. The “80s adventure movie” vibe is inspired and perfect for Thor, but not this specific story arc; perhaps if they had done something like Beta Ray Bill it would’ve worked better.

While the visuals are good in how they LOOK aesthetically, it’s also still Marvel Studios CGI-everywhere barf. Very little has weight. You can tell everyone is just standing around in green screens, no idea they’re even supposed to be reacting to.

Despite the good premise, the story is a mess. Clumsily executed on so many levels. The deck is constantly being stacked in Gorr’s favor with no attempt at nuance or counter-argument… but the film chickens out at last minute and refuses to commit, which is somehow almost more insulting and offensive then if it HAD gone all in with its “religion bad” undertones. Either throw the punch or don’t raise your hand at all.

Missed opportunities to do more abound. Like many of Marvel Studios’ work, there is no real effort to faithfully adapt stuff from the comics. Most characters are wasted as plot devices, especially Eternity. Arbitrary changes hurt the story. And again, the lack of depth and nuance is palatable; I thought they would go for “Jane gets sick but finds strength in faith and hope, while Gorr’s loss of faith and hope poisons him physically and spiritually” which would’ve been beautiful. But nope, “Gorr is right”.

Dialogue was terrible. In addition to all the awkward attempts at self-aware jokes, even serious dialogue struggled to sound right.

It feels like they couldn’t decide an audience. The premise, themes, violence, and risqué parts make you think they’re going for adults but on the whole it is very much a kids movie, in a bad way. Constant STUFF happening like jingling keys to entertain a kid which is probably what they were going for. Scared to ever get dark while having a paradoxically grim plot.

The representation and LGBT+ stuff is embarrassingly shallow and desperate “look at us aren’t we so progressive!” stuff. It’s all either done as a joke or in a quick, easily-edited out manner.

All in all… very disappointing, especially from Taika Waititi. Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Moon Knight made me think the MCU still had value. Love and Thunder and Ms. Marvel have disabused me of that notion, and even made me look back on those three with a more critical eye.

Saw someone muse that this may mark Waititi’s transition from “beloved indie darling” to “just another Hollywood insider” and yeah. I think so.

#thor love and thunder #thor movies #thor 4 #love and thunder #mighty thor #Thor love and thunder spoilers #love and thunder spoilers #tlat spoilers #marvel spoilers #marvel #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #marvel mcu #marvel comics #mcu criticism #taika waititi #movies #movie review #hollywood

[burn-4u]

Not marvel stans foaming at the mouth at the 30th super powered mcu straight white woman going like “I’m the MIGHTY Thor™️” in the same film climax that completely sidelined the only woman of color character in the movie

#tlat spoilers #anti mcu #mcu critical #am tag

[woodelf68]

At some point during korg's fanon narrating i highly expected thor to interrupt and say "none of that happened ur flanderizing it" and then we go back to the real plot and dont hear from korg narrating again

I wish I was the sort of person who could completely rewrite the movie as a fanfic, keeping to the storyline but writing it in a more believable way, as it's happening in the moment, not as an amusing story that happened in the past. I would like, for instance, to see the moment or series of moments that made Thor decide he wanted to get in shape again, and see him struggling at first, but slowly rebuilding his strength and stamina. A lot less talking to Stormbreaker like it's a person who can understand him; a little bit of that sort of thing can be funny, the amount in the movie just made him seem pathetic. No non-stop screaming goats; again it's overdone. WHY are they always screaming? Have it be only an occasional thing, with a reason for it, for example. (Someone mentions the possibility of cooking one for dinner, maybe...) Maybe they're just a nervous wreck at first because of who they used to live with, and they settle down and become useful members of the team. Let them have a hero moment when they take a bite out of Gorr's ass or something! Ideally? I'd like New Asgard to have a healer with magic enough to put Jane's cancer into remission, but if she has to die, then you can be darn sure I'd have Heimdall escorting her into Valhalla, right up to the high table where Frigga and Odin and Loki are sitting together. And Frigga stands, and welcomes Jane home. (Hmm, surely someone has written an extended version of Jane arriving in Valhalla at least? I must look that up.)

#asks #anonymous #thor love and thunder #tlat critical #and jane and loki become friends #i will accept nothing less

[summerlinenss]

I don't have a twitter account and refuse to get one so I can't jump in on there, but I just gotta say *something* about the whole thing of Chris "throwing Taika under the bus." Did anyone saying that read the article?? Chris doesn't even mention Taika! He just says he feels like he didn't do a good job there. How is that in any way disparaging Taika??

I get people hate Love and Thunder so much that even mentioning its existence is enough for some people, but questioning if Chris and Taika are still friends because Chris wasn't happy with his performance is a little much. This is not saying "hey go attack Taika for making me make this movie," this is saying "I didn't do the best I could and I think the film suffered for it."

Anyone who thinks that is Chris inviting people to attack Taika is just reading pure bad faith. Anyone who thinks they had a fight is reading pure bad faith and making huge assumptions about two people they don't know. I doubt Chris even pays attention to the online hate and was in no way thinking to sic the rabid Marvel bros on Taika again. He was talking about a role he had and thought he didn't do the best at and he is perfectly in his rights to discuss that. It was barely a short paragraph in a long article and anybody who takes it as a cue to go after Taika just wants an excuse, not that they need one.

okay so i’m not entirely sure if this is all supposed to be directed at me but to clarify, i never said chris was attacking or throwing taika under the bus. i was actually the one to bring up the fact that afaik they’ve been friends since pre-ragnarok. i have zero issue with chris as a person or an actor. your last sentence basically sums up the entire point i was making, anon.

i know that chris is just being critical of himself. he’s talked about his issues with his performance before, it’s not news. i’m a bit upset to hear it because i honestly love the movie, but he has every right to feel that way. and he has the right to talk about it.

all i was saying is that it’s exhausting and annoying that any time anyone involved with tlat does some sort of press tour, we know they (as in the media) are going to start pushing the whole “so-and-so says they hated working on this movie and it was a miserable soul-sucking experience” narrative for clicks. and like clockwork, the dudebros come crawling back out to swear their undying hatred for taika and how he “ruined thor” and is a talentless hack who should never be allowed to direct anything again because he made one movie they didn’t like.

they have the right to talk about it. and i know they sometimes don’t necessarily have a choice if interviewers keep bringing it up. but i also stand by my point that everyone (that includes the cast, the media, and the marvel fanboys) needs to stop dwelling on something they pretty much only have negative feelings about. like taika clearly has. we get it. there are regrets. it wasn’t well-received. it’s been two years. let’s get over it and move on to new things.

#asks #anon #taika waititi #chris hemsworth #tlat

[nodirectionhome-ao3]

20 QUESTIONS GAME

Thanks for the tag @jfleamont!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

6.

2. What's your total AO3 words count?

256,418

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just HP!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Kindly Stopped for Me – Multi-chapter: Lily lives AU, in progress. 2. This Mad, Mad Love – One-shot: Fluffy Jily love confession. 2,185 words. 3. The Joker and The Queen – Multi-chapter: Jily fake dating, in progress. 4. A Rollercoaster Kind of Rush – One-shot: 6th year Lily realizing her feelings for James. 4,124 words. 5. The Brightest Star in the Sky – One-shot: Post-war Hinny stargazing. 2,293 words.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes!!! I love comments so much. They give me the encouragement I need to keep writing even when I'm feeling self-doubt or writer's block.❤️

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

As of right now, none of my completed fics have unhappy endings! I guess the closest is The Brightest Star in the Sky because it's post-war so grief is an essential part of the fic. But the story is about Harry and Ginny finding a moment of comfort in the midst of their pain. So...does that count?

My Jily one-shots were written so that I could give myself a break from the heartache of James being dead in Kindly Stopped for Me so they are all mostly happy😅 (although there is some angst in Mosaic Broken Hearts).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably. This Mad, Mad Love. Although I'm just now realizing that several of my one-shots end with love confessions lol. I guess that's something I really wanted to write this year😅

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Occasionally on Kindly Stopped for Me. It hasn't been that bad, compared to what I know other authors have had to deal with, but yeah. I've gotten pretty liberal with the delete button recently, which has been good for my peace of mind, and I might turn off guest comments if this negative trend continues in the future (though I don't want to do that if I don't have to because not all guest comments are negative!)

I write for fun, as a hobby, so I have no time for people who think it's appropriate to leave unsolicited criticism or snarky comments on my work. Writing is an emotionally vulnerable thing to do, sharing writing publicly even more so, and I won't engage with people who don't respect that.

That said, I've been very fortunate in that the vast majority of comments I receive are lovely and encouraging. The Jily community in particular is a wonderful place full of people who have been so nice to me, and I'm constantly amazed by all the people (from the Jily community and beyond) who take the time out of their day to share kindness about my stories!!! Even a simple comment really really means a lot!

9. Do you write smut. If so what kind?

I haven't yet. But I might in the future. Who knows!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

No. That's just not my thing!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so. I hope not!!!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Does the Jilytober Jilyexpress count? Because if so, yes. If not, then no. (but I'm open to it!) 😅

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I'd definitely say Jily. It's the ship that got me into fanfiction (the first fic I ever read was TLAT!) and it's still my favorite. But Hinny is a very very close second! I love those two ships with my whole heart.

Outside of HP, I'd have to go with Percabeth. I've never read any fanfics (maybe I will someday), but the Percy Jackson books were a huge part of my childhood!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I don't have one!! I know for a fact that I will finish Kindly Stopped for Me because I have the whole story plotted out and it takes up SO much of my thoughts at all times lol. My (possibly ambitious) goal is to finish it by February 6, 2024 because I posted the first chapter on February 6, 2023😅 But if I'm really productive I could potentially finish it by the end of 2023. We'll see! But it will for sure be finished either way.

As for The Joker and The Queen, I don't have the full plot outlined yet so I don't have a schedule in my mind of when it will be done. But I don't have any doubts that I'll finish it!

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at dialogue. That's something that comes naturally to me, maybe in part because I have a lot of theatre experience and have read MANY plays in my life. So dialogue is definitely the most essential part of that!

I also think I'm good at writing angst. It seems to come more naturally than fluff, even though I'm generally happy these days.😂

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Brevity. I know it's the soul of wit, but it is not one of my strengths!!

I wish I could be paid by the word like Charles Dickens. I'd probably be thriving financially if that was my life😂

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I mean...I took French for 7 years in school and then attended university in a bilingual English/French city. So...theoretically I could write some dialogue in French. Maybe? I can read it pretty well, even though I'm still not confident with speaking it. But I'm kind of rusty on it and I don't think I have the confidence to attempt to write creatively in French unless I have a beta reader who is more fluent.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I've only ever written for HP.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

It has to be Kindly Stopped for Me. I'm really enjoying writing it and there are certain chapters that I am VERY excited to share with you all!

Tagging: @joyseuphoria, @suzyq31, @abihastastybeans, and @bronzeagepizzeria!! (I'm not sure who all has been tagged yet, so no pressure whatsoever if you've already been tagged or don't feel like doing this!)

#ask game #tagged! #on writing

[bbyboybucket]

So we all hate how the MCU has been lazy with their movies lately and seems to be relying on introducing new faces and having cameos to make something “good” and “popular”. But the thing is, if that’s what they really want to do, they could at least do it well. Because it is possible and Civil War is the prime example.

Now I will say that CW felt more like Avengers 2.5 than a Cap movie, but that criticism aside, it was done exceptionally. Especially in how they flawlessly introduced T’Challa and Peter Parker. That movie proves you can bring in new characters, and give them a true introduction, start to flesh them out and seamlessly integrate them into the plot while also building their future. As soon as we meet both T’Challa and Peter in CW, we start to like and care about their characters because they are given depth, they are given personality, and they actually are written to matter to the plot and the cinematic universe as a whole, even if it’s just the very beginning.

Recently, these new characters are so surface level (I’m not talking about the ones who get their own individual projects) that it’s hard to really engage. Sure, they’re likable, but in the way that your basic side character-good guy is. They get nothing except a “hey here’s my powers” and a “quirky” line or two. It’s to the point where their presence in the movie doesn’t change anything plot wise and it’s just like adding an extra body to a scene. These new characters aren’t being portrayed to their potential and it doesn’t take a whole lot of screen time for that to happen. A character can have minimal exposure but still be utilized properly.

And it’s not just the new ones, but other characters who make appearances as well. Back to civil war, there were tons of characters in that movie who were all used to their full potential no matter how little screen time they had. They were all in character and all had something that pushed their overall arc forward.

Look at Rhodey for example, he one of the “side characters” but in every scene, he has relevance, had personality, and even though something bad happened to him, it still effected both his character arc and the overall movie plot. Hell, even Sharon, who was particularly a minor role, held significant importance and years later in TFATWS we see the pay off of what happened to her character. Every single person in CW, no matter how small their part seemed, was given dimension and connection to the overall MCU.

Which makes things even more disappointing when you look at the recent MCU movies, because you know there is potential for that. Just like Hope in Quantumania. She was done so dirty, she was the titular character yet was given so little screen time and wasn’t utilized at all except the final fight. Her character, which has always been such a great and interesting one in the previous movies, was reduced to someone who drops a short line here and there. They had her do practically nothing except ask a question that could have been said by any other character in that entire movie. She was given no personality, no anything and it’s sad because like I said, she’s a titular character and there was potential.

That’s just one example out of so many. And I know a ton of people hated TLAT but honestly, I think one of the reasons I don’t is because something was actually done with almost every character. They were all expanded on, just like Valkyrie finally bringing her backstory to light, her potential as a ruler was shown and it was a huge growth since her first appearance as an alcoholic. She was even given depth in that she talked about how dying in battle is her goal because she wants to earn her spot in Valhalla. Hell, even Korg got an arc pay off and that speaks volumes when you see how the heroes and villains in other movies are being done. Wakanda forever and NWH are truly the only movies on par with the past MCU.

Because right now, I’m not even speaking of the shitty and bland story telling, the overuse of CGI, the badly written scripts. I’m only diving into the utilization of cameos and new characters, and that downgrade alone tells you that the MCU has stopped giving a shit about quality.

#sorry to be ranting but it was on my mind #like do better ???? #y’all have the capability #anti mcu #mcu #marvel #antman and the wasp: quantumania #captain america civil war #CA:CW #thor love and thunder #TLAT #multiverse of madness

[lokiinmediasideblog]

The lokius shippers t making me hate mobius more and more. Its like how Taika gpt me to hate korg

Understandable, I'd probably block the tag for him or the ship at that point. Sometimes fandom experiences make you unappreciative of characters. For me, I guess I've experienced that with some Thanos stans I've encountered that constantly trash on Loki.

I don't like Korg either. But I liked Ragnarok and enjoyed the movie when I first watched it after a fight with my brother LOL. I keep thinking of how fitting that was (and we learned we have an older sister around the time the Original Sin (Aldrif/Angela) run was written; I have that in common with them).

I liked that it makes Odin being a shitty parent undeniable. I loved Valkyrie and Hela. I liked the introduction of characters way more powerful than Thor and Loki, such as the Grandmaster, that I can totally use for whump. And it was funny at times. And it seemed like it'd be set up to something cool like Revengers + GOTG. I was pleasantly surprised Loki didn't do something particularly evil, because I was expecting something closer to the comics. And T:TDW and AoU framed Loki's rule ominously. I am still curious at what could have been though.

I do have criticisms regarding TW's humor with the TLAT trailer scene where Thor gets stripped and ogled instead of helped by Valkyrie and Jane. It made them seem like uncaring perverted assholes? I was like, "Thanks for ruining their characterizations. This was gratuitous and unnecessary."

And then I learned there was a deleted scene for Thor Ragnarok where Loki is magically trapped in a portable restroom, can't get out, and men keep entering that I highly doubt the very corporate and family friendly Disney/Marvel asked for and felt spiteful towards the character. Unless there's a receipt Marvel/Disney asked for it, I will consider it spiteful on TW's part rather than Marvel/Disney.

I also liked the deleted scene/alternative to Odin's death more? It's more meaningful, and makes Odin more endearing and seem like he cared about them.

#mcu!loki #mcu!thor #anti taika waititi #just in case #anon asks #opinions #thor ragnarok #anti tlat #anti lokius #anti mobius #anti korg

[jazzycasino]

Ok so I finished Thor about an hour ago and maybe it’s because I don’t care about the mcu anymore and I stopped trying to keep track I just do.not.care and I know their movies are very mediocre nowadays and it’s quantity over quality but I think critics and reviewers and even mcu fans are finally taking their rose colored glasses off bc this movie is just like any other marvel movie imo??? I didn’t feel any different watching it I knew there would be a huge disregard for the characters development from the past and the comics (if you still watch these films/shows thinking they’re going to respect the comics WHY are you torturing yourself) so that might be why I feel eh abiut it. Like I didn’t hate it and it was an entertaining movie for a Friday night but everyone saying this is the worst movie ever like tlat isn’t like any other mcu movie?

#am I just that far removed? #anti mcu

[insanityclause]

And the "Disney bOuGhT the critics and the nominations!!1!!" rants in 3... 2... 1...

A pity they forgot to buy at least half of the critics for TLaT...

.

[burn-4u]

Love gorr the god butcher

Would’ve loved to see him butcher at least 1 god

#not family friendly enough for mr feige I think #gorr the god butcher #tlat spoilers #anti mcu #mcu critical #am tag

[mareebird]

Random. I've been getting a lot of asks re: TLAT and I've been worried that it's giving the wrong impression that I'm being anti about it, rather than just critical. I've actually deleted like 50% of the asks I've gotten because I'm not interested in attacking the movie.

I'm gonna turn Anons off for a while, to discourage the asks. I don't want to crap on the movie and I've said everything I wanted to say, so it feels natural to move on. :)

#thor love and thunder #thor