Makes me want to cancel my Disney subscription. Quality over quantity! Do remember when Disney had the best movie storylines... what happened? Can make an interesting TV show story? Seems not... Please don't ruin a successful franchise.
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@daniel-e-jones-me-com I’d definitely cancel my Disney subscription over this if I were you
Ms. Marvel episode 1 impressions: First of all, why is Disney shooting these Marvel shows with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio? Shows meant to be shown exclusively on 16:9 displays. It's rather annoying. Especially after they made their huge marketing push of having 16:9 open matted versions of the Marvel movies on Disney+ with the "IMAX Enhanced" label. Seems really backwards to have the Marvel movies in 16:9 and the shows at a wider aspect ratio.
Second biggest problem: WTF did they do to her powers? This isn't faithful to the comics at all. Why is her ability this weird energy crystal power instead of polymorphing? And instead of getting her powers from having Inhuman genes, they made her get her powers from magic bracelets? It's like if they made Spider-Man shoot lasers instead of webs. She might as well be a totally different character.
In fact, making the source of her powers come from magic instead of from a genetic modification is a hilarious blunder as magic is considered haram in Islam. They might as well have made her a super fundamentalist Christian superhero who gets her powers from witchcraft.
I could excuse the strange casting choices that made Kamala and Bruno look too young compared to their comic counterparts if it weren't for the fact they ruined her powers. The constant shapeshifting body horror of the comics was central to Kamala's character.
For me this is another hatewatch just like the Halo series. Like Halo, while it has some things that appeal to fans of the original lore, it has many other aspects that drag it down and make it difficult to fully enjoy the show.
MODERATOR EDIT: Be more respectful.
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@victoriaz Maybe try to appreciate films and series as their own artform, don’t compare things to the source material. It doesn’t need to be like the comic, because the comic isn’t some untouchable holy grail of perfection. Give artists the room to create and invent, try to be open minded.
Oh and shows don’t need to be 16:9, cinematic aspect ratios have been used in shows for nearly a decade now lol.
Even with the soapy melodrama, occasional bad acting and a considerably lower budget (probably 2% of the budget of this show per episode): Arrow managed to create better characters and more visceral, memorable and coherent action scenes in its first 2 seasons compared to this show. I’ll even go as far to say that it looks better, despite using incredibly basic set ups and filmmaking techniques. Getting Hailee Steinfeld was a great choice, but her character isn’t leaving a very strong or likable impression. In comparison, Joss Whedon managed to make you care about Clint’s character within 15 minutes of screentime. Well, enough to make you care as a side character.
Moreover, this feels like a studio giving their impression of a Marvel Netflix show, like Daredevil or Jessica Jones, but it doesn’t understand what makes those shows good. It’s so tame and uninspired. It seems to aim for 80’s cheese at points, but even those old action movies had some bite to them (despite how silly they could get). The comedy is mostly flat out lame and cringy, with the role playing scene probably being the lowest low of the entire MCU so far. The recent Marvel projects have had such a weird shift in terms of comedy. They used to be great at making mass product films that were at least a little bit clever and subversive. It’s no surprise that a lot of people who worked on Community also work behind the scenes at Marvel. It’s like they fired those writers after phase 3 ended, and hired the Friends team instead. Their quality control is spreading very thin.
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@exium It doesn’t really matter, there are a lot of movies that manage to create good characters in a layered story within 2 hours, and there are shows that can’t do any of that stuff in 24 episodes. Take a movie like Black Panther, that film has more compelling characters and a more detailed story than this show, despite only running for 2 hours.
So many Star Wars races in a short episode did not make a worth while watch and for me overall just made it a poor drawn out experience of what in my opinion is Disney milking the franchise a little more.
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@nabster Well prepare yourself, there are 5 more Star Wars series coming your way this year, none of which are worth giving a shit about. Disney will just keep pumping them out for as long as the world doesn’t run out of teenagers and adults with underdeveloped taste, which won’t be the case for a very, very long time.
Review by Jordy
VIP8These new Disney+ series are developing into the the modern, overbudgeted equivalent of direct-to-video films from the ‘90s.
In an age where popular and accessible television is continuously pushed to new and exciting heights (Daredevil, Money Heist, Ted Lasso, Stranger Things, Arcane to name a few), these recent shows banking on the Star Wars and Marvel brands feel amateurish, schlocky, and often read like bad fan fiction.
Look, Boba Fett in the original trilogy is nothing more than a visual.
He’s not really a character, I think he has about 4 or 5 lines, but he became popular because of his look.
You can’t just throw me in a story where he’s the main character and expect me to care without putting in the work.
It’s a show that operates in Disney’s new business model of throwing references, ‘member berries and empty spectacle on the screen, while the important and engaging stuff (character, story, drama, emotion, filmmaking) are reduced to an afterthought.
Granted, that’s pretty much the same problem that I have with a lot of IP related content from the past couple of years, but this show in particular feels so calculated, focus tested and cynical, it’s gross.
Even the production kinda sucks this time around (compared to The Mandalorian), it looks really ugly and washed out, more like Marvel than Star Wars.
Where is the voice of Jon Favreau?
Where is the voice of the director of Iron Man, one of the most character driven and vibrant blockbusters of the past 20 years?
This show is not even close to being up to par in just about every sense.loading replies
@vaderfilms Look, I don’t want to come across like a dick, but you need to improve your understanding of film and the English language if you want this to be a meaningful conversation.
I’ve seen two episodes now and I’ve got to ask: what’s the point of watching this?
There’s nothing inherently satisfying about the show itself.
Just putting a twist on existing lore and calling it a day isn’t enough to hold my attention for 30 mimutes, nor any sane person, I imagine.
Are people only watching this because it sets up future stuff?
Why would anyone watch something that’s just set-up?
Projects are always supposed to function as an isolated piece of art, and not just as a piece of a larger machine.
This show is so empty, it’s the kind of format that lends itself for short 4 minute videos on Youtube.
But a feature series? Come on.Edit: alright so there is an attempt to tie the loose ends together in the final episode, but still, it kinda fails to justify its existence.
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@wolfkin I expect to be entertained? You can make an anthology series without making it feel like boring filler, just look at Black Mirror. The great episodes in that show actually leave a lasting impression. Also, I pretty much agree with everything you said in the second half, but that’s exactly what works against the series in my opinion. Yes, it’s throwaway filler, which is why a 30 minute format is way too long (and the HISHE format works much better). I just expect a lot more out of a show like this. Something like stakes, drama, or maybe delve a little deeper into how the characters would be different given their new situation. Just do something interesting, besides giving me the occasional chuckle. Riffing on the existing lore is fun for a few minutes, but it gets stale and boring if it has nothing else to offer.
Review by Jordy
VIP8The next chapter in Marvel’s struggle of bringing the MCU formula to television.
It sounds simple enough in concept, as they’ve built their brand around making simple, unpretentious, linear, streamlined stories with good characters and big spectacle.
I think they consistently check the character box, television shows included, and this thing is no different. It helps a lot that they got Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, both of whom are phenomenal actors. They’re capable of adding so much life and colour to these characters, some of which probably isn’t even written on the page (could’ve done without the accent, though).
However, for as consistent as they are with nailing their characters, they’re becoming about as consistent with messing up in the story and spectacle department for these shows.
Marvel’s probably aware that they need to add some bells and whistles to their usual storytelling for a 6 hour miniseries, but so far the results have been mostly convoluted and messy (Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Loki). Moon Knight is no different, because despite some serious attempts at experimentation, most of it doesn’t pan out due to the schlocky execution.
As for the spectacle, yeah it’s pretty bad. Scale has nothing to do with how impressive an action sequence is, as even evidenced by even the best moments in the MCU (for my money, the absolute highlight is still the highway shootout in The Winter Soldier ). So, you really don’t need to do a crazy car chase with CGI trucks, trees, George Michael and a plethora of green screen if your show can’t afford it. You don’t need to attempt fancy mirror visuals I’ve seen in countless horror films if they’re too expensive. Scale it down, focus on the choreography and make sure everything looks good. Again, taking a page out of the Marvel Netflix book would work a lot better for this character. Furthermore, the Moon Knight suit has the exact same problem as the MCU Spider-man suits. It looks like animation, not a man in a suit.
Add the usual uninspired filmmaking, flat lighting (as well as underlit scenes, I might add), boring shot/reverse shot framing and general lack of colour/style, and I’m seeing nothing but another boring, by the numbers show. Its only appeal are the two main actors, both of whom are way too good for this and deserve a lot better.loading replies
@kd6-3-7 I like a lot of what they’ve made in the past, but it’s abundantly clear to me that they’re running out of ideas at this point, and rushing from a production standpoint.
Review by Jordy
VIP8These new Disney+ series are developing into the the modern, overbudgeted equivalent of direct-to-video films from the ‘90s.
In an age where popular and accessible television is continuously pushed to new and exciting heights (Daredevil, Money Heist, Ted Lasso, Stranger Things, Arcane to name a few), these recent shows banking on the Star Wars and Marvel brands feel amateurish, schlocky, and often read like bad fan fiction.
Look, Boba Fett in the original trilogy is nothing more than a visual.
He’s not really a character, I think he has about 4 or 5 lines, but he became popular because of his look.
You can’t just throw me in a story where he’s the main character and expect me to care without putting in the work.
It’s a show that operates in Disney’s new business model of throwing references, ‘member berries and empty spectacle on the screen, while the important and engaging stuff (character, story, drama, emotion, filmmaking) are reduced to an afterthought.
Granted, that’s pretty much the same problem that I have with a lot of IP related content from the past couple of years, but this show in particular feels so calculated, focus tested and cynical, it’s gross.
Even the production kinda sucks this time around (compared to The Mandalorian), it looks really ugly and washed out, more like Marvel than Star Wars.
Where is the voice of Jon Favreau?
Where is the voice of the director of Iron Man, one of the most character driven and vibrant blockbusters of the past 20 years?
This show is not even close to being up to par in just about every sense.loading replies
@vaderfilms I didn’t, I said that this show looks bland and washed out compared to The Mandalorian and the other recent Disney Star Wars movies. Therefore, it reminds me more of the flat Marvel style than recent Star Wars.
I do love how this show shits on millennials/zoomers for being too much without earning anything.
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@pd_review It shits on boomers just as much, if you’re paying attention
Is there anything new here? Just another run of the mill Marvel (Disney) TV series. I feel TV is turning into pop music! Popular today, quickly forgotten tomorrow. Based on the first episode, I doubt this will make it to a second season. Shame, I enjoyed much of Orphan Black. But this is a pass for me, thanks.
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@daniel-e-jones-me-com Well yeah, this is designed to be the equivalent of forgettable pop music. Plenty of quality stuff out there if you look for it.
Review by Jordy
VIP8A horrible piece of military propaganda primarily aimed at the type of ‘real’ men who like to consume too much beer and hang around in their own garage while listening to Alter Bridge.
It’s dumb, derivative, dull and devoid of interesting ideas or characters. You’re not going to find any fun here, everything is trying really hard to be dour and dramatic, but the writing is so generic and boring that it doesn’t work.
Chris Pratt's charisma is stripped away and instead he's playing a generic, brooding character that could easily be portrayed by any actor.
It just begs the question: why cast him in the first place? It requires little to no range, so why didn't they just cast a cheaper actor?
Any interesting cinematography is obscured by desaturated muddy grey tones, the color grading really makes the whole show looks like trash. It tries to be cinematic, but it ends up looking all the more cheaper for it.
I don’t get why people watch this, is it because of the patriotic undertones? Watch Top Gun Maverick. Is it because it’s a little more violent than most movies and shows? Watch Daredevil, the execution of the action is way better and it’s got plenty of Christianity as a bonus.3/10
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@rvansinger Alright, well then it’s a case of Pratt underestimating his own talent, I suppose
Shout by Logia
VIP2I've been holding back my comments until i'd seen at least 3 episodes of this. To begin with, so far, the shows only been good enough for a 7/10 from me. Good, not great or amazing, just good. It's clear that Disney has chosen to bring in a new face to replace another main character that a lot of us know from the Rebels animated series and cater more to the woke audience. While I don't have anything against the character there does seem to be an empty choir screaming out for some form of purpose from them. What that is, i have no idea. Will they get better at acting? that also remains unclear. Obi-Wan's character has mentally and physically regressed so much as to assume that he's completely neglected his principles and training resulting in a husk of his former self. Not worthy of the title of Master any longer, I wonder if this show will ever build into anything compelling enough to warrant giving an 8/10 - Which is where it should be aiming for from all parties to be honest.
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@logia You were doing so well for the first 3 sentences.
Would be a ten but im taking away a point for Imagine Dragons.
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@jokismalokis Yeah it’s very strange that for a show this bold and different they decided to put such normie music over the intro
I’ve seen two episodes now and I’ve got to ask: what’s the point of watching this?
There’s nothing inherently satisfying about the show itself.
Just putting a twist on existing lore and calling it a day isn’t enough to hold my attention for 30 mimutes, nor any sane person, I imagine.
Are people only watching this because it sets up future stuff?
Why would anyone watch something that’s just set-up?
Projects are always supposed to function as an isolated piece of art, and not just as a piece of a larger machine.
This show is so empty, it’s the kind of format that lends itself for short 4 minute videos on Youtube.
But a feature series? Come on.Edit: alright so there is an attempt to tie the loose ends together in the final episode, but still, it kinda fails to justify its existence.
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@adonael Thanks, I’ll take that as a compliment.
I’ve seen two episodes now and I’ve got to ask: what’s the point of watching this?
There’s nothing inherently satisfying about the show itself.
Just putting a twist on existing lore and calling it a day isn’t enough to hold my attention for 30 mimutes, nor any sane person, I imagine.
Are people only watching this because it sets up future stuff?
Why would anyone watch something that’s just set-up?
Projects are always supposed to function as an isolated piece of art, and not just as a piece of a larger machine.
This show is so empty, it’s the kind of format that lends itself for short 4 minute videos on Youtube.
But a feature series? Come on.Edit: alright so there is an attempt to tie the loose ends together in the final episode, but still, it kinda fails to justify its existence.
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@ekiza You can set up future projects in a film or series, that's fine, but you need to get something out of the project itself as well. That isn't a 'personal expectation', that's how art works. Imagine being in a museum and watching a painting that only says: the next painting will blow your mind. Do you stop by and watch that painting, or do you walk to the next one? Even projects that are heavy on set up (first Harry Potter film, the new Dune, even a lot of Marvel movies like Black Panther) all have a progression that makes them work as pieces of art by themselves.
I have no problem with how the other Disney + Marvel shows are conceived, that's how you're supposed to do it. The point is that when the characters from this show are introduced in a movie, the context of this show doesn't matter, because it doesn't do much besides riffing on the lore. Same character from a different universe where a few minor uninteresting alterations happened? Got it, everyone is capable of understanding that concept, we don't need 9 30-minute episodes for that. So yes, it is in fact a Russian doll project. It's probably cool for Marvel fans who are really into it, but it's bad art.
Dear Loki writers. When creating an infinite multiverse that shows us infinite possibilities thus making everything pointless, then it's time to talk to Rick and Morty writers.
At least they make fun of themselves and the irony of presenting an interesting storyline in a multiverse where nothing really has any point.
If Rick Sanchez showed up with a nine-gauge plasma pistol and started killing everyone I would literally rate it a 10.
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@perisdr The main writer on this actually worked on Rick and Morty ;)
