Thor: Love and Thunder **BEWARE SPOILERS**

[Neal136]

I've seen the movie three times and really liked it (no surprise there). I'm a fan of Taika's style, and thought all of the leads did a great job. It's not quite as good as Ragnarok, but if you enjoyed that, you really should find a lot of things to like with this. Plus, I'm a huge GnR fan, so the soundtrack was just icing on the cake.

 

[Neal136]

I read that article as well, and I disagree with it.
It's interesting to me, because during the runup to Infinity War, there were a lot of complaints that every movie in the MCU had to have all kinds of tie-ins to every other movie. Hell, that was the biggest critique thrown at Iron Man 2, that it felt like it was more interested in setting up MCU films than being its own thing.
So now we have some films and shows that are very much their own thing, and the reaction is...where are all the references? It's strange. Characters like Kamala, Moon Knight, Shang-Chi and the Eternals are all getting a chance to be introduced in their own stories. Characters like Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Black Widow and Falcon are getting a chance to be fleshed out in their own properties. They're rebuilding the whole universe, to a certain extent. I for one am glad they don't feel a need to overwhelm us with more universe (multiverse?) ending threats right off the bat. We know Kang is there, and he's coming. Let's get to know the people who will have to fight him first, then.

Very well said.
People like to bitch and complain these days. About everything.
I'm not saying that some criticism along the way isn't warranted with these movies and shows, but it just seems like people want to tear things down.

 

[Khev]

Quantity over quality...

 

[greygoose]

Quantity over quality...

Got to justify those Disney+ prices.

 

[DParga21]

Quantity over quality...

Well, if we're honest (And these are just my personal views on the films):
phase 1 had Iron Man (A), Hulk (B), Iron Man 2 (C), Thor (B+), Captain America (A) and Avengers (A+) - Average score is 3.5 (B+)

Phase 2 had Iron Man 3 (A+), Thor The Dark World (D), The Winter Soldier (A+), Guardians of the Galaxy (A+), Age of Ultron (B), Ant-Man (B+) Agents of Shield (B+) - Average score is 3.5 (B+)

Phase 3 had Daredevil (A+), Jessica Jones (A+), Iron Fist (D+), Luke Cage (A), Defenders (B), Punisher (B+), Inhumans (F), Civil War (A+), Doctor Strange (B+), Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (A+), Spider-Man Homecoming (A+), Thor Ragnarok (A), Black Panther (A+), Infinity War (A+), Ant Man and Wasp (B), Captain Marvel (C), Endgame (A+), Far From Home (A) - Average score is 3.5 (B+)

Phase 4 has (so far) Black Widow (B+), Shang-Chi (A), Eternals (C), No Way Home (A+), Multiverse of Madness (B+), Love and Thunder (B), WandaVision (A+), Loki (A), Falcon and Winter Soldier (B), Hawkeye (A), Moon Knight (B+), What If (B), Ms Marvel (A) - Average score is 3.5

This is actually the first time I decided to grade and average everything like that. I was pretty shocked to see that the average scores come out pretty even. We can, of course, disagree about whether things like the Netflix Series and the Inhumans belongs more in phase 2 or 3, but I based it on release dates. Overall, it seems the quality has remained rather consistent. Of course your mileage might vary, but I tend to think I'm also a pretty forgiving reviewer in a lot of ways. I based most of these scores on "How likely am I to revisit this film / show?"

 

[Rotfish]

Quantity over quality...

I'd call the Disney+ shows death by a thousand cuts, but the horse died with Endgame. Phase 4 seems to be an exercise in how long you can last before burning out from sheer exposure.

 

[jye4ever]

I'd call the Disney+ shows death by a thousand cuts, but the horse died with Endgame. Phase 4 seems to be an exercise in how long you can last before burning out from sheer exposure.

I agree those NWH, DS2 and Thor 4 box office numbers are the death of the franchise lol

 

[a-dev]

All good things must come to an end. Or else go on so long and become so diluted in quality we start to question if we were right to like any of it in the first place. Hopefully the answer is still yes.

 

[Khev]

I loved NWH though haven't seen it since the theater (waiting for IMAX at home.)

Really enjoyed MOM, both in the theater and on D+.

Eternals was more watchable than I was expecting but not great and mostly just makes the MCU's lore weird with the Celestials creating planets and then being partially born out of the Earth, lol.

Shang-Chi was decent and had some great end battle visuals for IMAX but far from must see.

Didn't watch BW in theaters but thought it was okay on D+.

D+ shows have been totally hit and miss for me.

WV was okay.
TFATWS was flat out terrible.
Couldn't make it past an episode or two of Loki.
HE I really enjoyed.
Moon Knight held my interest to the end.
I've only watched one episode of Ms. Marvel but it was kind of fun.

 

[Khev]

All good things must come to an end. Or else go on so long and become so diluted in quality we start to question if we were right to like any of it in the first place. Hopefully the answer is still yes.

One reviewer of TLAT said " It feels like a Marvel movie that secretly thinks you’re stupid for liking Marvel movies..."

lol

 

[mikedanger]

I have a weird relationship with the Thor movies. The first one I found to be fun but it wasn't something that blew me away. Multiple viewings made me appreciate it more but it's still on my lower end of Marvel movies. I hated the 2nd one straight away and multiple viewings did not help. Still awful. Ragnarok confused me and caught me off guard since it was so different from the first 2. I didn't like it right away but after multiple viewings it has become one of my favorite Marvel films and I watch it every time it's on. I actually enjoyed Love and Thunder after one viewing and while I don't put it anywhere near Ragnarok, I look forward to rewatching it on Disney +.

 

[Rotfish]

I agree those NWH, DS2 and Thor 4 box office numbers are the death of the franchise lol

Was referring to the quality of the work, not the viewership. So many folks I know have given these shows mediocre reviews, yet they're the first to stream each new one that comes out. Call it FOMO, sunk cost fallacy, or a captive audience that's willfully trapped themselves, but you're right, this franchise (and Star Wars, for that matter) will continue to be a highly profitable zombie into the future.

I'm a simple man. If I don't like something, I turn it off. If the people who made crap in the past announce a new project in the same universe, I avoid it.

Where do all these people get the time to commit to things they don't like?

 

[ironwez20]

I loved no way home . But I’m biased. I’m a huge Spider-Man fan so that was a must see. Everything else has been meh. As I keep saying marvel needs to come out with heavy hitters now. This isn’t 2013 anymore. They have pretty much all there characters back. It’s time to shelve crap like Agatha, eternals and zlisters like Shang chi and come out swinging with stuff people want.

Also not recasting tchalla was a huge mistake. Big one. I don’t give a **** about shuri and iron heart fighting namor I want to see black panther fight namor. They must think they are immune to failure. Well looks like people are already growing tired of this tired formula. It’s time to go big again or fall completely off.

Dr room, galactus, apocalypse, kang. We have access to all that now. So let’s crank it up to a million.

Edit. Let me also say dr strange was also pretty enjoyable but I’m glad I didn’t pay to go see it.

 

[JMT1979]

Well, if we're honest (And these are just my personal views on the films):
phase 1 had Iron Man (A), Hulk (B), Iron Man 2 (C), Thor (B+), Captain America (A) and Avengers (A+) - Average score is 3.5 (B+)

Phase 2 had Iron Man 3 (A+), Thor The Dark World (D), The Winter Soldier (A+), Guardians of the Galaxy (A+), Age of Ultron (B), Ant-Man (B+) Agents of Shield (B+) - Average score is 3.5 (B+)

Phase 3 had Daredevil (A+), Jessica Jones (A+), Iron Fist (D+), Luke Cage (A), Defenders (B), Punisher (B+), Inhumans (F), Civil War (A+), Doctor Strange (B+), Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (A+), Spider-Man Homecoming (A+), Thor Ragnarok (A), Black Panther (A+), Infinity War (A+), Ant Man and Wasp (B), Captain Marvel (C), Endgame (A+), Far From Home (A) - Average score is 3.5 (B+)

Phase 4 has (so far) Black Widow (B+), Shang-Chi (A), Eternals (C), No Way Home (A+), Multiverse of Madness (B+), Love and Thunder (B), WandaVision (A+), Loki (A), Falcon and Winter Soldier (B), Hawkeye (A), Moon Knight (B+), What If (B), Ms Marvel (A) - Average score is 3.5

This is actually the first time I decided to grade and average everything like that. I was pretty shocked to see that the average scores come out pretty even. We can, of course, disagree about whether things like the Netflix Series and the Inhumans belongs more in phase 2 or 3, but I based it on release dates. Overall, it seems the quality has remained rather consistent. Of course your mileage might vary, but I tend to think I'm also a pretty forgiving reviewer in a lot of ways. I based most of these scores on "How likely am I to revisit this film / show?"

Nice summary and interesting scores - I disagree with a lot, but ratings are subjective. Personally, I think an average score summary like this needs to be done based on IMDb scores so that we get the views of a larger number of people. This would be more scientific than personal. Your averages show the quality is the same, mine shows it has dropped a lot.

Also, I don't think the Netflix shows and the Inhumans should be included in the MCU at all.

 

[Khev]

Also, I don't think the Netflix shows and the Inhumans should be included in the MCU at all.

Agreed.

 

[JMT1979]

I read that article as well, and I disagree with it.
It's interesting to me, because during the runup to Infinity War, there were a lot of complaints that every movie in the MCU had to have all kinds of tie-ins to every other movie. Hell, that was the biggest critique thrown at Iron Man 2, that it felt like it was more interested in setting up MCU films than being its own thing.
So now we have some films and shows that are very much their own thing, and the reaction is...where are all the references? It's strange. Characters like Kamala, Moon Knight, Shang-Chi and the Eternals are all getting a chance to be introduced in their own stories. Characters like Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Black Widow and Falcon are getting a chance to be fleshed out in their own properties. They're rebuilding the whole universe, to a certain extent. I for one am glad they don't feel a need to overwhelm us with more universe (multiverse?) ending threats right off the bat. We know Kang is there, and he's coming. Let's get to know the people who will have to fight him first, then.

What to me made the Infinity Saga better was that every phase had less content and had an Avengers movie to bring them all together to face a common threat and lead into Infinity War and Endgame.

I agree it is good that the new characters getting introduced in concept is good. Where it falls down though is that Phase 4 is as long as the the other three phases combined, yet there is still nothing typing them together like an Avengers movie. It's just a deluge of mostly mediocre content in 1.5 years - it's too much, too quickly as well.

 

[ironwez20]

Agreed.

Eh idk. After what they did with those characters and trying to turn them into mutants I’m glad that show failed. What marvel did made me hate the last inhumans. You don’t just erase 50 yrs of lore and replace xmen with knock offs just cause you don’t have the movie rights.

Also the Netflix shows are ….ok to me. Yes daredevil is fine but Luke cage and iron fist are much to be desired. If they make those shows canon I’m ok with it but if not I won’t lose sleep. I’m just glad king pin and daredevil are officially in mcu content instead of people speculating if they are or not.

 

[Khev]

I guess NWH already made them canon didn't it, lol.

 

[ironwez20]

I guess NWH already made them canon didn't it, lol.

Damn you read that fast lol. Well kinda. They could have the actor but change the story. Kinda like a soft reboot. King pin in hawkeye was kinda different tbh. He was basically super powered.

 

[Ropen]

I’m in the minority, I dislike watching tv shows, I’m inconsistent, I prefer movies. No mandalorian, wandavision, etc for me. Part of the reason why is because the movie industry has always been inconsistent with keeping tv shows in mind on movies therefore I’d rather not get myself emotional invested in something the movie studios don’t do.

With that said I’m a bit hypocritical though, I watch the spoiler and Easter eggs of said tv shows on YouTube before watching them on Netflix or Disney +.

Before you judge I do pay for a Disney + AND Netflix but to be honest I have never been a fan of tv shows period, to each their own.