Is the over reliance on humour a problem in the MCU

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

The Avengers don't care about Coulson.

They cared enough to band together and fight Loki when he died. I imagine they would want to know he is alive.

 

[MbJ]

They cared enough to band together and fight Loki when he died.

That was actually a joke but more to the point, they haven't brought Coulson back because the movies have gone on just fine without him. That's the thing. This notion that the MCU is somehow being seriously harmed by the lack of crossover between the movie and TV divisions only exists in the heads of certain fans.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

That was actually a joke but more to the point, they haven't brought Coulson back because the movies have gone on just fine without him. That's the thing. This notion that the MCU is somehow being seriously harmed by the lack of crossover between the movie and TV divisions only exists in the heads of certain fans.

Would have to disagree. Even if I didn't watch AOS, I would still know Coulson was alive and still be questioning why The Avengers didn't know about it, especially from the man himself who seemed friends with at least a few of them.

 

[CaptainWagner]

Can you please elaborate on the Thor/Jane thing? I'm confused. Ihave no idea what your point is here.

TDW ended with Thor choosing Jane over Asgard. But in her one mention in AOU, he doesn't even seem to know where she is and then returns to Asgard like nothing ever happened. I get the "real world" reasons why it happened, but that doesn't make the storytelling any better.

Would have to disagree. Even if I didn't watch AOS, I would still know Coulson was alive and still be questioning why The Avengers didn't know about it, especially from the man himself who seemed friends with at least a few of them.

I second this.

 

[Flint Marko]

My point is that Marvel's MOVIES should have different tones because the MOVIES are still the prime focus of the universe. Instead we have one expected tone for the movies and another for the Netflix shows.

If that was your point then you should've clarified earlier. You said the "universe" should have these nuanced tones, not just the film division.

 

[AlluAllu]

My theater experience for Iron Man shooting Falcon was some nervous laughter that quickly ended. It was like people realized it actually wasn't funny. I found that perfect.

TDW ended with Thor choosing Jane over Asgard. But in her one mention in AOU, he doesn't even seem to know where she is and then returns to Asgard like nothing ever happened. I get the "real world" reasons why it happened, but that doesn't make the storytelling any better.

It had been over a year since Thor returned. Maybe their honey moon phase was over and were starting to get bored with each other. And I don't think it's unreasonable to assume that Thor told Jane off-screen that he was going on an important mission.

 

[MbJ]

Would have to disagree. Even if I didn't watch AOS, I would still know Coulson was alive and still be questioning why The Avengers didn't know about it, especially from the man himself who seemed friends with at least a few of them.

Again, most people really don't care that much. The fans built up Coulson as a much more important character than he actually was. Shockingly, the movies have gone on just fine without him since then.

Do most people in the general audience even still remember Coulson at this point?

 

[CaptainWagner]

If that was your point then you should've clarified earlier. You said the "universe" should have these nuanced tones, not just the film division.

I apologize for not being clearer, then. But that was my point.

 

[Aristotelian]

WS handles this best of all: the humour is sparsely sprinkled throughout, is situational and/or character related, and never feels like it is obligatory to laugh at it. It also never takes away from the gravity, either of the scene or of the whole film.

I get the sense some movies say to us: "Hey guys! Enjoying the movie? Just in case you were getting too serious, here's one or two quips for ya!" Ant-Man comes to mind: "Absolutely. My days of breaking into places and stealing **** are over." "I want you to break into a place and steal some ****." "Makes sense." Especially that last reply from Scott - we didn't need it and it's a clear forced attempt at lightening some serious dialogue which would otherwise help us connect more deeply with the characters.

The worst offender of this apart from TDW is easily Doctor Strange. There are some great character and dialogue moments throughout the film, but we never get to appreciate and absorb them because, we're meant to be having fun!

If the Russos and Co flow their CW template, which is very balanced, Infinity War should be just fine on that score. Thank goodness Whedon's not doing it.

 

[BoredGuy]

My answer to the thread title is "no."
biased-ass question anyway, shi*

should go post a thread on the DC board:
"Is the over reliance on scowling and acting out-of-character a problem in the DCEU"

 

[StarLord]

The only humour I've found to be weak so far is from both Thor movies, mostly due to the Darcy character and especially in The Dark World with all that Selvig s***.

I have full faith in Taika Waititi's abilities though and I don't think Kat Dennings is anywhere near Ragnarok, so that's a plus.

 

[AndyBeau]

Glad you liked it, I thought it was ridiculous.

Amen. Even the attempt to fix Slattery's presence and the Mandarin reveal with the "All Hail The King" Marvel One Shot was ridiculously half assed.

 

[AndyBeau]

If anyone has an interest, and I realize this is some shameless sharing, I wrote a short article describing some of Civil War's flaws, one of which was too much humor.

Civil War Criticism (by me)

 

[2kt09]

WS handles this best of all: the humour is sparsely sprinkled throughout, is situational and/or character related, and never feels like it is obligatory to laugh at it. It also never takes away from the gravity, either of the scene or of the whole film.

I get the sense some movies say to us: "Hey guys! Enjoying the movie? Just in case you were getting too serious, here's one or two quips for ya!"

The worst offender of this apart from TDW is easily Doctor Strange. There are some great character and dialogue moments throughout the film, but we never get to appreciate and absorb them because, we're meant to be having fun!

Thank goodness Whedon's not doing it.

Spoiler

Oh and I coincidentally finally caught Dr Strange

 

[CaptainWagner]

WS handles this best of all: the humour is sparsely sprinkled throughout, is situational and/or character related, and never feels like it is obligatory to laugh at it. It also never takes away from the gravity, either of the scene or of the whole film.

I get the sense some movies say to us: "Hey guys! Enjoying the movie? Just in case you were getting too serious, here's one or two quips for ya!" Ant-Man comes to mind: "Absolutely. My days of breaking into places and stealing **** are over." "I want you to break into a place and steal some ****." "Makes sense." Especially that last reply from Scott - we didn't need it and it's a clear forced attempt at lightening some serious dialogue which would otherwise help us connect more deeply with the characters.

The worst offender of this apart from TDW is easily Doctor Strange. There are some great character and dialogue moments throughout the film, but we never get to appreciate and absorb them because, we're meant to be having fun!

If the Russos and Co flow their CW template, which is very balanced, Infinity War should be just fine on that score. Thank goodness Whedon's not doing it.

My only disagreement would be with Ant-Man. While there were certainly flaws in that film (Namely Hank Pym & Darren Cross INO) the humor wasn't really one of them. Scott is a funny hero, his comics are generally comedic, with touching family drama sprinkled in. So that sort of tone worked. The problem is when a movie about Dr. Strange is as funny as Ant-Man. Which, unfortuantely, is what we got...

 

[DarthSkywalker]

WS handles this best of all: the humour is sparsely sprinkled throughout, is situational and/or character related, and never feels like it is obligatory to laugh at it. It also never takes away from the gravity, either of the scene or of the whole film.

I get the sense some movies say to us: "Hey guys! Enjoying the movie? Just in case you were getting too serious, here's one or two quips for ya!" Ant-Man comes to mind: "Absolutely. My days of breaking into places and stealing **** are over." "I want you to break into a place and steal some ****." "Makes sense." Especially that last reply from Scott - we didn't need it and it's a clear forced attempt at lightening some serious dialogue which would otherwise help us connect more deeply with the characters.

The worst offender of this apart from TDW is easily Doctor Strange. There are some great character and dialogue moments throughout the film, but we never get to appreciate and absorb them because, we're meant to be having fun!

If the Russos and Co flow their CW template, which is very balanced, Infinity War should be just fine on that score. Thank goodness Whedon's not doing it.

Like what scenes? Strange has plenty of heavy scenes, including one where he has to deal with the fact that he just killed a man.

I am curious how you react to Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Beloved films in a similar style which understand that levity is not a problem. Making people laugh does not take away from the importance of a situation.

 

[GeckoMoria]

A big NO from me. There is a reason why people who have problem with Marvel humor quote only 3-4 movies out of the 14. Marvel might have crossed the line on some of their films but those films are the minority.

Generally they balance it so well that people can find equally touching and funny moments from the MCU films.

 

[BoredGuy]

Yeah I didn't think Dr Strange was over the top with it either

there were a couple "awkward humor" lines that seem to have fell flat for some
and then a bit of slapstick with the cape
and a bit of back-and-forth with Wong during quieter moments

but all in all I thought it came off more heavy on the dramatic side than most Marvel movies

 

[CaptainWagner]

Like what scenes? Strange has plenty of heavy scenes, including one where he has to deal with the fact that he just killed a man.

I am curious how you react to Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Beloved films in a similar style which understand that levity is not a problem. Making people laugh does not take away from the importance of a situation.

With Star Wars and Indiana Jones, they are what they are. No one is complaining about "fun adventure films", the problem is Marvel has an overabundance of those movies, which doesn't represent the wide berth of their source material.

With Dr. Strange, the two moments that stick out most for me is the sight gag with the cloak that completely wrecks the somber mood of the Ancient One's death. and then the showdown with Dormmamu which was played for laughs rather than the emotionally traumatizing moment it should have been. You can have a few jokes in a movie without it being a "funny movie". But Dr. Strange definitely crossed the line into being a "funny movie", and he's not supposed to be a funny character.

 

[Mandon Knight]

It's ONE one of it's problems yes.

 

[NotNickFury]

With Dr. Strange, the two moments that stick out most for me is the sight gag with the cloak that completely wrecks the somber mood of the Ancient One's death. and then the showdown with Dormmamu which was played for laughs rather than the emotionally traumatizing moment it should have been. You can have a few jokes in a movie without it being a "funny movie". But Dr. Strange definitely crossed the line into being a "funny movie", and he's not supposed to be a funny character.

In addition to those, one I didn't like so much is the moment when Strange leaves the hospital when he's in that room with Rachel McAdams. And once he's gone, there's this silence...and then McAdams gets spooked when a broom or something like that falls over.

First thought was 'Okay, that was unnecessary.' What works in one MCU film as far as humor goes doesn't and shouldn't work for another.

 

[Consona]

My only disagreement would be with Ant-Man. While there were certainly flaws in that film (Namely Hank Pym & Darren Cross INO) the humor wasn't really one of them. Scott is a funny hero, his comics are generally comedic, with touching family drama sprinkled in. So that sort of tone worked. The problem is when a movie about Dr. Strange is as funny as Ant-Man. Which, unfortuantely, is what we got...

Yea, I think Ant-man was a great example how humour can work in MCU film very well and Dr Strange was quite the opposite.

Like what scenes? Strange has plenty of heavy scenes

Dr Strange is one of the examples where the film undermines the feeling of urgency and heaviness of the scenes to the point that one just doesn't care anymore. Like Strange is stabbed throught his heart just to run around a few seconds later. From now on anything can happen, I don't care, why should I?

I am curious how you react to Star Wars or Indiana Jones. Beloved films in a similar style which understand that levity is not a problem. Making people laugh does not take away from the importance of a situation.

It's in the execution of those things, it's not just that the film contains those elements.

 

[BoredGuy]

With Dr. Strange, the two moments that stick out most for me is the sight gag with the cloak that completely wrecks the somber mood of the Ancient One's death. and then the showdown with Dormmamu which was played for laughs rather than the emotionally traumatizing moment it should have been. You can have a few jokes in a movie without it being a "funny movie". But Dr. Strange definitely crossed the line into being a "funny movie", and he's not supposed to be a funny character.

Idk, I found the cape moment to be cute, and meant to uplift both the viewer and Strange himself in a sad moment... Pixar does stuff like that all the time

And the Dormammu thing wasn't meant to be an "emotionally traumatizing moment", it was meant to show Strange's cleverness, as well as being very different from the standard CBM punch-em-up Third Act, which they most definitely accomplished.

The broom thing NotNick mentioned was just a brief little moment meant to evoke a chuckle after a bunch of tension, I think your hostility towards it is a bit much, but hey, opinions and a**holes and all that.

Seems some people just don't like light moments in their serious films

 

[NotNickFury]

It's a matter of timing. The car ride through New York with Betty and Bruce in The Incredible Hulk as opposed to them taking the train. That works. Strange stealing the books through the portals. That works. The moments mentioned sap the tension out of the moment, almost as if the writing had to force a comedic moment. Again, what works in Iron Man or Ant-Man doesn't work for another hero.

It's not about not liking light moments or trying to make excuses for why certain comedic moments should work when in Doctor Strange's case, the humor is very hit and miss, more so than a lot of the Marvel origin films. Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Ant-Man, the humor more often than not landed in those movies. When the jokes work in Strange, they work. But when they don't, they feel awkwardly forced. The movie already has chuckles after tense moments. That broom one felt shoehorned.

 

[TeeKay]

Idk, I found the cape moment to be cute, and meant to uplift both the viewer and Strange himself in a sad moment... Pixar does stuff like that all the time

And the Dormammu thing wasn't meant to be an "emotionally traumatizing moment", it was meant to show Strange's cleverness, as well as being very different from the standard CBM punch-em-up Third Act, which they most definitely accomplished.

The broom thing NotNick mentioned was just a brief little moment meant to evoke a chuckle after a bunch of tension, I think your hostility towards it is a bit much, but hey, opinions and a**holes and all that.

Seems some people just don't like light moments in their serious films

Yep. I knew that as soon as Strange started repeating the loop. That was a character defining moment for strange as funny and clever as it was. Also the deaths were ****ed up.