Marvel as a cinematic gateway
The best part of the MCU is how it can introduce audiences to something better.
A few weeks back, I took my son to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. It’s been a tradition of ours for a few years that we go see the new Marvel film on opening weekend together, so there was no way we’d miss it. I didn’t know much about the character, but I was curious to see what Phase 4 of the MCU would look like now that we were past the preludes of Spider-man: Far From Home and Black Widow.
Instead of asking what was next from Marvel, however, I left wondering which Jackie Chan movie I should show my son first.
That’s not a knock against Shang-Chi, which I think is one of the strongest stand-alone stories in the MCU. Destin Daniel Cretton is a director I’ve championed for awhile; Short Term 12 is a phenomenal debut film, and I have a soft spot for Just Mercy despite some of its flaws. Tony Leung creates one of the most compelling and complex villains in the MCU, Simu Liu is a likable hero, and Awkwafina continues to surprise me. I love the mythology the film builds, how weird it gets in its back half and the action is the best that we’ve seen from Marvel yet.
But more than 25 films in, the fact that I like a Marvel movie is not a surprise. Kevin Fiege and company have developed a formula that hits the sweet spots of millions of filmgoers. Creative casting, wry humor, nifty special effects and an intricate large story keep people coming back 13 years after Iron Man began this whole weird experiment. It’s a formula that has proven reliable and shows no sign of flagging, at least from a box office perspective.
Of course, to keep that consistency going, the MCU can’t take a ton of risks. While some of the MCU movies are better than others, you pretty much know what you’re going to get going into them. Some might vary slightly from the formula or crank up one element (say, the humor) or appear a bit more ambitious than others, but in the end, the films of Marvel work because they have a very standard recipe at the core that they stick to. Everything else is just variations on that.
I’ve compared it in the past to McDonald’s. When I get something from there, I don’t always order the same thing. A Big Mac is slightly different from a Quarter Pounder. They offer a chicken sandwich, fries and apple pies, but I’d argue each of them tastes predictably “McDonalds-y,” if that makes sense. When you go to McDonald’s you know what you’re going to get. And that’s perfectly fine. I like McDonald’s. Sometimes, I prefer a double cheeseburger from there to a gourmet hamburger anywhere else. I know what I’m getting, I like it, and I’m happy to consume it.
Some don’t like McDonald’s, and some want something a bit more ambitious than the MCU. I understand that; sometimes, that’s what I want. And I’ll admit that as much as I enjoy the product that Marvel Studios puts out, the last thing I want to do is write a review of a Marvel movie. There’s not much I can say that I haven’t said before; casting choices are spot-on, the action sequences vary in effectiveness, the movies usually make me laugh, and I’m curious to see what happens next. Lather, rinse, repeat.
It’s easy to think that predictability and dependence on formula makes Marvel irrelevant to discussions of cinema. But I’m actually picking up on something unexpected in recent years as my son watches these movies that I think shows the merits of these films. Marvel movies might be fun but a bit too formulaic for seasoned filmgoers. But I think they’re a fascinating cinematic gateway for many young viewers. While critics (sometimes rightfully) knock the MCU for being an ad for the MCU, I think that what makes the films so valuable as a parent to two burgeoning film nerds is that they’re actually ads for genre films themselves.
Shang-Chi is an ideal example of this. My son’s had a little bit of exposure to martial arts movies in the forms of The Karate Kid and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But the choreography in Shang-Chi calls to mind everything from the slapstick of Jackie Chan and Buster Keaton to the colorful grace of wuxia films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. My son, who left the theater kicking and chopping, isn’t ready for Crouching Tiger quite yet, but I think he’ll get a kick out of some Jackie Chan, and I think we’ll probably start with Rumble in the Bronx or Shanghai Noon.
But Shang-Chai isn’t an anomaly. Several years back, many critics lauded Captain America: The Winter Soldier as being a modern-day take on paranoia thrillers. I think that’s a bit too kind; Joe and Anthony Russo definitely dress it up in the look of 1970s political flicks, but it’s still an MCU superhero flick through and through. But hey, if that gets some young film fans to take a look at Three Days of the Condor, I’m not going to complain. While DC has had wildly inconsistent results with their unique takes on superheroes, Marvel’s has basically involved dressing familiar genres up in tights and spandex. The early Iron Man movies are comic book takes on Clancy-esque techno thrillers, Thor’s adventures are watered-down fantasy, and John Watts has found success by grafting the Spider-man mythos onto the John Hughes formula.
Are any of these as good as the originals? Not really (although I’ll put the Guardians of the Galaxy films up against nearly any Star Wars movie made since 1983). But it doesn’t matter; young people will go to Marvel. If some of them find a certain flavor of the MCU they like the most, I hope they can do some digging to find those films’ inspirations. And while having directors like Shane Black, Ryan Coogler and Chloe Zhao may seem to be a waste of their talents, if someone sees those names and is inspired to track down Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Fruitvale Station or Nomadland, I consider that a positive. Heck, I’m hopeful that Sam Raimi’s involvement with Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness means the film is an ideal introduction to the horror genre for my kids.
We’re not anywhere near the end of Marvel era’ of dominance. Shang-Chi is one of the few bona fide hits of the pandemic, and we still have The Eternals and Spider-man: No Way Home waiting for us before the end of the year. I look forward to seeing what they have to offer, but I know many critics and film lovers are rolling their eyes. But don’t dismiss them quite yet. While I don’t know that the MCU has delivered much truly great cinema, I think there’s a generation to come who were introduced to the world of cinema because of these films.
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Where you can find my work online
We’re Watching Here: “Badlands”: Perry and I continued our discussion of the films of the 1970s with this conversation about Terrence Malick’s 1973 debut. It was my first view of Badlands, and I was pretty gob-smacked to wrap my head around the fact that this was a first film. Perry and I talk about Malick’s eye for beauty, the film’s commentary on modern America, and the fantastic performances from Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. A quick note that a technical complication turned the last 90 seconds of this a bit unintelligible, but for the most part the conversation is intact. Available on iTunes, Spotify and most podcast catchers.
“Do I Regret See You at the Pole”? This week’s column at Patheos focuses on the annual See You at the Pole prayer rally, which will occur this year on Sept. 22. I muse on my own personal history with the event in high school and discuss some of the temptations that were too easy to fall prey to.
Chrisicisms
The pop culture I’m consuming
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Ted Lasso (AppleTV +): I’ll keep this short, because I’m sure I’ll have more to say in a few weeks once season two wraps. But last night I caught up with the two most recent episodes (a new one releases today),and I remain gob-smacked how good this is. It continues to be a celebration of kindness and positivity, but season two has delved a bit deeper into the darkness that might hide behind it and even question whether too much positivity can be a bad thing. Again, I’ll write more about this once I see how the sophomore season shakes out. But the end of episode eight had two giant emotional moments that sledgehammered me with no warning. Jason Sudeikis deserves every award for taking a character who, by all means, should just be an obnoxious cartoon and turning him into a layered, nuanced hero without sacrificing any goofiness. The supporting cast has also been on fire this year, particularly Bret Goldstein as foul-mouthed, gravel-voiced grump Roy Kent. This series continues to be one of the best things out there.