Happy Easter Everyone!! 

Sorry that it has been a while since I have uploaded. The college life has been very busy, however, I am on break for the next couple of weeks so I am free to post a couple times. I plan to do one film post (this one), and one to two sports posts time permitting. Thank you everyone for the continuous support.

Nostalgia is one of life's most bittersweet emotions. A time when we reminisce about the past appreciating the joys we once had. One of the most common forms of nostalgia is viewing our favourite children's movies. So, when KFP 4 was released recently, I was EXCITED to see the return of everyone’s favourite Panda, Kung Fu Master and the Furious Five. However, the character of Po was not really developed, Master Shifu screen time was reduced once again, and the furious five were only seen in the last scene. There is a lot of warranted disdain towards the release of KFP 4. Should it have even been released in the first place? Did it ruin the trilogy? However, if there is one thing that nostalgia does to a person, it blurs their view. Although we can consider all of these things, one thing is for sure, KFP has always produced the BEST villains. So when reveals the kung fu-wielding sorceress, how can we not be intrigued to the idea of the Chameleon being the strongest villain yet. 

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For most franchises the villain is not the immediate focus, but with the historic greatness of Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and General Kai, how can we not first ask about the Chameleon. The shape-shifting sorceress proclaimed to take over China by growing her villainous army to take over the crime-ridden Juniper City and the rest of the lands. Unfortunately, the villain that was hyped up as the most powerful villain yet in the franchise was a massive letdown. The previous 3 villains all had some sort of depth to them. Tai Lung wanted to impress his father figure, and claim the Dragon Warrior title, a desire he still possesses in the fourth film. Lord Shen was a pure evil character driven by his hatred towards destiny even going as far as committing Panda genocide. Kai felt betrayed by his brother who did not uphold his legacy removing his name from history. But the Chameleon? She kind of just existed? Yeah, she had sorceress powers, but no one wanted to teach her Kung Fu. After all, she was TOO SMALL. Did we forget about Mantis??? If the angle for the writers was to try to create this villainous figure trying to get revenge on the world after being raised in an impoverished background, sure, I get it, but there are two main issues with this. 

1. Sorcery is probably just as hard to learn as Kung Fu. Sure, you can read books and go to different temples, but that does not make sorcery so much more difficult than Kung Fu to learn. I would have loved to see how the Chameleon learned sorcery if there was some library she went to, a mentor that she had, but nope…. She was just a sorcerer 

2. Lack of a backstory - This ties in with the first reason, but the Chameleon did not have any backstory whatsoever. The most we get throughout the film is that she understands ‘the streets’ and teaches the rules of ‘the streets’ to Zheng, who is treated as royalty. However, that’s it. The previous 3 films had entire scenes dedicated to their past, and their history, and an attachment was made between the viewer and villain. However, this one was kinda just…. Kinda just there. 

   

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In addition to this horrendous writing of the Chameleon herself, both ‘fight’ scenes were very anti-climatic. 

The first fight scene featuring the Chameleon is not even really a fight scene as much as it was just Po being trapped in a cage after being tricked by Zhen in a plot twist which almost everyone above the age of 8 saw coming. Even when Po just escapes, we are not really exposed to the true power of the Chameleon. Yes, I am aware that she didn’t possess any ‘kung-fu’ skill up to this point, but sorcery is still a cool tool that could be used in a fighting scene. Lord Shen’s first real counter with Po was not so much a Kung Fu showcase; instead, it showcased Shen’s technological monopoly over the metal industry. Although you could argue that this was done to increase the ‘hype’ or build anticipation for the Chameleon’s capabilities as a villain, it kinda just made her a letdown. It built her up to be a whole lotta nothing…. 

This nothingness culminates in the last fight scene. While the animation was amazing, and one of the few positives of the movie in my eyes, the apparent ‘struggle’ of Po throughout the fight just for the Chameleon to LOSE TO ZHENG AFTER SHE LEARNED ONE MOVE, then for Po to finish her off IN ONE BLOW! Like bruh… Dreamworks, how do you expect us to take her seriously? For all the hype and buildup both during the trailer and in the movie itself, this last fight scene was very anticlimactic. 

These disappointing fight scenes, which are often the pinnacle of martial arts movies, truly represent the letdown of the Chameleon as an overall villain. We establish zero connection with her as a villain, and we have no sympathy, empathy, remorse, or anything emotional at all. All we feel is a heavy heart as the franchise we adored growing up slowly rots itself away into the old friend who has overstayed his welcome.

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If I was to post my overall thoughts on the entire movie, that post would be wayyyy too long, and there was wayyyy too much to cover. However, my thoughts on the Chameleon sum it all up. An overhyped villain that failed to shine when the lights were bright.

“Yo Daniel, are you going to watch the new Marvel Movie?” 

“Of course! I love Marvel,” I reply. Well… at least that’s how I almost always replied until around 2-3 years ago.

From being at the edge of my seat, catching up on all the cast gossip, and even watching backstage interviews on youtube hours on end, my love for Marvel seemed impossible to waver. If you asked almost any nerd, or even just a film lover if they liked the MCU, they would have likely responded with a resounding yes while also telling you who their favorite superhero was. Could you blame them? From the star studded cast of Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L Jackson amongst others, Marvel seemed to release hit after hit. The expectations for Marvel movies were on another level, and multiple Marvel movies were ranked in the top 10 highest grossing films for the better part of the 2000s/2010s. However, after the 3 hour masterpiece of “Avengers Endgame,” a film which ended phase 4 and a generational culture defining era, the death of Tony Stark, also foreshadowed the death of Marvel’s success. 

Avengers Endgame garnered $2.8billion for Marvel studios which followed the $1bn that was generated from “Captain Marvel,” not to mention the $2bn gross earnings of “Infinity War.” Marvel seemed to have the masterplan for all things movie success, from having the right cast, perfect action choreography, relevant thematic implications, riveting villains, and of course were able to masterfully appeal to the fans who were not a part of the existing comic fanbase. The way fans are able to structure, or break down the long list of MCU films is by ‘phasing.’ 

Although the first three phases are seemingly split into their own defining era with a respective Avengers Movie capping off the phase (unless you count Ant-Man), they were all building towards the end of phase 3, the Thanos saga. Thanos, the gigantic purple grape who sought to halve the entire population of the universe with a single snap of his fingers. A villain built up ever since the first Avengers post credit scene, which I might add, Marvel popularized despite its long history in film. Marvel’s slow burn reveal of Thanos and who he actually was throughout the films while also worldbuilding just one aspect of the MCU one film at a time was masterful. It was clear what his intention was from the beginning, and the use of the infinity stones gave a serialized intention to each new hero that was introduced even if the infinity stone was just a small portion of the plot. However, in cases like “Black Panther” where viewers just got to learn about the lore behind the hero revealed in “Civil War,” this also added additional layers to the MCU both on and off screen as Marvel began to use its influence to pave ways for representation within the film industry. Marvel’s worldbuilding also extended outside of the atmosphere of Earth or Midgard, as Mythological places like Asgard, and planets in “Guardians of the Galaxy” were explored to help viewers truly grasp just how significant Thanos’s plan was. 

Throughout the long lineage of films, fans did not necessarily need to watch every single one. While most fans did watch every single one, due to famous YouTubers like NewRockstars recapping every Marvel movie, fans who may not have been particularly interested in a particular hero would have been able to save money and skip a film without much consequence. Obviously, there were some films that probably had more consequences than others like “Captain America Civil War,” and obviously the Avengers films, however, standalones like “Ant Man,” “Doctor Strange,” and “Black Panther” all could have been skipped if the fan wanted just a short recap from YouTube or the internet. 

So, if Marvel was able to generate this much viewership, love, and success, what happened? Why did the love Marvel deplete so drastically, and can it be remedied? 

The first thing to take note off has to be the deaths, and contract endings of certain beloved heroes. Scarlett Johannson, Chris Evans, and RDJ all met an end after Endgame. Furthermore, Scar Jo, and RDJ’s beloved characters died in Endgame confirming unlikely returns in the future. (Yes I am aware of the Black Widow movie, I will get on to that later.) With these characters who were at the forefront of the MCU (Ok, maybe not Black Widow as such, but real fans appreciated her value! …. I am a Black Widow fan), no longer making appearances, many fans would have lost the appeal towards going to Marvel movies. However, do not fear, for Disney is releasing Disney+ where you can see the stories of other beloved characters through TV series such as Loki and WandaVision. However, the release of these series was just the beginning of the downfall of the MCU. 

One of the biggest issues with the MCU is commitment. Just like overcommitment and clinginess ends relationships, the MCU’s overbearing expectations of their fans to watch every single episode and every single new film to understand what is happening in the next film just led to audience burn out. The relationship between Marvel and their fans was deteriorating rapidly. Moreover, this could be reflected in the workplace, as visual effect editors were not being treated well, as Marvel were releasing multitudes of tv shows and films. A report from digital trend hints towards unionisation of workers for the first time as well as layoffs. 

Digital Trends Article

In March, Marvel fired its visual effects chief Victoria Alonso and just last month, overworked staff from her former department voted for the first time to unionize with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

The fact that Marvel workers were being mistreated, and overworked likely contributed to the diminishing quality of Marvel production that was seen on tv screens. Besides the fact that an average viewer would need to purchase a Disney+ subscription in the first place, many of these shows were subpar. This is not me being salty either, the facts speak for themselves. Take a look at this graph from statistica.com: 

Graph Origin

The latest shows, “She-Hulk,” “Secret Invasion” and “Ms Marvel” are all receiving low amounts of views, as fans have succumbed to the fact that Marvel is simply not producing high quality entertainment anymore. 

However, it is not just the tv series that are contributing to the downfall, but the films themselves are as well. Take a look at this graph. (the data is from Rotten Tomatoes Editorial)

(Spreadsheets didn’t let me label my Y axis D:) 

(Also, it is scaled to $1,000,000,000)

Aside from the Spider Man films (because who doesn’t love SpiderMan), there is an obvious downward trend in international love towards the MCU, and even domestic revenue is shifting towards a downward trend. The latest film, “The Marvels” was the worst Marvel film to date statistically. 

Variety.com Full Article

“The Marvels” is also the first Marvel film that failed to cross the $100 million mark at the domestic box office. This means the sequel’s entire big screen run didn’t come close to matching the opening weekend of its predecessor, 2019’s “Captain Marvel” ($153 million debut).

While the stats are clearly demonstrating Marvel’s plummeting success, the question is why? Aside from the aforementioned commitment issues, and CGI quality, there are two key things that can briefly be looked at. 

1. Characters

A lot of existing characters have been ruined, or new characters are not being utilised properly. Take Thor for example. Greek God, strong dude, loves a battle, and is one of the more proud serious characters. “Thor Love and Thunder” COMPLETELY RUINED HIS CHARACTER! Comedy is one thing. Cringe is another. Cringe does not even begin to describe the abomination of that movie, and to be honest, I could not finish that movie. To reduce Thor to a bad sitcom comic relief was just pitiful from Taika Waititi. As a New Zealander who was looking forward to a Taika film, I was utterly disappointed. Captain Marvel is another example of a poorly written character. Marvel’s problem is not lacking women's representation in their films, it's writing engaging female characters. I love the Black Panther cast, Shuri, and Okoye are engaging and loveable characters. Angela Bassett has one of the greatest scenes in all the MCU when Okoye returns without Shuri. As I stated earlier, I love Black Widow, and other female characters from the MCU that I enjoy are Wanda, Pepper Potts, and even Gamora to an extent. However, Captain Marvel lacks a good personality, and an engaging backstory. (I have yet to see “The Marvels” so maybe she improved, I don’t know), but she does not possess either of these. This is the problem with a lot of the new Marvel heroes. They lack the backstory that wants us to have sympathy or a connection with them. The Eternals just had too many characters to properly explore, and the characters that you do enjoy, you don’t really see in other films. One of the underrated things about films from the earlier phases was how you could notice their presence, either through Easter Eggs, or in the mid credit/post credit scenes. However, in the latest films, you do not really notice that except for the occasional Wong appearance, or some tv show reference which half the viewership base does not even recognise because they cannot be bothered watching a C grade tv series. However, in some scenarios, a good plot can save face for bad characters. Unfortunately, Marvel’s plot is way too complex and has been a significant contributing factor to their downfall. 

2. Plot Confusion 

The Multiverse is confusing. It was always going to be a confusing concept, and Marvel initially did explain the Multiverse concept well. However, there is just too much happening in the MCU right now. Different timelines, planets, universes, heroes, villains, organizations, it has really become too much. We are too busy trying to decipher who belongs where, what happened when, and it has become a mental nightmare. The barriers to entry just increase by the episode, by the film, and it just deters fans away from the series. Although there will always be the devout superfans who understand 100% of what is going on… maybe like 90% of what is happening, the larger chunk of the fanbase has just disengaged with the MCU. When the next Avengers film releases with the focus on Kang (who I do like as a villain), there are going to be many confused fans and viewers asking about what they need to know. The average fan might be able to head into the film and enjoy it unscathed from the lack of knowledge that they possess, but some may be confused, which will detriment the viewership experience. For Marvel to regain the success they once had, they need to find a way to remedy the massive hole that they have dug plotwise, otherwise, the barriers to entry will be so high that future generations will find it difficult to engage with future Marvel products. 

Ever since the aftermath of Endgame, Marvel has been on a downward spiral. Only one can hope that they can return to the success that they once had, but it seems like Thanos seemingly snapped Marvel’s earnings away into dust.

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Thank you guys so much for reading. Let me know in the comments what your favourite MCU moment is! Until next time,

I hope you guys have a blessed day!

Minority Representation Narratives

No matter what film you watch, there are always common situational archetypes that can be seen applied to both the plot and characters of a film following Carl Jung’s archetypal theory. However, at a more film specific level, there have been typical ‘plotline narratives’ that are often seen like “Rags to Riches” or the “Cinderella” story in which a lowly character ascends to glory. To a child the message of these films may just be to teach kids about the importance of resilience, and to never give up even in the most tumultuous times. However, at a deeper level, these movies actually tie in representation narratives. Let’s take the hit anthropomorphic films Kung Fu Panda (2008) from Dreamworks and Zootopia (2016) from Disney. 

Kung Fu Panda - IMDB

In the former case, KFP follows the narrative of the beloved character ‘Po’ a panda, the seemingly last of his kind. The plotline follows a Cinderella type arc as Po is a lowly noodle shop worker for his father (adopted? Step father?) Mr Ping a goose. Long story short, Po goes through a painful, yet enjoyable training journey alongside Master Shifu and the Furious Five to truly become the “Dragon Warrior.” However, aside from the inherent message about resilience, and never giving up even in difficult times, there are two levels of minority representation that can be considered both intrinsically and extrinsically to the film. The intrinsic narrative obviously focuses on Po, and his Panda race. In fact, the entire furious five appear to be the last of their kind. This can be seen as no other animals of their kind are seen throughout the film, and rare fellow members of certain species are seen in the tv shows. Furthermore, the names kind of give this away, “Monkey,” “Tigress” etc. However, after the revelations of KFP 2 and 3 that the Panda species is in fact not entirely extinct and they somehow survived a mass genocide committed by a bunch of wolves, to the teen or adult rewatching KFP may begin to consider imperialist narratives that are linked to the KFP world. Po is the descendant of an oppressed species who rises up in the face of their imperialist oppressor. This leads us to the highlighted extrinsic narrative; the focus of Chinese culture within a Hollywood context. 

During the time in which the first KFP movie was released, it was rare for Asian culture to be showcased within a Hollywood setting. However, due to the success of this movie, even the Chinese government was slightly outraged that Hollywood was able to produce a better movie about Chinese culture then they were at the time. That being said, a lot of the nods towards Chinese culture were Americanised Chinatown elements not necessarily Chinese elements. For example, the use of dragons to the extent that was driven in KFP appears to be overdone if it were truly accurate. In China dragons are revered, whereas in Chinatown they are just everywhere and this can be seen in the Valley of Peace. However, this element of race relations for a children's movie begins to introduce real societal links to these nostalgic nuggets. 

Zootopia IMDB

In Zootopia this can also be seen as the plot hinges on the divide between “predator” and “prey” species. Bellwether, the antagonist is a prey sheep who tries to exploit the ‘savaged’ history of predators to integrate more criminals within the Zootopia society so that the animals of Zootopia would be able to increase their trust for their prey mayor. To a child, Bellwether is just the ‘meanie pants mayor who wants power’ and they are not necessarily wrong. However, to a more socially aware generation, the tactics of Bellwether speak to those of fear mongering and political propaganda needed to gain potent traction. Moreover, language that is used to describe the predators like ‘savages’ is an example of a literal adjective utilized by colonizers historically during the perpetuation of the white man savior complex narrative. While there are more details which could be looked at such as the relationship between Wilde and Hopps whilst comparing that to the real world food chain relationship between wild foxes and rabbits, this is just a contributing factor towards the creation of the complexities of the race relations narratives that drive the plot of this story.

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Despite these connections that we can make between minority representation narratives and children’s literature, these are just 2 examples of movies which I loved as a child, and have probably overthought about. While I hope I didn’t ruin your appreciation for these anthropomorphic masterpieces, I hope it did at least reveal certain nuances that can be perceived through the viewing of children’s film.

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I was going to also comment on the relevant narratives in relation to the emergence of AI, buuuuut this would be an extremely long post, especially for the first one, so let’s save it until next time.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!
Until next time :)