That's perfectly ok and understandable. Hell, there's a lot of action flicks even today that I love, that I would have to admit are by no means genuinely "good movies", like the Gerard Butler "Fallen" series. I've just grown really tired of Marvel's formula and pretty much never varying style. I'd just love to see them do something truly new and brave with their IPs. Like a Silver Surfer movie similar to the 90s animated series - set entirely in space and alien world, very much a serious space opera. It just kills me that a lot of those 90s cartoons based on Marvel comics treated the source material more seriously and had each a more unique sense of identity than todays blockbusters.

Oh, absolutely there's a lot of great stuff from that period. I just picked the cut off date as the more accessible for a general audience. I mean it's hard enough to convince most people today to watch something from the 70s, and 30s black and white is about as far as you might be able to push it with a lot of luck. Silent films? You'd probably have to put a gun to their heads ;) And I don't even entirely blame them. I mean, something like Casablanca is in my opinion still just as watchable and entertaining to anyone as it ever was. But Nosferatu and Metropolis are more movies I respect and admire for what they achieved, but as impressive as they are they're not exactly as inviting to sit down and watch in full anymore, they requier a more "cinema enthusiast" mindset.

I loved that Silver Surfer series, it would be great indeed to see a cinematic adaptation closer to that in tone. I don't think we'll ever get to see something like that in the MCU, though. I'd be happy if at least they revive the animated series like they're doing with X-Men '97.

Haha, yes, that's true. :)

I've seen a few reviews. They are most critical about 1) The movie being slow, and 2) Adding WAAAAAY too many new/unfamiliar characters none of which really get enough individual attention. Which makes for a boring complicated mess.

They should/would have had to concentrate on 2-3 characters maybe and build up momentum (assuming people were interested)

I was never a Deadpool fan. He is a clown, a joke of a persona.
I did read Spiderman comics as a kid, not religiously though. I don't recall silly, failed attempts at immature humor.

That's a valid point, both the audiences and the studios bear responsibility for the type of movies produced, but there's a certain apathy to that situation. If people watch what the popular studios produce, and if the popular studios produce what people will watch, then it can only lead to a vicious cycle of regurgitated ideas and decreasing quality. It's especially frustrating when people start to define quality in terms of whatever's currently popular, and less popular topics become increasingly overlooked. I'd like it if more people showed initiative and active engagement when choosing their entertainment.

Of course most of this isn't a moral wrong, and I'm beginning to feel a bit elitist. If Marvel movies bring entertainment to people then that's great. I enjoy the show Parks and Recreation, and that's hardly the pinnacle of entertainment, but such things can be like junk food: good in moderation, and poor in excess. In the case of Marvel and many other big franchises, they've moved well past moderation.

So, first you said "Their attempts at being funny" and now you are saying "failed attempts at immature humor". Those two stances are completely different. So, which is it: Humor overall or immature humor?

Those statements are not contradictory.
If someone attempts to be funny, that suggests they are not funny. Therefore, they failed.

I never said they were contradictory. However, you must clarify your position as something can still be funny while not being immature. So, again, which is it?

I do think it is a little of the chicken or the egg problem with movies right now though. Sure many superhero movies have gone down in quality and the MCU is not worth seeing now tbh. The problem is so what is worth watching? Unless you go indie (which can get a little harder to find), its hard to find a good movie to watch if you want the movie theater experience.

If streaming, just going to old movies and classics is always worth it though.

I do agree that Marvel isnt the pinnacle of entertainment but I do think in the early stages, they were far more exciting. Marvel was kind of a failed property with most of its best IPs owned by other studios in terms of movie rights (X-men andf F4 with Fox, Spiderman with Sony). The MCU started as a crazy passion project by Fegie to try to bring the comic book experience to movies with interwoven narratives in a connected cinematic universe.

Early MCU was full of risks from hiring relatively unknown actors with talent and giving them a chance to shine. Working with comic book fans to create stories and plan out a narrative. The first Avengers movie narratively is pretty simple and trash but it represents the unification of several movies with independent narratives which is quite impressive.

Current MCU has lost its luster however. Narratively, the story ended with Endgame with the main cast gone. Marvel is going for big name actors and actresses for new heroes rather than unknown talents but are hiring art house directors who dont really seem to be comic fans to write stories. Current Marvel is a zombie milking a finished franchise and surviving because there isnt an alternative series to draw attention.

Yes, sadly that's exactly what's been going on.

I agree, though I think consuming shallow entertainment in excess is not that problematic, if someone wants to see a silly movie several times that should be fine. The problem, I think, is when people only watch that kind of films at the theatre, when more acomplished movies struggle or flop at the box office because not many people watch them until they're released on stream.

I love Parks and Recreation, by the way! :D

Yes, with studios fixation on franchises and remakes on one side, and being reluctant to support more original and creative films on the other (which is more or less understandable with big budget movies), and with the death of mid-budget films, there's not too many options for moviegoers nowadays. :(