Many films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s phase 4 have been helmed by ace-tier directors. On the face of it, this seems like a huge shot in the arm for the media franchise. After all, stalwart filmmakers have it in them to turn ordinary scripts into extraordinary cinema. However, this hasn’t been the case here. In fact, many have argued that roping in big-name directors and allowing them to inject their distinct directorial style into their respective projects have done more harm than good.
We explore this idea in this article and examine what potential changes Kevin Feige could make in the years and decades to follow.
How Big Directors Doomed MCU’s Phase 4
Allowing established directors a greater degree of creative freedom in making films, than before, has arguably led to a lot of bad. The overall cohesion of Marvel films greatly suffered in phase 4. Points of commonality and the distinctive Marvel touch of these films were lost. Furthermore, many of these directors came with their own set of flaws that were painfully visible in their projects.
Wide differences among films in screen time, film pacing, and other attributes were noticed by many. This greatly diminished fan love for these films. These stylistic departures proved to be very divisive. While many enjoyed and appreciated the personal touch that directors brought with them, many others were left disappointed.
Consider the case of the film Thor: Love and Thunder directed by Taika Waititi. Many long-time fans were outraged by the light-hearted and humorous undercurrent that run throughout the movie. This attribute of the film proved very divisive and may have held back the film from its full potential, considering its star cast.
What Does This Mean For The MCU’s Future? Would Kevin Feige Make Any Changes?
To be fair, the work of these directors was loved by many. They introduced a breath of fresh air into the MCU and may have attracted legions of new fans. As stated earlier, the involvement of these big-time directors and the greater degree of artistic freedom afforded to them has been divisive. What Kevin Feige would want is to chart out a middle course. One, whereby the big directors work their magic into Marvel projects without compromising on other aspects of these films. Perhaps a greater degree of oversight and control by Marvel executives over these directors could be the solution.
Whatever the case, the MCU is bigger than ever before and the future for the media franchise looks promising. Structural adjustments might go a long way in improving the quality of these films.
