Despite being Marvel’s most controversial phase to date, the Marvel Cinematic Universe devotees have found one aspect in which they think Phase Four has outdone its predecessors: the cinematography.
A viral Reddit post is praising recent Marvel productions’ visuals, light work, and photography. Over ten thousand upvotes seem to indicate that a large portion of the MCU fandom agrees with the post’s statement that “it seems quite noticeable that Marvel has improved on their cinematography game.”
User Bruhmangoddman chose WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Thor: Love and Thunder as examples of great cinematography in Phase Four of the MCU, but fans in the comment section immediately noticed a huge absence. Eternals, directed by Oscar winner Chloé Zhao, split public opinion, but if there is one thing everyone seemed to agree on is that it contained some of Marvel’s most beautiful photography work to date.
Dissidents called the examples picked by the original poster “darkly lit scenes,” or simply “shadows and light,” while a couple of others couldn’t figure out if the user was actually serious.
The choice to include Thor: Love and Thunder in the list of examples seemed to be asking for trouble, considering the film is one of Marvel’s worst in this particular department.
The issues with computer-generated imagery and visual effects remain a big issue for fans of the franchise, with Phase Four receiving more heat in this department than ever before. Who can forget Black Widow?
The last installment of Phase Four, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, will be arriving on Disney Plus on Nov. 25, while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is still playing in theaters. Phase Five of the MCU will kick off soon when Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania premieres in February of 2023.