Phase Four of the MCU was met with mixed reactions from fans and viewers alike. Some thought that it can’t live up to the Infinity Saga’s standards, while others believe that the MCU has overstayed its welcome. Not to mention, there are a handful of MCU titles that ended up receiving low scores on Rotten Tomatoes. But despite this MCU era’s flaws, some Marvel fans agreed that there is one thing this phase was able to do right.
Reddit user u/JamJamGaGa shared a video compilation of every Phase Four entry that was released and proved that this superhero era showcased how cinematic and artistic these films could be. It also showed how these films were able to put out so much emotion and how even the best actors such as Christian Bale were able to give spectacular performances. Basically, if you disregard the story and just pick out all the best scenes of each Marvel film, you could perhaps convince the film snobs that Marvel films are Oscar-Worthy.
What was featured in the video is just the tip of the iceberg on how artistically shot Phase Four was. Reddit user u/Dr_Randall_Savage shared a list of other examples that could have been added to this montage. Some of them included scenes from Ms. Marvel such as the Partition of India or when Khonshu uses his powers in Moon Knight, the list goes on and on.
Fortunately, a montage like this doesn’t need to convince snobs that Marvel and superhero films aren’t artistic enough to be deemed worthy. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was nominated for five Oscar Awards, including Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Song, and Best Supporting Actress. This also marks the first MCU film to be nominated by the Academy.
While it could be agreed upon that Marvel films may not always have the best storytelling, it does have their strengths that are now slowly getting recognized in the industry.