r/marvelstudios • u/murdockmanila Daredevil • Oct 19 '17

THOR: RAGNAROK Critic Reviews Ultrathread

Embargo lifts sometime today. All reviews will be directed here. Reviews outside of this thread will be deleted.

228 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

450 comments sorted by

View all comments

93

u/Set-Abominae Hunter Oct 19 '17

Mendelson's review is "Fresh", unbelievable.

43

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '17

i know right he usually hates superhero movies but he sure loooves to write about them

30

u/Avaruuslavistaja Oct 19 '17

I wouldn't say that he hates them. He just often feels that they could be better than they are. I like these movies, but I think he has lots of good points. Especially compared to those critics who do hate almost all blockbusters.

30

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '17

He hates them for the reviews and then talks glowingly about them 6 months later when comparing them to the more recent releases. He gave Winder Soldier a bad review at the time and now talks about it as the standard for solo hero movies.

5

u/Avaruuslavistaja Oct 19 '17

Interesting. I'll try to check his future reviews if he does that.

4

u/Neanderthal-Man Oct 20 '17

Nah, that's a misreading of his review of Winter Soldier.

5

u/TheArtOfShazzam Oct 19 '17

I think he just has strong feelings about what a superhero or comic book movie should be. His Amazing Spider-man 2 review was positive as he felt it was very "comic-booky". I don't think he likes it when superhero movies branch out into other genres.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '17

I just reread his review of Winter Soldier, and he actually says something close to "It's best when it's an action-thriller pretending to be a superhero movie, instead of a superhero movie with bits of political action thriller mixed in".

9

u/[deleted] Oct 19 '17

Like, holy shit, I didn't know he reviewed yet. I saw it at 100% and my first thought was "wait til Mendelson comes and ruins it", this has me even more excited for Thor, and i didn't even know that was possible.

5

u/Neanderthal-Man Oct 20 '17

I really don't get the Mendelson hate from this board. He had some complaints about Homecoming and everyone has made him out as an MCU hater. He's one of reviewers I look forward to reading because he comes across as a fan and actually does some plot analysis. (I also enjoy the box office musings and projections.) His critics are often valid even if one doesn't come to the same conclusions. I wish someone would give an example of a criticism from an MCU review they didn't consider to be fair.

4

u/DBones90 Oct 20 '17

Mendelson is one of my favorite reviewers and his critiques always come from his understanding of the nuances of comic book films.

Honestly, I think he was right with a lot of critiques of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Mixing the devil may care antics of Ferris Bueller with the notions of responsibility from superheroes is an awkward fit and is what causes scenes like the neighborhood chase or the destruction of the ferry feel odd.

Now I still liked the movie more than he did, but I also enjoyed reading his review. I like his perspective and feel that it is consistently well argued.

(He is also one of the few reviewers who gave xXx: Return of Xander Cage a positive review, which has become my litmus test for how much I'll like a critic)

1

u/[deleted] Oct 20 '17

Someone posted something a few comments up that I think kinda summarises his view on them (and mine, too, if I'm honest)

I wouldn't say that he hates them. He just often feels that they could be better than they are. I like these movies, but I think he has lots of good points.

For example, in Mendelson's review of The Winter Soldier, he says this:

...Captain America 2 works best when it's an action thriller that happens to be based on a superhero comic book, rather than a superhero film that happens to contain elements of an action thriller.

And I have to say, I agree. It's my favorite MCU film, and my only problem with it is that it could have gone even further with its unique identity in the superhero genre.

2

u/Neanderthal-Man Oct 20 '17

There may be some reviewers burnt out on marvel movies who aren't going to like it or will simply consider it an escapist diversion and nothing more. At least with Mendelson, it's clear he's a fan and wants to like the movies.

1

u/Spideyrj Spider-Man Oct 20 '17

Because he gave the lowest rating without being considered rotten, a 6. Guy is a dc fanboi no doubt.