Comics and Superhero movies

[GandalfPC]

The website has some unusual script - haven't tried it or looked deep but it looks like they have a puzzle for you to solve there

Should be easy to figure out from inspector - don't have the time at the moment, but I'm sure you will figure it should there be something worth figuring...


script attached to one of the links:

// Utils
function generateUUID() {
var cryptoLib = window.crypto || window.msCrypto; // 1 in 2^^122 chance of collision with this algorithm
return ([1e7] + -1e3 + -4e3 + -8e3 + -1e11).replace(/[018]/g, function (c) {
return (c ^ cryptoLib.getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(1))[0] & 15 >> c / 4).toString(16);
});
}

function setCookie(cookieName, cookieValue, expDays) {
var domain = window.location.hostname.split('.').slice(-2).join('.');
console.log ("[PTK] setting", cookieName, "to", cookieValue, "on domain", domain)
var expires = new Date(Date.now() + expDays * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000).toUTCString();
console.log("[PTK] expires", expires);
document.cookie = cookieName + "=" + cookieValue + "; expires=" + expires + "; domain=" + domain + "; path=/; SameSite=None; Secure";
}

function getCookie(cookieName) {
var match = document.cookie.match(new RegExp('(^| )' + cookieName + '=([^;]+)'));
if (match) {
return match[2];
} else {
return 0;
}
}

[Sir Toddalot]

The Batman is a good movie, but for me personally The Dark Knight is the one of the best superhero films ever. I don’t think they compare. If people think TB is better, I think they need to rewatch TDK, because it has to have been a while and they’ve forgotten how awesome it is! Kidding aside, I realize people have different tastes. But TDK definitely has my vote, for whatever that’s worth.

[theCapraAegagrus]

In the Multiverse of Madness is fairly average. My tentative score is 7.5/10. I agree that the first one is better. It's definitely worth seeing, though.

There is a lot of cool shit, and the horror elements were done properly, but it just isn't cohesive. I'm wondering how much the re-shoots and late cuts led to this final product, because it feels incomplete.

It was a lot of fun, and I suspect that most people will enjoy it.

[MagikFingerz]

The above is pretty much what I thought as well. It's obvious they went all out on fan service and didn't bother filling plot holes or making the story generally more cohesive. Dice roll: 4.

I'd go into specifics, but I feel like those should be in spoiler tags. Possible add-on to the forum? Hmmm...

[Harvonsgard]

Spoilers... this might be the first's first world problem.

[EvilDuncan]

Just saw it tonight. Honestly I loved it. Didn't feel like it was too disjointed or had any real plot holes that I noticed. Lots of fun moments with slightly longer-than-expected cameos. I purposely didn't hype myself up for it too much and only watched the first trailer, so I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely felt like a Sam Raimi film.

[MagikFingerz]

I did love it, my comment on them going all out on fanservice wasn't a critique

Biggest thing that bothered me was probably how long it took for Wanda to extract America's power, without there being any indication of it being a long or complicated process. And when Strange finally got there, she looked like she had gotten bored or something, her back was even turned.

[Harvonsgard]

The Doctor Strange thing at the end was the only thing that bothered me. The make-up/renderings of his face just looked ridiculous. Made me think the whole rest of the movie if this is Deadpool-like satire or unintentionally ridiculous.

[theCapraAegagrus]

I'd go into specifics, but I feel like those should be in spoiler tags. Possible add-on to the forum? Hmmm...

I was thinking this exact same thing... The CGC Boards have a Spoiler tag that hides the text until someone clicks to expand it. Seems like an easy function to add-on at some point!

[theCapraAegagrus]

...Didn't feel like it was too disjointed or had any real plot holes that I noticed...

Sadly, it does. They're amplified on a repeat viewing. I'm actually quite pissed about 1 particular subject.

[theCapraAegagrus]

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme. His only f**king job is to protect the world/universe against mystical threats. He literally led the Scarlet Witch - a being that can control and/or destroy the entire multiverse - directly to the original runes of the Darkhold.

That kind of writing is unforgivable.

[MagikFingerz]

I noticed that, but kind of forgot. You're absolutely right, though, that's terrible writing. Especially considering he seemingly takes the role more seriously than Strange.

[Harvonsgard]

That was indeed a weird thing. Why is he the boss again? His powers seem to be weaker than Strange's.
What I disliked in general is that Scarlet Witch is the villian. Same with Enchanted in Suicide Squad.

[Eric Lee]

Does someone know what's up with that easter egg after the score?


EE1AD928-CEA2-4E24-9529-BC699760A79D.jpeg

That was a very clever marketing scheme by WB. It started before the movie premiered and continues till now. You got a new 3 riddles every week and you'll get bonus stuff. You can check out the full list here along with the rewards:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9aFo-plUxg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERRG2jiTcak


Also turns out there's more hidden on the site itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSZ_ehGcevk

[Eric Lee]

Dr Strange was a fun ride for me. Darker than your usual MCU movie, but then it is tagged as Horror. My 15 yr old son was surprised by how dark it was from his experience. Sam Raimi had fun with it. I would tag it as 7-8/10. If my wife or friend wanted me to go watch it with them as they haven't seen it, I wouldn't mind rewatching.


*spoiler*


As for the cameos, that was my biggest sore point. How some of their scenes were done, considering their background and who they're supposed to be, was disrespectful IMHO. I expected a longer scene from the final cameo and SW, but it ended so fast. Same goes for the 1st cameo scene with SW. I was like "That's it? But that's not how it works! Come on, you didn't do right by that cameo!"

Yeah, I was kinda put off by that part with Wong initially, but I was ok with it. At least they showed why he did what he did and I supposed it was done to contrast the difference between him and SW. He still cares , despite his title as Sorcerer Supreme but whereas Wanda as SW has stopped. But yeah, it was done way too fast.

The whole question of "Are you happy?" and what you would do to be happy if you had to power to change things was central driving theme for Strange 2. I think they carried it out well with the various characters and their motivations in relation to the theme; so that's why I'm giving Strange 2 the score I did.

[MagikFingerz]

Why is he the boss again? His powers seem to be weaker than Strange's.

Wong only became Sorcerer Supreme because Strange got snapped/dusted.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Yeah, I was kinda put off by that part with Wong initially, but I was ok with it. At least they showed why he did what he did and I supposed it was done to contrast the difference between him and SW. He still cares , despite his title as Sorcerer Supreme but whereas Wanda as SW has stopped. But yeah, it was done way too fast.

It's entirely inconsistent with his character, though. Remember how seriously he took his librarian responsibilities? You think he takes Sorcerer Supreme lightly? It wasn't just a woman trying to steal Chavez's powers; It was a being with the capability to enslave and destroy the entire multiverse. It's easily the worst part about this movie.

[Harvonsgard]

Thanks, Tom. I always forget all the other franchises. MCU is confusing if your only there once in a while, haha.

[Eric Lee]

Yeah, I was kinda put off by that part with Wong initially, but I was ok with it. At least they showed why he did what he did and I supposed it was done to contrast the difference between him and SW. He still cares , despite his title as Sorcerer Supreme but whereas Wanda as SW has stopped. But yeah, it was done way too fast.

It's entirely inconsistent with his character, though. Remember how seriously he took his librarian responsibilities? You think he takes Sorcerer Supreme lightly? It wasn't just a woman trying to steal Chavez's powers; It was a being with the capability to enslave and destroy the entire multiverse. It's easily the worst part about this movie.

Yeah, the way it was done, you would forget that he's the SS and is only Strange's asst like the comics, if the show didn't keep bringing it up, and that he knows what's at stake. It was a discredit to him the way it was handled, but then again, look at the way they handled the cameos in service to the main characters' storyline. So yeah, they all got disrespected for the sake of the plot

[EvilDuncan]

look at the way they handled the cameos in service to the main characters' storyline. So yeah, they all got disrespected for the sake of the plot

This isn't the first time I've heard anyone say this. I don't get how all the cameos got disrespected. Their experience made them cocky, assuming they could handle anything if they could defeat Thanos, and they paid the price for it. At no point did I feel they disrespected the characters.

[Eric Lee]

Error

[Eric Lee]

look at the way they handled the cameos in service to the main characters' storyline. So yeah, they all got disrespected for the sake of the plot

This isn't the first time I've heard anyone say this. I don't get how all the cameos got disrespected. Their experience made them cocky, assuming they could handle anything if they could defeat Thanos, and they paid the price for it. At no point did I feel they disrespected the characters.

Well, it's my fault as I wasn't specific there.

***SPOILER***

My biggest problem with the cameos was specifically with how BB and CX were handled. RR yeah, you can say that they got cocky and paid for it.

BB could almost go toe to toe with Thanos as he was that powerful and invulnerable. Seeing how he was handled was jarring for me and had me shouting internally that's not how his power should work! This site explains quite well how it works:

https://fictionhorizon.com/how-strong-i ... abilities/ (EDIT: link fixed)

But then again, I'm basing him from the comics and not the TV series. So how his powers work in the TV series wasn't really explained.

CX should have gotten something similar to CM had on the physical plane, but on the mental plane. By right, he could just zap her from a distance without even showing himself . Like Morpheus said the Neo in Matrix 1 at the dojo training scene:
Morpheus:
How did I beat you?
Neo:
You... you're too fast.
Morpheus:
Do you believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with my muscles in this place? Do you think that's air you're breathing now?
Again, that's me being a former comic nerd and being aware how powerful the illuminati was in the comics.

[Harvonsgard]

As someone not into comics I understood zilch of what you wrote Eric, haha. Who was BB, CX, RR and CM again?

[EvilDuncan]

***SPOILERS***

Black Bolt, Charles Xavier, Reed Richards, and Captain Marvel

[theCapraAegagrus]

In theaters, I had already understood that they disrespected CX. After careful thought, I agree that they disrespected BB. I thought that the other characters were 'properly' handled, meaning that it's entirely believable the way that their fates were written.

[Harvonsgard]

Thanks for the translations, Evil.

[theCapraAegagrus]

You know what sucks? I'm gonna have to basically re-purchase most of the movies that I own, since I don't have many 4K copies.

[rousselle]

I fixed the link in Eric's post above. (He referred to BB, but the link took me to a completely different character's strengths and abilities, so I found the correct link and masked it in the URL tag.)

I'll note that I enjoyed the movie-going experience here, and I enjoyed the movie as I was watching it. When I came out of the theater, I felt like I got my $16 worth of entertainment on the big screen. I liked the actors, I liked a lot of the visuals, and the story wasn't devastatingly awful, despite the many obvious problems with character motivation written into a rather problematic script.

*** SPOILERS for DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS***

I agree with the point made earlier about how Wong's turning over the information about the Dark Hold to SW was so very, very poorly executed (script-wise). It entirely defied his character and made no logical sense.

Regarding the cameos:

One thing about the Fantastic Four movies up 'til this point is that when Reed Richards uses his abilities, he looks absolutely ridiculous. I mean, no matter how well the actor acted (your mileage may vary on that point, but I thought both actors I've seen previously were totally reasonable), the CGI effects just looked silly. SOMEHOW in this movie, RR did NOT look silly when he used his powers. I have no idea how they did that, and I've only seen the movie once so far, but I was impressed with that.

Of course, having SW shred him into ribbons *kinda* looked silly, but with the gravity of the situation and the fast pacing, it didn't really take me out of the moment.

My two biggest problems with the Illuminati scenes were these:

1) These are some of the smartest people in the ABSOLUTELY ANYWHERE. Look at how devastatingly intellectual John Krasinski played Reed Richards. I absolutely loved how smart, cool, and calm he played that part. And Charles Xavier! The Smartest Man in Any Room! Captain Carter has also always been portrayed as a superiour intellect, rivaling (and perhaps surpassing) Steve Rogers. How, tell me how, did these brilliant characters not use their ever-loving brains in combatting Wanda? How?

Reed Richards saw Wanda use magic, saw that she was extremely powerful, so why did he think the equivalent of a frontal assault would surprise her or enable him to subdue her? Why did he not look around the room, assess his assets and liabilities, and then formulate an attack that wasn't so obviously doomed to fail?

The only reasonable fight in this whole melee was Mordo vs. Strange. Every attack, defense, and counter-attack made perfect sense for what we know about the characters and revealed both physical prowess, mastery of their respective tools, and excellent, in-the-moment strategic thinking. I will also observe: neither of them were cameo characters.

2) I am becoming painfully aware that in the recent slew of Marvel products, the men must be bested by the women, and the Illuminati sequence was just a little too obviously on the nose in that regard. SW dispatches Black Bolt and Reed Richards first with barely a second thought, and the only real challenge to her is Carter and Capt. Marvel... which is silly, because Carter's only two assets are strength and intellect, the first of which is useless against magic and the second of which she didn't really employ. Capt. Marvel is magic, so having her be the last one to survive the physical battle can totally work. But it was still a bit twee that in a physical battle, the men are the first to fall, and then in the big mental battle, Wanda wins... just because. I mean, really, what were the rules of that engagement? The only take-away I get from that sequence was that... her magic juju was better than Xavier's mental juju?

As this scene closes, somehow Christine holds her own, even though she has *no* super powers other than her intellect (which, unlike the cameo characters, she at least uses.)

---

So, as much as I totally ate up the fan service, and as much as I liked the cameos and enjoyed seeing them in action, I have to agree that, yeah, the cameo characters were absolutely done dirty both by bad writing.

In the end, Doctor Strange does not defeat SW, even though this is supposedly his movie. The story is resolved when America Chavez shows Wanda why she can't get what she wants. So, Wanda... gives up. She destroys the Dark Hold. She is the main character who has a character arc. Dr. Strange serves as our narrator/host of the story, and other than that, his role is to help the hero (Chavez) to defeat the actual main character (SW).

So, yeah, I enjoyed watching this movie. But... the writing was not as good as earlier Marvel efforts. I wish Marvel would remember that they can write stories where the women best the men without requiring the men to get a sudden case of The Dumb; after all, they've done it before.

[MagikFingerz]

Who gave you access to my head, Allan? +1 to all of the above!

In the end, Doctor Strange does not defeat SW, even though this is supposedly his movie. The story is resolved when America Chavez shows Wanda why she can't get what she wants. So, Wanda... gives up. She destroys the Dark Hold. She is the main character who has a character arc. Dr. Strange serves as our narrator/host of the story, and other than that, his role is to help the hero (Chavez) to defeat the actual main character (SW).

This might be my biggest gripe. In the end it came down to a "the power was inside you all along"-moment, followed by a "are we the baddies?"-moment. Pretty anti-climactic.

[Harvonsgard]

Does the Lego Batman Movie qualify as a superhero movie? Just watched it last night. Leight-hearted fun; I'd recommend it. Not sure if comic lovers would like it.