The Question of Shared Universes

Well, my issue is that SU movies are dull and repetitive (read: formulaic) because they deal for a good part with themselves and their own continuity, thereby hinder original or different storytelling (in tone, look and style and even character interpretation) that a multiverse would allow.

The MCU films are the current textbook example for this, but this affects others too. Many of these films are essentially teasers for future films or even origin stories for heroes and villains of other movies, resulting in completely out of place  scenes and characters.

It's not serialized storytelling like in shows pushing forth a defined story arc, but still stand alone (formulaic) storylines with a lot of shared elements that slow down the pacing and the pot. It's referential fun for nerds but annoying for those who want to see coherent storytelling.

It's neither fish nor fowl, maybe decadence. It may be the craze right now, but people will get tired of it (I hope).

You bring up some good points.

If I had to guess, the conclusion of the MCU run will mark the beginning of the end of these shared universes.

As @mellomoviereview said in another thread, I could see characters like Batman being made into a 007-esque anthology franchise.

I like shared universes, but they really begin to weigh themselves down.

lol, I was one of them, still ticking and threatening, friendship's over, dude. 

I love the idea of shared universes, it's all about what they do with it. Sometimes you can have team ups, but they aren't all the time. Ant-Man and Doctor Strange are two examples of MCU films that have minimal tie-ins to the rest of the universe. Honestly I could do without the Avengers HQ break in sequence in Ant-Man, but it didn't ruin the film for me. It isn't as if the movie revolved around that sequence, or you needed to have seen the rest of the MCU catalog to enjoy the movie. And Doctor Strange sparingly referenced the MCU, with it's biggest nod being a post-credit sequence.

On the other hand, I love events like the Avengers films, where they bring everyone in the shared universe together. Indeed, it seems like shared universes have their detractors on both sides-- those who think they focus too much on the larger universe, and those who question why all of the heroes aren't together all of the time. ("Hey, where was Iron Man during Winter Soldier? Where was Banner in IM3?")

As far as the OP's observations, I guess I'm of the opposite viewpoint. I think a shared universe opens the door for even more storytelling possibilities. How deep the connection goes in any given story is entirely up to the writers (and the studio, obviously), but the concept itself is sound. The real danger comes in feeling like you have to raise the stakes every time out. That's why I'm hoping after Infinity, we go back to smaller, more personal stories for our heroes.

I cannot disagree more with the following passage:


It's all personal opinion, either you like CBMs and shared universes or you don't. But this seems like a misinterpretation of the creative intent behind easter eggs and in-jokes. It's just fun. It's a nod to those familiar with the comics or have seen the previous films (which they're assuming is most of the audience at this point). It's the same logic behind any bit of humor or cultural reference made in any film. Humor isn't designed to 'make you feel clever,' it's designed to make you laugh. When the bank robber wearing the Nixon mask in Point Break says, "I am not a crook," you either get that joke or you don't. It wasn't designed to make people 'feel clever' for getting it. Also I don't see how a shared universe is any more or less 'about itself' than any other movie or television show. It's just a larger entity.

Plenty of television shows have spinoffs, which makes them shared universes. I've never thought of them as being 'about themselves,' even when characters from the other shows make guest appearances. Maybe it won't make sense if you aren't familiar with the other property, but I don't think they were trying to make the audience 'feel clever' when Sam Malone showed up on Frasier. They still had amusing interactions, it wasn't simply a nod for the sake of the nod. Even the somewhat forced Stan Lee cameos in the MCU are still fun. He always has something ridiculous to do or say, they don't just cut to a blank stare from Stan Lee for five seconds and then move on. That would be a reference 'about itself.'

All in all there is some fair criticism in this post; sometimes the studio has unnecessarily shoehorned plot points from the larger, wrap around story into smaller films where it didn't really belong. But again I think that's a creative choice that says more about the studio's agenda in that moment than it does about the concept of a shared universe. You can have successful films within a shared universe that don't hinge on the larger story, it's already been proven. The storytelling potential is always there, it all depends on what they do with it.

I consider myself a Trekkie but personally I understood the need for the JJ reboot. It certainly wasnt a 10/10 but overall it was good thing. The Trekverse from the 90's, early 00's was done. It was very enjoyable (DS9 still is my no.1 fav tv show ever) but it didnt work anymore.

That being said I dont love the new direction Trek took. I dont hate it but especially the first two movies were not that good. Beyond is by any means one of the best Trek movies ever made. Right up there with Khan and FC. It was Star Trek the way Star Trek was meant to be.

Death threats over enterntainment is just stupid. Those people need to get a life.

Then the OP's point. He has made some valid ones even though I dont agree with all of them. The clever thing about the MCU is that the individual properties tell a separate story about one or two characters. Iron Man triology was about Tony getting more responsible and mature. The Cap trio was about the Steve/Bucky friendship. Of course all very simplified and certainly not without their flaws but my point is those trilogies can be seen as stories on their own. Same goes for the individual movies. And yet it all ties together as well. I personally am not bothered at all by the references, lead-and tie ins. To each his own I guess.

There are worse attempts at shared universes than the MCU.

How many times will the X-Men have to deal with a Human extremist who threatens Mutants? It's happened as often as the Avengers fighting each other.