10 Biggest Parts Of The Marvel Movie Formula (That Will Destroy The Series)

9. Large Scale, CGI-Heavy Finale

In the laws of blockbuster escalation everything must be bigger. That's why the finale is always the largest scale action beat and why stakes only get higher as a series go on. With ten films, you can really see that with Marvel; how else could a jovial sci-fi action-comedy still have a third act that puts billions of lives in jeopardy. The problem in their case is that while the CGI on show is damn fine it's all too similar. So whether you're watching a semi-serious conspiracy thriller whose previous action beats have been mostly Bourne-esque or a bonkers, planet-hopping flick you can bet by the end you'll be in a very similar situation; a tense, against-the-clock, large-scale battle involving our heroes and a multitude of generic cannon fodder. As will become a trend in this list, since The Avengers wowed with the Battle of New York every film has been all about the epic finale. They've been mostly quite impressive, feeling marginally distinct, but as the third act's dominated by a big fight it leads to a much more restrained plot. An added irritation to this is that as it's in these sequences where the biggest money shots are, it's these beats that tend to get spoiled by over-zealous trailers, making them far less impressive.
Contributor
Contributor

Film Editor (2014-2016). Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle. Once met the Chuckle Brothers.