10 Great Movies With ONE Terrible Element

The impact and influence of 2012's The Avengers cannot be understated - it was the successful culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's mission to unite its focal heroes, and courtesy of writer-director Joss Whedon, it turned out to be an absolute blast.

Yet for all of its iconic and unforgettable moments - both character banter and jaw-dropping action - it's a profoundly boring-looking movie from a visual perspective. After all, why push the aesthetic boat out for the biggest superhero movie of all time (at the time), right?

Ever since The Avengers' release, many have criticised the film's cinematography for "looking like a TV show."

This is in part because of the decision to shoot the movie in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, to ensure that all of the Avengers - from Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) - could be easily captured in the frame.

But beyond that, Whedon is clearly more accustomed to the world of TV, characterised by more utilitarian, less-creative camerawork comprised of extensive close-ups, hence why so much of the framing and camera setups, well, feel like TV.

Beyond that it also set the MCU's "house style" firmly in place, utilising flat lighting and a washed-out colour palette with a disconcerting emphasis on muddy grey tones, as has been a frustrating bugbear of the franchise ever since.

And while nobody's not going to watch The Avengers because it lacks visual imagination, you'd reasonably expect more from a film with so much potential to bring famous comic book panels to vibrant life.