Doctor Strange 2 Is Proof MCU Films Should Give Directors More Control
The MCU has spent the last 15 years growing into one of the biggest cinematic monoliths we’ve ever seen. It spent years building up to Avengers Endgame, one of the most successful films of all time. Fans stan the films months before they come out and cinemas pack their screens with nothing but Marvel movies for weeks on end. All this is to say, the MCU has earned enough good faith to take some risks, and I wish it would do so more. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is at its best when director Sam Raimi’s touch can be most keenly felt, and it’s proof the MCU needs to give directors more control.
The MCU loves to tout the great directors it brings on to helm its projects, but doesn’t seem to have the faith to let them run loose. For years, Edgar Wright was set to direct Ant-Man. He’s got a very distinct style that comes across in all his films, from Shaun of the Dead to Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Quick, comedic edit montages, snappy dialogue, and slick action are his hallmarks. All these flourishes would have been perfect for Ant-Man, but Wright left the project because the Marvel execs couldn’t let go of the steering wheel. “I wanted to make a Marvel movie but I don’t think they really wanted to make an Edgar Wright movie," he told Variety. Ant-Man was decent, but it could have been Baby Driver levels of great.
RELATED: Post-Credits Scenes Have Lost All Their Magic
What’s the point in bringing on Wright if you’re not going to let him be himself? Eternals had Chloe Zhao directing, but it didn’t feel like a Zhao movie. The Oscar-winning director said she and Marvel “met in the middle,” but she shouldn’t have to. Eternals featured a star-studded cast and a critically acclaimed director, it was going to be
Read more on thegamer.com
