We absolutely love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's undeniably one of the most impressive achievements in the history of blockbuster filmmaking. That being said, it's not perfect -- particularly when it comes to the visuals. A new video has just hit the web explaining why so many Marvel films look so drab, and it's seriously eye opening. Check it out below to see for yourself.
That video perfectly articulates the main issues that we have with the visuals in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the visual effects in most Marvel movies look amazing, the ugly color grading has a tendency to overshadow beautifully executed cinematography and CGI. The issue first reared its head all the way back during Phase 1, when Marvel switched from film to digital technology to shoot its movies. Starting with Captain America: The First Avenger, and continuing all the way until today, Marvel's movies have a lack of "proper black value" which creates a notable lack of contrast, thus flattening and dulling the visuals.
These problems don't necessarily extend from issues with hardware. As the video astutely points out, many recent films have used the same technology as Marvel films -- such as Mad Max: Fury Road, and Skyfall -- and they turned out beautifully. The issue really lies in how the studio treats the film once the footage is in the can. Marvel Studios uses a relatively uniform system for coloring its films, and the negative effect has become increasingly noticeable.
It's not even that difficult to fix some of the major issues that have plagued Marvel movies in recent years. Check out an example of a fixed frame from James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy below to see what a Marvel film could look like if the studio paid more attention to color in post-production.
At the end of the day, however, we have to acknowledge that these complaints are purely subjective. Although many people have voiced concern over the quality of color in Marvel films, plenty of others absolutely love the visuals in movies like Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man, and Thor: The Dark World. It's simply a matter of preference. There's also the fact that Doctor Strange seems to mark a step away from drab coloration, which means Marvel may have already realized that this represents an issue worth fixing. Let's keep our fingers crossed that such a trend continues.
What are your thoughts? Do you like the visuals in Marvel's movies, or do you think the color needs work? Let us know what you think in the comments section below to keep this conversation going!
CinemaBlend will bring you all of the latest and greatest Marvel news as more information becomes available to us. Make sure to check out Doctor Strange, which is currently in theaters.
