I had some thoughts on the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the way that the films are made that made them so popular. Up until Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther, I started getting a sense of them being the same old, same old.

I feel like having Taika Waititi and Ryan Coogler take the helm on Thor and Black Panther respectively breathed a different, if not new and improved, life into the MCU.

I have a soft spot for Taika Waititi, so I am biased. But having the opportunity to have a new kind of entertainment come out of the MCU meant I could enjoy Thor in a new way. And it didn’t feel entirely disjointed or out of nowhere. The comic relief and general style of the MCU meant that it wasn’t a complete switch in genres that might have alienated audiences.

As for Black Panther, I felt as though it was a film that treated its audience like mature adults. It shifted away from the inner circle of the Avengers and their problems, and examined social, political and cultural ideas in a way that didn’t feel patronising. That being said, I am a middle class white girl so maybe my opinion isn’t valid, but I stand by it. As someone who enjoys movies, I was entertained by it and didn’t feel like I was being bullshitted.

Except for the rhinos. The rhinos were dumb.

Basically, I think that it’s significant that the MCU took the time to try new things and have new directors and writers take lead on their recent films. I was entertained, which I think is what counts. Still think that Marvel needs to chill out and stop milking their franchise at some point.