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*Mild Marvel spoilers ahead! Proceed with caution*

With Spider-Man: Homecoming now out, it has been proved yet again that Marvel Studios knows what it’s doing with its cinematic universe. Most Marvel Studios movies are great, but they do have a major issue. They rely too much on comedy.

Before I elaborate, I’m not suggesting Marvel movies be humorless, overly-edgy, and angst-ridden films like Batman v. Superman, but there comes a point where enough is enough. The old MCU movies from the first Avengers and before had the perfect balance between comedy and seriousness. Ever since the jokes in the first Avengers (and Guardians especially) did well with audiences, MCU movies have become comedy flicks over superhero movies. It works in certain scenarios, like with team banter in Avengers and Guardians or with Spider-Man in general. However, it comes across as incredibly ham-fisted a lot of the time.

It was hard to take the threat of Ultron seriously when Hawkeye was shooting out dumb jokes left and right about the ridiculous situation, new projects on his farm, etc. I also couldn’t take the conflict in Civil War seriously because of how jarring the tonal shifts in the film were. One second it was a political thriller and the next it was an over-the-top comedy scene in an airport or in Spidey’s apartment. The most horrendous example of poor joke usage, at least in my experience, was in Doctor Strange. The titular Sorcerer Supreme makes a really awful joke about Beyoncé to which absolutely no one in the two showings of the film I saw laughed at all. This led to a painfully long awkward pause for the audience to laugh but since no one did, it was just cringe-worthy silence.

When watching that Doctor Strange scene especially, I couldn’t help but ask “am I watching a comic book movie or some dumb Adam Sandler film?” Situations like that, and the Age of Ultron and Civil War examples, show that Marvel has taken the jokey aspect of these films a little too far. Jokes are fine, in fact, I encourage them. They just shouldn’t come at the expense of the movie itself.

Despite this glaring issue, there is one element of these Marvel movies that stands out and is what makes them so great in the first place. The best feature by far of these films is how accessible they are to most audiences. When you go see an MCU movie, you see people of all different ages, races, sexes, backgrounds, philosophies, theologies, etc. That’s because they appeal to everyone. They are designed so that they never pander to a specific group of people or alienate another. They’re made simple enough so kids can enjoy them, but with complex enough elements that adults can be entertained as well. When the humor works, it’s a clever style that isn’t too childish for adults, too graphic for kids, and so on.

I noticed this especially in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Despite the fact that the plot heavily relied on elements of the MCU, it managed to rise above that and still be entertaining for those who don’t typically watch those movies. Yes, it’s a coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old high school boy, but it’s still something anyone can enjoy. It obviously appeals to high school boys, but adults can be just as entertained by its heart, visuals, levity, actions, and relatability. It’s villain, the Vulture, is someone that many working-class adults can empathize with and respect, despite his actions. Spidey himself is also an imperfect hero who is consistently trying to juggle multiple difficult elements of his life, something most people can relate to. Misfits and social outcasts can also relate to the strife of Peter Parker and his friend Ned being unpopular/generally disliked. If you can’t find a way to relate to those things, the film is entertaining enough by itself. It consistently keeps the audience engaged in what’s happening on screen and even makes unrelatable and goofy elements hard not to watch. This is something that Homecoming does really well and is representative of many other Marvel movies out there that do the same.

The bottom line is that the vast majority of people who go see these movies enjoy themselves, losing themselves in an experience that they can share with anybody out there. They are probably the most inclusive movie experience out there right now.

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I spend most of my days working towards my Writing and Rhetoric degree at the University of Central Florida, but I spend a lot of my down time keeping up to date on the best TV, movies, and video games the industry has to offer. Here I put all of that extended time to use discussing each of them in-depth.

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Geek Culture

In the TV show Fallout, would the “rule of thumb” really work?

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April 24, 2024

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Walton Goggins’ character, who plays someone in the first episode of the new TV series Fallout on Amazon, mentions a “rule of thumb” when it comes to nuclear explosions.

According to the character known as “The Ghoul,” he learned in military school that if you raise your thumb and extend your arm toward the blast, you can tell if you are going to live or die. According to the rule, some Americans will be safe from the radioactive fallout if the mushroom cloud is smaller than their thumb. If the mushroom cloud is bigger than their thumb, they won’t be as lucky.

Many other survivors will probably ask you why you’re giving a mushroom cloud the big thumbs up. Is it worth it?

The idea has been looked into a bit thanks to the Fallout video game series, which caught the attention of physicists in their first year at the University of Leicester. They had heard a false rumor that the show’s mascot, Vault Boy, was giving a happy thumbs up to show support for the thumb rule. They wanted to find out if the rule was true.

The team looked at smaller blasts that would fit with the setting of the show and chose a 15-kiloton blast, which is the same size as the blast that happened when the US dropped “Little Boy” on Hiroshima. The first thing the team did was figure out how far away you would have to be from the mushroom cloud for your thumb to cover the blast. They came up with a number that was about 12.6 kilometers (7.8 miles).

“Assuming the detonation occurred on the ground, the radius for avoiding all burns is 4.67 km [2.9 miles] away from the blast center, and the radius for radiation sickness symptoms is 1.56 km [0.97 miles],” the team said in their paper. “This would mean that you would be safe from the initial blast effects of radiation and burns.”

Even though you just saw a nuclear explosion nearby, that doesn’t mean you are safe. And that’s before you worry about nuclear winter. The radiation coming at you from the wind should be your main concern.

“Assuming an average wind speed of 24 km/h, the fallout would reach you within approximately half an hour if you were to be standing directly upwind.”

Getting caught in this wind will give you enough rads to make you sick. One more rule, though: run like hell. This might help you lower your dose.

“This investigation showed that if a 15-kiloton nuclear bomb was to detonate and your thumb extended at an arm’s length just covered the blast, you could survive most negative radiation effects by running laterally in the direction of the wind for a minimum of 1.65 km [1 mile] in half an hour, given that you are standing directly upwind from the blast,” the team said.

But this only works for a blast much smaller than the weapons the world has now. And even for smaller blasts, the rule probably won’t help because of the radiation that is released into the air and the fact that the wind can change quickly. Ruth McBurney, who is the executive director of the Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors in Frankfort, Kentucky, told Inverse that “shelter is the best thing to do if you think you might be in a place where fallout might be present or coming.”

More plans call for temporarily taking refuge in whatever is available, and then moving to better nearby shelters about 30 minutes after the blast. There are, of course, official rules about what to do during a blast. In short, you should stay inside and away from windows, wash your hands, and wait for more instructions. Please don’t condition your hair while you’re doing that.

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Gaming

Sony is reportedly engaged in discussions to form a partnership for a potential bid on Paramount

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6 days ago

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April 19, 2024

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There hasn’t been much buzz lately about any new acquisitions in the world of video game intellectual property. According to a recent report, Sony is currently engaged in discussions with a well-funded partner to potentially acquire the renowned film studio Paramount, along with all the exciting possibilities that come with such a merger.

As reported in the New York Times (thanks, ResetEra), Sony Picture Entertainment is reportedly in discussions with Apollo Global Management, an investment firm, as per two sources familiar with the matter. In the past, Apollo had made an offer to acquire Paramount for a minimum of $26 billion, but their bid was ultimately turned down.

The terms of the joint bid are currently under discussion, and there is a chance that the two parties may decide against making a formal offer. Unnamed sources have revealed that Paramount is currently in exclusive discussions with Skydance, preventing any official offer from being made at this time. Investor opposition to the recent deal that Skydance brought seems to have been significant.

The potential impact of such an acquisition is immense. First and foremost, it would introduce adaptations of Sonic and Halo into the expanding media empire of the PlayStation platform holder. Following the announcement, Paramount’s stock experienced a significant 11% surge in after-hours trading.

What are your thoughts on the news? Is there a possibility of Sony acquiring Paramount? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Geek Culture

Fallout Season 2 has been confirmed as the show continues to captivate audiences, making it one of Amazon’s most-watched series

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April 19, 2024

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Amazon has just made the exciting announcement that a second season of the highly acclaimed Fallout TV adaptation is in the works. Fans can look forward to another thrilling installment of the series, which will be exclusively available on the Amazon Prime streaming service. Confirmation has arrived regarding the second batch of episodes for the series, following the acquisition of $25 million in Californian tax credits.

In just four days after its release, Fallout has already captivated audiences, quickly becoming one of Amazon Prime’s most-watched TV shows of all time. It has garnered immense popularity, rivaling even the acclaimed season of The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power.

The Fallout TV show has caused a massive surge in sales for the newer games, resulting in a staggering 7,500% increase in purchases of Fallout 4 in Europe. Fallout 76, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas were also among the top 10 best-selling games across the continent last week. Next week, the highly anticipated PS5 version of Fallout 4 will be released, offering players an enhanced visual experience with new graphical modes. Additionally, players can look forward to exciting new content from the Creation Club.

Considering the potential for character development and narrative arcs, it would be intriguing to see where season two takes Lucy, Maximus, and The Ghoul. Without revealing any spoilers, it’s exciting to speculate on the possible directions their stories could go. We would greatly appreciate your feedback in the comments section.

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