I know this is not going to be a particularly controversial opinion, but
In the last three weeks I have seen two (2) films about the multiverse, featuring a threat to said multiverse revolving around the family dynamics and parent-child grief of a woman with undiagnosed depression. One was Doctor Strange into the Multiverse of Madness, and the other was Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.
I have not looked up the actual budgetary difference between the two because I care not for your ridiculous “facts” in the face of my own opinions, which are sacrosanct. But as Doctor Strange is Disney and EEAAO is an indie film I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say the former cost about eight times the latter. EEAAO had a much smaller cast that got cleverly reused. Far fewer sets, too, which probably helped.
I bring this up because, of the two, it was the one that looked about eight times more expensive. If I knew nothing about those films, I would assume it was the one with the budget. Literally everything about it was better without exception. The writing by multiple orders of magnitude, the acting, the directing, and yes, the special effects. That was honestly one of the most incredible films I’ve ever seen. There were moments when my husband was openly sobbing in the cinema. The most he managed for Doctor Strange was an “Oh, that’s poignant” once.
I don’t know where I’m going with this but it’s probably something something let artists do their thing and stop making everything CGI something something idk
But I do care
Slightly less than an order of magnitude difference.
You’re shitting me
Literally eight times the budget
I was bang on right
You’re shitting me
Am I done thinking about this movie? No. Am I going to fully think through my point this time before inflicting it on you all? Also no
We keep being told over and over again that Marvel cannot have queer characters because of the looming spectre of the Chinese Market, and I saw people (kind of rightly) lose their shit about America Chavez in Doctor Strange (although fuck me that was appalling America Chavez characterisation).
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once had two explicit and one implicit queer relationships. And the exaltation of one of them was central to the film’s denouement.
I never want to hear BUT CHINA used to justify Disney’s all-American homophobia ever again is what I’m saying
