The MCU‘s Phase Four hasn’t earned praise for much, after a slew of lackluster releases worked to diminish faith in the behemoth comics franchise.
Despite this, a recent Reddit post to the site’s Marvel Studios sub attempted to stir up praise for the visuals contained within seven of Phase Four’s offerings. The selections include WandaVision, Loki, Eternals, Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Werewolf by Night, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The original poster, user JamJamGaGa, included a range of images from each project, aiming to display the visual diversity of each release.
Honestly, when compiled side-by-side like this, its hard to deny the visual intrigue of some of these projects. When actually watching films like Eternals most viewers are too distracted by the unimpressive story and wooden script to notice the genuinely stunning visuals, but without the distraction of the movie itself, it’s far easier to see. The same can be said for several other entries, like Multiverse of Madness, which — out of context — looks pretty damn dazzling.
Commenters couldn’t help but agree, with dozens of viewers heaping praise on Phase Four’s grasp of creative visuals. Not all of these releases earned acclaim for their storytelling ability or cohesiveness, and few deserve applause for their reliance on CGI, but that doesn’t eliminate the genuinely remarkable use of colors, landscapes, and trippy visual tricks. Not to mention the franchise’s recent use of black and white, as seen in both WandaVision and, of course, Werewolf by Night.
WandaVision, and its clever use of numerous sitcom formats, is a frontrunner for many, as are Werewolf by Night and Eternals. While Eternals, in particular, tends to be on the receiving end of criticism, rather than praise, even critical viewers can’t help but praise the sheer beauty of its delivery.
A few films were absent from the lineup, and one, in particular, was sorely missed. Several commenters asked after the lack of Shang-Chi, which — despite its lack of overall risk taking in the visuals department — still sported some truly gorgeous scenes. In general, however, Wanda Maximoff seems to be a staple in the most popular picks of the group, apart from Werewolf by Night, as a bulk of commenters selected either WandaVision or Multiverse of Madness as their top visual feasts of Phase Four.