Disney+'s SECRET INVASION show (2022?) 5 5

[Hawkman]

This might be my favorite Disney tv show two episodes in. Moon Knight is still my favorite first episode, but it lost steam after that. The second episode was even better than the first. Great dialogue and great acting. I love Sam Jacks look. Hopefully the quality doesn't nosedive like Moon Knight.

[Drummy]

Saw the first episode and liked it pretty well...would give it a solid B.  Nice to see some of the gang back together, with an interesting set of problems to solve.

Dan

[thegiftedone45]

On 6/29/2023 at 7:27 PM, troy.division said:

I honestly feel like I watch these shows out of fandom obligation more than anything.
Truth be told I've fallen asleep during both episodes so far.

Used to watch Marvel properties to be surprised, but now everything gets scooped months in advance.
(The Marvels movie and end credit scenes synopsis have already posted online...)

Tried to give this a watch (love the comic version) and made it about 20 minutes in before I gave up.  

[Randall Dowling]

It's practically unwatchable.  Terrible writing, sketchy directing, cinematography is mediocre.  Acting is aimless despite some talented actors.  Nobody seems to know what the right emotion is for a given scene.

I'm having trouble finding anything to care about as I watch this show.  And that's the signature characteristic of a really bad story, poorly told.

[Beige]

Yup - managed to watch the 1st episode and gave up.

 

The show gave me absolutely no reason to carry on watching it.

The last 2 years (Spidey apart) have been tedious at best, awful at worst.

 

For me,it's at the stage where they need to stop making stuff in quantity, stop making you watch previous movies / shows to have a clue what's happening, and produce 2 or 3 exceptional standalone movies / series per year.

 

The only thing I'm looking forward to is Agatha - purely as it's a direct follow-on from WandaVision - a series that gets better with a second watch.

 

 

[Drummy]

Just saw the third episode and, so far, my grade of B remains...there are some fine character conversations and worthy, if occasionally uneven, motivations.  I think surprises are forthcoming and look forward to seeing how it all wraps up.

Not great, maybe, but I'm not seeing the drek others are commenting on thus far -- to each his own!

Dan

[Dr. Balls]

On 7/5/2023 at 11:00 PM, Randall Dowling said:

Nobody seems to know what the right emotion is for a given scene.

I was really struggling with last night's episode - there was something wrong with the whole thing, and you nailed it right there. I felt it was a better episode this week, but man - it's really aimless, and like you said - it's hard to figure out what is going on with the characters and how they are emoting.

In contrast, I am watching Agents of Shield (Season 4) which is patently amazing compared to new Marvel shows. AoS manages to balance very different characters, with different agendas and motivations, pulls them together for a mission, sends them off afterwards to be their own characters while creating a really amazing team dynamic. It's a shame Marvel has seemingly forgotten how to do compelling TV shows in the few years AoS has been gone.

[Buzzetta]

I am trudging through this... there were some bright spots in Episode 3 if you are a fan of Pulp Fiction. 

[jsilverjanet]

On 7/6/2023 at 8:53 PM, Buzzetta said:

I am trudging through this... there were some bright spots in Episode 3 if you are a fan of Pulp Fiction. 

what a surprise Sam Jackson playing Sam Jackson in another role

totally the same thing I felt/saw in that episode

how he continues to get work is baffling to me

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 7/7/2023 at 11:37 AM, jsilverjanet said:

how he continues to get work is baffling to me

Would you say "no" to Samuel L. Jackson while he's yelling at you?

Edited July 7, 2023 by theCapraAegagrus

[Dr. Balls]

On 7/7/2023 at 9:37 AM, jsilverjanet said:

what a surprise Sam Jackson playing Sam Jackson in another role

totally the same thing I felt/saw in that episode

how he continues to get work is baffling to me

It's definitely leaning towards a "phone-in" type of performance. I thought it started out strong, but as one boardie put it: you can't tell what emotions they are trying to put across. I was really hoping this was going to be an interesting Fury story (and I don't know, maybe his last?) but it's not going that way. The compelling Bad Guy persona from the 1st episode has given way to something more cookie-cutter and typical. 

I dislike feeling like I'm always being critical on this stuff, but revisiting older shows, Marvel has definitely slid on quality and execution. I miss the good ole days of everything being so good that the only thing to complain about was Iron Fist.

[Buzzetta]

On 7/7/2023 at 2:19 PM, Dr. Balls said:

It's definitely leaning towards a "phone-in" type of performance. I thought it started out strong, but as one boardie put it: you can't tell what emotions they are trying to put across. I was really hoping this was going to be an interesting Fury story (and I don't know, maybe his last?) but it's not going that way. The compelling Bad Guy persona from the 1st episode has given way to something more cookie-cutter and typical. 

I dislike feeling like I'm always being critical on this stuff, but revisiting older shows, Marvel has definitely slid on quality and execution. I miss the good ole days of everything being so good that the only thing to complain about was Iron Fist.

The series still has some potential if there is a swerve.

Terrorists that can blend in is nothing more than a sleeper cell.   That could be the case with my next door neighbor... (yawn)

What if James Rhodes actually died or was captured in one of those cocoon type things during Civil War and was replaced by a Skrull upon his body being taken to the hospital by a behind the scenes Nick Fury?  

This show has the ability to change the landscape of the Marvel Universe... but will it? 

[Randall Dowling]

On 7/7/2023 at 2:45 PM, Buzzetta said:

The series still has some potential if there is a swerve.

Terrorists that can blend in is nothing more than a sleeper cell.   That could be the case with my next door neighbor... (yawn)

What if James Rhodes actually died or was captured in one of those cocoon type things during Civil War and was replaced by a Skrull upon his body being taken to the hospital by a behind the scenes Nick Fury?  

This show has the ability to change the landscape of the Marvel Universe... but will it? 

This is the kind of thing that could make for a great story.  But as you said, so far, it's a missed opportunity.

[Dr. Balls]

On 7/7/2023 at 1:45 PM, Buzzetta said:

What if James Rhodes actually died or was captured in one of those cocoon type things during Civil War and was replaced by a Skrull upon his body being taken to the hospital by a behind the scenes Nick Fury?  

This show has the ability to change the landscape of the Marvel Universe... but will it? 

I thought the whole point was that Skrulls infiltrated everything - and all we’ve got so far is a bunch of never-before-seen Bigwigs who are Skrulls. There’s no buy-in at this point for seeing how dastardly the enemy is, and they are three episodes in.

If they’d have give us some paranoia about wondering if our favorite characters are really Skrulls - it’d be much more successful. The “stakes” are pretty low coming out of this episode.

Launching a nuke? Pffff big deal. Jack Bauer had to deal with a DETONATED nuke in LA. Up your game, Marvel! 

[Bosco685]

MARVEL SECRET INVASION PROVES MARVEL DOESN’T REMEMBER WHAT MADE THE MCU GREAT

Quote

None of Marvel’s recent titles have felt as inessential as Secret Invasion. Over the first three episodes, the Disney+ series’ efforts to tell an espionage story about a potentially world-ending threat have fallen flat. Its failures have, however, revealed a potential explanation for why the MCU’s post-Endgame era has been so disappointing.

 

Early in Secret Invasion Episode 3, the show’s villain, a Skrull rebel named Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), informs his most powerful supporters that his plans for taking over Earth involve genetically enhancing himself and his followers. In doing so, Gravik promises to create the universe’s first Super Skrulls. The reveal is a major comic book reference, and Secret Invasion plays it like a jaw-dropping moment. But it lands with no impact.

 

Secret Invasion has yet to give viewers any reason to care about Gravik or take his threats seriously. For as severe as its invasion seems on paper, the Disney+ series has had a difficult time selling the importance of its own story. That’s largely because it came out of nowhere. In fact, Secret Invasion had to go out of its way to retroactively explain how some of the MCU’s Skrulls got to the point of wanting to destroy humanity.

 

[mstrange]

On 7/10/2023 at 4:23 PM, Bosco685 said:

MARVEL SECRET INVASION PROVES MARVEL DOESN’T REMEMBER WHAT MADE THE MCU GREAT

 

At this point Marvel should start from scratch and reboot.

[drotto]

How can Disney keep burning through money like this?  Does that money show on the screen at all? 

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2023/07/08/disney-shells-out-212-million-on-secret-invasion/

[Microchip]

On 7/11/2023 at 11:33 AM, drotto said:

How can Disney keep burning through money like this?  Does that money show on the screen at all? 

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2023/07/08/disney-shells-out-212-million-on-secret-invasion/

They're not blowing through actual money on this series.

This series has production values just slightly above a typical A-Team episode from the 80's.

This is an accounting thing.  The tax vehicles for film production in the UK are particularly favourable (designed to stimulate local production of the industry), and they will be attributing every cost they can against this production.   

[Bosco685]

On 7/11/2023 at 1:42 AM, Microchip said:

They're not blowing through actual money on this series.

This series has production values just slightly above a typical A-Team episode from the 80's.

This is an accounting thing.  The tax vehicles for film production in the UK are particularly favourable (designed to stimulate local production of the industry), and they will be attributing every cost they can against this production.   

It's not like the UK government covers a massive % of the expense. It's a decent portion. A few articles on the topic are covered in this thread.

One example is GotG Vol. 1.

Originally publicized as costing $170M to make. The figure was actually $275.6M and then after tax incentives were applied it was $232M (15.8% tax incentives).

[Microchip]

On 7/11/2023 at 6:44 PM, Bosco685 said:

Originally publicized as costing $170M to make. The figure was actually $275.6M and then after tax incentives were applied it was $232M (15.8% tax incentives).

In which universe of declining movie returns is $43m not considered an incentive?   And thats just this production.   

Also you need to look at the producers.  There will be a tax incentive for those outside of the MCU/Disney Studio's.   Everyone is looking for tax vehicles outside of the full scrutiny of the infernal revenue service.    American's are a driving force in this sector.