[Weekly Update] September 6, 2021

September is here, which means school is starting. But the pandemic is not over, yet. So stay safe!

CHANNEL UPDATE

• We reached 300k subscribers! This is the milestone I thought I'd never reached. I thought 250 is the maximum, because of how niche our channel topic is. Sincerely, thank you all for the continuing support!
• Our next video has been uploaded, and is waiting for approval. It should be up in the next day or two. In the mean time, if you'd like the experience the birth of Gun Fu first hand, go watch Hard Boiled!
• Overworked and burnt-out continues. So I'll try to scale down the next few videos. While the script will likely remain the same, there'll be less unnecessary production effects like motion tracking, animations.
• People are very curious about my thought on Shang-Chi, it seems. I haven't watched the film, but do plan on watching it soon. I don't think I can make a full video on it (Although I have seen people making one with just the trailer footage, which is quite impressive), but I might make a shorter, say, 5 minute video, if I feel strongly about it. We'll see.

MEDIA TALK

• In our last bonus video, I shared my thoughts on the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy. I got a lot of good feedbacks, and many agreed that while the image of Spider-Man has changed, many still remembers Peter Parker with the face of Tobey Maguire.
• But, let's talk about the other live action Spider-Men.
• The Amazing Spider-Man has such an unpleasant title. Yes, I know that's the name of the comic book. But it simultaneously reads like it's trying to make itself cooler than the original, while simultaneously sounds like a crappy knock-off.
• And, unfortunately, the film feels the same way, too.
• Much of its plot is intimately familiar to its target audience, owing to the fact that it's an origin story, that Raimi's Spider-Man is a classic, and that the film was made not that long after Raimi's Spider-Man 3. It has everything going against it, and it did not stand on its own very well.
• Watching this film, I can't help but constantly compare it to the OG. Doesn't help the fact that the OG often does things better. Living in the shadows of that film, The Amazing Spider-Man is somehow too shy to utter the immortal phrase "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility". It just doesn't feel right.
• Amazing Spider-Man 2 is... bloated. Unlike Spider-Man 3, where if you remove Venom, the movie becomes good. The base story in TASM2 is just uninspired to begin with.
• You know what it reminded me of? Batman Forever. It is similarly bloated with characters and side plots. The main villains are both nerds who are fans of the hero. Both have a lot of unresolved plot points. Although TASM2 is extra sad, because this line of plot is already dated in 1995.
• While Gwen's death is at least handled decently, the emotional impact of it is fleeting. The film itself doesn't really have the patience to delve into it, before quickly and effortlessly resolving everything. It's a moment of sadness that has no consequence to the larger story.
• Oh, and the decision to make Peter's parents part of the Oscorp conspiracy is just... about as sensical as making Superman dark and edgy. At least they have the good sense to delete the scene where Peter's dad shows up alive.
• Overall, I'm just not a big fan of TASM series, and I don't think a lot of people like them that strongly either. That's a shame, really. Andrew Garfield is a pretty decent Peter Parker, and it does have a lot of technical bright points. Sadly its flaws feel much more prominent than the goods.
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• Spider-Man: Homecoming introduced one of the most comic accurate Spider-Man, yet. Fans rejoiced. Finally, a film where Spider-Man is playful, yet awkward. A film that understands Spider-Man's quips aren't a sign of him being funny, but a sign of his nervousness.
• Tom Holland is excellent in the role, sympathetic and appealing. I was a little taken back by the... hot aunt May. But she doesn't have that much screen time anyway.
• Unlike the OG (and TASM), Homecoming is decidedly much more of a Spider-Man movie than a Peter Parker movie. It is about Spider-Man finding its place in a world full of heroes. It's about Spider-Man wanting to live up to expectations.
• Peter's story is relegated to a simple love story. It's a good way to change things up, distancing the film from the OG, while maintaining true to the source material. Romance and dating has been a big part of Peter's story for a long time, and it is part of a teenager's struggle.
• If I have to nitpick one thing, is that the film is still far too kind to Peter Parker. Compare to the OG and even TASM, this version of Peter Parker is much more well-off, and doesn't feel like your standard struggling New Yorker. 
• Seriously, do you know how much a Lego Death Star costs?
• Spider-Man: Far From Home is a weirdly divisive movie among fans. I thought it was okay.
• Admittedly, it's kinda weird that in this universe, Uncle Ben has no significants, and Iron Man takes on that role.
• Continuing with its trend of focusing more on Spider-Man and less on Peter Parker, the story focuses on Spider-Man having to live up to the legacy of Iron Man, bestowed upon him by the late Tony Stark.
• It's a responsibility so great that it affects Peter, too. And through that, we get to see Peter's more human side of things. For that reason, I enjoy Far From Home just a bit more than Homecoming. Peter just feels a bit more personable in this one.
• But outside of that, I really don't have a lot to say.
• In fact, I just don't have a lot to say about the MCU Spider-Man series. In true MCU fashion, it is perpetually okay, but nothing shines bright. It's entertaining Spider-Man action, but you won't remember much beyond its action. And maybe that one scene where Michael Keaton is driving Peter and his daughter to the prom.

And that's the update. Shang-Chi is doing great, and it seems like the MCU is going strong once again. It's kinda crazy to think that the franchise, after Phase 3, still has enough juice to endure a pandemic and keep on going. I know about of people really hates the MCU for being generic. But you have to admit, it is a big deal.

Anyway, I'll see you with a new video in a few days!