The Russo Brothers and the art of "aura".
Glaze session warning.
With the recent release of the Avengers: Doomsday teasers, I've been thinking about the style of the Russos, and what makes it so appealing.
I know some of you reading the title are probably rolling your eyes, but I can't find a word in modern speak more apt than "aura" when describing that appeal.
Whether it's T'Challa's triple kicks to Cap's shield, Bucky's knife combat, Thor arriving in Wakanda, or Cap's wielding of Mjolnir in tandem with his shield, the Russos are so adept at crafting these crowd pleasing moments that do justice to these iconic, beloved, superpowered characters. They exude the coolness of splash pages we flipped to in the comics we read as kids, but in a different medium.
Now of course, I think these moments would probably be much less memorable, even falling flat, if not for the foundation laid by other creators for these characters, or even the character arcs the Russos & the Markcus & McFeely writing combo crafted themselves...
...but I think they have this unique touch when it comes to accomplishing both, and it seems to be missing from a lot of the newer directors. You can be a great hired hand with a solid filmography, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have a vision or style that takes comic book action and adapts it in a way that hits those same areas in our brain.
I think that's part of the reason why Feige was willing to trust Destin Daniel Cretton with Kang Dynasty initially, and gave him Spider-Man as a "consolation prize" when the plans for the former didn't work out. He's fan of wuxia and anime(based on the Naruto movie news), and it SHOWS with Shang-Chi. I can only imagine how amazing the web-slinging in Brand New Day will be.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Russos were anime fans too, a medium that has PERFECTED the art of "aura". The Demon Slayer movies and the Chainsaw Man Reze Arc gave me similar feelings when it came to the action. There's this kinetic ENERGY behind the sword slashes and punches, similar to seeing Wenwu launching himself high into the air with the rings, and then hitting the ground to break his fall, or Bucky fighting off the ops in the apartment, throwing them against walls with superhuman strength with just the right amount of exaggeration and no slowmo.
You FEEL the weight of the action, not only because they're characters we love fighting for something important, but because it's cool as fuck and directed by a fan with the perfect skillset.
Anyway, I'm done yapping. Cyclops teaser had everyone's brains cumbustin', and I'm equally as guilty. Thought I would channel my love for the action in these movies into a Reddit post that won't even get many clicks.
With the recent release of the Avengers: Doomsday teasers, I've been thinking about the style of the Russos, and what makes it so appealing.
I know some of you reading the title are probably rolling your eyes, but I can't find a word in modern speak more apt than "aura" when describing that appeal.
Whether it's T'Challa's triple kicks to Cap's shield, Bucky's knife combat, Thor arriving in Wakanda, or Cap's wielding of Mjolnir in tandem with his shield, the Russos are so adept at crafting these crowd pleasing moments that do justice to these iconic, beloved, superpowered characters. They exude the coolness of splash pages we flipped to in the comics we read as kids, but in a different medium.
Now of course, I think these moments would probably be much less memorable, even falling flat, if not for the foundation laid by other creators for these characters, or even the character arcs the Russos & the Markcus & McFeely writing combo crafted themselves...
...but I think they have this unique touch when it comes to accomplishing both, and it seems to be missing from a lot of the newer directors. You can be a great hired hand with a solid filmography, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have a vision or style that takes comic book action and adapts it in a way that hits those same areas in our brain.
I think that's part of the reason why Feige was willing to trust Destin Daniel Cretton with Kang Dynasty initially, and gave him Spider-Man as a "consolation prize" when the plans for the former didn't work out. He's fan of wuxia and anime(based on the Naruto movie news), and it SHOWS with Shang-Chi. I can only imagine how amazing the web-slinging in Brand New Day will be.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Russos were anime fans too, a medium that has PERFECTED the art of "aura". The Demon Slayer movies and the Chainsaw Man Reze Arc gave me similar feelings when it came to the action. There's this kinetic ENERGY behind the sword slashes and punches, similar to seeing Wenwu launching himself high into the air with the rings, and then hitting the ground to break his fall, or Bucky fighting off the ops in the apartment, throwing them against walls with superhuman strength with just the right amount of exaggeration and no slowmo.
You FEEL the weight of the action, not only because they're characters we love fighting for something important, but because it's cool as fuck and directed by a fan with the perfect skillset.
Anyway, I'm done yapping. Cyclops teaser had everyone's brains cumbustin', and I'm equally as guilty. Thought I would channel my love for the action in these movies into a Reddit post that won't even get many clicks.
Commentaires
I'd argue their biggest issue is story structure, and in some cases shallow writing. Their non-MCU movies feel like proof of concept at times, or the story just isn't interesting enough to get invested.
Overall I'm a fan, can't wait to see what they come up with for Doomsday and eventually Secret Wars. No concerns about them directing.
Jac Schaeffer and her team knew what to do with her. WandaVision is one of the top 5 projects in the MCU. It has mystery and is one of the most character driven projects in the MCU. Neither the Russos nor McFeeley could come up with something as character driven as that project. They didn't do it with iconic moments or numerous fight scenes. It was just pure emotion.
What Wanda needs realistically is another WandaVision style story. It should be about Wanda dealing with her guilt over what she did in MoM and the fact that everyone wants her head on a platter. The authorities for Westview and the heroes for MoM. That is one reason that they might not bring Wanda back. Because they can't figure out what to do with her. Yet they can figure out what to do with Steve even if it makes no sense.
Also 'Black widow is there to die' is such a shitty way of explaining her role in the movie. Not every female character death is some lazy writing choice.