1/4 to 1/3 takes place in =/= set in.
Just for fighting ignorance’s sake:
SFX = Sound Effects
VFX = Visual Effects (CGI etc)
SPFX = Special Effects (explosions and gun squibs and other live on-set effects)
Maybe that’s movie-specific, but for me SFX = Special Effects. Indeed, there is still a magazine called SFX.
I can’t speak regarding Agents of Shield, I’ve never watched it. But regarding Helen Cho and Jim Morita I didn’t even remember those characters and had to look them up in IMDB. And Helen Cho isn’t even on the first page for Ultron, you have to click “See full cast.” I remembered that one of Thor’s friends was Asian, but I definitely couldn’t remember his name or much of what he did other than help out in the fighting. Hogun might have gotten an action figure but I’m guessing Jim Morita and Helen Cho didn’t. It’s better than nothing, but still nothing that Marvel should be patting itself too much on the back for.
Also I think it didn’t help that around the same time that people were upset about Tilda Swinton being cast, there was also Daredevil season 2 with Asian stereotype characters, and the announcement that Iron Fist would be played by a white guy instead of updating the character and having him be played by an Asian actor. This article goes into more depth regarding the issues.
I adore Tilda Swinton, I would build a shrine to her, I thought she was great in the movie. But I’m also not Asian or Asian American, and I can understand why people would be upset, and I think that all the issues happening around the same time magnified things.
On the casting of The Ancient One, and that they should have used someone “Asian”:
The Ancient One is specifically from one of the tribes which inhabited Tibet, just from a very long time ago. Because of that, I’m not sure that casting someone who happens to come from the same continent and calling it a day is some kind of improvement, especially given some of the more controversial Chinese policies towards the Tibetan people. I wonder if that’s why they sidestepped the issue in this movie. Going either way could be stepping into a very ugly argument that I’m sure Disney would not want to touch.
Yes, Tibet was changed to Nepal so as not to offend Chinese sensitivities, the Ancient One was changed to avoid the old Chinese Master stereotype, and wasn’t made an Asian female to avoid the Dragon Lady stereotype, and Wong wasn’t shown using martial arts to avoid that stereotype, and promoted to a senior sorceror to avoid the manservant stereotype.
It’s funny but Kung Fu cinema is quite popular in China, along with old wisened martial arts masters with magical abilities, but I guess it’s off limits to Hollywood.
Now people are complaining that Iron Fist, a martial arts master, *wasn’t *changed to the Asian stereotype. Just can’t win.
I used to collect SFX magazine, and back when it began I’m pretty sure the “SF” part stood for Science Fiction, and the tenuous connection to it also meaning Special Effects (which it doesn’t) is a coincidence.
In fact secretly I think they just call it that so they can paste the letters behind somebody’s head so it looks like “SEX”.
Yes, Hogun was often drawn as almost Mongolian, down to some of his clothing.
I look at it this way:
We got a flawed protagonist who experiences a real character arc in the course of the film. I’m old enough to remember when superhero movies flat-out weren’t good enough to do that.
We got a villain who has not only an actual motive beyond “Eat The World”, but who has a philosophy behind it. You can actually believe that he believes he’s doing what’s best for the whole world, and that achieving it would be worth everything he’s doing. You don’t always get that kind of depth to the enemies in Recognized Canonical Classic films.
We got a distinct visual style where the elements were explained and used in a consistent fashion which made sense. Yes, it was a lot of trippy Doors Of Perception stuff, but the glass effect was there for a reason, the folding was there for a reason, and the glowy sparkler Catherine Wheels were there for a reason, too. This film really has a good visual style which sets it apart, and it was used well.
Finally, we get changes to the canon due to racism in the source material. The fact is, the origin is inherently Orientalist in the Edward Said sense: As Ed Said, it’s inherently imperialist and Othering, and it’s impossible to use it straight today. And the filmmakers realize this, and take it seriously enough to care. Hey, score one for cultural sensitivity, even if we get to have a discussion about whitewashing now, instead.
So it’s a flawed film which was, perhaps, somewhat miscast and had some misfiring comedy bits. Well, Benedict Cumberbatch isn’t as Steven Strange as Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, but given that Vincent Price is dead now, they did a pretty good job with who they had among modern American A-listers.
I agree with all of that - except for the “American” part 
Ah. Well, I suppose you have a point, but if you’re making movies in America, you’re an “American actor” in some sense. Or you could parse “American A-listers” as “A-listers available in America”, which is also true here. Or I got a few words crossed in my head.
I’m just glad they didn’t have him do some phony accent. That would have made me think of the The Venture Bros., which, while a fine show, is usually inimical to the dramatic tension required for these kinds of things.
OTOH, if I watched TV, I might have seen the most dramatic fight scenes as Sherlock Holmes taking on Hannibal Lecter, which is distracting as well.
It was a good movie to see in 3D.
I know nothing about Dr. Strange, and I originally thought the arch nemesis of Dr. Strange was Galactus based on the descriptions of him in the movie (I thought they just changed his name). Turns out it is a totally different evil entity.
Saw it. Really enjoyed it 3D IMAX. I am an MCU fanboy who read comics decades ago, but no Dr. Strange.
Yes it was an origin story, and yes they yada-yada’d his ascendancy in the mystic arts a bit too glibly (he studied in astral form while asleep and has a photographic memory; yeah, that’s it!) but overall it was really fun.
In comics, does the Cloak of Levitation have a personality, and if so is it like a faithful dog? I thought that was a nice touch and don’t recall knowing about that from my old reading days. I wish the movie had a scene where they Strange and the Cloak were playful or communicative outside a fight scene. The little bit in the mirror where Strange tried be a badass was perfect.
Edna Mode was right.
I was vaguely hoping for just one “fiery specters of revenge that ride in darkness” reference.
I haven’t seen the film yet, but I have the option to either watch it in 3D or 2D—is the 3D worth it, or is it just window dressing?
You should really see it in I-Max 3D if you can. Visually, it’s incredible.
Thanks, that’s all the endorsement I need!
Saw it over the weekend and wanted to let it digest before I had my opinions.
I thought it was a perfectly fine movie, but wasn’t anything super special. Frankly it’s perfectly forgettable.
Usually I hate Cumberbatch’s American accent, but this one didn’t seem so bad for me. I found it way less distracting than in Star Trek. I also was surprised about how good he was as an actor. I thought he was terribly wooden in Star Trek too, so good for him. Although I should mention I have seen neither Sherlock nor Imitation Game…
The movie itself was fine. I think the visuals would have been un-freakin-believable if a little movie called “Inception” didn’t exist. I also think they relied too heavily on the folding cities. I actually got a bit bored of it after a while. The bad guys were about as paper thin as most Marvel movies’ bad guys are. If the MCU has one overarching flaw, it’s that they just can’t get villains right.
Had we heard, up until now, if Strange was going to be in the new Thor? I don’t remember hearing that before and it seemed like a pretty decent reveal. Also, I believe Hulk is in the new Thor, so we’re going to have Thor, Hulk and Strange? That could be good…
At the end of the day I enjoyed the movie. 'Twas a fun night out, but I wouldn’t put it on any sort of pedestal.
It’s looking like Thor 3 is going to be Avengers 2.75 the way Civil War was 2.5.