A lot of major, FX-heavy blockbusters contain some slightly dodgy shots here and there, but it seems like Marvel Studios movies and Disney+ shows have fallen victim to the trend more frequently over the past couple of years.
For example, the latest MCU adventure, Thor: Love and Thunder, displays some undeniably shoddy VFX, and whether you happen to like the film or not, it's difficult to argue with those who feel a reported $250M+ price-tag should ensure a better-quality end product.
Many seem to feel that these unfinished/less realistic-looking shots must be the result of Marvel rushing the post-production process, and the fact that employees at visual effects companies are now refusing to work with the studio due to the stress brought on by impossible-to-meet deadlines might just prove that this theory holds water.
Artists have taken to Reddit to share accounts of unworkable deadlines and immense pressure leading to "unsatisfactory final products." Some have even requested never to be assigned to a Marvel Studios project again despite the high-paying gigs.
"Marvel has probably the worst methodology of production and VFX management out there," says one user in the "I am quite frankly sick and tired of working on Marvel shows" thread. "They can never fix the look for the show before more than half the allocated time for the show is over. The artists working on Marvel shows are definitely not paid equivalent to the amount of work they put in."
"I request to not work on [Marvel] movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, they're becoming our biggest client. They expect a smorgasbord of options so they can change their mind three more times," writes another.
It'll be interesting to see if anything comes of this, but it's worth noting that this is not the first time the studio has been called out for fostering unsatisfactory working conditions for VFX artists, and as long as MCU movies continue to clean up at the box office, we're unlikely to see any significant changes implemented.