Hey there STR readers! Starting next Thursday (8/5), we will be launching a new weekly feature here on Spinning the Reel. 

Nostalgia is a funny thing. Perfectly rational people adore mediocre music, television and film for the sole reason that it was popular when they were young. There’s nothing inherently wrong with holding fondness for bad movies — say, Michael Jordan’s Space Jam — that you enjoyed as a child, cultural touchstones like these shape people as they grow up. The danger posed by nostalgia lies in what mega-corporations will wield it for to make a buck.

“Every time we make a film, it is with the expectation of delivering on a promise of an experience.” This line, delivered by Marvel boss Kevin Feige to Rotten Tomatoes last week, is a perfect distillation of the mega franchise he’s stewarded for the last 13 years. Especially as the MCU has widened it’s scope, ventured to space and recruited a cast of the greatest actors of multiple generations, their projects have felt less like movies than events. But now that Disney+ has opened the door to more character driven stories, the formula feels like it’s shifting.