Well Michael Bay is mostly a visual director, so I thought Azathoth would be the only one who could withstand the visual assault of his "movies".

See, I've always felt his films were so haphazardly edited and shot, that it should be unintelligible to all but the Old Great Ones. Like, some scenes aren't really visible in our dimension.

Only because Guardians hasn't opened in all territories yet. Give it time, and it could still dethrone TF4.

TMNT was powered by three things:

Well it was distributed by Warner, so I guess that solidifies your theory. If that's the case, then Lego Movie is only DC movie I've liked with zero misgivings.

Ugh. Those "tropers" you describe violate the Prime Directive of TV Tropes: Tropes Are Not Bad. Just because an author decided to use the well-worn Messiah archetype in his post-apocalyptic cyberpunk story doesn't immediately invalidate use of said trope. Now, if it were used poorly, then yes, complain all you want.…

(if I recall, he actually strikes a potential acolyte down dead because they had hoarded some wealth?)

Christ, what a truly misleading title. The meta-analysis only proved that practice works for certain activities, like music, sports, and games. We already knew this. Nobody said practice makes you a better programmer; it's your knowledge of syntax and mathematics that does that.

I'm a metalhead, but I've learned to appreciate the artistry of Busta Rhymes, Dre and the NWA, and Eminem. There's tons of rappers out there whose rhythmic flow and speed are music in and of themselves. Whose delivery, cadence, and word choice is as moving as any sweeping arpeggio.

The term you're looking for is the Messianic Archetype. Comparisons to Jesus abound because he (He?) is the ur-example of the archetype. Considering that there's a lot of symbolic visual references in all three Matrix films, this only cements the filmmakers' intent.

Sadly, that costume's gonna be muted by Snyder's trademark desaturated hues.

I'm not saying Jesus was original; my point was that The Matrix wasn't.

Yep, that wasn't Goyer, but the Nolans.

To be fair, it's not like every script he's touched has become irreparably bad; at worst, the director is able to fix it. Case in point: Blade 2, Batman Begins.

But could you really call The Matrix original? I mean lookit: the plot was cribbed from Plato's cave allegory and Jesus, the shots are cribbed from anime and Hong Kong blood operas, and the clothes from a BDSM shoot. All the Wachowskis did was put them all in a blender, and execute the mix properly.

Meh. Third best.

Minus Will Smith, which is a major plus. Will Smith is terrible in sci-fi that isn't Men in Black.

Remember when Guardians was the risky project that could sink Marvel? I was one of the last holdovers of the "it's gonna suck" train for that film. I ended up watching it six times.

she will be the de facto Janet Van Dye

I'd worry more if Wade knocked up Jen Walters. Imagine the level of fourth-wall breaking.