Are the Marvel movies good cinema?

The Marvel movies push the craft of cinema with artistic filmmaking innovations

Question: Are the Marvel movies good cinema?
Position1 of 2›: Yes, the Marvel movies are good cinema
Argument1 of 3›: The Marvel movies push the craft of cinema with artistic filmmaking innovations

From the special effects to the very foundation of the story, the MCU has not only become cinema, it has redefined it.

The argument

Cinema is a form of art. And in any medium of art, those artists draw praise which innovate in their field. Those who experiment, try new things, and introduce the world to new ideas, are the ones which history remembers. The Marvel movies have done exactly that for cinema. Marvel's biggest innovation is, of course, the concept of the Cinematic Universe. They pioneered a storytelling method of making different movies with different stories focused on different characters, but all taking place in the same world. This not only gave them unique world-building capabilities, but also compounded the payoff when those story-lines finally intersected. Marvel pushes the envelope in other ways as well. By committing to hiring different, even relatively unknown directors for each of their movies, they portray different parts of their universe with different visions - from the gritty Jason Bourne-esque tone of Captain America: Winter Soldier, to the heist-crime style of Ant Man, to the improve comedy feel of Thor: Ragnarok. And by controlling technical special effects-making themselves, separate from the directors, Marvel pushed a constant quality in their effects in a way movies, especially superhero movies, didn't before. These and many other factors contribute to Marvel's staggering success. Marvel's commitment to doing new things has resulted in enormous payoff. They have found new ways to tell stories, and have pushed film-making into a wholly new paradigm. Its innovations, particularly the Cinematic Universe, has cemented it in the annals of cinema history.

Premises

[P1]Good cinema, like any art form, is marked by innovation that introduces new ideas and storytelling methods. [P2] The Marvel movies have innovated significantly — pioneering the Cinematic Universe, hiring diverse directors to give each film a distinct vision, and centralizing special effects to raise technical quality. [P3] These innovations have reshaped filmmaking and earned Marvel a lasting place in cinema history. [C] Therefore, the Marvel movies are good cinema.

Counter-arguments

The concept of the Cinematic Universe is certainly unique. But it seems to be just a nifty little trick in the grand scheme of things. A connected universe doesn't mean much if each movie piece isn't noteworthy. And given how Marvel and Disney just churn out the same surface-level action movie every year, it doesn't exactly add up to greatness. One outstanding film will be remembered more than a series of mediocre ones.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Innovation is not what makes art good. Novelty in a release strategy or a distribution model can be commercially significant and aesthetically negligible, and the premise never separates the two. [Rejecting P2] The innovations claimed are largely industrial rather than cinematic. Serial continuity has been the method of comics, film serials and television for decades, and centralising effects work is a production arrangement. Hiring varied directors is a virtue only if their visions survive the process, which is exactly what critics of the house style dispute. [Rejecting P3] Commercial success and industry influence are being used as proxies for quality. Reshaping how films are made and sold is entirely compatible with the individual films being formulaic — which is the opposing case, not an answer to it.