But before we go any further, I’d like you to think of your favourite show and then think of its opening sequence. There are so many iconic show openings that set the scene, the mood and the tone of what’s to come. A few of my favourites include Tony Soprano surveying his New Jersey kingdom as he drives home in The Sopranos, The relatable and uncontainable joy Fred Flintstone displays when clocking off work in The Flintstones (“Yabba dabba doo!”), the surrealist mind-melt of Severance and the stylised abrasive grunge music video aesthetic of Yellowjackets.
While streaming has ushered in the “Skip intro” era, these little mini-movies are vital to a show’s identity. Think of the friends of F*R*I*E*N*D*S rain dancing in the central park fountain or Bart Simpson tearing through Springfield on his skateboard. A great opening becomes as integral a part of the show as the show itself. I have no doubt the intro of Secret Invasion is going to become as iconic as these. But not for any of the right reasons.
Against seriously dour music, a seasickness-inducing swirl of wavy green and black blobs morphs into things like spaceships, buildings, policemen and eventually the face of series star Samuel L Jackson. What I think it’s shooting for is a dreamlike vibe that’s so unsettling it’d cause David Lynch to startle awake and exclaim: “Damn that was weird!” They did not succeed.
The whole thing is so jittery it makes the camerawork in a Jason Bourne movie look positively stationary. Its CGI images morph together with all the grace and fluidity of a brick. The ever-evolving movement is as smooth as extra crunchy peanut butter and the rhythm and timing are more off than a month-old bottle of milk that’s been left in direct sunlight on the kitchen bench. Secret Invasion’s opening credits are not just janky and ugly, they’re an embarrassment.
You’re probably wondering how Marvel, one of the biggest entertainment studios in the world, could make such a steaming pile of trash. But if you’ve been following the artificial intelligence hype train then from my description of it you’ve most likely already clicked as to how this abomination came about.
Secret Invasion is the first show to use AI to create its entire opening sequence. Instead of hiding its head in shame, Marvel is quite proud of this. It shouldn’t be. And not just because it’s awful.
The big problem with AI are the more important moral and ethical concerns surrounding the way it generates its “art”. The way AI has been “trained” is by force-feeding it the work of the world’s artists. They were not given the opportunity to opt-in or out of this process and they certainly were not offered compensation for having their work loaded up for AI software to algorithmically remix into its own creations. Basically, their work was stolen and is now being used for others to profit from while also taking away job opportunities for these craftspeople.
Marvel, more than anyone, should be particularly shamed over their choice. Their whole business and roster of beloved characters are built on the shoulders of their hardworking, creative artists. They should be the last company to ever jump onto the AI bandwagon.
AI can be a creative tool. But it should never be an entire creative solution because it has no creativity. You only have to watch the intro to Secret Invasion to see that. There’s an art to a memorable intro sequence. And while the opening of Secret Invasion consists solely of art there is nothing at all artful about it.
