In 2017, one thing is clear; superhero movies run the box office. Films based off of Marvel and DC comics are almost guaranteed to reap big financial gains.
However, I don’t think I’m the only one starting to feel the fatigue from the latest studio offerings. What was fresh in 2008 when the first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie “Iron Man” was released now feels cliché. That’s why the main problem I have with superhero films these days is how formulaic all of them are.
You can always count on some big bad trying to destroy the universe, all of the heroes making light of the situation by cracking one-liners (a practice that should mostly be reserved for Spider Man and Tony Stark only), and while whole cities or countries are destroyed and ravaged, and countless civilians probably died, the heroes will always save the day.
One increasingly annoying trend in these films is the big blue sky beam signifying some evil energy source. (“Batman vs Superman,” “Man of Steel,” “Suicide Squad” and “The Avengers” for example)
Another issue with Marvel films especially are the villains. In each solo marvel film, the villain is a mirror image of the superhero that is just evil. (“Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Thor” and “Ant Man” are just a few examples)
In most movies today the stakes are too high. It gets pretty boring when every superhero film involves some guy trying to take over/destroy the world. It eliminates the tension since you know the heroes have to win, otherwise the franchise would end.
World ending stories should be saved for the biggest films, like the upcoming “Avengers: Infinity Wars.” The whole world being at risk is one thing that really held “Suicide Squad” back.
That is why I think two of Fox’s recent superhero films, “Deadpool” and “Logan” succeeded. The scale was small. Deadpool was just trying to get his girlfriend back, and Logan only wanted to get X-23 across the border.
Watching “Logan” was a breath of fresh air. There were no long periods of exposition where the characters had to explain the power of some old artifact, and there were no cameos by other comic book characters or Stan Lee. The most refreshing part was when there wasn’t a post-credits scene to tease the next installment of the series. It was nice to see a superhero film that didn’t make setting up the next sequel its biggest priority.
The superhero films that will be remembered as the best are the ones that take risks and break away from this formula. Films like “Iron Man,” “The Dark Knight,” and “Logan” will be remembered as great films rather than “great superhero movies.”
However, I’m not saying that every superhero film should be rated R and have small stakes and no cameos/easter eggs. I just want more variety in these films to keep them fresh and enjoyable.
Henry Wolski
Reporter