Anyone who is friends with me knows that I love superheroes and superhero movies, well at least Marvel ones anyways. But we are living in a time when we have at least five superhero movies premiere a year, (usually between Marvel and DC alone) and one starts to wonder, how much is too much? Are there too many superhero movies?
On the one hand, I love superheroes and superhero movies. And many of the recent films have been original and well done. (DCEU movies besides Wonder Woman excluded) Casts are full of A-list talent, alongside creative directors and experienced crews. Logan even got an Oscar nomination for screenwriting, which shows how far the filmmaking aspect has come. The Oscars usually ignore superhero movies except for costumes, makeup, and visual effects, but even the academy had to admit that the film was well done. We love superheroes because they represent the best of us: the strongest morals, the most selfless people, and everything we wish we could be more of. Movies, like Wonder Woman and Black Panther, can even be culturally important. Also, they are just entertaining and fun. Good triumphs over evil; what's not to love?
On the other hand, too much of a good thing can still be too much. And sometimes the movies aren't even good! (looking at you DC) Sometimes they get bogged down by a repetitive plot and story structure. We see the same outline over and over again: the good guys always win in the end. Eventually, this becomes uninteresting. By cranking out movie after movie, not to mention the multitude of superhero tv shows available, studious risk killing the value of heroes altogether. Some people are already tired of the multitude of movies, though I am not one of those people. Then come spinoffs, knockoffs, and parodies. The superhero genre is overcrowded.
Personally, as to whether there are too many superhero movies, I would say yes and no, but mostly no. Yes, there so many movies, some of which are completely unnecessary and boring, but people are genuinely excited about most of them. I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I am continually impressed by the amount of exciting and fun movies that they can produce. Yes, the genre occasionally results in a dud, but as long as people enjoy them and they are for the most part well made, I think they are here to stay.
What's your favorite superhero movie?
