Back in 2004, we were treated to a little movie called "The Incredibles." The story of a superhero family, created by Pixar, balanced story, humor, heart, action, and adventure like it was no problem at all, and truly set the standard for how films based around individuals with enhanced skills, strength and techniques should be done.
This film was the calm before the storm, as they say.
See, 12 years ago, the comic book film genre as we know it was still in infancy. We had a few "Blade" films, a couple of X-Men movies, and two "Spider-Man" outings on the big screen. The world was getting introduced to the concrete visions of films introducing characters from the colorful pages of comics, and it was being done in a respectful way. Great directors, solid casts, and effort were all equal parts in making movies with superheroes at the forefront.
Then, in 2008, it happened. "Iron Man" released in theaters and was a massive hit, taking the world by storm. This one singular film, thanks to the success of it, began the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a cornerstone of cinema that would unite multiple comic book characters from the world of Marvel Comics and put them in the flesh much to the joy of fanboys and fangirls.
Marvel did it right. They took their time, They gave each character depth, and based them in one great actor after another. Joss Whedon's "The Avengers" was of course the first culmination of several origin stories, and while it may be flawed, it did what it was supposed to do, and yeah, it ruled. The sequel sadly failed to live up to that original outing, but "Captain America: Civil War" easily made up for those errors by delivering a show stopping airport fight and a saddening battle between friends.
The MCU hasn't been without errors overall. "Iron Man 2" and "Iron Man 3" have been a mixed bag critically, and "Thor: The Dark World" hasn't made much of an impact. Still, you can say these movies aren't awful, just that they lack real potential, much like the surprising, experimental "Guardians of the Galaxy," which is getting a sequel next summer.
There's a good prompt to lead into the real reason we're here. See, undoubtedly, within the MCU, there's going to be sequels. We've already had some, and we are going to get more. There will be movies based on new characters (Doctor Strange), characters we've met ("Black Panther," "Spider-Man: Homecoming") and what some would consider the end game before it all goes back to the drawing board:" Infinity War."
As a fan of Marvel, I'll see all these. But I can't say I'm going into them all equally with the same desire as others. To me, a proud geek, a few of these movies don't really even make a blip on my radar for hype measures. I can't say that they won't change my mind post viewing, that they will wow me, and I hope that they do, but I'm (don't hate me for this) becoming overwhelmed by the schedules and calendars of these studios that are trying to make bucks, and sometimes they don't even put care into the films they craft.
Marvel has tripped up quite a bit, there's no dount. They aren't always going to hit it out of the park. But the DC Universe has stumbled, bad. While "Batman V. Superman" and "Suicide Squad" have their fair share of supportive fans, there's sadly an underlying point that those movies were not created in the best possible light. They were rushed. The editing on both were immensely poor. They compromised visions, which Marvel has done as well. Could you imagine "Ant-Man" in the hands of Edgar Wright, like it was originally supposed to be? The world will never get that as it was intended.
The point here is is that these movies will always put butts in the seats, they'll never have to worry about that. However, a good chunk of people may bow out entirely. It's a huge commitment financially and even critically to sit through films about people that will talk and then fight and then fight some more. It really has to break through some real walls to actually get us to pay attention. "Suicide Squad" had the ability to be different because it focused on bad guys, but it ended up being a sloppy mess with few redeemable qualities. What's to say that the next great idea won't end up the same way?
Look, I love movies. I love going to the movies. I love comic book films. I will support them. However, I am someone who always looks at the bigger picture, and I do think that Marvel Studios and Warner Brothers need to really make efforts to keep these movies strong in both storytelling and spectacle, otherwise what's the point? We need to care about these characters but the people making the movies about them need to do the same. Sometimes it doesn't feel like they do and that's what is going to turn people away.
Back to the "The Incredibles"-the sequel is FINALLY coming out in 2019. It'll be a drop in the ocean when it comes to the superhero film genre when it arrives. Hopefully, Pixar will prove its power once again, and it'll be not a drop, but a splash.
That's all we could really ask for of any of the superhero films at this point, just to prove that the genre can appeal for the long term goal.
