It may sound like I'm talking to a small percentile here. Who isn't excited for the next Marvel movie? Who out there is not eagerly awaiting the newest "Star Wars" installment? Well they're out there. There are those who think that they are above franchises and spin-offs. These people think that this world of franchises that we seem to be living in is just about money, and that very little goes into making these kind of movies. This way of thinking, in my opinion, is flawed.

Pretend you're a writer. You have this wonderful and gripping tale that you want to tell, but no one will listen. It's got clever dialogue, a great plot, and the characters are well developed and thorough. What do you do? You use a pre-established universe. These sequels and reboots aren't merely telling the same story over and over, they're telling new tales that writers have thought up and want to see in action. When there are so many parts that make up a movie, focusing on just characters and setting is a waste of time. There is still dialogue, cinematography, visual effects, musical score, and thematic elements to look towards. When watching these movies, I believe it's important to strip them of their universes and watch them as the films that they are. Marvel did this extremely well when they made "Ant-Man". While this was an origin story, Marvel also created an extremely entertaining heist film, a genre of film they had not yet tried their hands at.

This brings me to my next point. Quality. These films are not pieces of junk. These are films that greatly respect their audience, and want to give them the best movie they can (as they should with the money they are making from them). I remember seeing "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" this past December and sitting with my mouth hanging open. I was watching the "Star Wars" film I deserved. I wasn't watching the CGI muddled mess of bland dialogue that I had been given with the prequels. I was watching a beautifully thought out mix of practical and digital effects that blended together to create a stunning visual experience. There was no one-dimensional whiny Anikan, but a strong female lead who we could tell would one day rise to be a great warrior. This carefully crafted movie for fanboys like me found it's way to some academy award nominations, but couldn't quite take any statues home.

This brings us to awards. These movies aren't winning Oscars. Sure they'll get a nomination here and there, but the serious candidates for these awards are rarely sequels or spin-offs. So why hate on these movies? If they're not snubbing the truly "great" movies, why do some people feel like they're being cheated when these films are being made? Movies like "Brooklyn", "The Revenant", and "Room" remain the types of movies that win the awards (by the way, all of those movies are based on books, so it feels like the "original idea" arguments are invalid). No, awards don't mean everything, but if these blockbusters aren't stealing your Oscars, why hate?

I'll end this ranting excuse for an article with a final thought. These movies are fun. These are the movies with midnight premiers. The movies where you get to be in a room full of people and KNOW for a fact you have one thing in common. This movie. They're all "Star Wars" or superhero nerds. They're just as excited as you are. Sure, not every reboot is great (do we really need "Jumanji" starring The Rock?) but there are good ones. There are those that are quality films. And I recommend you see them, and look at them as basic stories before scoffing when you see the Marvel logo on the screen. Sit down and just enjoy a fun flick.