When Did Marvel Movies Cease to Matter?
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When Did Marvel Movies Cease to Matter?

Move over significance; good times are here to stay!

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When Did Marvel Movies Cease to Matter?
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So this isn't a review, but here will be plenty of spoilers for Thor: Ragnarok involved. Not your cup of tea? Don't look any further!

My question (really my issue) with recent Marvel fare is when did "fun" become the standard by which we judge "good"? This trend becomes visible in the recent spew of Marvel movie fare, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, n: Spider-Man: Homecoming, and the most recent Thor. (Arguably, Doctor Strange as well.) With the exception of ol' Spidey, these movies were definitely entertaining, providing laughs, excellent action sequences, and colorful visuals.

Despite these necessary things to include in a superhero movie, something lacked from all of them, namely an emphasis on morality and character growth. Not to mention a lack of emotional engagement (okay, giving Guardians an out just because of the ending). Simply put, Marvel movies don't matter anymore.

Let me draw from Thor as an example. Not only does Thor undergo absolutely no personal growth, but what little morality that does come into play is quickly washed over by gags vying for the last laugh. Likewise, three somewhat well-known and liked characters are killed, Thor loses an eye, and Asgard is destroyed all without making so much as an emotional dent on the audience. It doesn't mean anything except as a plot device.

The reason this bothers me a little is that I remember reading an article comparing Phase 1 of the Marvel film series to The Lord of the Rings, only in that it served as the allegory and moral inspiration in a sense of our generation. (THE LORD OF THE RINGS IS NOT AN ALLEGORY! TOLKIEN WAS PERFECTLY CLEAR ON THAT! Just had to get that out there, sorry.)

Looking back at the first films, it's clear that they did mean something. Stark's utter selfishness absolving, Thor's warmongering sacrificed for wisdom (Taika Waititi obviously ever saw that one), Steve Rogers persevering through every trial in order to pursue what he knew was right...currently, we're just not getting that quality of material.

I'm not saying every action movie has to be a Sunday school lesson and have cutesy morals clumsily delivered. They don't have to bash the audience in the head with obnoxious sentimentality. But neither should they remain content in simply serving up an exciting time. Marvel knew that once. Let's hope they remember.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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