Are Superhero Films The Punching Bag Of The Industry Currently?

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I recently had a discussion regarding superhero films in general. A colleague of mine, stated that she believed there are too many films focused on superhero films coming out every year, not knowing that 2015’s three films were probably going to be the last time for a long time we would see so few projects with that theme. Her reasoning was a simple one, everything after the Avengers seemed to have gone downwards in quality and that there are too many, even though Marvel still only produces two films a year in comparison to the amount of films that are published.

The irony behind the conversation is that we both are students to become marketing executives at one point, but still we both have very different outlooks on how corporations should run, or even how the information disparity between the both of us changes our outlook on the matter. I know that Marvel Studios only produces superhero-themed films, so as a given it is their only potential source of income if they do not plan to expand into different territories. Furthermore, when you think about it from a corporate outlook, it would be a shame not to bank on the success of these intellectual properties especially considering that the source material offers a wide variety of stories to tell.

Then not long after, I went online to see how things were doing as I have been away for a few days and was greeted with articles ripping superhero films apart once again, some articles stating that Marvel Studios is alienating so-called “A-list” directors and how Fantastic Four is, once again, the true statement that we are facing superhero fatigue. Anyone else slowly seeing pattern here? Superhero films and especially Marvel Studios are being used as examples for things that are actually considerably normal in the industry. So, let us take a gander at the corporate side of superhero films or films in general.

Superhero Films A Sign Of The Lack In Originality?
What do I mean with this subtitle? Simply that the worst part about an industry being told it isn’t original anymore, is that when they try to adapt a work or piece of art, they are commonly told that they weren’t faithful enough. Something that isn’t truly possible due to the fact that mediums work in different ways. Furthermore, industries are rather difficult to get into in contrast to others, so it may be easier for someone to write a book and then have it adapted as soon as interest rises in the product. Sometimes it seems smarter than trying to prove that your script is worth an investor’s money by going directly to the source. Maybe they don’t lack originality, but a subtle way to allow smaller products to evolve, something we commonly see happen in the Indie scene.

Well, then if you think about it, art house films in general try to adapt specific type of products, so you aren’t going to be able to sell an effects-heavy product. The difficulty in all of this is maybe that some products don’t work in every single aspect of the industry. Sometimes you need to find other measures to sell your product and let it find its way into another industry. Look at John Green, who probably is one of the most involved writers in the film adaptations, which is a great sign for the product. The upcoming new installment in the Harry Potter universe will actually be J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut. Just trying to see if maybe taking an existing product that proved fruitful for audiences is another way of pitching a show or film outside of the actual film industry. They don’t lack originality, what they lack is a system that allows for such products to prove themselves.

So, then you have superhero films. Probably the thing that makes them the most interesting, is that you already have years of storylines for an almost infinite list of characters to use. Naturally, every hero is more important than another, which is why we have seen more productions of Batman than of Green Lantern. He is a proven concept for film industries and has become DC’s go to character to adapt, as it seems the “safest”. Now, everyone makes fun of Marvel for adapting a “pointless” character like Ant-Man, but did anyone ever consider that it is probably of the strangest and riskiest movies they could have done? Ignoring the entirety of the elephant in the room with Edgar Wright,  it is still amazing that they went there. There was no proof that could have told them Ant-Man would be a success at all.

Now, I am certainly not here to fight anyone on the fact if Ant-Man was a success or not, it made its money back, which is already quite a big risk for any company. These are millions of dollars on the line to give you merely two hours of entertainment. Yet, after all that investment and still pushing out a good film, especially considering the negative press behind the entire project, was something not many could do. Did they lose Edgar Wright as a director? Yes, but this is certainly not the first film in the history of cinema to do so, but even more, at least they went their separate ways in a discreet manner. Was Edgar Wrights post at the time a correct one? I love the directors and his work, but I have to say it may have been a step too far, but nowhere near as catastrophic as the Fantastic Four project’s press.

Before I drift off too much though, I think I’ve made my point regarding that these superhero films aren’t truly a sign that there is a lack of originality, the constant reboots of classic projects or even just making the same film over and over again, like the constant use of the same storyline in general, is a sign for it. Adaptations in general are a necessity so that we can even see specific projects come into existence.

Are Superhero Projects Over-Exposed?
As a student of Public Relations, the one thing I have come to notice is that in general, the media overexposes Superhero projects in general. Leading up to the project’s release everyone is stating how great it will be due to a specific aspect. The Avengers was probably the largest drive for any project, simply due to the fact that it was a fluke surprise hit. I doubt anyone at Marvel Studios would have seen it make over a billion dollars at the time, so naturally expectations were high from viewers, media, journalists, competitors and even the company itself. Looking at this aspect, the statement my colleague gave me was no surprise at all. It was the classic depiction of what a surprise hit can do to anyone, and one has to respect Marvel Studios for collapsing under the pressure. Yet, sadly as they keep their heads up towards the future, don’t you get the feeling everyone else is looking downwards?

Media in general can be harsh in its truth or even in its own reality. I am no expert in any field, simply because I lack experience and exposure, which is why I will confess that I could be wrong in every single word I am stating. Yet, I can only give my opinion on things and work with the things I have in front of me. Articles after articles talking about how we are facing superhero fatigue, because Age of Ultron and Ant-Man underperformed in a year that was simply stuffed with very big films, such as Fast And Furious 7, Jurassic World and even The Minions. Four films have passed the billion dollar mark, so naturally a lot of other projects were maybe just meant to fall under the radar, because media was very focused on those that were indeed successful.

The irony is that in the digital age, as much as the media tries to push their ideals, everyone has a voice and wants to hold a dialogue to push their own opinion. Why not? I mean, the medium of Social Media allows us to do such a thing, and is probably even the reason I am able to write these words, but with the “right” to publish your every single thought, we have sort of lost our own diplomacy. It doesn’t matter if someone actually likes a projects, it can only be the best thing ever, or the worst of all time. The worst part of it all, opinions constantly are in flux, so something that only a few years before was amazing, the best thing we were even given, might turn into the worst project we have seen happen.

It seems almost like clockwork that after a few weeks of a superhero film being released, you will automatically see an entire backlash on the project. Various statements simply saying: “It wasn’t that good anyway!”, or “Like every other project it is mediocre. They don’t challenge anymore!” while everyone looking towards future is praising something they have not even seen yet. It almost seems as if personal expectations are set too early and way too high. The name of a project already makes people’s expectations sky-rocket, but as soon as it doesn’t meet those expectations or even does in fact reach them, but doesn’t pass them, the project is considered “mediocre” or even “bad”. Both DC and Marvel had projects facing this issue with Man of Steel having almost split everyone’s opinion in half, while Iron Man 3 made everyone mad because of one simply twist that was actually very well hidden. In this superhero film war, no one is a winner, but everyone is a critic.

Naturally, this is a topic I could go on for years on. This is not supposed to be a personal out lash to anyone either. You have the right to your opinion, so do I, which is the only reason I am even writing this down. Also, being away for a while makes you simply think about certain aspects. Did I return probably in a more negative sense? Well, probably simply because I have a love for this industry in general, I want to work in the film industry, and probably have to learn that this is a casualty of being in it. No one will ever be 100% satisfied with whatever you are doing and that may be all right, as it is something we need to learn to handle in general.

What are your thoughts on it? Leave a comment below and I encourage you to find me on this, as I already said, I could be very wrong, but can only subjectively perceive certain aspects. So be free to leave your thoughts below!

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