The topic of Marvel movies can get a bit divisive and polarizing. Should it? Absolutely not – but, let’s be real here…we always have to have something to argue with strangers on the internet about, don’t we? Are we even a functioning society if we all agree on something? Sorry, allow me to remove my tongue from my cheek and continue on with this post. My point is that there are plenty of opinions floating around about Marvel and its impact on the movie industry. Some say it’s killing cinema. Others say it’s saving cinema. But, to me, one of if not the worst ripple to come out of Marvel’s success is that some folks – be filmmakers, studio execs, writers, whoever – are actually trying to take on the ‘cinematic universe’ in an overly ambitious ideal that ignores what made Marvel so successful to begin with – storytelling, and character development.
This idea reared its ugly head again when the gang and I recently sat through Morbius on a trip to New Jersey for my wedding shower. Without revealing any spoilers, I’ll just say…yeah, there’s some universe-building in Morbius, too. But, it falls incredibly flat because of an incredibly flat, by-the-book, and shallow story. Sony is taking their stab at the “Spider-Verse” with Morbius and Venom introduced first. I actually thought Venom was pretty fun. It felt like a nice throwback to the superhero movies of the early 2000s, and Tom Hardy’s passion for the project shined through every scene. But, even in its post-credit scene, I began to feel like we were putting the cart before the horse. Now, Sony has a slew of projects lined up as they aim to build a massive universe of its own.
DC has tried for years to keep up with Marvel, and their best efforts ended up being movies like Joker and The Batman, that have nothing to do, really, with the “DC Extended Universe.” Universal wanted to build a universe out of all of their old monster movies, but after the Tom Cruise version of The Mummy tanked in 2017, those plans were scrapped. Apparently, there’s a universe built around The Conjuring movies, but I don’t watch a lot of horror – and I’ve heard that the movies are better alone than with the idea of a connected “in-universe” aspect of the story in mind. No one in the history of cinema has been able to do what Marvel has done since Iron Man dropped in 2008, despite folks trying as they may.
“They hate us ’cause they ain’t us.” -Kevin Feige (probably)
But, that first Iron Man story may be exactly why Marvel has seen the success it has today. Instead of starting off with an expansive effort to get as many heroes and villains involved in a franchise, they went out and just told a really good Iron Man story. That film, to this day, stands on its own. They nailed the casting in Robert Downey, Jr. and they were off to the races. It didn’t feel like a by-the-book comic book movie that was only there to set up the sequel.
They continued to introduce new characters over time, but spending the time to focus on making each story unique, and to make each character unique, is what enabled the longevity that Marvel has had for 14 years now. When all of the headliners had been introduced, they turned to less-explored corners of the Marvel pantheon. How could they make the Guardians of the Galaxy different and interesting? Well, let’s make ’em funny. I remember seeing that and thinking, “okay, they’re on to something here.” Now, in 2022, they’re taking the same approach to characters such as Moon Knight, Shang-Chi, and the Eternals.
Maybe a day comes when the formula does get to be a little too stale and hard to replicate. I’m sure it’ll run its course as everything runs its course. Reboots will happen, but I’m not quite sure anything will ever be as impressive as what this 14-year run for Marvel has been.
There’s a lot wrong with Hollywood these days – we’ve spent time on The Vick’s Flicks Podcast in the past talking about how there seems to be a lack of creativity in films these days. And, what truly is creative, no one goes to the theater to see. But, I think it’s fair to roll your eyes at what Marvel has caused in some of these other studios trying to build out expansive universes before taking the time to focus on telling one really good story to kick things off. They would be wise to dial it back a bit and focus on making one really good movie before planning the next 10.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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