Why do you watch superhero movies?

The Sunset Limited

The Sunset Limited

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Now that there's a government mandate requiring a superhero movie to be released once a week for the rest of eternity, I thought I'd pose this question.

Meet Billy. Billy is 9 years old. Billy is a nice, normal, healthy 9 year old boy. Billy loooooves superhero movies. He buys the toys, blue rays, and even dresses in an Iron Man costume for Halloween. Billy is great!

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However, Billy is just 9 years old.

I don't read the same books as Billy. I don't listen to the same music as Billy. I don't appreciate the same humor as Billy. I don't talk, dress, or act like Billy. Billy and I think very differently and we eat very differently.

Why do you people watch the same mother****ing movies as Billy?!?! Can anyone explain this to me?!
 
Superhero films have come a long way. They’re regularly putting out entertaining content. I was never really big into comic books growing up, but I knew enough about some properties and enjoyed some of the cartoons, games, and early films. Now I don’t really watch cartoons that much, or play the superhero games as much, and I still need to give some of the tv shows a shot, I do still enjoy the superhero films though. They’re made for all ages to enjoy not just 9 year old Billy.

I think it’s funny since you don’t like something you think something is wrong with everyone that does.
 
People could use that exact same argument against all of us when it comes to playing video games as adults.

People like what they like.
 
CFogle21 said:
People could use that exact same argument against all of us when it comes to playing video games as adults.

People like what they like.
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I've heard this argument and I think it's completely wrong.

Play and narrative are two totally different things.

Throughout history children as well as adults have participated in the same games, be it baseball or chess. There's something about competition and creativity that's in mans DNA.

With narrative though it's never felt like that. Children's narrative has always explored adventure and the heroes story (ie superhero movies), adult narrative moves away from that into more complex topics.

IE, Gullivers Travels vs Crime and Punishment

I just can't picture adults from the 1950s being interested en mass with anything children from that time were.

I could be wrong though, which is why I think this is an interesting topic.
 
What's the difference between super hero movie and Fortnite? People nine years old and older go to super hero movies and people nine years old and younger play Fortnite.
 
Plainview said:
What's the difference between super hero movie and Fortnite? People nine years old and older go to super hero movies and people nine years old and younger play Fortnite.
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Play vs narrative

Fortnite, as well as most videogames, are essentially war games. Having a space where you can safely experiment with different combat scenarios is inherently attractive to man. That's probably largely the reason videogames and sports are dominated by men.

The narrative that 9 year old Billy is attracted to, doesn't share those same characteristics.

Also, everybody plays Fortnite :wink:
 
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The Sunset Limited said:
Play vs narrative

Fortnite, as well as most videogames, are essentially war games. Having a space where you can safely experiment with different combat scenarios is inherently attractive to man. That's probably largely the reason videogames and sports are dominated by men.

The narrative that 9 year old Billy is attracted to, doesn't share those same characteristics.
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Some super hero movies are shallow. No doubt about it. Insinuating playing a video game is 'cooler' than watching a super hero movie makes you shallow. Some of the most creative minds have come from watching super hero movies. Hell, same goes for reading comic books. Both forms of entertainment have their pluses and minuses. Trying to ridicule one over the other is stupid.
 
The Sunset Limited said:
Play vs narrative

Fortnite, as well as most videogames, are essentially war games. Having a space where you can safely experiment with different combat scenarios is inherently attractive to man. That's probably largely the reason videogames and sports are dominated by men.

The narrative that 9 year old Billy is attracted to, doesn't share those same characteristics.

Also, everybody plays Fortnite :wink:
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lol you are something else
 
The Sunset Limited said:
Play vs narrative

Fortnite, as well as most videogames, are essentially war games. Having a space where you can safely experiment with different combat scenarios is inherently attractive to man. That's probably largely the reason videogames and sports are dominated by men.

The narrative that 9 year old Billy is attracted to, doesn't share those same characteristics.

Also, everybody plays Fortnite :wink:
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Weren't you recently hyping up playing as Thanos from comic book movie Infinity war in Fortnite?
 
The Sunset Limited said:
Now that there's a government mandate requiring a superhero movie to be released once a week for the rest of eternity, I thought I'd pose this question.

Meet Billy. Billy is 9 years old. Billy is a nice, normal, healthy 9 year old boy. Billy loooooves superhero movies. He buys the toys, blue rays, and even dresses in an Iron Man costume for Halloween. Billy is great!

Cool-Gift-Ideas-for-8-year-old-boys.jpg


However, Billy is just 9 years old.

I don't read the same books as Billy. I don't listen to the same music as Billy. I don't appreciate the same humor as Billy. I don't talk, dress, or act like Billy. Billy and I think very differently and we eat very differently.

Why do you people watch the same mother****ing movies as Billy?!?! Can anyone explain this to me?!
Click to expand...

What the f*** is Billy doing watching movies about my superheroes? That’s the real question. He doesn’t under that Tony Stark battles the demons of being an alcoholic along with the forces of evil! Only I appreciate that! :txbmad:
 
As for the topic, I think they're sort of modern Mythology. Sometimes very literally with examples like THOR.

In other cases, STAR WARS was always derivative of Mythology as well as riding on Flash Gordon nostalgia.

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Even Henry Cavill played Theseus standing against The Titans in The Immortals before playing Superman. In this case unlike Infinity War, the ultimate weapon sought after was the Epirus Bow.

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When the mortals fail to control the Bow, the Gods from Olympus finally enter the fight.





The other side to the Fantasy Hero is the weird incorporation of "Eastern Mysticism" characters inspired by so many ludicrous Kung Fu movies leading to character such as Pai Mei or deadly artifact weapons like the Flying Guillotine. Movies like Big Trouble in Little China full dived into this insanity and Marvel attempts to bring this sorcery weirdness to the team with Dr. Strange.

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Our modern Mythology here expands past the Fantasy genre to include Technology and Iron Man could perhaps be seen as a less hardcore option than something like some of many 1980s R-Rated heroes.


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For what it's worth, I do think possibly as many adults watched The Incredible Hulk on TV unfold as a Dr. Jeckyll / Mr. Hyde drama mixed with sci-fi. I think the Hulk alone carries nostalgia besides the comics and I think this is even something Ruffalo wants to tap into more.

You might also be forgetting how goofy 1980s TV really was.

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I'm not sure if the issue here is that Super Heroes are just for kids or if additionally, Super Hero flicks pitched to adults have been classically seen as massively cheesy and it's just perplexing to see this now treated seriously with huge production budgets.
 
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Videodrome, thanks for that response. You were the first person to tackle the thread intellectually as opposed to personally. I welcome any idea to be challenged. But these personal attacks were rather...childish.

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The Sunset Limited said:
Videodrome, thanks for that response. You were the first person to tackle the thread intellectually as opposed to personally. I welcome any idea to be challenged. But these personal attacks were rather...childish.

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Personal? Did you make Fortnite?
 
I think it's also worth considering the massive success of The MATRIX where one character seems to continually level up in Super Powers.

Again though, it's still worth mentioning that even this is a super 'Kung Fu' movie and I think fits in the middle some

I do think the final ending was fumbled, but maybe The MATRIX is where the turning point really began where a character with crazy super powers was taken seriously by audiences.







The funny thing though is TBH, I find John Wick far more badass.
 
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Videodrome said:
I think it's also worth considering the massive success of The MATRIX where one character seems to continually level up in Super Powers.

Again though, it's still worth mentioning that even this is a super 'Kung Fu' movie and I think fits in the middle some

I do think the final ending was fumbled, but maybe The MATRIX is where the turning point really began where a character with crazy super powers was taken seriously by audiences.







The funny thing though is TBH, I find John Wick far more badass.
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I think my issue is less with the idea of superhero movies, although that is part of it, and more to do with the fact that I find all the Marvel and DC outings to be uninspired and dull.

The dialogue is cookie cutter. It's like whoever is writing these movies thinks all the heroes should produce the same snarky/witty banter. It doesn't matter if it's Iron Man saying it or Ant Man. Why this isn't offensive to most adults baffles me. This just in...dialogue can add to the experience.



They all just follow the same basic formula. There's no suspense because these movies have no stakes. They're totally unable to deviate from the popcorn blockbuster script. Formulaic stories are fine if you're 9 years old because you've only recently been exposed to more complex stories. As a 29 year old though? Shouldn't getting beaten by the same formula over and over wear on You?

I don't know, The Matrix, Aliens, Saving Private Ryan are fantastic action movies. These are awful.

Maybe this will help explain it better...

 
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I will say one critical character to me in Ant-Man is Hank Pym even though he performs no heroics. He sells the idea and I have a soft spot for Mad Scientists characters like Walter Bishop from FRINGE.

The other thing about Marvel and superheroes is this horrible burden of the Origin story that seems unavoidable as part of establishing such a fantastic premise and marketing it.

The core part of your complaint makes me think of Star Trek. This franchise can be very silly, but it's had it's moments with things like Wrath of Khan and I feel it peaked a long time ago with Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country with a clear clash culturally and politically.

Otherwise, I wonder what you think of alternative attempts such as Hellboy.
 
Where does something like this fit in? UPGRADE is a very violent action film where the main character has something like JARVIS wired into his spine giving him enhanced abilities. He is not a costumed fighter or something, but he does acquire a kind of super power.

 
  • Jaws: 1975 The original "blockbuster". The first event movie. Stephen Spielberg
  • Star Wars: 1977 The original sci-fi/Fantasy blockbuster. George Lucas
  • Superman: 1978 The original superhero blockbuster. Richard Donner
It's not hard to see that these archetypes set the tone for current big budget movies, all within a few years of each other. I'm not saying that they are better than what's here today. I'm just saying that the tone was set before 1980, on what would work on big budget.

I will not defend the superhero genre because if you don't understand why by now, you probably won't ever get it. Videodrome already did a great job explaining that, anyway.

I will say that is I'd rather watch any MCU movie any day, over 95% of the 90s big budget films. The writing, acting, and directing are all much better. Armageddon, Godzilla, and almost every so-called blockbuster of that era were piles of trash. I've always called out Independence Day and MiB as way overrated and weakly written. Now, they are seen as such. MCU movies 'be like' Citizen Cain, in comparison
 
The Sunset Limited said:
Now that there's a government mandate requiring a superhero movie to be released once a week for the rest of eternity, I thought I'd pose this question.

Meet Billy. Billy is 9 years old. Billy is a nice, normal, healthy 9 year old boy. Billy loooooves superhero movies. He buys the toys, blue rays, and even dresses in an Iron Man costume for Halloween. Billy is great!

Cool-Gift-Ideas-for-8-year-old-boys.jpg


However, Billy is just 9 years old.

I don't read the same books as Billy. I don't listen to the same music as Billy. I don't appreciate the same humor as Billy. I don't talk, dress, or act like Billy. Billy and I think very differently and we eat very differently.

Why do you people watch the same mother****ing movies as Billy?!?! Can anyone explain this to me?!
Click to expand...


So because a 9 year old likes something it means we can't?

Superhero movies are fun, end of.
 
GordoSan said:
  • Jaws: 1975 The original "blockbuster". The first event movie. Stephen Spielberg
  • Star Wars: 1977 The original sci-fi/Fantasy blockbuster. George Lucas
  • Superman: 1978 The original superhero blockbuster. Richard Donner
It's not hard to see that these archetypes set the tone for current big budget movies, all within a few years of each other. I'm not saying that they are better than what's here today. I'm just saying that the tone was set before 1980, on what would work on big budget.

I will not defend the superhero genre because if you don't understand why by now, you probably won't ever get it. Videodrome already did a great job explaining that, anyway.

I will say that is I'd rather watch any MCU movie any day, over 95% of the 90s big budget films. The writing, acting, and directing are all much better. Armageddon, Godzilla, and almost every so-called blockbuster of that era were piles of trash. I've always called out Independence Day and MiB as way overrated and weakly written. Now, they are seen as such. MCU movies 'be like' Citizen Cain, in comparison
Click to expand...

Those movies were entertaining in the 90’s. Funny thing is the more I go back and watch 90’s blockbuster films I enjoyed back then, most of them don’t hold up like I remember. Some are still fun though.
 
lowdru2k said:
Those movies were entertaining in the 90’s. Funny thing is the more I go back and watch 90’s blockbuster films I enjoyed back then, most of them don’t hold up like I remember. Some are still fun though.
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From the 90s, Tarantino and Coen Bros. movies hold up. Almost no blockbusters do, mainly because they didn't know how to write characters for them. Jurassic Park is an exception...cuz Spielberg... Ok, and Crighton.
 
GordoSan said:
  • Jaws: 1975 The original "blockbuster". The first event movie. Stephen Spielberg
  • Star Wars: 1977 The original sci-fi/Fantasy blockbuster. George Lucas
  • Superman: 1978 The original superhero blockbuster. Richard Donner
It's not hard to see that these archetypes set the tone for current big budget movies, all within a few years of each other. I'm not saying that they are better than what's here today. I'm just saying that the tone was set before 1980, on what would work on big budget.

I will not defend the superhero genre because if you don't understand why by now, you probably won't ever get it. Videodrome already did a great job explaining that, anyway.

I will say that is I'd rather watch any MCU movie any day, over 95% of the 90s big budget films. The writing, acting, and directing are all much better. Armageddon, Godzilla, and almost every so-called blockbuster of that era were piles of trash. I've always called out Independence Day and MiB as way overrated and weakly written. Now, they are seen as such. MCU movies 'be like' Citizen Cain, in comparison
Click to expand...


Movies like MIB and Independence Day are old timey version of popcorn flicks like today’s Pacific Rim and John Wick, just turn of your brain and enjoy the fireworks
 
menace-uk- said:
So because a 9 year old likes something it means we can't?

Superhero movies are fun, end of.
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It's not that you can't. You clearly do. It's more of a why or how can you watch movies that 9 year olds like. What allows your movie watching brain to do that?

No one really addressed my OP but I'll reiterate here. There isn't a TV show that 9 year olds love, that adult men also love. Why is it that people think "Well of course I'm not going to watch the same TV as 9 year old Billy." But people don't think that way regarding a longer narrative format?

lowdru2k said:
Those movies were entertaining in the 90’s. Funny thing is the more I go back and watch 90’s blockbuster films I enjoyed back then, most of them don’t hold up like I remember. Some are still fun though.
Click to expand...

Or were you a child in the 90's and have grown into an adult now? Maybe those movies we're targeting you back then. Maybe they don't anymore?
 
Director John Landis on the Marvel movies...

"I’m just… truthfully, I’m bored s***less with the Marvel Universe now. All the superhero movies tend to be interchangeable, you always have these mass destruction of cities and huge computer-generated extravaganzas to the point where you could take a reel from any of the Marvel superhero movies and put it any of the others and nobody would notice. They’re very well-made, it’s just they’re the same thing over and over again. But, I don’t know, people are showing up. One of the reasons Wonder Woman has been received so well by the critics is that it doesn’t destroy cities! [Laughs] Even the superhero stuff is on a very human scale, it’s the gods! We’re not seeing skyscrapers tumbling! [Laughs]"


Director James Cameron...

"I'm hoping we'll start getting Avenger fatigue here pretty soon," he told IndieWire.

"Not that I don't love the movies. It's just, come on guys, there are other stories to tell besides hyper-gonadal males without families doing death-defying things for two hours and wrecking cities in the process.

"It's like, oy!"
 
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