Like it or not, Marvel Studios have proven to be a force in Hollywood ever since Iron Man graced the silver screen back in 2008. In the time since, they’ve gone on to establish an interconnected cinematic universe, put together a few team-up flicks along the way, and raked in a considerable amount of dough in the process.
Still, there are those who aren’t fully converted True Believers that voice the common complaint of these films being formulaic. To be honest, I’ve found validity in this gripe. While the heavily polarizing DC Extended Universe has rubbed some moviegoers the wrong way, I have to hand it to Warner Bros. for their filmmaker-driven approach. Marvel Studios, on the other hand, is more akin to an assembly line and, let’s face it, most of their offerings look like they’re directed by the same person.
Regardless, the box office numbers don’t lie, but even a lifelong fan of superheroes such as myself can only wonder how much longer we have until the bubble bursts. In order to do avoid this, the genre will require much variety, something studio head honcho Kevin Feige spoke of in a recent conversation with Uproxx, while also addressing the points we discussed above:
“I think it’s just the way we make the movies. I think all the movies are relatively different. I think there’s a narrative that people like to write about because they’re all produced by the same team and they all inhabit the same fictional cinematic universe. That we look for common similarities. And I’m not saying there aren’t common similarities throughout it, but I think Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man: Homecoming are two totally different types of movies. They’re both fun. People both enjoy them. Is that a similarity? If so, I’ll take it. If that’s a criticism, I’ll take that, too.
But really, yeah, Homecoming, Ragnarok, Panther, into Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp after that. And a ’90s-set Captain Marvel after that; these are six very different movies. If what they have in common is they’re all really enjoyable and fun to watch, then I’ll take it.”
Actually, I think it’s good that he brought up their upcoming slate because what it includes makes me excited in a way I haven’t been since Phase 1. Not only do we have the culmination of nearly a decade of storytelling arriving next year in the form of Avengers: Infinity War, but we also have one awesome looking Black Panther flick to look forward to, among other things.
Marvel‘s next film, Thor: Ragnarok, opens in theaters on November 3.
Published: Oct 26, 2017 12:28 pm