Comic book movies

[Skanky Vamp]

So I stopped watching Marvel movies a while ago but then after listening to people rave how good Spider-man: Homecoming was, I finally succumbed and watched it and it was okay. So it got me thinking, are these serial movies liked on their own merit because they're good (which I find debatable) or it is a mere-exposure effect?

I really am leaning on the fact people are familiar with these characters, their themes and most of the time their beats (hell, even their color palettes) are all the same which leads them to place the movies (and TV shows) in higher regards.

What do you think? Do you think it's the mere-exposure effect, do you think it's the mob mentality- everyone likes it, i must like it too, or are the movies just that good?

 

[Ethan Reigns]

You get a sort of synergy by moving from comics to movies because there are a lot of people who know the characters already and have expectations of what they are going to do. In a way, it's like the hit parade in music - people keep looking for the familiar. Much as I hate the hit parade, I understand why it exists (it started in country music and came about from people choosing the same songs on juke boxes all the time).

Another aspect is when people have been exposed to these characters, the question about a movie would be, which story would they select to tell? The Star Trek movies had the same issue - we were familiar with the range of things that could be expected but what would screenwriters choose to put up on the big screen?

It really doesn't seem to matter whether the stories are good or not - it is part of a shared culture and your credibility among the other sheeple depends on whether you have seen the things they have.

 

[GwenRaiden]

I pick neither.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I pick neither.

Why do you think they are so popular then?

 

[Fuffy Baith]

In regards to Spiderman: Homecoming I enjoyed the movie, but I did have problems with it. As someone who is a Marvel movie fan, I don't think every movie is great, and I do think there is a little bit of hype build up. People know that a lot of enjoy the Marvel movies and certain characters, so they just enjoy every movie, even if it's not that great. Personally I'm not a fan of Guardians of the Galaxy, but after I saw it in theatres I thought it was great, upon a few rewatches, it's just an okay Marvel movie. And while I've heard really good things about Thor: Ragnarok, I've decided to lower my expectations.

It could also be that people don't really hate any of the Marvel movies, so they go in with expectations that each movie will be good, which might affect how they really viewed the movie.

 

[thrasherpix]

Plenty of people get to dislike movies if they get too much fanfare (of which Frozen is a good example). I think that's happening to everything Avengers now (just an impression I get). I know I don't let myself get my hopes up too high because that will make it much harder for me to be pleased with it, and I can feel foolishly betrayed, like a promise was broken, if it did not live up to my expectations (that others put me into me), whereas if I just see it as a way to veg out, take a break, and kill some time then I'll be inclined to like it a lot better.

Knowing the comics is a mixed blessing, because being familiar with them gives the story the feeling of more depth and complexity than it actually has, but too much can make it harder to enjoy it because of how much they miss or otherwise make incompatible with the story/characters you have in your head. (And that's not even counting the monstrosities of cynical corporate manipulation that tries to sell something other than what it is, like the movie Jem that was not at all Jem, but they probably felt they could sell more tickets to their McMovie if they slapped the Jem name on it.)

'Course if done well then it might be enjoyable as a retelling. It seems like the Archie series has some serious love/hate among fans because of how extremely they twist the canon, and yet it's so over the top and twisted that it can feel like a twisted parody that's fun BECAUSE it's so wrong. I recall that some Archie comics did a zombie apocalypse caused by Sabrina messing with the Necronomicon, IIRC, and Sabrina was forced to marry Cthulhu over it while the world ended in zombie horror. I'm not making this up, btw. Ah, here's the wiki entry on it: Afterlife with Archie.

That aside, there are other factors. Some people take brand loyalty very seriously, including on the Marvel vs DC, and they'll automatically love it if it's their brand/tribe, and hate it if the other. This can get really insane, and I even knew tweens who got VICIOUS over Twilight vs. Harry Potter (the only reason I read Twilight is because a 12-year-old wanted me to, with her loaning me her copy.) I've even heard of people, adults included, that can get upset arguing over whether Tangled or Frozen was better. Of course people divide themselves up for a host of many other reasons that have nothing to do with series, and for reasons within the series (like the Bangel vs Spuffy we all know and, er, love here on BB, in which it reaches a point that everything about Angel and Spike are viewed through the Bangel/Spuffy glasses.)

And I do think fan service makes a big difference, and for women as much as men, which Marvel knows and exploits. I'd give examples (and could from Buffy if I wanted), but I'm starting to feel worn out on this topic. The point being if the fan service pleases the audience then that will enhance the rest of the story or character as well, but those who are not particularly impressed by the fan service won't be as inclined to to view the entire movie favorably.

Thought I'd leave this that makes me laugh...I don't mean for the whole thing to be watched, just from where it starts at 1:20 to 2:30 ("Face the horror of Something Original"):

"How can we take a gamble on something without a fan base?" 😀

 

[HowiMetdaSlayer]

I'll agree that Spiderman was just ok. To be fair. I didn't think Wonderwoman was as good as everyone made it out to be, either. For Marvel, I think that Winter Soldier was by far their best. I know some people loved the Avengers. I thought it was ok. For comic book films, I think that The Dark Knight continues to be the gold platinum standard. And I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

[Mr Trick]

Part of the problem is that once people have paid in their droves to see a film (which they normally do with comic films) then for a certain period of time you only have those big numbers and the odd review to judge those films on. The real test of those films will be how they are remembered over the course of many years. Part of the reason Back to the Future is such a classic is because people return to it again and again, and get the same level of enjoyment out of it each time. On the other hand lots of people now look back on Avater as a bad movie.

I just think Comic book movies are having their day in the sun. For me it is over exposure and its sad, because I think they are taking up too many cinema screens and crowding out a lot of worthy films that maybe need the push more. To me cinemas should cater to as many different people and their tastes as possible. Believe it or not but there are plenty of people who are not that interested in comic book movies.

 

[white avenger]

What do you think? Do you think it's the mere-exposure effect, do you think it's the mob mentality- everyone likes it, i must like it too, or are the movies just that good?

I think that one of the reasons that the current trend in superhero movies is so popular is that the people who loved the comic books themselves back in the 60's, 70's, and on into the 80's are of an age now where they look back on those old characters with affection and just want to relive the experience. From what I've read in various reviews, the current characters, as they appear in the comics, just aren't the same heroes that we remember. From what I can gather on the internet, Tony Stark is an alcoholic, Hank Pym is a wife beater, Peter Parker and Mary Jane are divorced (I never even knew that they got married) Thor is a woman, and there have been a succession of Captain Americas in the Marvel line. Over at DC, Supergirl has died, Robin is now Nightwing, Superman has married Lois Lane, died, been reborn, been completely rebooted, along with the entire DC universe, had an affair with Wonder Woman, died again, and been replaced by the original Superman, in a black uniform and a beard, once again married to Lois Lane, and has a son since I stopped reading. That's just too much change from the superheroes that I grew up with. The movies allow me to revisit my old favorites without having to adjust to all this "new" crap.

As for the younger generation, they'll watch anything, just as long as there's plenty of butter on the popcorn.

Personally, I hope that the trend never ends, because I own stock in Disney Studios, which owns the rights to Marvel, Lucusfilms, and God only knows what else. The more money that they make, the happier I am. Just be sure to keep the popcorn well buttered.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

I think that one of the reasons that the current trend in superhero movies is so popular is that the people who loved the comic books themselves back in the 60's, 70's, and on into the 80's are of an age now where they look back on those old characters with affection and just want to relive the experience.

I believe statistically those are the minority. I read some years ago that 60-something percent of those that watch the movies have never read the comics.

 

[white avenger]

I read some years ago that 60-something percent of those that watch the movies have never read the comics.

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of that 60% are either lying, or just never actually bought their own issues, but read someone else's (probably when no one was looking)

 

[Puppet]

I don't know about others, but I never read a single comic growing up and the closest I came to superhero movies was Burton's Batman. However I love most of the MCU movies. I rate each one as a standalone and most of them are beyond brilliant, imo. Where that makes me fall on the line between minority/majority, idk.