Howdy. I've been gone for a while, but fuck it, I never promised consistency. Now today I feel it is necessary that I stress the importance of this particular piece. I will be tackling some big social issues and it would only behoove you to read on. Thank you.
Alright I'm yanking your chain, I'm here to talk about superhero films. More specifically, comic book films (to hear my opinion on the distinction there, read my Spider Man 2 piece). More specifically still, Marvel's Cinematic Universe. Now in our day and age, I think we'd all be hard-pressed to find a person who has no idea what the MCU is. It is a ginormous shared universe consisting of dozens of beloved Marvel comic book characters and it just so happens to be generating BILLIONS of dollars worldwide for Disney, the current owner of Marvel and the MCU. Now I could go into a whole tirade discussing the potential consequences of Disney/Marvel's commitment to release two Marvel films each year from now until 2020, not to mention the existing and upcoming TV shows Marvel is producing, but that's the kind of rant you want to see me go on in person. It's quite a sight. As harrowing as it is entertaining.
Instead I'd like to talk about the approach Marvel's creative teams seem to be taking with their movies. Pretty consistently over the course of the past seven years (Yes Iron Man came out in 2008. No don't google it, it's not worth it, I'm right. Ugh you fucker, you're googling it. This relationship doesn't work without trust. Yeah, yeah I was right wasn't I? I bet you feel pretty stupid right about now. No it's ok, don't apologize, just...just don't let it happen again.) I've noticed a trend in the narrative structures of most Marvel films (I'll point out what film(s) may or may not break this trend in a hot sec). The stories may vary drastically depending on the personality/development of the featured hero, the identity and motivation of the villain, and the intended moral of the movie. Yet one thing remains a constant in these films. The stakes are always incredibly high.
Every climactic battle seems to come down to the hero fighting to save a city, the world, or even the universe. There's always some sort of mcguffin that the baddie needs to destroy some number of civilians or some amount of property, and it almost always concerns human beings on a global scale. Over the years, the grand end fight has only become grander, escalating with each and every venture onto the big screen, culminating in the action-packed spectacle that is The Avengers (1,2, 3 pt. I, 3 pt. II). Now I know what you're thinking. "It's Marvel. That's just what they do. Why is it a problem?"
Yeah well here's why.
We as an audience are becoming numb. With every Marvel film we get a little more wrinkly and calloused and cynical. Alright that's a minor overstatement, but I'm making a point. The explosions, the huge aerial battles over the city, the giant wormholes ripping through our air space, it's all becoming commonplace. We've come to expect this kind of chaos not only in epic ensemble films, but in solo movies as well. Just think about phase 2's roster of films and their endings. Iron Man 3: giant aerial battle concerning global terrorists with the power to blow shit up. Thor 2: giant red thingy shows up in England, threatens to fill the universe with eternal darkness. Captain America 2: giant airships in space ready to shoot millions of Americans nationwide on command. Guardians of the Galaxy: dude named Ronan has an infinity stone capable of destroying planets. Granted the Guardians of the Galaxy was a team film, not a solo one. Nevertheless the Guardians are a part of a larger universe, and by establishing that they themselves can handle a threat like Ronan and his infinity stone, you take away the necessity for them to collaborate with other members of that universe. The same goes for the other solo heroes. People are always complaining that the Avengers never call each other for help during their solo adventures, and as much as I hate that complaint, I see why it's made. The solution is so simple. Lower the stakes, and you eliminate the need for other heroes to even be involved. Better yet, make the story a small one, personal to the hero, hinged on their development and the learning of a certain lesson. In that way you show us not only is this movie's conflict manageable for the hero alone, but this story is unique to that character, and by bringing other heroes into the mix you would decrease the impact of the film's message.
Now you could argue that by making every Marvel film big and epic, you imply that Thanos (equipped with his gauntlet and all the stones) will be a force so formidable, all of the solo heroes and separate teams that have formed will have to band together to face him. That's a reasonable argument to make. But it doesn't change the fact that with modern technology, there really is nothing you can show us in the way of Thanos' might that we haven't seen before. Sure he'll probably kill off some beloved characters, thus demonstrating he's more powerful than any foe the Marvel heroes have ever faced individually, and thematically that would certainly imply his strength. But realistically speaking, the battle we are likely to see at the end of Infinity War will bear striking resemblance to MCU battles we've seen before. Instead of being blown away by the sheer scope of the battle we're watching go down, we will merely be satisfied on a base level (and perhaps even a little disappointed) knowing that we have yet again been given more of the same.
Now as I said before, not every Marvel property falls prey to this trend, and the most recent ones that have broken it are fast becoming two of my favorite entries into the MCU canon. The first is Daredevil, the Netflix show depicting the early stages of Matthew Murdock's journey to becoming the devil of Hell's Kitchen, and one of NYC's most effective protectors. The show sets up a dark and bloody tale of one man's struggle to do what is right, and keep the people who deserve his help safe from those who wish to prey on the weak. The sleek narrative builds to a finale (which I will not spoil) so personal to the character of Matthew, that you can't help but feel both excited and scared when the final episode's events play out. It becomes something intimate, and in that way the stakes feel more real than they ever did in the first Avengers film, or the second for that matter.
The second recent Marvel release that significantly shrunk the story down to a very personal level was Ant-Man, a film I feel is grossly underrated even today. The characters were likable, the plot was easy to follow but complex enough to allow room for tackling Scott Lang's deeper issues, and the action sequences were extremely well-helmed. It also happens to feature my favorite theme song and score of any MCU film so far (note I said theme and score. Favorite soundtrack still goes to my main squeeze and favorite MCU film, Guardians of the Galaxy). But the film's best quality was that its writers recognized that Ant-Man's first foray into superheroing can't be a matter of global annihilation building to some humongous, explosive battle over a random US city. Ant-Man is an effective heist film, and for that reason focuses on the smaller stuff, as a film about a shrinking superhero ought to do. The end battle is one the audience can almost immediately plug into, infusing comedy brilliantly with the shrinking gimmick and some truly impressive fight choreography. It was a breath of fresh air, hearkening back to a time in the MCU (Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor sort of) when a solo film could take time away from setting up future installments and making the audience feel small in comparison to an ever-expanding universe, and just show a character growing into themselves, and dealing with whatever human issues they needed to.
In summary, Marvel is killing it right now, and I'm happy with what we've been given so far. However there is always room to improve, and if they really wanted to, the head honchos in charge of making the MCU run the way it does could give us the superhero films we all deserve. Thanks for reading, and tune in next time when I talk about more useless movie shit...just kidding...this isn't useless...this shit gives me life.
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