These Superhero Movies…

Am I the only one who finds the recent rash of comic-book movies tiresome?  This summer we have Thor, Captain America, X-Men:  First Class, and The Green Lantern arriving soon, guaranteed to rake in millions while providing us with a likely mediocre movie-going experience.  “But wait a minute!” you say.  “The movies haven’t even come out yet!  They could be new classics!”

But let’s think for a minute about why these movies are made.  Do I even need to point it out?  Fact is, superhero movies make money.  These films are made for that purpose first, and quality second.  I realize I am making less than a radical observation, but now you might understand where I’m coming from when I express my disillusionment.

Look, I’m all for having fun at the movies.  But when I watch all these trailers, all I see is silly dialogue and totally generic premises.  I also see many talented actors collecting hefty paychecks.  I see more of the same.  And with the X-Men reboot, and soon a Spider-Man reboot (really?  The last movie came out only four years ago!), it’s really becoming more of the same.

That’s not to say a reboot can’t be done well.  Batman Begins might well be the best reboot of all time, and in my humble opinion, the best superhero movie I’ve seen.  The film focused on character, tracking his rise to the hero’s mantle, and taking us along for the ride.  But how many filmmakers possess the vision of Christopher Nolan?  Go ahead.  Name one.

Call me faithless, but with the prevalence of superhero movies I’m expecting nothing original.  And call me a cinema snob, but I’ll always prefer human-focused films to the superhero movies produced to please the greatest number of people.  You won’t see me at the midnight premiere for Thor this year.  You will see me at the premiere for the next Martin McDonagh film, however.

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