Why aren't you sick of Marvel Movies yet?

[Hawki]

I really fail to see the MCU being described as like Call of Duty, They aren't a Videogame franchise, they'd be compared to a videogame Publisher. A better example would be comparing The MCU to Activision, or SquareEnix. A company that puts out a lot of movies each year, but who's actual franchises spread out. You Don't get Captain America yearly like COD, you get it one every 3 years.

Doesn't quite work, as every movie the MCU produces is in the same universe, and in many cases, seeing movies 'outside the title' is required. As in, to understand Civil War, you don't just need to watch the previous Captain America movies, but also the Avengers at the very least. Something like Call of Duty or Final Fantasy has a number of sub-series, true, but for instance, one wouldn't have to play a Black Ops title to understand the plot of a Modern Warfare title, or you wouldn't have to play Final Fantasy 1-14 to understand 15.

There's some MCU films that are self-contained (Guardians, Doctor Strange), but for all intents and purposes, it's one giant single film series. Which isn't a bad thing in of itself, but it's easy to see how fatigue sets in.

the actual amount of content produced. A movie is 2 hours long on average if that, so its 4-6 hours a year of content. A yearly game release or a tv show with a full season both have 3+ times as much content put out per year with a much higher level of repetitiveness almost guaranteed due to the nature of the two medium, so why is it so strange for people to still be enjoying The MCU when I knew many gamers have spent probably 4 times the total run time of all the MCU movies in just a single game without batting an eye.

All of that's probably true, but there's two points:

1) That doesn't explain other annualized/bi-annual movie franchises that similarly get the fatigue argument (see the examples up above).

2) Content is rarely brought up as a point of contention when people bring up fatigue. Games and TV shows have more content than movies, that's true, hence they cost more to purchase, and have fewer individual releases per year, as you said. MCU has two films each year, a season of TV will get about one release per year, annual franchises have one release per year, etc. No-one's disputing that. But the fatigue argument I see people bring up usually boils down to repetition, lack of innovation, trope reliance, etc. So on one hand, I see that argument being applied - CoD's gameplay has barely changed (supposedly, see previous comments), The Force Awakens is a rehash of A New Hope (which I agree), etc. Yet the MCU seems to get far less flak for the same repetition.

Maybe content is the determining factor, but if so, it's a rarely voiced one. I've seen people tired of Assassin's Creed bring up the complaints raised above, but I haven't seen anyone complain about there not being enough "stuff" in the game.

 

[Bedinsis]

Because I don't watch them. It's hard to get tired of something if you don't actually engage with the thing in question.

Though that's not entirely true; I have seen Age of Ultron. I didn't like it, and hence decided to not waste any more money on the MCU.

There wasn't anything that truly offended me in what I saw though, so I cannot fault anyone for liking and watching the movies. If you like it, like it.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

That may be part of it, but under that premise, what does bug me is that the MCU still gets as defended as much as it does, with two movies being released per year annually.

You're surprised people enjoy high quality entertainment? That bugs you?

That could smack of the cultural gatekeeper bias, or even just general antagonism towards things that are popular you may not quite like as much; the MCU's critically and commercially successful, ergo people need to find fault in it, find the negatives, and ponder on 'how long will this last', as if the crowds flocking to the screenings and the reviewers are under some kind of mass deception... That, soon or later, they'll all wake up and smell the ashes coffee.

If the rather superb Doctor Strange is a film in a cinematic universe in a rut, then long may it, er, rut...

Or, if we want to look at film franchises that have/will have annual releases, there's Star Wars (which while popular, is getting far more flak than the MCU), or, say, The Hunger Games, which had an annual release cycle from 2012-2015.

Can you prove that? I see two highly successful franchises both getting praise, and both getting whined at for different [usually daft] reasons - business as usual, surely.

So, on one hand, the MCU is at the point of releasing two movies a year, and everyone loves them...

Evidently not.

...while a number of franchises that release one installment per year get far more scrutiny. People will like/dislike what they want, but be honest, franchises like CoD are a punching bag, even for those who don't play CoD, while the MCU is put on a pedastal.

Comparing CoD to the MCU is taking literalism to a bizarre degree; 'frequent releases = apt comparison', ignoring they also exist in very different mediums.

Not a slight against it, but I'd categorize Guardians as sci-fa rather than sci-fi.

Given labels are so meaningless anyway, have at it.

Still, Guardians does prove my point, that plot beat for plot beat, it's the same story as The Avengers, just IN SPAAACE.

It proves nothing - other than people will pay to see well marketed, well made films, which is surely a no-brainer not worth stating. Comparing the two on the basis of similar structures or plot motifs seems grossly reductive, too, suggesting two similarly themed/plotted works cannot be distinct in their own right.

I actually did find Guardians' plot disappointingly conventional when I first saw it [footnote]See also: the fairly ho-hum depiction of Gamora, and the frustratingly ho-hum reveal of Thanos. I prefer Rocket with an English voice and I just don't like Bradley Cooper, so that character took a lot of getting used to for me.[/footnote] given the potential they had to draw from, but I'm fine chalking that one up to a mainstream trade-off. Given what the mainstream's ostensibly used to (which is the metric the MCU should be judged), Guardians was wonderfully weird (it did also tease some of the freakiest elements of Marvel's cosmic universe). But, obviously, most importantly it was a superbly crafted and incredibly soulful film, which is why is resonated so well with audiences and critics.

If all you can see is details of motifs in terms of plot or structure, you are missing the bigger picture, as well as, ironically, the finer details/nuances.

 

[Buffoon1980]

I am, I'm absolutely fed up with superhero movies and I can't wait until the damned fad dies out.

This person stole my answer.

Well, to be fair I actually don't care how many superhero movies there, I will continue to just not watch them. What I do wish is that I had friends who liked films that weren't superhero movies. I wish I knew people who had broader tastes.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Because despite what people say about them and ignore the fact that superheroes have long stopped being a genre, when you get right down to it there's more then enough variety within what they do to keep it fresh.

At this point it's like asking why you're not yet sick of big budget movies that have a heavy emphasis on effects.

Agreed. They're fun popcorn flicks. Maybe some people just go into them expecting the next (insert your favourite superhero movie here) and are let down when it's another movie that follows a similar formula to many others.

They're decent movies for the most part IMO. Nothing special, but they make for a fun evening out.

 

[oRevanchisto]

I'm sick of the Marvel formula thought not exactly sick of the movies.

 

[Story]

I was. Though just super hero movies in general I'd say. I skipped Big Hero 6 and Antman for example and also skipped most of the the DC movies that didn't get critical acclaim. I saw all others either out of habit (Xmen Apocalypse) or out of curiousity (Civil War) or to keep with discussion (Batman v. Superman, regret that choice).

I agree with others who say there is enough variety to keep things fresh. And it really depends on genre for me. I really liked Dr.Strange which was superheroes but with wizards and I liked all of the Thor movies because of the Norse mythodgly sprinkled in. I did not care for Guardians because it was sci-fi which I'm not a huge fan of. I will go see Wonder Woman for the superficial fact that that it stars a woman and Black Panter because it's a black lead (yeah I know I'm a bad person and those are bad reasons). I will avoid Spider-Man Homecomming because I'm so tired of Spider-Man, ditto for Superman and Batman if they get rebooted.

So I guess the real answer is no I'm not yet because I pick and choose my battles.

 

[Worgen]

Because they haven't made a bad one yet. Well, a bad one from marvel, ignore sony and most of fox's stuff. The range of ones from Marvel run from fantastic to good. Most being from Fantastic to great.

 

[Tanis]

Nope.

 

[GrumbleGrump]

Who said I wasn't?
DC had the oportunity to make a tonally different universe and they fucked it up by giving it to Snyder, who in his defence is good adapting shit, but not writing shit. Seriously, how the fuck do you hire a trailer house to edit your movie? How do you write such bullshit as the Martha scene? The DCCU could've been a sweet competitor to Marvel, but now we're stuck between dogshit and mediocrity.

 

[happyninja42]

Because they haven't made a bad one yet. Well, a bad one from marvel, ignore sony and most of fox's stuff. The range of ones from Marvel run from fantastic to good. Most being from Fantastic to great.

I would disagree on the overall quality of every marvel movie, but that's opinion, so it doesn't really matter. You think the worst of them is fantastic, I've found the worst of them to be "meh, it was ok."

OT: I am getting a bit tired of the movies, in that I don't really find myself at all anticipating the movie coming out. I found myself dozing off during the "climactic battle" of Dr. Strange, highly bored with Avengers 2, less than thrilled with Season 2 Daredevil, Jessica Jones, or Luke Cage in general.

I'll go see them at some point, but only if I hear they were good by other people.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

I am, I'm absolutely fed up with superhero movies and I can't wait until the damned fad dies out.

This person stole my answer.

Well, to be fair I actually don't care how many superhero movies there, I will continue to just not watch them. What I do wish is that I had friends who liked films that weren't superhero movies. I wish I knew people who had broader tastes.

That's fair. This has been the first year in a while where I've been able to consistently go see none-superhero/effects heavy blockbuster movies at the cinema and it's been refreshing and wonderful. It's really started getting me back into film.

It might help to use a site called Meetup to see if anybody is putting together film meetup groups in your area. I've found it a pretty good way to meet new friends that have interests my existing friends didn't.

 

[Worgen]

Because they haven't made a bad one yet. Well, a bad one from marvel, ignore sony and most of fox's stuff. The range of ones from Marvel run from fantastic to good. Most being from Fantastic to great.

I would disagree on the overall quality of every marvel movie, but that's opinion, so it doesn't really matter. You think the worst of them is fantastic, I've found the worst of them to be "meh, it was ok."

OT: I am getting a bit tired of the movies, in that I don't really find myself at all anticipating the movie coming out. I found myself dozing off during the "climactic battle" of Dr. Strange, highly bored with Avengers 2, less than thrilled with Season 2 Daredevil, Jessica Jones, or Luke Cage in general.

I'll go see them at some point, but only if I hear they were good by other people.

No, I found the worst of them to be just good. I would rate Avengers 2 and Ironman 2 as just good. The ones I would say are fantastic are Guardians of the Galaxy, Cap America Civil War, and Captain America Winter Solder.

Edit: actually I suppose the Hulk movie would count, the 2008 one. I would say that was meh. I literally don't remember anything about it.

 

[happyninja42]

Because they haven't made a bad one yet. Well, a bad one from marvel, ignore sony and most of fox's stuff. The range of ones from Marvel run from fantastic to good. Most being from Fantastic to great.

I would disagree on the overall quality of every marvel movie, but that's opinion, so it doesn't really matter. You think the worst of them is fantastic, I've found the worst of them to be "meh, it was ok."

OT: I am getting a bit tired of the movies, in that I don't really find myself at all anticipating the movie coming out. I found myself dozing off during the "climactic battle" of Dr. Strange, highly bored with Avengers 2, less than thrilled with Season 2 Daredevil, Jessica Jones, or Luke Cage in general.

I'll go see them at some point, but only if I hear they were good by other people.

No, I found the worst of them to be just good. I would rate Avengers 2 and Ironman 2 as just good. The ones I would say are fantastic are Guardians of the Galaxy, Cap America Civil War, and Captain America Winter Solder.

Edit: actually I suppose the Hulk movie would count, the 2008 one. I would say that was meh. I literally don't remember anything about it.

Ah, so you did. I misread your best/worst comparison. My bad.

And I would say that most of the Marvel movies are pretty forgettable for me at least. The only ones I remember in great detail are Iron Man 1, and Captain America: The First Avenger. Those had enough elements in them to make me truly enjoy them, despite all the other stuff from the other movies. I remember a few bits of the '08 Hulk movie, but not a lot. I remember thinking it was decent, but that's what most movies, marvel or not, get from me. Very few films actually blow me away, or illicit a strong emotional response to where I hold the movie in a place in my heart. IM1 and CA1 come close from the marvel list, the rest are just ok movies that I didn't mind seeing. Though Guardians, while I don't consider it great or anything, was a lot of fun. Which I hold in a different category from good. I can enjoy bad films, and find them fun to watch, and while I don't consider GotG "bad", I also don't consider it "great". But I had a fucking blast watching it in the theater for the first time, I'll say that much.

 

[ckriley]

I watch very few of them, but it bothers me that action and adventure movies of previous generations have been replaced by superheroes. Imagine how many Aliens-type movies or Mad Max or African Queens or Terminator or Die Hard-like movies were never made because of lame-ass superheroes. Would George Lucas even be allowed to make Star Wars and Indiana Jones if superheroes were as popular back then?

Of course, the irony here is that literally every single title you mentioned were all inspired by comic books and superheroes.

 

[ckriley]

Of course, the irony here is that literally every single title you mentioned were all inspired by superheroes.

Sounds like total bullshit. Name them.

The comic book characters that inspired Indiana Jones weren't superheroes.

Star Wars was inspired by religions, myths, fairy tales, Tolkien, Flash Gordon and other works.

Aliens was inspired by the Vietnam War.

African Queen? The Terminator? Die Hard? Mad Max?

That's why I said comic books AND superheroes. But to answer your question, Star Wars was inspired largely by Valerian, a long-running French comic. There's a movie adaptation coming out this year from Luc Besson. Star Wars was also inspired by various religions and myths, but to deny it wasn't inspired by comics is just stupid.

As for Flash Gordon, Mad Max, the Terminator...seriously, dude? Those are total comic book characters and fit COMFORTABLY within the genre. That's why we're seeing more of those movies coming out in the coming years, and have already seen sequels to those movies in the last couple years. Even Flash Gordon is getting a reboot. There are comics out now about those titles specifically. The latest Mad Max series is written by George Miller himself. Also James Cameron is one of the biggest comic book geeks on the planet, in his own words.

The only movies you listed that weren't influenced or inspired by comics in some way are African Queen and Die Hard. Those were novels.

However, Die Hard has another sequel in the works, which kind of negates the entirety of your argument.

 

[hermes]

However, Die Hard has another sequel in the works, which kind of negates the entirety of your argument.

The point I'm making is that no studio today would produce a movie like Die Hard if it weren't already an established IP. They're making more because they know there's money in the IP. But if the film never existed and someone came to Fox with the screenplay, they'd tell him to get lost. Same with The Matrix and many others. It's all about superheroes now.

I intentionally omitted the comic book part of your post because I was talking about superheroes. I have no problem with comic books, but superheroes are mostly pretty lame.

If I see the top grossing movies of the last couple years, I find stuff like The Martian, The Revenant, San Andreas, Kingsman, Spy, Ghostbusters, The Legend of Tarzan, Godzilla, Lucy... so I think the genre of action/adventure is pretty safe without resorting to superheroes or long franchises.

If your point is that "original action movies" are not being made recently, I think John Wick, Fury Road, The Nice Guys, Blood Father, U.N.C.L.E., The Raid, Pacific Rim, Edge of Tomorrow, Elisium, or The Accountant are decent enough examples that the genre is still a thing. Sure, some of them are relatively smaller in scope, but the same could be said of Terminator or Die Hard... they exploded into larger than life franchises, but without hindsight most of them started as rather humble, run of the mill action movies.

You should also remember that from your original examples ("Aliens-type movies or Mad Max or African Queens or Terminator or Die Hard"), most of them had remakes, reimaginings or straight up sequels upcoming or released in recent years, so to say no one pays attention to them now that we have comics is biased, to say the least...

 

[SupahEwok]

They're comic book movies. Comics are, generally speaking, lighthearted formulaic adventure romps. Guess what. That's all the Marvel movies are. They aren't highbrow art. They're not deep. They're only sometimes memorable. Just like the source material. Might as well ask why people like comics.

 

[Laughing Man]

I was originally like you on this point. While I have not seen any of the Netflix stuff, I did watch Agents of SHIELD for the first three seasons. But after the third season, I stopped for several reasons. One of the big ones was what you're saying: the show had pretty much ZERO crossover with the movies. How cool would it have been to see the cast from SHIELD, or even just Agent Coulson, show up for a brief appearance on the bridge of that carrier in Age of Ultron? But as it stands, Marvel seems very happy to keep that world out of the movies, so I kind of lost interest.

But then I sat and thought about it. How confused would people who don't watch the TV show be if Coulson just showed up? "Wait, didn't he die in the other film?"
"Yeah, but the TV show explains why he's back."
"...I have to watch a whole show now?"

You're over thinking it, I recon if Colson did show up in any of the movies it would be explained away in a one line flippant off the cuff remark about nope I am back from the dead but chances are with Tony's resource he probabaly already knows he's alive, basically a movie would explain him returning very easily and very quickly and because it's Marvel it would just work.

As for burnout or getting tired the real test will be the true end of this first phase of movies, what happens after Infinity Wars when we will loose some of the foundation heroes we know and love, Ironman, Cap and no doubt Thor will be replaced. The reason why a lot of folk have stuck with it is because we want to see what happens to these guys, the three heroes that laid the foundations for not just the Marvel CU but this whole desperate new idea of trying to create a CU in any and all movies.

 

[Don'tDeadOpenInside]

To be fair it's quite amazing that I haven't got bored of them yet, what with Marvel carpet bombing the industry like they have. But the thing is, like others have said, they're not terrible films. Every one of them seems to satisfy the bare essentials of being somewhat entertaining, and the average is better than that.

I actually think they've moved the measure stick a bit. No, not that measure. Not the top measure. It's the average measure. It's like your average light action flick used to be a three star film, and now it's a three-and-a-half star film, maybe. They've raised the standard that little bit on what you expect from a formulaic lowest-common-denominator action flick. That's commendable, to be honest. Not everything has to be top class from an artistic standpoint.