The Dawn of Superhero Dilution

As we approach the Batman Vs Superman premiere, a term I use loosely with the prevalence of advance screening(is nothing sacred?), I want to reflect on my growing ambivalence for the genre.  As I stand in line on Thursday at 5PM- the premiere's 'early bird special', I will be struck with one realization - I'm not that excited.

Growing up there were few things that I looked forward to more than a new superhero flick.  The anticipation of its release was tantamount to those final days of class before summer break.  As I got older that feeling began to dwindle and I no longer counted down the days for the next superhero to hit the big screens. The anticipation was as strong then as it is ephemeral now. What changed? Getting older certainly plays a role but more notable may be the over-saturation of the superhero film market.

In the past 10 years we have witnessed a surge in the Superhero film genre.  The Marvel universe, being the largest, has created a monopoly in Hollywood, manufacturing movies quicker than Apple puts out new iPhones.  There are the occasional missteps such as the Fantastic Four series which just cant seem to get it right but overall audiences are happy.  The consumer demands a product often and the distributor is more than happy to put one out, devoid of quality inspection.  So shouldn't I just be happy with the abundance?  Maybe I miss having to wait.

Waiting, remember that? We still do it at supermarkets and the DMV.  For superhero films however, waiting is a thing of the past. They come out so quickly that my reaction has gone from "Only two more months till the new .........!" to ".......is coming out next week? I guess I'll go see it."

Many of these films have become less about their own story and more a way of setting up sequels and spin offs. The end result is a product that doesn't have to fully deliver.  I remember reading write-ups on the original Captain America and Thor, the consensus being it's an adequate film on its own, but really serves more as a set up to the Avengers. They are blinding the consumer with future promises so they won't notice or care about the current film's mediocrity.  It's essentially giving the film a handicap.

That was not the case in the early 2000's. The films stood on their own and if they were bad, even in a good series, (think Spiderman 3) they got panned. Not only did we line up to see these superheroes in the theater, we eagerly awaited their DVD release. There was something special about buying the DVD. We re-watched them, showed them to our friends, and took pride in the collection we had amassed.

The superhero genre has hit the point of diminishing returns. We are so caught up in the spectacle and polish of the film's visuals that we no longer mind an average story(think Avengers:age of Ultron). That is not to say some don't excel to deliver a thought provoking story-- I am pleasantly surprised when they do. BVS may mark the beginning of the DC film expansion and I can't say I want this train to stop; I just fear the great superhero films will get lost in the crowd.  Christopher Nolan's  Batman series were more than just good superhero flicks, they were great films. The need to put out a product of such high caliber in order to be successful simply is not there. I hope we get more superhero films on par with The Dark Knight, but with the current trend, I'm not going to hold my breath. In the end I shouldn't be complaining, I'm still going to see them.