Hey guys. So as you can see I'm doing something quite different. Today, I'll giving you my opinion of what's causing this "fatigue", for comic book movies.
What is Fatigue?
First off, for any of you that knows what this word means, then just skip this section. But for any of that don't, basically what fatigue means is an extreme tiredness. You're more tired than you usually are.
What A Lot of People Think Are Causing the Fatigue
Now for the longest time we've been giving a lot of comic book movies. This big boom basically started with Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe back in 2008.
Since then, we've been given tons of comic book movies. I think we get combining both Marvel and DC, we could possibly get five to six movies, maybe even more than that. But because of that huge number, that's why people think we're in the fatigue state. That we've just been getting too many, and people are just tired of it.
I'll admit, that's definitely a factor. But I don't think it's the real cause.
What The Real Cause Is
So, do you want to know what I think is causing this "fatigue"? Do you want to know why people are getting tired of comic book movies? It's all of the freakin' comedy!
Now before you start throwing a hissy fit, let me explain. There's nothing wrong with having a bit of humor in a comic book movie. The problem stems from having an overabundance of it. Which is the problem with the genre right now.
Because studios want to copy what looks like a winning formula, we wind up getting what feels like the same thing over and over again. There's a quote that Joe Russo said when he and his brother [Anthony] were promoting Captain America: Civil War back in 2016.
He said and I quote, "Our pitch to [Marvel] was: 'People will tell you they love chocolate ice cream - until you give it to them five days a week. It's time to give them some rainbow sherbet.'"
Which is the problem we have now folks. Comic book movies now have become the exact same flavor. There's no vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream, or sherbet. It's all just chocolate ice cream, and everybody is tired of chocolate.
How to Solve This Problem
Before we get to the comedy problem, there was another issue I briefly brought up. Yes, there are too many coming out. Like I said, that is definitely a factor. So yes, cut down on the number of releases. DC seems to fine, cause last time I checked they only release two maybe three movies of a year. So they're fine. Marvel on the other hand has just too much. Because we're getting films from both Marvel Studios and Sony, there's just too many Marvel flicks. What they need to do, mainly on the Marvel Studios, is cut back. We don't need four or more MCU movies in one year alone. We can only have three or less than that. So if all sides (meaning DC, Marvel, and Sony's Marvel) do cut back, then we'll get only a few number of comic book flicks, that's easier to digest, and people won't feel like there's too many.
Now to the biggest problem being the overabundance of comedy. Like I said, there's nothing wrong with having comedy in your comic book film. The problem is too many of it. Especially when it brings the quality of the movie down. Think of how many times a comic book movie has a big dramatic moment in it, then either in the same exact scene or the next one afterwards we're all of sudden being comedic. That type of scene has happened so many times, I'm surprised it doesn't have its own Wikipedia article.
So how do we solve this problem? Well there's three ways.
1) Tone it down
If you're going to have comedy, only put in scenes where it's necessary. Don't have in the exact same scene where something serious happens. Space it all out. Look at both Deadpool or Deadpool 2, sure they're both rated-R comedies, but that didn't stop those movies from having serious moments in them. Hell, the first movie has a very serious romantic subplot to it, with dashes of humor thrown in there.
2) Be Comedic If It Fits the Character
Now let's say you're making a comic book movie, but the character truly is meant to be a total goof. Well...then that's fine. Like if you're making a Plastic Man movie, then yes. Yes being a full comedy movie works, because that character is more on the lighthearted side of things.
But if you're doing a character like Batman, no. Having too much comedy for a character like that, is how we wind up getting movies like Batman & Robin.
3) Get! Serious!!!
For the longest time it seemed like we were going to get stuck with comic book movies that felt like action comedies. My hopes along with many others felt that was going to change when movies like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and then a year later Logan arrived. But then the former was deemed a "failure", studios panicked and then felt almost every comic book flick needed to be a comedy instead. Which I thought was ridiculous.
Especially since a lot of the comics I've read, are mostly serious. I mean it, if you read the comics, they go to some dark places, when compared to their movie counterparts. And lot of those writers who wrote those stories, weren't named Frank Miller or Alan Moore. That's why unlike a lot of people, I don't get bent out of shape, whenever a more dark, gritty, or serious comic book flick comes out. Cause I know what the comics are actually like.
So this is what movie studios need start doing. Give us more serious comic flicks. It'll feel like a breath of fresh air, something different compared to the stuff we've been given over the past couple of years. Give me a Marvel movie that's more in line with the Marvel Knights or MAX imprint, and DC shouldn't be afraid to look towards their Vertigo or Black Label imprint. Having a gritty comic book movie along side a lighthearted one isn't gonna cause harm to the audience. It's gonna give them options, something different from norm. Remember the old saying? Variety is the spice of life. That's what this genre needs now more than ever. Variety!
So, that's going to do it for now. Come back on Thursday, Jul 6th, for an important announcement. Until then, for any of my fellow Americans, enjoy your 4th of July tomorrow. As for the rest of you, enjoy the rest of your day.
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