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I think the recent Joker movie was a good counter-example, of a comic book character study that was not comfortable to watch. Most people I know left the theatr

I think the recent Joker movie was a good counter-example, of a comic book character study that was not comfortable to watch. Most people I know left the theatre with a lot of questions and/or a sense of unease, not with a spring in their step. On the other hand, perhaps Joker is the exception that proves the rule. It was certainly unlike every other superhero movie thus far.

AlexandrB 7y ago
I think part of the problem is the massive success of the MCU. Before the MCU, superhero movies did not seem so homogeneous. There were plenty of flops, but more interesting experiments as well. Consider the weird artistic and tonal shifts between the 90s Batman movies. The MCU is such a homogeneous set of films. None of them are actively bad like many of the DC movies, but they all blend together so that nothing sticks out or feels unique either. This is made explicit in how Disney exercised creative control over these movies to keep them from straying too far from the intended formula and feel[1]. [1] https://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Iron-Man-2-Ruined-Jon-Favreau-Relationship-With-Marvel-20003.html https://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Iron-Man-2-Ruined-Jon-Fa...
- pnw_hazor 7y ago
  Also, the relatively recent Tencent (China) effect ensures that the plots are non-challenging.
- glitchc 7y ago
  The interplay between Catwoman and the Penguin in Batman Returns is a fascinating bit of cinema. You get two different people, crazy in different ways, but equally crazy in magnitude, trying to work together, to get along for a common goal. It's a wonderful bit of underappreciated cinema from Devito and Pfeiffer.
glitchc 7y ago
I don't think the recent Joker movie is a good counterpoint. This iteration of the Joker was rather whiny and needy. More than anything, he embodied the kid mentality of "pay attention to me, or I will throw a tantrum!" over the "I don't give a f..., I'll just do what I want" mindset that's normally associated with Joker. If anything, this Joker felt like a typical incel, a typical angry young man. It's not a superhero movie as there were no superpowers on display.

AlexandrB 7y ago

I think part of the problem is the massive success of the MCU. Before the MCU, superhero movies did not seem so homogeneous. There were plenty of flops, but more interesting experiments as well. Consider the weird artistic and tonal shifts between the 90s Batman movies. The MCU is such a homogeneous set of films. None of them are actively bad like many of the DC movies, but they all blend together so that nothing sticks out or feels unique either. This is made explicit in how Disney exercised creative control over these movies to keep them from straying too far from the intended formula and feel[1]. [1] https://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Iron-Man-2-Ruined-Jon-Favreau-Relationship-With-Marvel-20003.html https://www.cinemablend.com/new/How-Iron-Man-2-Ruined-Jon-Fa...

pnw_hazor 7y ago
Also, the relatively recent Tencent (China) effect ensures that the plots are non-challenging.
glitchc 7y ago
The interplay between Catwoman and the Penguin in Batman Returns is a fascinating bit of cinema. You get two different people, crazy in different ways, but equally crazy in magnitude, trying to work together, to get along for a common goal. It's a wonderful bit of underappreciated cinema from Devito and Pfeiffer.

glitchc 7y ago

I don't think the recent Joker movie is a good counterpoint. This iteration of the Joker was rather whiny and needy. More than anything, he embodied the kid mentality of "pay attention to me, or I will throw a tantrum!" over the "I don't give a f..., I'll just do what I want" mindset that's normally associated with Joker. If anything, this Joker felt like a typical incel, a typical angry young man. It's not a superhero movie as there were no superpowers on display.