"Marvel" at the loss of cinema

For more than the last decade, the state of cinema had gone through a drastic change. No longer can risks be taken that speak to larger issues through unconventional storytelling. In all entertainment, there is a message. Either positive or negative, but there is always one.

Entertainment is a bargain. You get the entertainment for free as long as you listen to the message. Now the message is clouded in flash and popcorn pulp. Let me say that I personally love superhero flare, but I can admit that the nature of intimate storytelling has been lost against big-budget blockbusters which dominate the box office. Everything is based on IP and whatever studio has the most doesn't just win the battle, but they win the war.

The work of artisans has now been relegated to the small screen. A fine strategy for companies who want to practice a straight-to-consumer model. But the wonder of the unknown is lost. There are surprises to be shown in superhero cinema, but once again there is source material to keep you guessing, but don't you feel like there is a formula to success? A winning ticket.

Genre films have existed throughout the generations and have come and gone. The western, black-exploration, and noir. All popular in the heyday, which has now stepped back into staples of classic Hollywood.

Various icons in the entertainment world have spoken about this era of film. Martin Scorsese has been quoted by the New York Times as saying,

“I was asked a question about Marvel movies. I answered it. I said that I’ve tried to watch a few of them and that they’re not for me, that they seem to me to be closer to theme parks than they are to movies as I’ve known and loved them throughout my life”.

An opinion met with harsh reaction, by Marvel directors, actors, and fans alike. Some argue that Scorsese had no right to put his opinion on the current state of movies, but Scorsese is the perfect one to speak to this. He brought his experiences, grit, and love for the art to each of his projects and not only made compelling stories, but box-office hits as well. I miss that era of movies.

Where everything would be out on the line and it came through with the final product.

Quentin Tarintino is a director with a love of old Hollywood. Old Hollywood where a hit would make you a movie star overnight. The same is true with superhero fare (but that is based on character, not star-power). Tarintino’s most recent work, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a love letter to this hey-day. Though one of his more reflective pieces the metaphors and commentary on present-day society are made loud and clear. The story is about a movie star, Rick Dalton as he comes to the realization that he is outdated and irrelevant. Not only is it a metaphor about the classic white movies star, but out the films which they were in. I won't speak any further to it as when you see it you will understand it.

When you are inside the superhero machine though, you gain perspective that others don't have. Anthony Mackie, the current Captain America had quite the revelation to say.

"There are no movie stars anymore," Mackie explained. "Like Anthony Mackie isn't a movie star. The Falcon is a movie star. And that's what's weird. It used to be with Tom Cruise and Will Smith and Stallone and Schwarzenegger, when you went to the movies, you went to see the Stallone movie. You went to see the Schwarzenegger movie. Now you go see X-Men. So the evolution of the superhero has meant the death of the movie star. "

He is 100% correct. 5 out of the 10 highest-grossing movies of all time were superhero movies. 3 more if those movies are pre-existing IP. Robert Downey Jr was one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood due to his portrayal of the iconic Iron Man.

But what do you all think? Will the superhero genre go the way of the western or is it here to stay? Time will surely tell.