If you followed the reactions from comic book movie fans after watching Warner Brother's Batman V Superman on the various forums created for such responses, you would have seen (mostly) the following types of reviews: fans of comics in general who though the movie was ok (but had some major flaws), hardcore fans of Superman who hated the movie, hardcore fans of Batman who were somewhat mixed, and hardcore fans of the DC Extended Universe who were happy that it wasn't a Marvel style quip-fest made for children where the climax of the movie was a dance-off. For that last group of fans, anything close to a Marvel style movie would have been a huge disappointment, even if it meant more critical and financial success.
But just what is the "Marvel style"? Is it fair to call their movies a "quip fest"? Is it fair to call them "made for children"? Is it even fair to call it a unified style at all? Marvel movies certainly have a "feel" and they have been quite successful critically (all Marvel Studios are rated Fresh on Rotten Tommatoes) and financially, but just what do they share in common? What is it that makes a Marvel movie?
If you boil down a Marvel movie, to its basics, it will have the following: a likable protagonist with clear motivations and a good heart, a fairly straightforward plot, an upbeat tone with ample humor, an unlikable villain with clear motivations, and a happy ending. On top of that, throw in some super powers, add a few clear moments from the comic book sources, sprinkle in some Hero’s Journey elements, and top it all off with a dash of one of the standard crowd cheering moments (like the hero getting ready to meet the big bad).
Now you just need to pick your genre. Make it a redemption story and you have Iron Man. Make it a heist film and you have Ant-Man. Make it a team-up and you have The Avengers. Make it a buddy-cop movie and you have Thor: The Dark World.
Sounds simple. It isn’t, or at least it hasn’t been easy to repeat.
So are all Marvel movies quip-fests? Captain America: The Winter Soldier wasn’t, but it is seen by many as not really following the Marvel formula (for the better). So maybe this critique sticks. Are they made for children? Are comic books? Children aren’t buying all these movie tickets, so I think that insult misses the mark.
In the final analysis, Marvel Studios puts out some good, funny, and light-hearted comic book movies, and I think many fans of the DCEU wouldn’t mind if Warner Brothers took a page from their playbook for the next few DC based films.
What do you think? Sound off below.