Comic book movies continue to dominate on the big screen. This spring/summer saw the release of massive tentpoles such as Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Captain America: Civil War, and X-Men Apocalypse, all of which have made massive box office earnings. While critical reception to these films have been up and down, there's no denying that superheroes and their adventures resonate with audiences.
During an interview with Collider for The Conjuring 2, director James Wan (who is directing his own superhero film in DC's Aquaman) weighed in on why he thinks there's such a boom for this particular niche. "I think a big part of it is because we’re finally at the point where we can actually tell these larger than life stories and have the technology to make them work. That’s one factor, that we can create these whizz-bang visuals to go with the story and ultimately superheroes say a lot about the society we grow up in. Pretty much all the good superheroes have some kind of social commentary about why they are who they are. It teaches values and so it’s a very important thing. On one hand it works on a surface level because it’s super incredible to watch from a visual feast standpoint but on another level it works on a very human level it works on a very human, emotional level and I think it makes it fun for us."
There's been a lot of swirling talk from critics regarding "fatigue" in the genre, but given the booming success of certain films, it's probably safe to say that the genre is here to stay as long as the films continue to be full of great stories and interesting characters.
What do you make of Wan's comments? Sound off below!
About The Author:
Matt is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Journalism, and has been a fan of superheroes since he picked up his first comic book issue as a child. While he works as a professional musician, Matt has a massive passion for comic books, films and heroes, along with participating in discussion and debate with the CBM community.