Tom Hanks Offers Compelling Critique Of Superhero Cinema; Reveals Whether He's Spoke To Marvel Or DC

Tom Hanks Offers Compelling Critique Of Superhero Cinema; Reveals Whether He's Spoke To Marvel Or DC

It's become all too common for superhero movies to receive overly harsh criticism, but screen icon Tom Hanks has chimed in with his take and it's undeniably compelling. Could we see him in a Marvel movie?

By JoshWilding - Nov 04, 2024 09:11 AM EST
Filed Under: Marvel Studios

Superhero movies frequently receive hate from Hollywood veterans; look no further than comments from the likes of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola for proof of that! 

While the genre remains incredibly successful, it's been a trying few years. Marvel Studios has delivered its first "Rotten" movies and a few box office bombs. The less said about the DCEU's dying days the better and when it comes to Sony...well, Sony gonna Sony. 

Today, screen icon Tom Hanks has shared his take on the rise and recent struggles of comic book movies. 

The Toy Story and Forest Gump star argues that the familiarity of these characters means they no longer make us feel the way they once did. As a result, audiences now demand more from the genre and want stronger stories to go with all the flashy action scenes. 

Here are Hanks' comments in full:

"The thing is, it's actually meeting up right with the state of the art. Never mind the commerce. The state of the industry right now. The great thing that happened was...remember in the 1970s and 80s, they tried to do TV versions of Captain America and Spider-Man and even Batman. The Adam West Batman. The technology did not exist to make it look like it did in the comic books. Now it does. You can do anything at all. You could probably say the Christopher Reeve Superman was the first one that came close because the cutting edge of the technology right there allowed for wire removal. 'You will believe a man can fly' and, you know what, we all did when we saw. It was quite extraordinary."

"I think we are now enjoying the luxury of riches because you can make anything happen on screen. We are being brought back to the concept, 'Okay, that's true, but what is the story.' Without a doubt now, I've used this analogy before so I apologise, you can drain Lake Michigan and fill it with cuckoo clocks and form a three-headed dragon that breathes fire and destroys the city of Chicago. You can do that but to what purpose is the end of the day? What's the story and what's it going to be saying about us?"

"I think there was a period of time, and I felt that way too, where we would see these fantastic movies either DC or MCU in order to see these better versions of ourselves. 'God, I feel like an X-Man sometimes. I'm as confused as Spider-Man. I'm as angry as Batman is and I love my country as much as Captain America. I would like to emulate all those guys.' I think we've been down that road and had probably 20 years, 15 years, to explore that kind of thing and now I think we're in an evolutionary place of, 'And the story is what? And the theme is what? And the point of this movie is what?'"

"That's a good challenge for any filmmaker, it might just not land in the roundhouse for the industry. The industry often says, 'Well, this works and it will work again.' The audience is far ahead of it. They see the familiar and say, 'I've seen that already. What's next?' It's not just eye-popping stuff, it's what's the story? Tell me about myself. We're in new territory."

It's hard to argue with this assessment and that new territory is something we're seeing Marvel Studios attempt to explore with the likes of The Fantastic Four: First Steps and Agatha All Along

Venom, for example, was a hit in 2018 because it delivered something new; a madcap buddy comedy with Tom Hardy getting used to sharing his body with an alien. Two movies later, interest in the franchise has dipped because fans and moviegoers alike want more. 

Hanks was also asked whether he's met with Kevin Feige or James Gunn. "No. No, I think it's because...I'm not in their wheelhouse. I'm not against it, I guess, but at the same time...I will tell you this right now, my combo plate is quite full. I've got a lot of stuff that I'm dreaming of and trying to make happen."

Watch the full interview in the player below.

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The1st
The1st - 11/4/2024, 9:48 AM
Bingo!
tylerzero
tylerzero - 11/4/2024, 10:06 AM
@The1st -

This is how I heard it in my head...

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Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 11/4/2024, 9:48 AM
He compels so good
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 11/4/2024, 9:52 AM
Tom Hanks has so many good credits in life that if you read an article tomorrow morning that read:

"Tom Hanks punches a nun"

The first thing you'd wonder is: What did that nun do to deserve being punched by Tom Hanks?!
FrankenDad
FrankenDad - 11/4/2024, 10:04 AM
@lazlodaytona - that’s the reaction I had when he muscled that photographer away from his wife last year. Leave Hanx alone!
kg8817
kg8817 - 11/4/2024, 9:59 AM
Tom Hanks for MCU Uncle Ben in flashbacks. Make it happen Marvel.
Truoptimusprime
Truoptimusprime - 11/4/2024, 10:32 AM
@kg8817 - It doesn't have to be flashbacks I don't think Uncle Ben was ever mentioned in the MCU. We may get an Uncle Ben in the new Spidey movies, Tom Hanks would be a dream 🤔!
Urubrodi
Urubrodi - 11/4/2024, 10:57 AM
@Truoptimusprime - True, they never say he’s dead, for all we know May could have divorced him long ago.
90caliber
90caliber - 11/4/2024, 1:13 PM
@kg8817 - Joe Pesci is the only Uncle Ben I want to see. They just gotta do it.
Superheromoviefan
Superheromoviefan - 11/4/2024, 10:00 AM
Seems pretty much right
FrankenDad
FrankenDad - 11/4/2024, 10:03 AM
My man!
MaximusTheMad
MaximusTheMad - 11/4/2024, 10:13 AM
Tom Hanks is right. Superhero movies are now facing the same problem as the comics themselves did back in the 60's.

Cool looking stuff and costumes isn't enough anymore.

You have to introduce relevance to life and the human condition.

That's why James Gunn's movies are so beloved. GOTG, Peacemaker and Suicide Squad were written as crazy flawed people just like us.





ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 11/4/2024, 2:41 PM
@MaximusTheMad - It's true, it's like the movies are following the same creative path of discovery that the comics tread before them.

The Golden Age was all spectacle, most (not all) superheroes were just the same archetypal person with a slightly different costume each time.

Then in the Silver Age Stan Lee started to write character more fully and both Marvel and DC's world-building was more on point.

Then in the Bronze Age they started to get into more of the real world (diversity, grittiness, social issues like drugs, etc.) and as such story became more important here and there. Strides were being made.

But it wasn't until the Copper Age/Dark Age that story really became important and graphic novels became recognised as a literary artform.
(aside from Image comics, who at the time regressed into a more golden age spectacle and style over substance).

We've made a few strides towards story based stuff. I'd equate things like The Dark Knight Trilogy to Neil and Adamas DC stuff for example. But we've yet to get like a Watchmen (aside from the actual Watchmen movie and other adaptations of classic GNs, but they didn't have quite the impact on cbm cinema that they did on comics).

I feel like some good shit could be coming down the pipeline in the future. That now people want to take these great visuals and characters and worlds and really tell important and meaningful stories that are worthwhile with them.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 11/4/2024, 11:23 PM
@MaximusTheMad - 🎯 Problem is, too many "feelings conductors" will never allow polarizing stories that will inspire you to think. They no longer are even interested in entertaining tales. They only prostitute images that were popular in past times by utilizing known characters to infect unpopular ideologies to the masses. The 💩 is not even working financially, yet they continue to dish out more bland flops.
Baf
Baf - 11/4/2024, 10:16 AM
In his prime I could see him as Marvel's Bruce Banner or Reed Richards. In DC, Ray Palmer or Ted Kord.
DarthAlgar
DarthAlgar - 11/4/2024, 11:35 AM
@Baf - I could see him as Hank Pym.
supermanrex
supermanrex - 11/4/2024, 10:17 AM
he could totally be the star comic book movies need to help redefine the genre from the familiar to the relevant and hard hitting again. blending heart felt with spectacle and bringing a pause to the industry to not just pump shit out left and right *ahem* sony im looking at you. MCU almost went the sony path but Iger thankfully stepped back in and pumped the brakes a little. Who knows maybe some of these incels will shut up if we started getting great stories to go along with some of the diversity they are having a hard time swallowing.
slickrickdesigns
slickrickdesigns - 11/4/2024, 10:21 AM
Tom Hanks for president of Earth!
Gambito
Gambito - 11/4/2024, 10:23 AM
Preach Tom excellent take now please play Mad Hatter in a Batman movie!!
thedrudo
thedrudo - 11/4/2024, 10:24 AM
Echoing others here in saying he's not wrong.
Conquistador
Conquistador - 11/4/2024, 10:24 AM
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I feel he's one of the only people that won't ruin my expectation of him would i be lucky enough to meet him! Who doesn't love Tom Hanks!
NickScryer
NickScryer - 11/4/2024, 10:25 AM
I guess not many people resonate with flawless heroes that do everything infinitely better.
Forthas
Forthas - 11/4/2024, 10:26 AM
Kind of agree and kind of don't! He is right to say that people want films that tell them about themselves. This is exactly why I prefer the character driven films over the fantasy spectacle that so many on this site keep harping on about. Where I disagree with Hanks is that studios are not doing things that are different. They HAVE tried to do things differently and that is also the problem. That is how we went from a compelling character analysis of Joker then inexplcably followed it up with a musical. There was a blueprint for consistently succesful CBM films that Christopher Nolan tapped into that to this day is still successful and still garners critical and box office success. The grounded character driven films like the Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel, Joker and The Batman and now on TV Penguin. For some oddball reason the studios keeps wanting to change that instead of build on it despite its consistent success in favor of the likes of James Gunn whose films say nothing about people but are filled with cheap jokes and special effects to lead the direction of their superhero films.
DarthAlgar
DarthAlgar - 11/4/2024, 11:29 AM
@Forthas - Just admit that you want James Gunn to peg you and move on.

Nobody is buying it anymore.
The1st
The1st - 11/4/2024, 1:20 PM
@Forthas - I don't disagree, but we'll find out in a year or so I suppose.

Also...more strange sexual innuendo above.
Forthas
Forthas - 11/4/2024, 1:23 PM
@The1st - "...more strange sexual innuendo above."

Yeah! REALLY CREEPY! It would be one thing if he/she was responding to me insulting him/her, but it is just out of some misguided defense of someone I presume they do not know otherwise they would be in his next film.
MahN166A
MahN166A - 11/4/2024, 10:29 AM
The over exertion of pumping these comic book films out is a huge detriment to the genre.
When they knew they had a success story with the MCU they went further beyond and made it to where the output of characters no one truly cared for in the first place for the majority ended up being the reason why there was a lack of focus on character development and story.
Add in to the mix all the stories we ourselves heard about visual effects artists and writers being overworked and some of them going on strike to send a message. Variables in the equation that ultimately led to a low point within the genre where we began to make that comparison of, “it ain’t nothing like the Infinity Saga”.

Mind you, even the infinity saga had its missteps.

But even the movies before the established MCU had missteps which eventually got us here. Also once again being highlighted in the credits of DP&W.

It’s just one of those things. Hanks is right. Put a shit load of fantastical elements together but why are they there? Are they cohesive to the story? What is the story behind them?

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bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/4/2024, 10:33 AM
Is that even a critique? It's pretty much hitting the nail on it's head imo. It can all look great, but the story and characters have to be compelling to stick around for.
LSHF
LSHF - 11/4/2024, 10:44 AM
@bkmeijer1 - It didn't read like a critique, but more like a suggestion about how to make the films even better.

A critique is negative. He sounded positive.

But negative word(s) can draw more attention.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/4/2024, 11:19 AM
@LSHF - yeah, it's kinda clickbait-y. Could've called it "his perspective", because that's what it is. And one that goes for all movies imo
The1st
The1st - 11/4/2024, 1:22 PM
@bkmeijer1 - True, but for every one of us there's someone saying Venom movies are great, etc...and Hollywood doubles down.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 11/4/2024, 2:03 PM
@The1st - people don't even need to say it. The franchise made almost 2bil at the box office on 110 million budgets. Sony's definitely doubling down without taking Hanks' words to heart
GeneralZod
GeneralZod - 11/4/2024, 10:33 AM
He's right. Story matters and characters matter. That's what made the 2008 to 2019 Phase 1/2/3 run so interesting and, consequently, successful. The special effects are taken for granted. The characters have to be authentic and the stories have to be good. And both have to be agenda-free or you will lose the broader audience.
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