The Marvel Cinematic Universe is easily one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of the film industry. What started off as a contained, ambitious film called Iron Man, somehow blossomed into a vibrant world on the big screen. Linking together a grand total of 27 different movies and television shows. Yet even after all of that they're showing no signs of slowing down.
There's a level of interaction and collusion between the characters brought to life in these movies which was once upon a time delegated solely to comic books, and they've shone the spotlight onto so many different corners of the Marvel universe that the world which they created legitimately feels as it were a real place, a place where these characters actually live outside the bounds of the films and shows. Nobody could have expected this after seeing Iron Man in 2008, even after watching the infamous end credit scene. Not only did they accomplish all of this for themselves, they prompted a multitude of other studios into attempting to recreate the same spark. From the epic failure that was Fant4stic to the pleasant surprise we got in Wonder Woman this year, these other properties have been largely hit or miss, with only Marvel staying so consistent.
Unfortunately however, with the way things are going I'll no longer be tuning in after Avengers 4. I've spent the last 4 or 5 years infatuated with these films, and have watched every single one to date... but something isn't right, and unless Marvel starts changing their tactics then these movies will slowly fade from relevance. It seems hard to imagine as of now - I mean- these things make hundreds of millions of dollars, but slowly but surely the fatigue is starting to set in. This has been looming over the studio for the past two or three years now, and more and more people are starting to express their dissatisfaction with the way they're handling these movies.
Now, of course 90% of the MCU consists of - at the very least - good movies, and I wouldn't ever call any one an outright bad film. It's just that they're becoming too formulaic. Our heroes are faced with a huge faceless threat, they quip and quip away, lots of awesome action, even more awesome action for the final act. The first 10 times we saw this it was out of this world, because before Marvel somehow pulled it off that type of thing was unheard of. However after 17 movies... it's time to change things up.
At this point the only reason I keep seeing the new movies is for the characters I know and love, and for the resolution coming with Avengers 4. Even the newer editions such as Doctor Strange and Ant Man I just can't bring myself to care about nearly as much. I'm invested in RDJ as Tony Stark, and Chris Evans as Captain America, I want to know how their story ends. I just can't bring myself to overtly care for the newer characters as Disney is using the same rubric for them as they did with the first batch of heroes.
The good news is, there's a way to resolve this. We're surprisingly already seeing this from another studio, Fox. Fox has taken the X-Men franchise and distanced themselves from the MCU in a meaningful way. Instead of the typical astronomical scaled superhero popcorn flick, they're contributing to the genre in a far smarter way. They saw people growing bored of the MCU style of things and decided to move in a different direction, by creating "genre" films. Instead of Deadpool being a lighthearted PG 13 neutering of the grotesque character fans know and love, they chose to make a raunchy hard R comedy. This same tactic worked out even better with Logan, which showed the final chapter of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine through the lens of a dark, contained, gritty, once again R rated western esque film. And they're only continuing down this path with The New Mutants, which is a bonafide horror movie. Think about that... a horror movie set in the Marvel universe. How awesome is that? This phenomenon is a major part of the reason why the Captain American franchise has been such a hit.
The First Avenger was a typical Marvel superhero epic, but before it was overused. The Winter Soldier was an incredibly well done ode to classic spy movies, and Civil War took the typical MCU shtick and threw it in a blender. Creating a story on the big screen which absolutely screams MCU, while still managing to be one of the most unique films in the franchise. I just hope this trend carries over into their other properties. I want to see the romantic comedy about Bruce Banner/Hulk and his relationship with Black Widow, as they travel the world trying to save their failing romance. I'd kill to watch a legal drama about Tony Stark being faced with serious legal repercussions for causing the death of so many people when saving the world, and how his entire life is falling apart around him due to this. Hell, I'd even love to watch a classic swashbuckling pirate adventure about the Guardians sailing the seas on a planet they're stranded on. My point is, I just want something different, and more importantly unique.
Disney is much overdue for a change in style. If they don't want their films to fade away in the next few years, and if they want to maintain the critical acclaim they've been receiving for the past decade they're going to need to move in a different direction. Fox saw this coming, and after X Men Apocalypse they sure learned their lesson. The only problem is that Disney/Marvel is a much larger entity, and their current approach makes them boat loads of money. So I'm worried they won't change until it's too late... At any rate, if they continue as they are I'm checking out after the fourth Avengers movie.