Superhero movies have a problem — they stopped being super.
Just a few years ago, comic book adaptations were titans at the box office capable of garnering mega sales and critical praise. But as of late, they have found themselves in a rut.
Yes, they’re still profitable, but their quality severely decreased as the genre’s quantity increased.
Most of the latest superhero blockbusters find themselves retracing similar plot points. In 2016 alone, we have three superhero movies centered on conflict between supposed allies.
“Captain America: Civil War,” “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “X-Men: Apocalypse” all tread across this territory, with “Batman v. Superman” being the first of the trio to hit screens.
All three of these movies will have vastly different characters with different mythologies and histories, but it doesn’t erase the fact studio executives have decided 2016 is the year they all have the same basic plot.
“Batman v. Superman,” one of the most highly anticipated superhero films of all time, left audiences and critics disappointed — myself included. Many of the criticisms revolve on the film’s unnecessary length, overly serious plot and Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Superman.
I understand Superman isn’t human, but the character still has a sense of humanity. Henry Cavill might as well be a corpse out of “The Walking Dead.”
Seriously, the CGI-made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have more personality than Henry Cavill’s Superman. This is a character who’s supposed to struggle with his humanity, not be void of it.
The only thing working about Henry Cavill’s Superman is how his pecs look in that spandex.
However, despite its many criticisms, the Justice League prologue has managed to already rake in $682 million worldwide. People are willing to shell out money to see their favorite heroes duke it out on the big screen even, if the movie is basically trash.
That’s a problem. Superhero movies haven’t always sucked, so why should we accept these lesser quality sequels and reboots now?
If moviegoers keep flocking to theaters, studios will simply put these things out as fast as possible in order to keep making money.
Sure, they all can’t be on the same level as Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” trilogy, but they can at least be better than “Batman v. Superman.”
So far, the genre’s best flick this year was “Deadpool.” The R-rated blockbuster made fun of itself and stereotypical tropes to further highlight the repetitiveness that’s ridden the genre.
Maybe the criticisms from “Deadpool” and the mediocrity of “Batman v Superman” will reignite creativity for filmmakers similar to what “Scream” did for the horror genre in the ‘90s.
If not, we always have the upcoming, female-driven “Wonder Woman” to look forward to. At least the patriarchy can be brought to justice.
John Gavin Harp is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from St. Francisville, Louisiana.