We love TV shows, especially Superhero ones but recently the Superhero movie business has taken over and become more popular then the shows once were. There are so many great movies people are starting to debate whether Superhero movies are their own genre. Here at SuperToons we would like to take a brief moment and discuss why this isn’t the case.
Saying a Superhero movie is its own genre limits it immensely. A genre has a type of expectation and idea associated with it. For example, a comedy gives people the idea they are going to laugh and have a good light hearted time while a scary horror movie will get people ready to be scared. But what would a Superhero movie be? Would you get ready for action? The good guys winning? There is no set expectation because Superhero movies have so much range.
No two superhero movies are the same whether its DC or Marvel. Of course the two have their differences in story-telling and that right there makes it hard for a genre to be formed. Marvel is mostly interested in action, laughs, and never takes itself to seriously. DC loves to have thick plots and make everything as grounded as possible by having in-depth explanations for the heroes superpowers and abilities. Lets start with “The Dark Knight Rises”, TDKR has an in-depth explanation on who Bane is and they even changed the whole venom situation to make it seem more realistic. In the comics Bane gets his powers from a Venom surging through his body but in TDKR he’s just even more in shape and a better fighter then Batman is. Batman is eventually broken and needs to recover while Bane rules Gotham. This movie has a lot of ups and downs and seems to be a redemption story of some sorts with Batman coming back to save the day like he always does. It is very intense and involves the whole notion of Batman being a symbol not an actual person. This seems much more like a suspense and a thriller then a “Superhero movie”. Lets look at the other side of things, Marvel’s “The Avengers” is all about fun and action. The Avengers are assembled, bicker amongst themselves, fight, then together save NYC and the world. The plot is pretty simple, aliens want to take over so the worlds mightiest heroes must assemble in order to save it. There are themes and major plot points but none of them are hard to figure out or understand. So you tell me which ones is a “Superhero Movie”.
Even within studios there are different types of movies. We just spoke on how much action and fun Avengers was but there are movies such as “Captain America: Winter Solider” that offer way more story and suspense. Winter Solider, re-introduces one of Captain Americas biggest allies and shows his transformation. The movie takes on a lot of political ideas and debates as well. SHIELD has to much control in Captain America’s mind and seems to be controlling people instead of protecting them. This movie takes the shape of a political thriller and is even reminiscent of a spy film.
We believe that the whole point of these movies is to show flexibility and how they can be anything the studio wants them to be. We here at SuperToons would love to hear your feedback on if there is a “Superhero genre” and what it is.
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