Comic Book Movie Trend and the Overgrown Adolescent

[JollyMisanthropeParticipant 3356]

Believe me when I say that this isn’t me trying to man shame anybody, regardless of the tone of the title.

I’m just curious to see what others think about the idea that the male demographic for the movie industry is looked at as a bunch of overgrown kids that are only interested in mindless escapism in the form of super heroes.

I’m not bashing guys who are into comic books as I read the occasional graphic novel and watch these movies every once and awhile. It just seems like all we get as men are comic book hero movies and cookie cutter action flicks and nothing that I would consider mentally challenging and from the point of view of men that actually isn’t insulting to us on some level. We might get a more sophisticated drama but the male characters seem to always be some variation of the blue pill stereotype.

I’ve given up on modern movies for the most part, but just like with TV, I get the impression that we are just a bunch of knuckle dragging, double digit IQ morons in their eyes and the content we get is on par with that.

And let’s be honest, from a technical and storytelling standpoint these movies are cliche and predictable as f~~~. They all hit the same beats along the way in the exact same fashion. Somebody came up with a template for guaranteed box office money but the creative quality is generic s~~~.

The Children of Doom... Doom's Children. They told my lord the way to the Mountain of Power. They told him to throw down his sword and return to the Earth... Ha! Time enough for the Earth in the grave.

[hmskl’dParticipant 6442]

I’ve gone back to many of the older films – mostly pre 1960
some of these are in glorious black and white

Twelve O’Clock High 1949 – Gregory Peck

Patton 1970 – Geo. C. Scott

The Desert Rats 1953 – J. Mason, R.  Burton

The Man Who Never Was 1956 – C. Web, G. Grahame

The Longest Day 1962 – H. Fonda, J. Wayne, R. Mitchum, S. Connery, C. Jurgens

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – Alec Guinness as Geo. Smiley

The Young Lions 1958 – Brando, Martin, Clift

The Maigret Collection 2005 – Michael Gambone

The Enemy Below 1957 – dueling Captains Robert Mitchum versus Curt Jurgens – slightly antiquated feel but superlative plot

The Train 1964 – this is one my favorite films of all – Burt Lancaster

Run Silent, Run Deep 1958 – Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster

The Gallant Hours 1959-60 – another favorite – starring James Cagney as Admiral William F. ‘Bull’ Halsey

The Sherlock Holmes Feature Film Collection – Jeremy Brett

Murder In Mesopotamia 2001 – David Souchet as Detective Poirot DVD

[Zuberi TauParticipant 10606]

There’s no better way to keep the sheep distracted than flooding the market with comic book movies.

case closed….

 

[TheBardParticipant 974]

I think a better word would be Marvel movies lol. Look at the difference compared to DC movies. To this day people still talk about the Dark Knight Trilogy for what it represented. Even the Reeve Superman films are talked about sometimes. Now compare that to Marvels movies. They don’t have a movie like the Dark Knight in terms of people still talking about it. Even Avengers isn’t held in that high of a regard when you think about it. When discussing the Dark Knight people always talk about themes such as crime, anarchy, police vs vigilantism, chaos vs order, etc, but with Avengers none of that stuff is discussed. The most people bring up is some funny lines and “omg they were all together…and LOKI!” Even the most deepest Marvel movie so far, The Winter Solider, isn’t discussed like the Dark Knight. Man of Steel is even still talked bout for its themes and based off of that Batman v Superman trailer that movie is going to be very deep. There is also Suicide Squad coming up and it will be the same but this time taking the moral stance of can bad people do good things. The animated Suicide Squad movie, Assault on Arkham, did a good job at showing that and a bigger budge live action movie will sure do even more.

[JollyMisanthropeParticipant 3356]

TheBard wrote:

I think a better word would be Marvel movies lol. Look at the difference compared to DC movies. To this day people still talk about the Dark Knight Trilogy for what it represented. Even the Reeve Superman films are talked about sometimes. Now compare that to Marvels movies. They don’t have a movie like the Dark Knight in terms of people still talking about it. Even Avengers isn’t held in that high of a regard when you think about it. When discussing the Dark Knight people always talk about themes such as crime, anarchy, police vs vigilantism, chaos vs order, etc, but with Avengers none of that stuff is discussed. The most people bring up is some funny lines and “omg they were all together…and LOKI!” Even the most deepest Marvel movie so far, The Winter Solider, isn’t discussed like the Dark Knight. Man of Steel is even still talked bout for its themes and based off of that Batman v Superman trailer that movie is going to be very deep. There is also Suicide Squad coming up and it will be the same but this time taking the moral stance of can bad people do good things. The animated Suicide Squad movie, Assault on Arkham, did a good job at showing that and a bigger budge live action movie will sure do even more.

I agree that the DC movies are a lot better. Iron Man stinks, the X-men movies and spinoffs have been mediocre, Spiderman was so-so, etc.

I think Batman did well because he isn’t some superhuman powerhouse like the Hulk or Superman. His limitations are far greater and he has to innovate a lot more. The Punisher is another character I really like, same with the comic book Wolverine (not the Hugh Jackman version). Wolverine is more powered up but it’s not the same as Thor, Hulk, Silver Surfer, etc. I prefer the characters that have to rely on combat training and strategy.

The Children of Doom... Doom's Children. They told my lord the way to the Mountain of Power. They told him to throw down his sword and return to the Earth... Ha! Time enough for the Earth in the grave.

[RoyDalParticipant]

Sjur has listed some of my all time favorites. BTW, I just watched The Bridge on the River Kwai and The Guns of Navarone, and both beat most modern flicks hands down.

EDIT: My taste runs to action-adventure and comedy. I dislike romance, brooding introspection, and dysfunctional anything. A superannuated high school kid, that’s me.

Society asks MGTOWs: Why are you not making more tax-slaves?

[RennieParticipant]

I’ve been watching a miniseries from 1989 called War and Remembrance, based on the book by Herman Wouk. One of the best miniseries I’ve ever seen.

Also was watching Flight of the Phoenix(1960s) and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.

[BiG_WeaselParticipant 116]

Gonna out myself here- I love those movies.  They’re entertaining, and an spectacle.  I grew up in the late 80s-early 90s, when comics saw a huge resurgence, and these, to me, are vindication of being called “nerdy” for my hobby back in the day.  “We’re cool now!”

But, I also think we’re missing the bigger picture here.  The things I enjoy doing are mainly male-only activities (again, nerdy things like tabletop wargames, video games, etc).  These are exactly that, too.  They target guys in my age range (mid 30s-early 40s).  They an extension of a relatively male “safe space”.  They also attract boys and teenagers into that mostly male-oriented space.  You don’t see women as often setting out on a girls’ night out to go see The Dark Knight or the Avengers.  You don’t see women going by themselves to watch the Super Bowl over at Betty’s house.

I enjoy the things I enjoy because they get me outta the house (where I live with my GF), and around “the guys”.  They’re fun, interesting, and keep me occupied.  I think that’s something we’ve not really considered yet.

[narwhalParticipant]

eh.  I disagree.  I like my movies.  Sometimes I want intellectual stimulation, sometimes I want mindless fun.  I’m not sure how that makes me blue pill in any way.  For some, we can indulge into too much escapism and let it me a distraction from all the real world.  For others, it can be inspiration to deal with the struggles of the real world.

Just saw the new marvel movie last night.  Besides all the action, I am impressed with the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) in general.  No one before has attempted to tie in movies and tv series with multiple story lines and characters before.    There are also plenty of subplots in the latest movie.  They again bring up the trust factor, that these heroes struggle with trusting each other.   At the same time, they show that the team has evolved, they know each other better and utilize each other’s strengths better.   Ironman is willing to take risks to ‘end the war’ while Captain America wants to stick to his principles.  Banner struggles with the fact that he can’t control the hulk and may do more harm then good.  Hawkeye struggles with being a father and a hero, while knowing that he is a minor member of the team.  They bring up the dangers of artificial intelligence.  They bring up the idea that mankind is it’s own greatest enemy.  They bring up the question of what really is good and evil, with heroes switching sides in the middle of the movie.

No, I see some depth in these movies.  Probably not as much as the movies others reference, and certainly, you could watch a marvel movie and walk away without taking anything from it but mindless distraction.

 

Ok. Then do it.

[– Deleted on Request –Spectator 936]

I think it only shows that Hollywood is intellectually bankrupt because it can’t come up with good original concepts any more.  That’s one reason I like watching Turner Classic Movies.  There’s enough variety and enough good material that it’s worthwhile tuning in from time to time.

 

[RennieParticipant]

– Deleted on Request – wrote:

I think it only shows that Hollywood is intellectually bankrupt because it can’t come up with good original concepts any more. That’s one reason I like watching Turner Classic Movies. There’s enough variety and enough good material that it’s worthwhile tuning in from time to time.

It’s a shame too because there’s so many stories that would make for good movies that never even get consideration.

[sidecarParticipant 35874]

JollyMisanthrope wrote:

I’m just curious to see what others think about the idea that the male demographic for the movie industry is looked at as a bunch of overgrown kids that are only interested in mindless escapism in the form of super heroes.

I thought the whole point of the movies, especially the Marvel movies, was to expand the appeal of their franchise BEYOND adolescent males.

[– Deleted on Request –Spectator 936]

Rennie:

 

Indeed.  For example, with the many societies that exist in the world today, there must surely be enough material available from their histories and their sagas alone to make good movies for decades to come.

[TheBardParticipant 974]

I agree that the DC movies are a lot better. Iron Man stinks, the X-men movies and spinoffs have been mediocre, Spiderman was so-so, etc.

I think Batman did well because he isn’t some superhuman powerhouse like the Hulk or Superman. His limitations are far greater and he has to innovate a lot more. The Punisher is another character I really like, same with the comic book Wolverine (not the Hugh Jackman version). Wolverine is more powered up but it’s not the same as Thor, Hulk, Silver Surfer, etc. I prefer the characters that have to rely on combat training and strategy.

[/quote]

I have always liked all the Spider-Man movies, don’t understand all the hate for the Amazing series. Batman does do very well because he doesn’t have any powers. People seem to admire that a human training to the limit and risking his life to go out there and fight crime without relying on powers. Same with Green Arrow and why Arrow is popular.

narwhal wrote:

eh. I disagree. I like my movies. Sometimes I want intellectual stimulation, sometimes I want mindless fun. I’m not sure how that makes me blue pill in any way. For some, we can indulge into too much escapism and let it me a distraction from all the real world. For others, it can be inspiration to deal with the struggles of the real world.

Just saw the new marvel movie last night. Besides all the action, I am impressed with the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) in general. No one before has attempted to tie in movies and tv series with multiple story lines and characters before. There are also plenty of subplots in the latest movie. They again bring up the trust factor, that these heroes struggle with trusting each other. At the same time, they show that the team has evolved, they know each other better and utilize each other’s strengths better. Ironman is willing to take risks to ‘end the war’ while Captain America wants to stick to his principles. Banner struggles with the fact that he can’t control the hulk and may do more harm then good. Hawkeye struggles with being a father and a hero, while knowing that he is a minor member of the team. They bring up the dangers of artificial intelligence. They bring up the idea that mankind is it’s own greatest enemy. They bring up the question of what really is good and evil, with heroes switching sides in the middle of the movie.

No, I see some depth in these movies. Probably not as much as the movies others reference, and certainly, you could watch a marvel movie and walk away without taking anything from it but mindless distraction.

Well there isn’t really a problem. Not every superhero movie has to have deep meaning and not every superhero movie has to be mindless. I’ll see Age of Ultron this Saturday and it does look like it has some more serious tones like Winter Solider or a DC movie, but I think the blue pill stuff comes from the fact there are people who think the MCU does everything perfect and DC needs to follow it 100%. I like the MCU but it has its faults and could be improved in some areas. When Rotten Tomatoes gives Iron Man 3 a better score then Man of Steel that is when you have a blue pill problem lol. Man of Steel gets tons of s~~~ for issues that weren’t that big of a deal while Iron Man 3 has much bigger problems, but got a pass because it was a Marvel movie. I know everyone has different likes, but Iron Man 3 had way bigger plot holes then Man of Steel lol.

[FitzBonesParticipant 304]

I think this is overthought a little. I believe with the rising popularity of video games and other related things that Hollywood/Marvel is capitalizing on a rising trend.

Men arent being old-fashioned about life, where they just work themselves into an early grave to avoid the wife; theyre playing games and some of them dont bother with women at all(See the ‘sexodus’) and so with that on the increase then movies and other media will reflect that in order to appeal to more people, reach a larger audience and primarily make more money

"If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run,"

[KingOfTheSeaParticipant 1270]

Well, considering this seems right up my alleyway, I think it’s only fitting I put my two cents in:

What seems to be the topic at hand looks more geared towards Marvel’s films than DC’s. Personally, I love most of Marvel’s films. I know they have their flaws, and believe me when I say I could go on and on ad nauseam about the things I would do differently were I in charge of the whole thing, but I think they have their place. Yeah, when it comes to intellectual stimulation, most of Marvel’s films fall short with maybe only Winter Soldier really pressing buttons in that department, but I go because I believe there’s a need in our society for stories where the good guys win and the bad guys biff it on an epic level. I believe very much in the power of the stories we tell ourselves; I think anyone who is truly a MGTOW does because they’d HAVE to believe that women are told from birth until the day they die how valuable their role is and you better believe that’s where the entitlement attitude comes from. Heroes, I think, are symbolic. Batman and Iron Man are the power of innovation over natural born skill. Superman, Cap, and Spider-Man are about the role of responsibility for those of us who have been fortunate enough to have areas we excel in. That’s a large reason I was disappointed in Man of Steel: It wanted all the sales and props of being a Superman story but without any of the heart.

Then there’s the sheer spectacle of it. Sometimes, it’s good just to have fun and that’s one of the ways I choose to do it. I think there’s something to be said for the ability to unclench and enjoy life as it comes. KeyMaster once said in a thread something about how women are always nagging about wanting to be in a “serious relationship”, to which he replied, “Why would I want that? I’d want a FUN relationship.” Yeah, there are moments in life that sucked/currently suck/are going to suck, but part of the reason I personally joined MGTOW was because I wanted a life where I enjoyed myself, and women weren’t making that possible. Contemplating the world’s problems all the time isn’t going to solve them if there aren’t solutions present, so why NOT take a load off now and then? Just my opinion.

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