Am I the only one that hates superhero movies (rant)?
- Thread starter Birdie
- Start date
voice in the crowd
Sr Member
In reply to the original thread topic -
Am I the only one that hates superhero movies (rant)?
My answer is a straight NO
I cannot agree with you more on all your points about modern superhero movies.
There is the odd one that sneaks through the net and passes as being OK but the rest are pretty much the same as each other.
They are all visual spectacles that lack substance and are very forgettable.
Am I the only one that hates superhero movies (rant)?
My answer is a straight NO
I cannot agree with you more on all your points about modern superhero movies.
There is the odd one that sneaks through the net and passes as being OK but the rest are pretty much the same as each other.
They are all visual spectacles that lack substance and are very forgettable.
Colin Droidmilk
Sr Member
For me, the only watchable superhero movies are Superman 1 and 2 and the 60s Batman movie. The first Keaton Batmovie is OK I suppose, but that's it.
Last edited:
Thank you, Birdie!
I agree 100%.
Putting aside the first Superman movie which rocked, and the first Batman movie which was okay, all these other cookie-cutter comic book character (I refuse to call them all "superheroes") movies...
SUCK!
The Wook
ps~Was totally bored the other night and watched Thor. What a steaming pile of garbage! Natalie Portman oughta be embarrassed to be associated with that "movie".
outlander
Sr Member
You know who I was referring to, twerp. I care so little for American pop-culture I'm not even gonna look up the spelling of their name.
Oh, I get it. You're a funny guy. Not ***** funny... like "Ha Ha" funny. Hope that works out for you. Maybe you could make a career out of it. Thanks for contributing to the discussion. Later I plan on misspelling something that I post from my IPhone touchscreen. Maybe you should lurk until that happens and then spring forward and point it out. That's always hilarious and convinces everyone that you are really, really intellectual. Chicks dig it. Just ask Big Mac.
crabra comander
Master Member
Yeah, Batman isn't a "super hero" per say, so everyone talking about Batman movies being good is irrelevant...just saying.
And Ironman didn't it suck. That's all I got...
And don't look up the yahoo answer definition of super hero, or Wikipedia...
And Ironman didn't it suck. That's all I got...
And don't look up the yahoo answer definition of super hero, or Wikipedia...
Why? Who gets to define what a superhero is? That they have to have super-powers? You? Since when?
I have a tendency to see the world through 'the end of the movie version of The Mist' coloured spectacles, which maybe another reason why these things don't resonate at all with me.
I liked Watchmen.
JMChladek
Sr Member
I can understand and empathize. Many of the "super hero" films to come out over the past two to five years I have not gone to see. Last two I saw in theaters were Iron Man 1 and Captain America. I saw Iron Man not so much for the hero angle necessarily, but because I wanted to see how they would handle the billionare weapons contractor angle. And I wasn't disappointed as Stark handled the thing like it was a new toy until he found out he needed to use it for something better (it was a good story IMHO and I loved it). I have Iron Man 2 on DVD and watched it a couple times, but there I didn't feel it had the magic of the first one as then it got down to the classic plot device of "guy who feels he or his family was wronged takes revenge out on hero guy". Gee, we haven't seen THAT before, have we? Spiderman 1 was good, Spiderman 2 was good I thought, Spiderman 3 was kind of meh IMHO as they ran into the classic "Batman" trap of thinking "more" equals "better" and it doesn't. If they had kept it as just Spidey vs. Sandman with Peter going for revenge on the guy he perceived as the one who killed his uncle (until he finds out that is a dumb idea), I felt it would have been a better more cohesive story for a two hour film with more drama. I go for stuff like that, not necessarily the comic book super hero smash squad orgy.
Captain America was a little different as that was more escapist fun in the style of the Rocketeer (also directed by Joe Johnson), Sky Captain and the Indiana Jones films. Sure the guy was musclebound, but it was to me more of a mythology of a hero rather than say a super hero piece of today (Avengers will be that). To me, it was a very enjoyable stand alone piece.
Other than those two films I recently went to the theater to see, I did not see the latest X-Men film, I didn't go to Green Lantern, the Hulk 2.0 reboot (Hulk is a VERY tough property to do since he is more anti-hero. The 70s television show I think had the right touch for how to approach it) or Thor.
I don't necessarily know if I want to see the new Spiderman film, but I probably will see Avengers just for Iron Man and Captain America. I also have not seen the Chris Nolan Dark Knight films as I'm kind of Batmaned out right now since Tim Burton took the 1989 reboot and turned it into one of his weirdo live action dark and brooding "Nightmare Before Christmas" look (which he seems to be doing again with "Dark Shadows," can he do ANYTHING ELSE other than weird ass twisted black background crap lit darkly?). Then Joel Schumacher had to go and wreck it even worse by taking it more comedy and over the top "disco" in appearance. I know, I hear the Nolan reboots are great with good story as a prime factor over seeing how many stars they can cram into a film, but I may not watch them until the final film is out and I can watch ALL of them back to back. And since the next film will likely be the last of the bunch, I don't have to worry about some open ended storyline plot device at the end of it.
As for Blade, I consider him a hero since he goes around splashing suckheads. I know, I know, the character is more "anti-hero" than hero. But, in a sense he isn't much different from Batman (both have the hot car, the cool toys and park in places where they keep their high tech gadgets). Plus, both tend to go out of their way to protect innocents.
Captain America was a little different as that was more escapist fun in the style of the Rocketeer (also directed by Joe Johnson), Sky Captain and the Indiana Jones films. Sure the guy was musclebound, but it was to me more of a mythology of a hero rather than say a super hero piece of today (Avengers will be that). To me, it was a very enjoyable stand alone piece.
Other than those two films I recently went to the theater to see, I did not see the latest X-Men film, I didn't go to Green Lantern, the Hulk 2.0 reboot (Hulk is a VERY tough property to do since he is more anti-hero. The 70s television show I think had the right touch for how to approach it) or Thor.
I don't necessarily know if I want to see the new Spiderman film, but I probably will see Avengers just for Iron Man and Captain America. I also have not seen the Chris Nolan Dark Knight films as I'm kind of Batmaned out right now since Tim Burton took the 1989 reboot and turned it into one of his weirdo live action dark and brooding "Nightmare Before Christmas" look (which he seems to be doing again with "Dark Shadows," can he do ANYTHING ELSE other than weird ass twisted black background crap lit darkly?). Then Joel Schumacher had to go and wreck it even worse by taking it more comedy and over the top "disco" in appearance. I know, I hear the Nolan reboots are great with good story as a prime factor over seeing how many stars they can cram into a film, but I may not watch them until the final film is out and I can watch ALL of them back to back. And since the next film will likely be the last of the bunch, I don't have to worry about some open ended storyline plot device at the end of it.
As for Blade, I consider him a hero since he goes around splashing suckheads. I know, I know, the character is more "anti-hero" than hero. But, in a sense he isn't much different from Batman (both have the hot car, the cool toys and park in places where they keep their high tech gadgets). Plus, both tend to go out of their way to protect innocents.
allosaur176
Sr Member
on a message forum chock full of geeks, you ask that question????
Alan Cross
Sr Member
Here's why I LOVE super hero movies. (At least the good ones.) It's because I read the comic books when I was a kid. And now, forty years later, it's INSANE to see simple colored drawing come to life, and crafted with a degree of care and realism. Plus, something I was a fan of as a kid has now become A LIST movie material. Makes me feel vindicated for being a fan of comic books to begin with.
I read 2000AD. Ultraviolent tales of dystopian futures, charismatic anti-heroes and intelligent subtext about our own society.
All that goody-two shoes hero stuff is just boring beyond belief to me. I like fun, turn ya brain off movies as much as the next guy, so-long they have zombies in them.
I think it's just a complete disconnect in what I find enjoyable in a movie. I want to be entertained, yes, but above all, I want to be provoked, challenged, gripped in a way I'll be talking or thinking about it for days to come, not forgetting it the next day.
My willing suspension of disbelief only has so much give, and one man's thrill-a minute rollercoaster is another's puking under the seat :lol
I'm mystified by the 'what're you doing here if you don't like the 'geek dress up for the premiere movies', too.
Blade Runner. Alien. Aliens. District 9. 12 Monkeys. Dawn of the Dead. Sunshine. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, Kill Bill, Drive, Inception, Moon etc etc
See what I'm getting at? The geek 'argue about it for months looking for hidden meanings' movies are just as big currency here.
Geek horses for geek courses.
And to the guys that keep saying 'I don't care what you like', or 'I love 'em' without further elaboration, what's your point? From the title of the thread to everything I written, I've acknowleged how I'm in the minority.
From the title of my thread, I would have been quite happy just to see the posts from The Wook, Voice in the Crowd and the few others agreeing with me so's I know I'm not alone, as well as those who have contributed responses explaining how these movies tap into various wells (nostalgia, escape from bleak times, the need for strong role models etc) which is why they are appealing.
If you are just butt-hurt from the title, I'm not interested, sorry. As already stated, ad-infinitum, It wasn't intended as a troll.
All that goody-two shoes hero stuff is just boring beyond belief to me. I like fun, turn ya brain off movies as much as the next guy, so-long they have zombies in them.
I think it's just a complete disconnect in what I find enjoyable in a movie. I want to be entertained, yes, but above all, I want to be provoked, challenged, gripped in a way I'll be talking or thinking about it for days to come, not forgetting it the next day.
My willing suspension of disbelief only has so much give, and one man's thrill-a minute rollercoaster is another's puking under the seat :lol
I'm mystified by the 'what're you doing here if you don't like the 'geek dress up for the premiere movies', too.
Blade Runner. Alien. Aliens. District 9. 12 Monkeys. Dawn of the Dead. Sunshine. The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, Kill Bill, Drive, Inception, Moon etc etc
See what I'm getting at? The geek 'argue about it for months looking for hidden meanings' movies are just as big currency here.
Geek horses for geek courses.
And to the guys that keep saying 'I don't care what you like', or 'I love 'em' without further elaboration, what's your point? From the title of the thread to everything I written, I've acknowleged how I'm in the minority.
From the title of my thread, I would have been quite happy just to see the posts from The Wook, Voice in the Crowd and the few others agreeing with me so's I know I'm not alone, as well as those who have contributed responses explaining how these movies tap into various wells (nostalgia, escape from bleak times, the need for strong role models etc) which is why they are appealing.
If you are just butt-hurt from the title, I'm not interested, sorry. As already stated, ad-infinitum, It wasn't intended as a troll.
Last edited:
Too Much Garlic
Master Member
Like most things there are good and there are bad. The rogue adventurer movie with a hidden treasure hunt is also very, boringly similar. Main character finds something that leads to another clue and another clue on a quest to find some hidden something that's worth loads only to have the place it is stored crash down around him and barely escaping and most of the time he/she loses the treasure, but comes away with an experience, and the world around him/her couldn't care less. IT NEARLY ALWAYS HAPPENS THIS WAY... and it's getting boring. National Treasure was a crap movie... but it actually had the hero come out with the treasure and share it with the world.
Super hero movies... YIKES... random character gets supered, learns his/her powers, have to fight some evil adversary, has the girl friend kidnapped by the bad guy, ends up killing said bad guy. End of story. LAME. I liked superhero comics in my youth, because... they were not just about the cool abilities and the fancy fighting and the bad guys you had to beat... it was also about what happened inbetween all that... the things that was missed out on... the regrets... those who got hurt... not just the girlfriend getting abducted by the bad guy all the time.
Movies are great when they don't just follow the standard recipe. Or at least turns things on their heads. It's lazy formulaic writing... and is almost just as annoying as those writers who build and build and build up to something... and then fails to deliver.
Super hero movies... YIKES... random character gets supered, learns his/her powers, have to fight some evil adversary, has the girl friend kidnapped by the bad guy, ends up killing said bad guy. End of story. LAME. I liked superhero comics in my youth, because... they were not just about the cool abilities and the fancy fighting and the bad guys you had to beat... it was also about what happened inbetween all that... the things that was missed out on... the regrets... those who got hurt... not just the girlfriend getting abducted by the bad guy all the time.
Movies are great when they don't just follow the standard recipe. Or at least turns things on their heads. It's lazy formulaic writing... and is almost just as annoying as those writers who build and build and build up to something... and then fails to deliver.
I like your helmets.
I don't hate them, I just think most of them are not very entertaining due to bad direction and screenwriting, in the sense that I want a movie to keep me hooked to the story regardless of the SFX. The blockbuster effects can be fun, but after a while it all becomes much the same. The problem is with superhero movies is that they're almost impossible to have any real emotional investment in. In a big, grandiose action sequence I want to be on the edge of my seat but very few blockbuster films (not just superhero films- I'm looking at you Clash of the ***, Transformers, G.I.Joe and so on...) draw you in enough. Even if the effects are great, nothing there screams innovation... there's nothing there that warrants my attention. They're just so pointless most of the time.
It takes a very skilled director to get you emotionally invested in a story where you know that the key characters will not die. In Star Trek (another genre of course) we all can be pretty darn sure that the principle cast will be around at the end of the episode, but take "The Best of Both Worlds"- for a while there you could almost believe that Picard really was gone. That's the kind of skilfully executed suspense-grabbing I want to see in a superhero flick.
I thought the first two X-men movies (and to a lesser extent, Wolverine) were great. Burton's and Nolan's Bat-movies were great. Donner's Superman films were great. It's just that most of the others just follow the same cookie-cutter formula, which is so utterly boring. I thought Iron Man and Captain America were "OK" but they didn't leave any lasting impression. IN the end it boils down to a lot of interested parties having too much at stake, too much invested and too much input into how they get made. I can't think of ANY good movie that was "made by committee". I'm HOPING that Joss Whedon has been able to work some magic into the Avengers.
I don't' mean that they have to have deep tragic moments or convoluted emotional subplots- I just don't want them to feel like they're just ticking off the check boxes. Surprise me, challenge my expectations... do something special.
It takes a very skilled director to get you emotionally invested in a story where you know that the key characters will not die. In Star Trek (another genre of course) we all can be pretty darn sure that the principle cast will be around at the end of the episode, but take "The Best of Both Worlds"- for a while there you could almost believe that Picard really was gone. That's the kind of skilfully executed suspense-grabbing I want to see in a superhero flick.
I thought the first two X-men movies (and to a lesser extent, Wolverine) were great. Burton's and Nolan's Bat-movies were great. Donner's Superman films were great. It's just that most of the others just follow the same cookie-cutter formula, which is so utterly boring. I thought Iron Man and Captain America were "OK" but they didn't leave any lasting impression. IN the end it boils down to a lot of interested parties having too much at stake, too much invested and too much input into how they get made. I can't think of ANY good movie that was "made by committee". I'm HOPING that Joss Whedon has been able to work some magic into the Avengers.
I don't' mean that they have to have deep tragic moments or convoluted emotional subplots- I just don't want them to feel like they're just ticking off the check boxes. Surprise me, challenge my expectations... do something special.
NakedMoleRat
Master Member
Re: Am I the only one that hates superheroes (rant)?
Not to mention their Lives! :lol
Not to mention their Lives! :lol
Similar threads
