The level of aggression y'all have about this stuff is unreal. Frankly I don't have much motivation left to continue these essays back and forth about this subject. I suppose at this point we'll just have to agree to disagree considering the way things are being replied to.
Two last things I will respond to, because they continue to completely miss what I was saying:
I am not talking about the production process once bit. Never was. I understand this is what you are trying to equate it to because it is what makes the "lazy devs" analogy work, but it is not my argument. What the MCU is doing is interesting, and something I even enjoy, truly I do -- what I don't enjoy is it creating a very homogenous blockbuster film industry that simply didn't exist this way before. This is nothing against Kevin Feige, but he is a producer. He is not the writer and director of these films. And yet it is by his grand plan that everything must come to pass. It is interesting, effectively applying the television model to film -- but he himself is not really creative. He is a businessman. A businessman who is just saying we're going to do this one here, then this one here, and it's going to connect via this. It is not comparable to Coppola's and Scorsese's work -- they are actually there managing every element of the picture and turning it into the film it will be. And then they move on to something else that is often completely different.
And yes, even at that low count of 6 - 8 that is seemingly only considering DC and Marvel films, that is quite a lot per year. That is not the number that was happening in the 2000s. If even half of that number were other kinds of films there would be a lot less to fret about.
The 130/year number also completely misses my point as I'm talking about movies created in the Hollywood system that are mid-high budget, of which the total per year is much much lower.
Two last things I will respond to, because they continue to completely miss what I was saying:
The problem is you have not done a very good job proving this point, especially in relation to the 2000s.
Do you really feel like movies such as Hancock, I am Legend, 300, and Talledega Nights are somehow different from MCU titles when it comes to narrative structure and the production process? In what ways exactly?
And why do you have such an issue with the fact that the MCU aims to have a studio driven, cohesive vision?
Do you not feel like executive producers such as Kevin Feige are pushing forward their own creative vision, albeit maybe in a way different than how Coppola or Scorsese did in previous decades?
I am not talking about the production process once bit. Never was. I understand this is what you are trying to equate it to because it is what makes the "lazy devs" analogy work, but it is not my argument. What the MCU is doing is interesting, and something I even enjoy, truly I do -- what I don't enjoy is it creating a very homogenous blockbuster film industry that simply didn't exist this way before. This is nothing against Kevin Feige, but he is a producer. He is not the writer and director of these films. And yet it is by his grand plan that everything must come to pass. It is interesting, effectively applying the television model to film -- but he himself is not really creative. He is a businessman. A businessman who is just saying we're going to do this one here, then this one here, and it's going to connect via this. It is not comparable to Coppola's and Scorsese's work -- they are actually there managing every element of the picture and turning it into the film it will be. And then they move on to something else that is often completely different.
Like I said earlier, it is not just about the movies that are literally superhero films, but also the ones that are essentially superhero films (ie, fast and the furious, Power Rangers, etc.) that follow the same format. I actually DON'T count movies like GLASS or JOKER as part of these. While you could say that have some superhero DNA, they are not the same type of movie. My point isn't about where they originate or if a comic book character is in them. It's if they are studio-driven projects instead of creator-driven. Pure and simple. Currently MISSION IMPOSSIBLE and JOHN WICK are the most notable regular series that seem to defy this.Absolute horseshit. The total number of superhero movies released per year is tiny. In 2018 there were 6. This year there were 7, 8 if you count Glass for some reason. In 2020 there are also 7 scheduled. Over 130 films are released each year in theaters in the US. Superhero films are 5% of feature film releases yearly. The notion that they've somehow "taken over" or that there aren't other films coming out is laughable.
And yes, even at that low count of 6 - 8 that is seemingly only considering DC and Marvel films, that is quite a lot per year. That is not the number that was happening in the 2000s. If even half of that number were other kinds of films there would be a lot less to fret about.
The 130/year number also completely misses my point as I'm talking about movies created in the Hollywood system that are mid-high budget, of which the total per year is much much lower.