Marvel movies are like iPhones: Tons of hype building up to the
release which leads to so much excitement that no matter what they put on
screen, you don't leave feeling disappointed. Then a day or two passes and you
realize you are not fully satisfied. Not at all! You wanted to see this or that
and why did they leave out that one amazing thing?!?! WHEN AM I GOING TO GET
THAT!?!?
What all of this means, naturally, is that
you will be back next time for more, hoping that the next time it will be
different and you will get what you really want. On Saturday I saw Captain
America: Civil War, the latest installment from Marvel Studios. They called it
Civil War but it was really The Avengers 2S. It gave me what I loved
about Avengers 1 and 2 which was heroes fighting each other. I didn't care much for the numberless alien or robot armies in those movies - I liked when Black
Widow fought Hawkeye, Thor fought Hulk, and Iron Man fought Hulk. But Civil War was
missing the epic scope of the 7 part Civil War comic. Had it really been Civil
War, there would have been more heroes, more villains, and Punisher, man. That's like Apple
releasing an iPhone that is fully functional underwater with a built in
projector that produces holographic images and can 3D print pizza.
The reality is that the comic universe
isn't the cinematic universe, and that’s fine with me. It would cost a lot to
do it right, even for Disney. I’ll credit the movie for throwing in some unique
details from the comics (like Iron Man's suit learning Cap's moves so he could
"kick his a**") but the story was so different that it made it
impossible to get some classic comic moments (like Spider-man unmasking and revealing
himself as Peter Parker).
Something I want going forward is the
"who-would-win-in-a-fight" question answered for every iteration of
hero out there (that means a cross-universe movie too, DC! I'm looking at you
to make that happen!) Is that too much to ask? I want unique powers vs. unique
powers to see the creativity, ingenuity, and badassery that the film makers
come up with. Having a diverse mix of heroes allows the imagination to run wild
with possibility. I know what you're thinking: There's more to a good super
hero movie than fighting, and I’d agree. I want to see the detective work,
problem solving, and do-good heroism too. Internal conflict, emotional weight,
and humanity are what separate a great super hero movie from a good one.
I don't have super hero fatigue and I'm
not tired of my iPhone. I remain a loyal fan boy of Marvel and Apple. I just have
a big imagination and am a sucker for possibility…and I really want to see
Superman fight Hulk!
Who do you want to see go toe to toe? Let me know in the comments!
