6 October 2019 Is Marvel Complex?
A Facebook response:
The more I've engaged with enduring and complex literature, the more I've understood why a lot of mainstream books and movies are not at the same caliber as others... What I find to be the difference is that ideas can either be retread or granted new insight. Marvel movies are not consistent in providing any insight—they do occasionally, especially within their genre and for their audience, but I think the nature of their function as multi-billion dollar products collapses their potential to break new ground. Marvel uses outdated, repetitive writings tropes to convey character growth and advance plot, and when it comes to cinema, the way the movies are shot and acted is really rarely top of the game, arguably because the characters and ideas are not that compelling to begin with. They have the budget and talent to do these things, but it isn't done because it doesn't have to be to make a billion dollars. I would, however, argue that literature can be interpreted at different levels and through different lenses of discipline or individual, and the insights from that cannot be discounted. For example, recognizing disparities in gender representation, or examining the interest convergence that allows Black Panther or Wonder Woman to even exist.
On a less analytical level, one can also consider the contribution Marvel makes despite its mega-corporation capitalist agenda—their films do provide a certain level of social literacy for its immense viewership as these highly popular movies do concede to address certain systemic issues in terms that are more widely comprehensible and concrete than theory ever will be.
Note:
Today I have decided I may as well begin to record all of these thoughts I write out for school or in public forums so that they're all in one place to watch me grow throughout the years, which, sort of, was the original intention of this funky little blog.
The more I've engaged with enduring and complex literature, the more I've understood why a lot of mainstream books and movies are not at the same caliber as others... What I find to be the difference is that ideas can either be retread or granted new insight. Marvel movies are not consistent in providing any insight—they do occasionally, especially within their genre and for their audience, but I think the nature of their function as multi-billion dollar products collapses their potential to break new ground. Marvel uses outdated, repetitive writings tropes to convey character growth and advance plot, and when it comes to cinema, the way the movies are shot and acted is really rarely top of the game, arguably because the characters and ideas are not that compelling to begin with. They have the budget and talent to do these things, but it isn't done because it doesn't have to be to make a billion dollars. I would, however, argue that literature can be interpreted at different levels and through different lenses of discipline or individual, and the insights from that cannot be discounted. For example, recognizing disparities in gender representation, or examining the interest convergence that allows Black Panther or Wonder Woman to even exist.
On a less analytical level, one can also consider the contribution Marvel makes despite its mega-corporation capitalist agenda—their films do provide a certain level of social literacy for its immense viewership as these highly popular movies do concede to address certain systemic issues in terms that are more widely comprehensible and concrete than theory ever will be.
Note:
Today I have decided I may as well begin to record all of these thoughts I write out for school or in public forums so that they're all in one place to watch me grow throughout the years, which, sort of, was the original intention of this funky little blog.
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