Marvel Movies Taste Like a Burger King Whopper

Marvel movies are apparently doing great.

Marvel movies refer to the series of works depicting the exploits of superheroes from Marvel Comics, starting with "The Avengers." Produced by Marvel Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, they have released films almost every year since "Iron Man" in 2008. Especially since around 2015, they have been releasing several films a year, all of which have been major hits. Furthermore, the franchise has expanded beyond movies into television series, and Marvel's momentum shows no signs of stopping.

I think Marvel movies are entertaining. The cast is star-studded, the action is full of impact, and the stories featuring superheroes are enjoyable.

However, there is something I feel when I watch Marvel works.

The feeling I get when watching a Marvel movie is similar to eating a Whopper at Burger King,

Marvel movies taste like a Whopper.

A Burger King Whopper is delicious and large. It satisfies both the palate and the stomach.

However, that is all it is. There is no thrill like eating high-end sushi. There is no joy like eating local cuisine while traveling. There is no surprise like eating B-grade gourmet food.

The taste is exactly as expected, and it is predictable. There is no flavor that exceeds one's imagination. At the same time, there is no major disappointment. It is big and tasty. It meets expectations exactly as expected.

Marvel movies are the same. They meet the expectation of wanting to watch an "entertaining" movie. However, there is no excitement or emotional impact that exceeds one's imagination. Also, there is no major disappointment.

Characteristics of Marvel movies

Marvel movies are works filled with stimulation.

Flashy action scenes and the like are depicted at the beginning to draw in the audience. Even after that, flashy action scenes—in other words, highlights—occur at a frequency that feels like once every 10 minutes. It is a work of stimulation, stimulation, stimulation...!

I feel that such works are modern. I can feel the effort to constantly provide stimulation and keep the audience from getting bored.

Speaking of music, what I feel when listening to recent pop music is the following.

• The intro is short

• The chorus comes at the beginning

• The tempo of the song is fast

I feel that these are efforts to provide stimulation from the beginning and keep the listener from getting bored, as the way music is purchased has changed from CDs to subscriptions, allowing the listener to choose the songs.

Marvel movies are the same, which is why I feel they are modern.

Marvel movies pander to the audience

To put it another way, saying that Marvel movies are modern feels like saying they are marketing-driven. To put it even more harshly, they pander to the audience.

They incorporate the needs of the audience and create works that satisfy them. They produce films as products rather than as works of art. The audience obediently falls for these Marvel intentions, and they become huge hits. It is mass production and mass consumption.

Unlike in the past, we are now flooded with a massive amount of information, and there are many choices for how to enjoy ourselves. It is not just about watching TV at home or going out to see a movie. There are games and online videos as well. Furthermore, many of those online videos are short-form clips that entertain viewers in just a few minutes. Movies are no longer the main attraction of entertainment, but merely one form of entertainment among many.

In such an environment, in order to get people to go out of their way to visit a movie theater... let's meet the needs of the audience. Let's pander to the audience. Let's stimulate the audience. Marvel movies, which say 'Stimulation, stimulation, stimulation!', are in a sense correct.

Movies are a business. They only exist because there is an audience. Therefore, they incorporate the needs of the audience and meet their expectations. In that respect, Marvel movies are correct.

However, I also harbor the thought of whether that is enough.

For example, it is vastly different from the French New Wave, a film innovation movement that occurred in the late 1950s. The main point argued by the French New Wave was 'auteurism'.

In Marvel movies, pandering to the audience is prioritized over 'auteurism'.

Marvel is not the only kind of film

When viewing film as an industry, that is, the film industry, I do not deny the stance of Marvel, and I think it is necessary.

However, Marvel is not the only kind of film. And film is not just a business; it is also culture and art.

Art, not limited to film, is sometimes born from the self-assertion of the creator, which could be called arrogance. Even if it does not fit the needs of the times, and even if it is called heretical.

Such arrogant assertions by creators, or 'auteurism', have advanced culture and art. I feel that such progress in culture and art has also contributed to the development of humanity.

Marvel movies are interesting. The two hours spent watching a Marvel movie provide plenty of entertainment. However, the enjoyment of film is not limited to the kind of stimulation found in Marvel movies. By occasionally watching works with strong 'auteurism', you might make new discoveries. You might find surprises in works called B-movies. You might feel great emotion from old black-and-white films.

A meal is not just a hamburger that satisfies you quickly at an affordable price. If you ate hamburgers every day, your nutrition would be unbalanced, and it would not be good for your health.

Sometimes you have a simple meal of rice and miso soup. Sometimes you splurge and eat high-end sushi. I think that is necessary for life, and it makes life richer.