Within the past few years or so, you may have noticed that theaters and TV’s everywhere are being flooded with movies about superheroes. More specifically, they are all based off classic Marvel comic books. What’s up with heroes taking over Hollywood- as well as the hearts of millions of Americans?
Marvel Comics was created in 1939 (as “Timely Publications”), and since then, has been renamed several times. In the 60s the “Fantastic Four” were created; as time wore on, new characters were introduced. Many are the superheroes we know and love today: Spiderman, Ironman, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. These comics sold extremely well years ago and were very popular during the 70s and early 80s until they lost ground to DC Comics.
As the heroes of the comics became everyday American favorites, the idea came about to turn them into movies. Marvel movies so far have grossed more than $5 billion! This is the highest-grossing franchise of all time. There have even been TV shows and video games based off these characters!
So what is it that makes these characters so appealing? Maybe it’s because of their cool names or costumes. Or perhaps we normal humans admire their supernatural abilities. But maybe, just maybe, deep down, the reason we love them is because many of them lead normal lives like us, but transform when needed to do good. For example, take a look at Spider-Man (and yes, I’m referring to THE Spider-Man, not Andrew Garfield). He’s just your regular teenage boy- until he starts scaling walls and shooting webs in a red and blue “morph suit.”
Within recent, years, many movies based off Marvel Comics have been a big hit. There were the Iron Man movies (and guess, what? There’s a third coming out next year!) and “The Incredible Hulk.” “Thor” and “Captain America” also got their own self-titled films. Most recently “The Avengers” has been very popular here. The great thing about this last one was that it brought many of the heroes together for a common cause; can’t decide between Iron Man and the Hulk? Well, with this movie, you don’t have to! Another Marvel movie that was released this year was “The Amazing Spider-Man.” This one may have been one of my favorites. I really liked that Spider-Man is a teenager, going through normal (or maybe more challenging than usual) teenage issues; I mean, what other superhero do you know of that goes to high school during the day, then hits the crime-ridden back alleys by night?
One thing that won’t disappoint with these movies is the overall “look.” The special effects are AWESOME and extremely realistic. Another great feature is the costumes. They are easily recognizable, but very cool. I’m not sure how you can get much more tech-savvy than Iron Man’s suit, and the Hulk actually looks, well, “hulking.” You may have also noticed that all of the movies are 2+ hours long! For me personally, going to the movies is expensive, but worth it to see such a long, action-packed, entertaining, and overall quality movie. The cliffhangers at the end are amazing too and leave me desiring the sequel immediately! My only problem is that there aren’t more girl heroes, but I suppose they can get working on that.
A word of advice for you: if you go to see a Marvel movie, be sure to stay ALL OF THE WAY through the end credits! Marvel tends to throw a short, yet important scene after the first few credits. And that’s something you certainly don’t want to miss out on!
Hopefully I’ve shown you what great movies Marvel has created, and you should definitely go see some yourself! Happy watching!
