With recent Marvel/DC superhero movies disappointing audiences and critics alike, interest in the genre is waning. With new seasons of Jessica Jones and Daredevil airing year after next and a series on Luke Cage coming out soon, is Netflix reviving a tired formula?
Ever since Robert Downey Jnr. donned the Iron suit in 2008, superheroes have become the number one commodity for Hollywood. Movies are being pumped out, actions figures are selling in massive numbers, but the formula is starting to wane with repetitive storylines and characters becoming harder to tell apart. Iron Man. Captain America. Superman. Batman. Suicide Squad. Justice League. Guardians of the Galaxy. Doctor Strange. Between 2017 and 2020 there are sixteen projects due for release from just DC and Marvel. If more of the same tired formula is being thrown at us, we may see audiences starting to move away from the cinemas to see the latest superheroes.
Last month, DC’s Suicide Squad opened to scathing reviews, and while the box office figures were still strong, audience reviews on websites like Rotten Tomatoes do not show a strong audience response either. Previous DC examples such as Batman Vs. Superman also received a similar negative response. Suffering from structural problems with plot holes galore, it started to highlight Hollywood’s obvious lack of polish on tent-pole films.
Superhero films do seem to prefer a light-hearted tone, which suggests an inherently commercial reluctance to try more adult and bleak comic book adaptations. Particularly with Suicide Squad, Warner Bros went for a more playful tone, following criticisms of the brooding Batman Vs. Superman.
The reason for the problems with the superhero genre may partly be the restrictions of the platform. Cinema is faced with the restrictions of age certificates, and Suicide Squad’s PG-13 rating proving incredibly controversial with Warner Bros’ desired lighthearted tone clashing with the darker tone that the fans were hoping for. Television for the superhero genre however seems to be going to darker territories than its cinematic outings. With the success of network channels such as HBO, television has proven its ability to show explicitly violent and adult content while retaining a high audience rating. The new boy on the block; streaming service Netflix now holds a similar power.
Netflix has proven itself time and time again, how it has become a trusted source for original, strong television content. Original Netflix series’ such as House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and the recent smash, Stranger Things have received massive acclaim and word-of-mouth.
Now in an incredibly smart financial stroke, Netflix has found itself tangled in the Marvel universe. Starting with Daredevil and Jessica Jones last year, Netflix has already created two of the strongest and most memorable superheroes on the screen. Instead of inaccessible perfectly moral protagonists, both Jones and Murdock have damaged personalities and inner demons, but with superhuman abilities that gives them a sense of responsibility of saving the world. Unlike the rather lacklustre villains of the cinema superhero universe, these Netflix shows have developed fully fledged villains such as Jessica Jones‘ Killgrave and Daredevil‘s Wilson Fisk with motivations and are real threats to our heroes.
Netflix is unafraid of exposing harsh elements of reality. Jessica Jones for example deals with taboo topics such as rape, alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder and fit them within the fantastical world of superheroes.
Rather than Hollywood’s method of juggling hundreds of characters at once, Netflix has focused on a much more intimate universe that may name drop a few superheroes, but won’t do painful cameos that have no connection to the overall overarching narrative.
The upcoming Defenders series that debuts next year will involve an Avengers-like team up with Jones, Cage and new hero Iron Fist. However, if it follows the Netflix formula of Jones and Daredevil, it should focus more on narrative and the character’s relationships rather than simply going for extravagant action set-pieces that the cinema outings often fall into.
If movie studios want audiences to stay interested, they need to raise their collective game. They need stronger characters, coherent narratives, memorable villains and most importantly, be willing to try out new ideas to make the genre relevant and stay fresh. Hollywood is concentrating on the Marvel/DC franchise, but seem only interested in getting them out like a production line of financially rewarding products. While the odd director like Joss Whedon and James Gunn have been allowed to bring their spin to the genre, it often falls into the same formula and tired tone. Instead, we should look to what Christopher Nolan did with the Batman series and how by taking a step back, the studio allowed his unique noir style to create a new age for the superhero film.
Like its Netflix siblings, superhero stories should be given the same amount of originality and respect on the big screen. We can only wait and see.
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