Today I’m going to go on a rant well, I guess you can call it that. I just wanted to give my thoughts on a trend that has been hot in Hollywood for quite some time, and that’s the cinematic universe.
A franchise is nothing new in cinema. Some of our most beloved movies are franchises. Some of these franchises get better with each movie while some just get worse. It depends in what you are into and what not. The new craze that deals with multiple movies is the cinematic universe. That’s where you have a group of characters that appear in their own movies and other movies that feature other characters. It’s kind of like an all-star team in a way if you think about it.
Marvel has been the most successful at accomplishing this. The film makers take the time to branch out long term story arcs with the characters and do their best to make each movie the best that they can. They focus on quality and quantity. They make a quality movie to set up the quantity of movies they want to produce. To make a successful cinematic universe you need quality first and worry about the quantity as it arises.
Other studios fail to see the Marvel method. These other studios just look at dollar signs and think of the quantity. I just watched the latest Robin Hood movie and if you read my review you know I hated it. Not wanting to spoil anything if you want to see it, but this movie’s sole purpose was to set up other movies. I really don’t care if they make a dozen Robin Hood films, just make them good. That’s all I want is a good movie and worry about other movies later. Besides is anyone really interested in a Little John stand-alone movie. Or a Friar Tuck one for that matter because you know they would make those if they had the idea to do it.
Another perfect failed cinematic universe is Universal’s attempt to make a “Dark Universe” with all the classic monsters. What was the long-term plan for all of this? Well the monsters were going to team and, well I can’t tell you what would happen next because it wouldn’t make sense. Universal put a hold to it because 2017’s The Mummy was such a failure that the investment and audience interest wasn’t there.
The only thing that really burns me out is the frequency that theses movies come out. Sometimes we get about four movies in the cinematic universe a year. For me it’s hard to keep up with because I don’t have unlimited time to watch all of it. Sequels to other movies used to be spread out where there was time to catch up on all of it. Now with streaming services it’s much easier for me to catch up and take the time to enjoy those films.
Trust me I have nothing against cinematic universe’s and franchises for that matter. I just want good movies to hit the screens. What I’m against is that a studio only sees the dollar signs in what a cinematic universe can bring. They only see how much money comes out of our wallets and that’s the excuse they make to make more movies. If these studios followed Marvel’s way of making quality films with all the different characters and worry about crossovers later.
What do you think of cinematic universes? Are you burnt out on them or love them? I want to hear your thoughts!
Henry's Movie Reviews 