There are two kinds of guardians of the galaxy. The first is portrayed in the movie with Starlord, Gamorra, Groot and Rocket. The other guardians are portrayed in the game Destiny. Memes have been circulated on social media lately hypothesising which group of guardians are the coolest. Destiny, you and a fire team take on hoards of enemies and constantly take on boss levels to push back the darkness and restore the travellers light. In the movie, a band of four misfits come together to stop tyrants from taking over or destroying the galaxy. A critical reflection of our humanistic desire for good to overcome evil – who would you prefer to fight this battle for you?
Filmmaking is a business. Hollywood knows that, and so does the general population. For a long time, Hollywood has been ensuring guaranteed hits by extending already existing popular franchises. This would traditionally take the form of a sequel like Die Hard 2; Mad Max 2; Terminator 2 (you get where I am going with this), but in recent years there has been a number of prequels cropping up: Fantastic Beasts, Star Wars, Terminator, Star Trek (both the new films and the upcoming television series). This article would explore the idea of why Hollywood thinks prequels are such a marketable storytelling device? Is it because people love throwbacks and little Easter eggs? Do we love a good origin story? I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Yes! I'm very excited for this topic. Part of me wonders if prequels aren't the new sequels. Perhaps the film industry is counting on our nostalgia for popular franchises to make more money. Or perhaps people feel like the original film starting in the wrong place. Maybe we simply have unanswered questions that could only be remedied by a prequel. I'm curious to see what people think! – ReidaBookman7 years ago
A very interesting topic! Are audiences sick of prequels, because they view them as resulting from a lack of creativity in Hollywood? Numerous discussions I've had with viewers of 'The Original Content' have actually commented on the fact that they struggle to enjoy prequels because they feel it takes away from the initial cast or narrative. I think individual enjoyment of 'the prequel' is generational, but I'm fascinated to see what you think! – Madi7 years ago
We now live in a post-Wonder Woman live-action film world, and it's glorious. However, Wonder Woman cinematographer Matt Jensen revealed in a recent interview that the now-iconic No Man's Land scene almost didn't make the cut. What do you think about that? What effect did that scene have on you? (Personally, I've watched the film four times now, and I still cry every time I watch that scene. I come out of the theatre wanting to flip cars!!!)
This is an amazing piece of film. It has amazing music and it plays a huge role in Wonder Woman's development as a hero! – Sean Gadus7 years ago
If someone from film would take it on, perhaps. I'm not sure what it does aesthetically or narratively. That's not to say it doesn't have precisely the sort of emotional impact or resonance with viewers you describe, of course. Whether someone could write a tenable essay on affect in that scene is questionable, I think. I'm confident someone could write an essay deconstructing the scene technically. – Paul A. Crutcher7 years ago
The scene can be analyzed through the lens of how difficult it is for women to express themselves publicly. Since this movie is the first superhero blockbuster with a female lead (not counting Catwoman) and the first to be directed by a woman, you can go into some detail on Patty Jenkins and her process making the film. Or even analyze how Wonder Woman proves to her comrades, and the audience, that she is a bonafide superhero who could help end the war if given the opportunity to fight in the front lines. – Rico7 years ago
Wonder Woman was a brave, much-needed and very important film for the sexist male chauvinist society of our times. – Vishnu Unnithan7 years ago
In the last few years there have been an influx of superhero movies and they have subsequently dominated the box office. The pro-comic book inspired attitude is fairly recent but not necessarily new in terms of fandom. Things like comic-con have been going on for years, but lately they taken taken on epic proportions. Why our society crave and eat up the classic comic hero's journey again and again and again?
Yes, they are but I love them anyway. – Munjeera7 years ago
Yes, the are, but I mostly dislike them anyway. An exception is the new Wonder Woman movie, which my daughter and I enjoyed quite a bit.
– Ben Hufbauer7 years ago
Hi Ben, What about Captain America: Winter Soldier? You can't hate Captain America can you? What about Black Panther? I am waiting with bated breath for BP. The music from the trailer sounds awesome. The best soundtrack yet I am guessing. – Munjeera7 years ago
Perhaps you could discuss history f superhero fandoms and the fandoms about the superhero franchises generally. – J.D. Jankowski7 years ago
They're the popular way to tell the heroes journey. They're importance varies from character to character, but at the very least they'll have a solid core emotional story to them. They can be pretty simple as well. Ant-man has a nice father daughter theme in it. The Sam Raimi Spider-man films have "with great power comes great responsibility" down to a t. Also, if you're just talking about their monetary success, it's pretty simple: kids. – KyleThomson7 years ago
Quite broad. As others have noted, the big-ticket superheroes today have disparate origins, purposes, and journeys. The "superhero" movie subgenre might deserve some questions, but whoever wanted to tackle the questions would need to establish the themes common to the superhero journey and the outliers to those themes. That is, do *Deadpool,* *Guardians of the Galazy Vol. 2,* and *Wonder Woman* offer parallel themes? If so, what are they? – Paul A. Crutcher7 years ago
I think we have become obsessed with superheroes because we lack real heroes. Heroes in the past have fallen and it seems as if there is a disappointed generation out there. Also, these are scary times. Is it any wonder we take solace in the idea that someone will rescue us from ourselves? – Munjeera7 years ago
Every new interpretation, every re watch and every new instalment brings with it excitement, apprehension and familiarity. whats wrong with craving a bit of hope, humour and strength? – miaraszewski7 years ago
Superhero movies can be considered to be over the top and overdone. But before applying a binary yes no response to this questions, I think it would be helpful to examine this from a different paradigm. If we look at the geo-political state of the world over the last 15-20 years, things have been rapidly declining. Superhero movies offer what the real world cannot - a form of escapism that is affordable, relatable and has generated a lot of buy-in from fandom the world over. Lets be honest, we have all wished for some type of supernatural ability or power at some point in our lives to help us deal with a real world issue we were dealing with in the hopes that it would solve the problem and we would emerge victorious. We have all fantasied and wished for it at some point. Superhero movies are an extension of that inherent wish/fantasy. It is appealing to us to see average people go through a transition of some kind (spider bite/gamma radiation exposure/ being born on another planet/ or a genius tech billionaire) and able to overcome adversity of all types. – mattcarlin7 years ago
Not at all! Movies such as superhero movies, activates our imagination to believe the most unimaginable scenarios. For the duration of that movie, we forget the rules of reality and get absorbed in another world, where we are not limited by our human potential. We are indeed able to explore feeling extraordinary. – poojanair7 years ago
Superhero movies to me do not activate the imagination. Rather they are are a reinforcement of everything that is wrong with the world (fictional or not). This is why most superhero movies are being set in the modern real world. Granted, movies like batman etc who make up their own dystopian world are the exception, but look at captain america and the fact it was set it WW2 their battle with hydra. This is drawing an abstract parallel to the political state of Germany and Europe at the time. Then fast forward to modern day, we are still fighting racists, biggots and other closed minded people. Superpower or no, this still has the ability to be subversive and abusive to people. – mattcarlin7 years ago
I gave up on superhero movies after CA:Civil War. Gone are the good old days of old where we had one Batman/Spidey film every 2-3 years. – Vishnu Unnithan7 years ago
Well, I have heard about the marvel comics that they are going to introduce more characters in their upcoming movies and I think it would be fun for super hero lover. – sarahharvey7 years ago
Analyse the trends and patterns of selling and marketing 'nostalgic' properties to the public. Is it an issue? Is it replacing the creation of new art, or is it simply a matter of adults celebrating the things they loved as children. Consider movie and television reboots and spin-offs.
Definitely a topic that never goes out of style. I saw a news report years ago about the 1950s music and fashion frenzy among teenage Japanese fans. There was a documentary not long after the Communist collapse in Russia where ardent followers of American Rock classics resurfaced onto the public domain after decades of underground existence. Need only point to the Star Trek phenomena that has ballooned into paraphernalia, conferences, movies, books, sequels, so on. There is much you can do with this subject. – lofreire7 years ago
Obsolesce, "slow" movements, craft culture, and many hipster aesthetics and ideologies -- add, and it's an interesting topic. A reaction to contemporary culture. The reboot phenomenon in the movie industry, in particular, seems less complicated and worthwhile. As does a question of "art." – Paul A. Crutcher7 years ago
It would be worthwhile to consider Star Trek, Limitless, Psycho and even, Baywatch. Are we running out of new original content? – Vishnu Unnithan7 years ago
First need is to clearly define the term or it becomes unmanageable. What is included? What is just an older look (a building, a community, a section in an antique mall that seems to reflect a previous time)? – Joseph Cernik6 years ago
From Jean Reno's portrayal of Léon (Léon. AKA: The Professional. 1994) to Shin Hyeon-jun's portrayal of Hyun-jun (Kiss Me, Kill Me. 2009), the Hitman who rediscovers his humanity through self-sacrifice and atonement is a familiar theme. Are these characters merely bad men turned good or do they represent a convenient scapegoat for the ills of Society in general? Perhaps more importantly, do we learn anything from them as anti-heroes or damaged role models?
Definitely worth considering whether we are escaping moral dilemmas by having the troubled men die instead of having to deal with them afterward. – IndiLeigh7 years ago
A very interesting topic. I feel like this is a trope that we as a society have taken for granted. An in-depth look at the moral implications of this kind of narrative would be a fascinating read. – SophieCherry7 years ago
Over the last couple of years, we have entered a new era of filmmaking. Studios only make safe bets, some of which pay off (The Force Awakens, Mad Max, Star Trek), but many of them bomb (Baywatch, Ghostbusters and King Arthur). Is this due to the death of creativity in these fields? Is looking for the safe bet, sticking to a formula and attaching people with no care for the source material, responsible for abysmal sales?
Remakes have become a common since Hollywood may have trouble coming up with original concepts. – BMartin437 years ago
I would compare/contrast mainstream Hollywood and Indie films. You often find new and creative ideas in the indie movies because the monetary risk isn't as high and the success of those can often shape what risks Hollywood will take – BreannaWaldrop7 years ago
I think this is actually a misleading question as the film titles listed are all Hollywood productions. No, creativity is not dead within the film industry, we just need to broaden our horizon and acknowledge that original and creative films are being made outside of Hollywood, both within American independent cinema and in many countries around the world. Hollywood makes product and product must sell, hence the remakes and reboots, ostensibly made to introduce a younger, upcoming generation to an old popular story or series, because all that really matters to the Hollywood executives is how the latest product performs over the next financial quarter, therefore risks are rarely taken. My taste in films is admittedly biased as I prefer European and Oriental films (although I also have Russian, Polish, Iranian, Turkish and Indian films in my collection, to list just a few) so I tend to ignore the latest mega-hyped Hollywood blockbuster because I find independent film making and 'World' cinema far more rewarding in terms of its style, content and storytelling. True creativity doesn't have a price tag attached and Hollywood has long forgotten this point. – Amyus7 years ago
Creativity is not dead! Hollywood blockbusters are just one type of film industry - many, highly committed productions with sensitive features, rich scripts and unique actors show again and again how diverse the film industry can be. – Guinevere4 years ago
Recently, there have been more and more movies aiming to tell more racially diverse stories, many of which have been historical events omitted or ignored in the past due to discrimination, for example 12 Years A Slave (2013). However, many films are still criticised for 'whitewashing', the term for casting white actors in historically non-white character roles, with African Americans, Native Americans, and Asians experiencing this the most. The argument most commonly used for this is that the actors are 'better qualified for the role', however the truth behind this is often that directors often choose actors of similar backgrounds. Recent shows and movies that have come under backlash for their casting include the new Power Rangers film, the Death Note adaption, and Ghost In The Shell (2017). There are certainly far less Latino, Asian, or African American actors than there are Caucasian, but is there really so few that none are good enough for these POC roles?
Intermingling of cultures has ALWAYS existed. But, how about making movies about diverse people in those time periods? At that point, diverse groups of people existed in the world but their histories are ignored by many in the West. The latest Tarzan reboot actually had a storyline rooted in history called George Washington Williams who did travel to the Free Congo to protest slavery in that region. A very intelligent weaving of history and fiction. I think the problem is when Hollywood rewrites history to a very Western view which detracts from revealing that we all have so much more in common than we think we do. – Munjeera7 years ago
I think the question starts with who is making the movies; who is crafting the stories?
We need more POC/minorities/women producing/directing movies. – tamarakot7 years ago
