Over the past 2 decades or so, superhero movies have really been apart of the cinematic experience. Sure, they've always been there, but what would the movie experience be like if those characters never made it to the big screen?
I remember seeing the original Hulk movies from the 70's and thinking to myself, "This is kinda cool, but it also kinda sucks." I was growing up in the Arnold Schwarzenegger action era and that was the cinematic level I was used to. Movies like Last Action Hero, Speed, Bad Boys, and others like that were what I wanted to watch, not some beefed up guy trying to pretend to be the Hulk. Of course, I didn't know how to appreciate it like I do now that I'm an adult. If that was the level of awesomeness the Hulk ever reached, it would have been a good run for what it was.
Fast forward to today's movies and you have them all over the place. We have an entire series of movies dedicated to one story plot. Don't get me wrong, I love these movies. They've taken cinema by the throat and basically said, "Let's go" and all of us love it. If you take that away, what do we have? A bunch of bad movies that no one really cares about a couple of weeks after it's released and it's forgotten. Has anyone really said, "The Gallows was an amazing movie, instant classic!" and actually meant it? Did the remake of Carrie really hold up on its own? How about The Evil Dead or the new Ninja Turtles movies?
My point is this, if we didn't have superhero movies in theaters right now, the movie theater business would be dead. Eventually people would have wised up to the fact that TV promos for movies in this day and age are the only thing good about that particular movie in general. This generation would have been screwed of yet another outlet for social interaction and all we would have is the internet. We really lucked out.
It's going to be a sad day when the superhero movie series is over. All we're going to have left is the memories we created when we went to go see the midnight premiere of these movies with our friends and loved ones. That magic that we all felt when watching our favorite characters come to life is something we can all take with us into our old age. So let's cherish this time in cinematic history and live it to the fullest.
-Adam