Last week, I’ve watched the second Doctor Strange flick, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch’s best attempt at an American accent. It sure has some nice-looking special effects, but the story’s a whole different matter.
In some sense it’s no big surprise. Marvel used to be all the rage ten years ago. Their characters were vividly entertaining, more than interesting enough to hold your attention for over two hours, with the likes of Robert Downey Junior putting in great work. But somewhere along the way, they’ve lost their touch. Perhaps it was around the time when one Avenger film after the other appeared, to the point where I lost track. Or when they released the Agents of Shield tv series – a yawn-inducing show as far I was concerned.
Anyway you put it, the writing has fallen off a cliff at some point. Somehow, fans refused to believe it. I mean, look at the three Spider-Man films starring Tom Holland. They all received positive reviews and great scores. And I wanted to give it a chance, I really did. But watching these films, I kept waiting for the moment the story would hook me, when it would prove its worth. It never did. Hey, perhaps it’s just me. Who knows, your taste if movies might change as soon as you hit thirty.
But I don’t think so, not after recently seeing 2002’s Spider-Man, starring Toby Maguire. Admittedly, it’s corny at times, but it does manage to create much more emotional impact than Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
Just to compare, take a look at this quote, and think if you can remember anything truly worthwhile from the most recent Spider-Man films:
Green Goblin: And they found you amusing for a while, the people of this city. But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall, die trying. In spite of everything you’ve done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?
Let’s keep it real, we don’t get that kind of writing anymore. Today’s Marvel is a mix of action scenes with some great CGI, and plenty of moderately funny oneliners. But they lack meaningful moments. You don’t leave the cinema, thinking about what you just saw with Marvel’s recent outings.
And I believe that’s the problem with the second Doctor Strange film. It’s meaningless and hollow. The characters are just plain boring and the story isn’t saying much.
The thing is, writing takes work. Which brings me to writing something entirely different: songs. A while back, I saw a number of YouTube documentaries, discussing how musicians made their hits, focussing on the 2000’s era mostly, like Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles, or Shaggy’s It Wasn’t Me.
And there are all kind of musicians in these documentaries. Sometimes they’re still young and waiting for their one real breakthrough. Other times, these are experienced pros, playing the game they’ve been playing for years now. Some want to tell something meaningful, others just want to have fun whilst making music, stumbling upon a hit of their own.
However they did it, they always managed to hit the right chord with the audience. Either the lyrics of the song meant something to the listeners, or the tune created the right effect. Somehow they created whatever the audience was looking for. Only a handful number of musicians and bands managed to consistently produce hits. The public tends get weary of the same thing over and over again.
It’s the same for Marvel’s factory of movies. The public is getting tired of watching the same stuff over and over again. And when you’ve got nothing to say, whilst also failing to entertain the crowd, you’ve got to make room for those who do.
I’m not saying they’ve got an easy road ahead. But creativity’s the name of the game. The same is true for us! And just like musicians watch their competitors and listen to their predecessors, your antenna needs to be up all the time, looking for great ideas and examples. Food for thought!
Kind regards
Vincent J. Dancet