Stop Calling Them "Superhero Movies"

Marvel has unveiled the MCU Phase 4 trailer, which means the world of film criticism is once again going to talk about “superhero movies.”

But while the movies in the MCU, DCEU and other franchises like X-Men and The Dark Knight trilogy all have superheroes in them, they are not all “superhero movies.” With movies like Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and possibly even an MCU Fantastic Four movie on the way, it’s important to clarify the difference between a “superhero movie” and the broader category of “comic book movie.”

This video essay asks “what is a superhero movie” and breaks down the tropes specific to this genre. It looks at the history of superhero movies – from Superman, to Batman, to Spiderman – then looks specifically at the MCU and some DC films to explain why many of them aren’t actually superhero movies, even though they share a lot of tropes from the genre.

00:00 – Introduction
00:46 – Let's talk about genre
02:02 – What is a 'superhero movie?'
05:46 – What is a 'superhero?'
08:04 – Why we need to stop talking about 'superhero movies'

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Music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

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Sources:

SUPERMAN (1978) | Behind the Scenes of DC Classic Movie (Part 1) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-c4h-1aPNI
SUPERMAN (1978) | Behind the Scenes of Christopher Reeve Superhero Movie (Part 2) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvBDIb8opHg
Marvel Studios Celebrates The Movies (MCU Phase 4 Trailer) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdpxoFcdORI

Pentex's list of comic book movies - https://twitter.com/PentexP/status/1395377314549096451?s=20

List of Marvel movies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_Marvel_Comics_publications
List of DC movies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_DC_Comics_publications
List of American superhero movies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_superhero_films
List of Dark Horse comic book movies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_series_and_films_based_on_Dark_Horse_Comics_publications

Видео Stop Calling Them "Superhero Movies" канала Pentex Productions