I must be getting old. Every time a new superhero movie comes out, the little boy in me who read and loved comic books gets excited and can't wait to see it. Each time I leave the theater after watching one of these flicks, it is with a sad heart. The Hulk and X-men films have not been good. Spider-man only slightly better. The Iron Man movies were pretty decent. Some Batman films I have enjoyed while others not so much. Most of the Superman flicks have been cheesy. I could go on. For the most part I'd give the majority of these movies a C+.
I haven't seen Thor yet, but the trailers looked good. I saw the Green Lantern and was greatly disappointed. Overall, I enjoyed Captain America. It just ticks me off that Marvel always plays around with the history of the characters a bit too much for my liking.
Perhaps my tastes have changed over the years. About 5 years ago I stopped collecting comic books. While the art had much improved, it just seemed like the stories stayed the same. Even as Marvel and DC tried to recreate themselves for a new generation of readers, something was lost. Maybe its not them, maybe it is me. Maybe life just taught me that the good guys don't always win and that Supes won't always be there to save the day. Maybe that is where my real disappointment lies.
Today I look for heroes in the real world. They are there. They are making a difference everyday. They are saving lives and making the world a better place. They are in our schools, armed forces, hospitals, fire and police departments, and in our neighborhoods. Here may be the real root of my disappointment with superhero movies and comic books. Maybe I just don't need superheroes anymore!
