UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | March 29, 2024

Summer superhero flicks temporarily satisfying, leave movie-goer eager for sequels

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Throughout my movie-going experience, I have been waiting for a summer like this one, a “Super Summer,” because of the three big superhero movies on the big screens.

However, sometimes big expectations can be big disappointments. Moviegoers need to keep their eyes and ears open for those good or bad indicators. It makes sense: if a producer is dumping a lot of money into making a movie, he or she has to believe it’s worth it. 

Traversing on a high wire of expectations and an estimated cost of about $260 million, I had many doubts as to whether “The Avengers” could hold up and have that explosive summer opening I wanted it to have. I pictured four superstar superheroes scrambling for a major lead role, making a mess, and just ruining the whole team for everyone. It’s not much different than that one Miami basketball team.

However, I did see “The Avengers.” I loved it, it kept me on my feet, and I was very impressed with how well the actors played together — the perfect punch-kick combo. Sadly, not everyone would agree with me.

“I didn’t like ‘The Avengers’ because it’s action the whole time,” said Rachel Clark, a freshman general education major from St. George. “Usually I like action movies, but there was nothing building up to the action, just action, action, action.”

There were two more superhero movies through mid-summer. Someone keeps making those, so people must love those movies —  I do anyway. Both movies, “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” were fantastic.

It hasn’t been a long time since the last Spider-Man film, so from first glance it seemed a little odd to me to see an entirely different Spider-Man feature coming out in theaters. But because a girl invited me to see the movie with her, I figured I should and, in turn, was very pleased with my choice. The movie exceeded my expectations and I left the theater filled with righteous indignation and a yearning for some sort of superpower. 

However, “The Dark Knight Rises” could have been better than it was, mostly if it was just a bit shorter. The movie just dragged on and this was supposed to be a Batman movie. That dragging on emotion is saved for unbearable movies. There were also some struggles in the cast — especially with Anne Hathway’s role. She wasn’t what I’d expect a Catwoman to be like. She didn’t seem very crafty or promiscuous, and I don’t speak solely for myself.    

“I expected ‘Batman’ to be better than it was,” said Clayton Graft, a junior business major from St. George. “There was nothing really that caught my attention and brought me into the movie like [‘The Dark Knight’]. My girlfriend also hated Anne Hathaway as Catwoman because it isn’t her kind of role.”

Graft also said he and his girlfriend saw a few other films over the summer, including “Ted” and “Nitro Circus.” They both were amazed with “Nitro Circus,” and they disagreed on whether “Ted” was worth watching. Graft said “Ted” was hilarious and his girlfriend said the film crossed the line beyond dirty.

The safe rule for avoiding two hours of watching a terrible movie is simply listening to what others have to say. There are those films which will surprise viewers, but a lot of the time, if someone hates a movie, someone else hates it as well.

I like to ask theater workers which movies are worth seeing. Just like a waiter in a restaurant, theater workers should know what’s on the menu.

After I have listened to a great band or scarfed down a hot pocket at the right temperature, I scream, “Encore!” That’s how I want to feel when I see a great movie. I want to leaving that theater begging for more. Superhero movies, a lot of the time, will have a cookie ending after the credits — setting something up for a sequel. After the credits in “The Amazing Spider-Man,” the scene developed so many unanswered questions, I have the jitters knowing I’ll have to wait for a sequel.