Why Marvel Makes Better Movies Than DC

if there had to be a moment a singular moment that highlights why the average viewers interest in the MCU is so much higher than their interest in the DC films it would have to be the farmhouse scene in Avengers age of Ultron by no means is it a perfect scene than by no means is it a perfect movie but the existence of this scene does a really wonderful job bringing to light why Marvel's movies are to many moviegoers so popular I wonder if you've heard the story we're just Whedon fought tooth and nail with the Marvel executives to keep this scene in the film and I think the reason why he did that was because he understood the answer the answer to why every Marvel movie has been a total commercial success the answer it's all to do with character and a great way to prove this idea is simply by looking at the character of Captain America at the very start of Steve's trilogy before he gets his powers he stands up to a bully broken and battered and says this line and at the very end of Civil War when Steve is facing off against Iron Man broken and battered he says this line now what purpose those two lines serve well firstly it gives a certain poetic beauty to the third film's end one of the first lines he delivers in the trilogy is also one of the last this not only helps to bring the three films full circle but it also serves a larger purpose not only does it tell us Steve's opinions on Tony that he is not a man doing the right thing but rather a bully but this line of dialogue it is the filmmakers making a statement and what is that statement the character you fell in love with in the first movie he is the same character you're seeing on the screen right now now this isn't suggest that Steve Rogers has no character arc because he does he starts the series as an optimistic patriot ready to do his duty and ends it a man beaten by reality whose loyalty to the establishment he once fought so hard to protect has now all but entirely faded away really the purpose of this line is to tell us that over the course of every adventure he's gone on of everyone he's lost in every time his values were tested he has stayed true to himself throughout and when we see Steve at the start at the first film we can tell that he is the very same character whose story is still not yet over and is still going through that turmoil this keeps the audience invested and it's for moments like this that many fans come back for more and another example of how Marvel has made us care about their characters is with Iron Man at the very start of the very first film when confronted by reporter about the atrocities he has enabled he says this and what do you say to your other nickname The Merchant of death that's not bad this moment does a wonderful job at establishing his outlook the fact he's so unfazed by this nickname shows how little he cares about other people and the idea that he has enabled thousands of deaths is something he genuinely doesn't care about but as the film and series progress as he sees firsthand the terrible effect of his actions he betters himself he does a number of things to try and make amends like shutting down the production of weapons as company and refusing to sell his Iron Man suits I'm being responsible that's a new direction for me for the company and due to this well delivered up where he starts to become more responsible and caring about the world it enables his character to reach his completed state so that in civil war when he discovers that he is partially responsible for just one person's death it sends him into a spiral of grief and oneness one discovery he makes is his motivation for every action he takes for the rest of the film we don't question it because it is so in line with the character of Iron Man Marvel have so very carefully built up to to this point and this evolution of Iron Man's character where his outlook is nothing like the original character we saw at the very start it doesn't feel forced it just feels right because Marvel has done the legwork to earn this moment because Marvel has done the legwork enough to earn the right for this character to become compelling now of course Marvel does not have a perfect track record for this for example how in the end of Iron Man 3 he retires but in Avengers 2 he is back as if nothing ever changed that is poorly done continuity and is certainly a flaw in that film however this right here the reason why marvel has been so successful they will scarcely make a character say a line or make a decision when it is not totally consistent with the character they've built up in their prior movies the fact Marvel never crosses that line is partly the reason why their characters are so compelling and the fact their characters are so compelling is one of the core reasons people keep coming back to see yet another sequel because they can't help but be compelled by that character's story and on the flipside it is precisely for that reason why Justice League has performed so very poorly in the box office because they cross Marvel's uncrossable line as if it were not there at all as an example in Batman V Superman the character of Batman is without question the darkest live-action version of that character to have ever been depicted he is old and bitter where any trace of optimism or happiness as long as it's been obliterated by decades of loss and torment in BVS Batman never smiles and he never cracks a joke there is nothing bad about that creative decision and for many people it was that very decision that was the main highlight of the film but ultimately whether this Batman is a compelling character or not in BVS is entirely irrelevant because what did DC do when Justice Lee came around the corner I'm not the one who brought a pitchfork what are your superpowers again I'm rich they took the brutally dark character of Ben Affleck's Batman and turned him into someone who delivers funny one-liners and to an extent is the comic relief of the movie if in BVS this was the Batman who was delivered from the beginning he was an incarnation who made one-liners and had a sense of humor then those lines in Justice League would have been perfectly acceptable however that is not what they did they established an incredibly dark character and then compromised that character in the very next film and there may be some out there who would argue that this change in Batman's darkness is a natural character development between the two movies however that is not the case when Thor starts off as an ignorant brute and ends as a wise man with a newfound respect for his fellow man that is a character arc when Captain America goes from an optimistic Patriot to a man untrusting of his government that is a character arc when iron man goes from an egotistical playboy to a more humble man who cares deeply about doing the right thing that is a character arc the studio realized a number of people complained about BBS's dark tone and as a result decided that Justice League would have far more humor and be lighter hearted DC made a change to their character not because it was a part of that character's natural development but because they wanted to push forwards their idea of making the sequel more lighthearted and this really underlines the two different approaches the two studios have to their characters and ultimately it explains why marvel's characters are so beloved on screen and DC's characters in their films are so overwhelmingly uncompelled because Marvel treats their characters like human beings with their own personality set of morals and when planning out a compelling plot they will always carefully consider character because if a character were to say a line or make a decision that fundamentally compromises who they are it will make that character inconsistent and ultimately less compelling this is a concept VC has largely failed to understand they do not treat their characters as human beings but rather devices that allow them to execute out their various ideas and plans and if DC are faced with that theoretical decision to compromise an established character by making them do something inconsistent with who they are they will do it gladly if it allows them to fulfill the agenda they have planned which in justice leagues case was making the film more funny I think this is also the reason why Wonder Woman and Man of Steel are considered by many to be the DCE used to best films to date because they give us what all of their other films have failed to have compelling characterization the fundamental problem with BVS was that before the first line of the script was written the men in charge had a clear idea in their heads the film is about Batman fighting Superman and by the end they have to be good friends and paved the way for the Justice League everything else was subservient to building towards that moment of the fight as a result the audience feels that all you had to do is look at Superman's motivations to realize that that is exactly the case his motivation is his mother is being held hostage and that she will be killed if he doesn't fight Batman not because of any overwhelming internal conflict to do with his own personal beliefs what really is quite the testament to this point is a fact that the creator's try to give Superman an internal reason for why he fights Batman in the theatrical cut there was a deleted subplot where Superman investigates the Batman's victims and realizes they often die in prison due to his brands the problem was the creatures realized if that was the core reason why Superman went to fight Batman then ending with them being on good terms would have not works they shoehorned in the fact that his mother was being held hostage the writers had a checklist of moments they wanted to build up to and as a result nothing else mattered the characters motivations and consistency all of that was walk to serve the master purpose of building towards those individual moments and as a result the characters come across as weak and uncompelled because of course they are when a writer is unwavering in how the plot progresses it almost always results in their characters becoming uncompelled instead of giving their characters their motivations and then projecting from that how they should act in the film which is what any good writer who wants to write compelling characters should do DC decides what the characters are going to do and then from that reverse-engineer their motivations as a result the average moviegoer does not want to go and see the sequel because how can the audience be expected to what to see more of a character when DC have failed to make that character compelling in the first place it is not just a likelihood so much as it is a cold hard fact that Avengers infinity will be one of the highest-grossing films of all time and the main reason why is because Marvel Studios have worked their asses off bringing to life a wide cast of rich and compelling characters while DC has not brilliant CGI well choreographed action and fantastical musical swells all of that is totally worthless without a core character we can truly get behind a core character we can truly empathize with and whenever they get into turmoil we genuinely fear for that character's well-being this is something Marvel has down to a science and is an obstacle DC has almost entirely failed to overcome thanks for watching today's video every day I receive emails from you guys asking for advice on creative writing and while I try my best to answer each and every one of your emails is come to my attention that there is a far more effective way for you to learn how to be a better writer recently up and using Skillshare to help improve my writing more specifically there's a class by daniel jose older on becoming a better writer which I would highly recommend today Skillshare has sponsored me to make this video Skillshare is an online learning company that specializes in helping creative types like you and me help improve their craft and become better at what they love Premium Membership starts for $10 a month for unlimited access to all of their classes but the first 400 of you who click that link in the description down below will get a two months free trial which means you'll have access to a vast library of invaluable content totally for free these spots are expected to go quickly so be sure to click that link in the description while the offer still stands anyway thanks for watching don't forget to Like and subscribe and I will see you guys next time on the closer look

Channel: The Closer Look

Views: 2,726,257

Keywords: marvel, dc, justice league, avengers, infinity, war, infinity war, batman, thor, captain america, the closer look, henry sharpe, closer look, video, essay, video essay, movie, film, wonder woman, superman, man of steel, trailer, review, nerdwriter, lessons from the screenplay

Id: Z9SK0Jhk7Pw

Length: 14min 54sec (894 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 17 2017