The Four Color Media Monitor

I think John Nolte is getting a little too enthused when he says Marvel's "revolutionizing" Hollywood is good news for conservative movie buffs:

There is no getting around the fact that the Marvel Universe concept has, like previous film revolutions, changed almost entirely the way Hollywood does business; at least the business of blockbusters in the foreseeable future.

It is no longer just Marvel packing the blockbuster release calendar years in advance with its "universe," it is also Warner Brothers (Superman, Batman), Disney (Star Wars), Sony (Spider-Man), and Fox (X-Men, Fantastic Four).

This is also a big win for conservatives who had grown tired of Hollywood's attempt to mainstream nihilism, anti-Americanism, and sleaze.

I think he's overestimating, though it certainly demonstrates the stark differences between selling the original comics and the movies based on them. Isn't this the same production outfit who kowtowed to China over the content of Iron Man 3? And the ones who trivialized terrorism in the same film? Some of the people they've hired as actors and directors are also boilerplate leftists, like Joss Whedon. Even David Goyer's given reason to worry. Sure, on the surface, they may respect what they think the audience wants, but underneath, these are people who disrespect conservatives behind their backs.

And what about the comics they're based on? Why don't they count? Back in the pamphlet scene, Marvel's already done more than enough serious harm to the coherency of their properties, and that's not something to frown upon? If we're not worried about the source material's current state, what good are the movies?

I know this is a film-based article, but Nolte's still making the mistake of being overenthused and thinking this signals greatness in every way. Unfortunately, I think that's too naive, and it's not an example conservatives should be setting, to tell people they should be fully optimistic, when a wiser view would say we should be wary, even when politics don't play a major role per se.

Labels: Fantastic Four, Iron Man, marvel comics, politics, Spider-Man, X-Men