portfolio
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Work With Me
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Work With Me
portfolio

Culture Dump: The Problem With Pre-Planning A Franchise

10/4/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Well, it happened again. Last week saw the release of Sony’s fast-tracked Venom movie and the immediate overall consensus was well, a bit soggy. The Guardian labelled it ‘poisonously dull’, Rolling Stone referred to it as a ‘mess’ and Variety went the whole hog by rounding-up the most biting hot-takes on Director Ruben Fleischer’s hot-mess in a specifically dedicated blog post. Needless to say people weren’t too fond of Tom Hardy’s slimey alter-ego. Unsurprisingly though this reaction wasn’t entirely unexpected. When details of Sony’s first media screening was revealed to be taking place just one day before the film’s official release (complete with an embargo that lifted in the wee hours) - it wasn’t the most promising of signs that the studio had high hopes for its latest cinematic universe catalyst.

It wasn’t all bad news though. Almost all write-ups cited Tom Hardy’s delightfully weird turn as investigative journalist-turned snarlying symbiote-powered antihero Eddie Brock as one of the film’s few positives. That said, these were quickly overshadowed by an inconsistent tone and frequent odd (and unintentionally humorous) moments. Clearly it seems like there are more than a few reasons why Venom hasn’t sat well with audiences. However, it’s hard not to think the root of its flaws could be boiled down to a single major issue that appears to be becoming more and more common with non-Marvel superhero stories: an obsession with preemptive world building. 

Venom’s far from the first film to be guilty of this. Marvel has achieved lots in its impressive first decade and its success has given other rights-holders a serious case of FOMO when it comes to cashing-in on their assets. Probably the most notable culprit of this effect is rival company DC Studios who have tried and failed (and then tried and failed again and again) to find a short-cut to the type of character-rich expanded universe its main comics competitor has all-but perfected. Sony has also been guilty of coveting a quick-win. Remember Marc Webb’s short lived The Amazing Spider-Man double-punch and its even shorter-lived plans for a Sinister Six spin-off? If you do, you surely won’t remember them fondly. As these two examples have shown, when studios try to rush their shared universes to life at best they can be flawed misfires and at worst, downright confusing in their poorly thought out allusions. Either way, they’re cryptonite for both studios and audiences alike.

If there’s a lesson to be learned from their efforts its that there’s no reward in trying to run before you can walk. There’s no point raising your audiences' expectations with a Justice League film when only one of your heroes has had a properly thought out big-screen adventure. Marvel’s system worked so well because they gave their characters and storylines the breathing room needed to succeed and in turn, audiences willingly went along for the ride. Try and plan four or five movies ahead of yourself and you may encounter a case of too many cooks spoiling the symbiote. Patience is a virtue and while it may not be the hero comic book franchises want right now,  it’s definitely the one they’re in dire need of. 

Why do you think Venom got shabby reviews? Let me know in the comments section below!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author: Simon Bland
    t: @SiTweetsToo

    Simon is a freelance entertainment journalist and this is his blog.

    Archives

    October 2023
    February 2023
    November 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    September 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Want to Time travel back to my old blog? Click below!

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Academy Award
    Actors
    Alien
    Animation
    Arctic Monkeys
    Avengers
    Avengers Endgame
    Awards
    Bill And Ted
    Blockbusters
    Blog
    Blogs
    Breaking Bad
    Cinema
    Cinemas
    Comedy
    Culture Dump
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    DC
    Festivals
    Film
    Films
    Game Of Thrones
    Gary Oldman
    Gigs
    Gremlins 2
    Harry Potter
    HBO
    Henry Selick
    Horror
    Indiana Jones
    Infinity War
    Interview
    Jim Carrey
    Joe Dante
    Jon Snow
    Jurassic Park
    Kevin Smith
    Kit Harington
    Kit Harington Interview
    Larry David
    Mad Men
    Marvel
    Movies
    Music
    Nostalgia
    Pirated Movies
    Pop Culture
    Predator
    Quotes
    Rick And Morty
    Roma
    Sequels
    Some Words
    Star Wars
    Stranger Things
    Superhero
    Superhero Movies
    Superior Sequel
    Television
    The Disaster Artist
    The Oscars
    The Simpsons
    Tim Burton
    Total Film
    TV
    Young Adult

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.