Marvel Studios, and the power of the franchise

I’ve mentioned once or twice in this blog my adoration for film franchises and sequels, something that’s very unusual to hear in any academic discussion of film, and studios are often attacked by critics for their determination to pivot their business priorities towards multi-film franchises as opposed to individual standalone narratives. I myself can see the benefits of both films, and my list of favourite films contains both formats of cinematic storytelling.

The obvious defence of franchise films is that they appeal to audiences who are already familiar with the characters and themes of the film’s world. Standalone movies are known to make less money than those with pre-existing universes, and of the 50 highest grossing films of all time, there is only one single film that is not part of a franchise, a remake, or has future installments planned; Titanic (1997), which itself is an adaption of a true story.

Last week, Marvel released the first trailer for Avengers: Infinity War (2018), the first of a two-part cinematic event that will complete the narrative arcs first begun in 2008 after the release of Jon Favreau’s Iron Man (2008). The film looks to be a huge spectacle, and quickly became the film trailer to garner the most views in it’s first 24 hours of all time. I myself was sat waiting for the trailer to drop (Marvel had announced its’ release beforehand), and was thrilled to finally see footage from the film. There’s a scene in the trailer, (actually one of the first that we see) that completely sums up for me why this model of storytelling is so powerful.

The scene in question features Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark sat on what we can assume to be an alien planet, clearly in a very distressed state. The emotional trauma that he is clearly suffering here is a portrayal far from how we saw him back in 2008. Tony began his first film outing as a (as he later describes himself in 2012’s The Avengers) “billionaire, playboy philanthropist”, and was adored by fans for his comic timing and one liners. By the third outing in his own franchise, ‘Iron Man 3 (2013)’, he’s suffering from PTSD, and the character’s signature jokes and humour have a much darker motivation to them. He has flashbacks to the climactic scenes of The Avengers, and has anxiety attacks whenever these events are mentioned. In the sequel ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)’ we are given a look at Stark’s worst nightmare, which just happens to be a callback to those moments, and this is of great contrast to his carefree initial appearances. Infinity War will mark Robert Downey Jr’s ninth appearance as this character, and that the effects of each of these films have had such a powerful impact on him is a character arc that I’m not sure a single standalone film could ever carry out so well. Even a film trilogy would struggle to give enough screentime to each stage of a character’s transformation.

As a writer, I often find myself creating stories that focus around a small number of core characters and as a result become attached to these individuals during the production process. As a romcom, my final year film ‘Kill the Director’ is of a genre for which sequels rarely work. Once a couple have finally fallen in love and begun their happy ending, what story can you really tell? It’s a genre that I really liked working within as it forced me to create a contained narrative. Except, well, I’ve written a treatment for what I believe to be a functional sequel. It was a thought exercise on a slow summer’s day, and the film will never be made, but this example highlights again that I think a strong story can be told when returning to characters from a previous story.

Throughout my education in filmmaking, the case studies and examples used to study film are almost entirely original works, with these often seen as having more integrity than popular blockbusters. I personally believe that the example above proves these individuals wrong, and there are many other examples that exist. Franchise films are clearly the most succesful cinematic releases in the 21st century when considering financials, but I also think that they can offer creative freedoms and narrative resolutions that would otherwise not be possible.

Titanic. (1997). [film] Directed by J.Cameron. United States: Paramount Pictures

Iron Man. (2008). [film] Directed by J.Faverau. United States: Marvel Studios

Iron Man 3. (2013). [film] Directed by S.Black. United States: Marvel Studios

The Avengers. (2012). [film] Directed by J.Whedon. United States: Marvel Studios

The Avengers: Age of Ultron. (2015). [film] Directed by J.Whedon. United States: Marvel Studios

#Reflection