Marvel vs DC vs Fox – 2017 so far…

Comic book movies are bigger than ever and the three largest companies in the business are all fighting to get you into the cinema to watch their films. While Fox goes back to the early 2000s, Marvel was firt out of the gate with its shared universe. DC had a great run with Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, but have been playing catch up since.

Honestly, I felt the superhero bubble may have burst last year. We got such an influx of movies, and the majority struggled to climb above average. A handful were painfully bad. Only Civil War and arguably Deadpool managed to stand out as good to great. Going into this year’s slate of movies then I was down on the genre as a whole.

However, halfway into the year there’s some hope. We have seen a movie from each of the big studios and there are three more to come. So let’s jump in and analyse who’s knocked it out of the park and who’s lagging behind.

 

Fox

The year so far…

It’s only right to begin with Fox. They’re often forgotten, referred to as the third company, an add-on, in the Marvel v DC battle. They’ve had a tumultuous time of it, jumping from successes such as X-Men: First Class and Deadpool, to failures such as last year’s Apocalypse. They only had one movie released this year, the third in the Wolverine trilogy, Logan. That in itself did not fill anyone with much anticipation. Origins is best forgotten, and The Wolverine was merely okay. However, early trailers for Logan were encouraging and then the film itself was superb.

Fox dared to do something different, taking a clean left turn out of the superhero genre. Instead, they looked to old western movies for inspiration. With this and the equally unique Legion TV show, Fox are having a stellar year. It is refreshing considering the use of worn-out superhero tropes. Fox looks to be continuing the trend with the news that The New Mutants movie will be a flat out-horror flick.

Score this year: 9/10

 

Marvel

The year so far…

As the company arguably leading the pack, Marvel had the toughest task going into 2017. Especially since their first movie of the year was the follow up to unexpected smash-hit Guardians of the Galaxy. Nothing but a home run would do. And strangely, it has been somewhat lost in the pack. Squeezed between the game-changing Logan and the blockbuster that is Wonder Woman, GOTG Vol 2 has been somewhat left behind. The movie is enjoyable and fun, and everything you’d expect from a Guardians film. It’s just unfortunate it’s been stuck between these two movies. That being said it currently sits on a $820 million box office so let’s not pretend it’s not a winner.

What’s to come…

Marvel has a couple of big hitters in the pipeline so I wouldn’t worry about them too much. Spider-man: Homecoming hits cinemas in just under a month and looks to be a mega hit. Then there’s a gap before Thor: Ragnarok explodes onto our screens. After the disappointing Thor: The Dark World, Marvel grabbed Kiwi director Taika Waititi to bring some of his unique vision and wit to the product and if the trailer is anything to go by, Ragnarok could be something spectacular.

Score so far: 8/10
Anticipation: 9/10

 

DC

The year so far…

Since Christian Bale finally hung up the cowl, DC have suffered quite a bit. In their desperate attempt to mount a challenge to the MCU, they’ve rushed out a couple of world-building movies. Whilst they’ve had their good moments, the movies have overall been disappointments. With each letdown, more pressure is heaped upon the next film in the series to be great. And finally, DC have got one right. Wonder Woman has become the most talked about superhero movie in years. It may not be perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction for the company.

What’s to come…

Gal Gadot will grab that shield once more and become Wonder Woman in Justice League this November. It is DC’s big team movie, and like Marvel’s Avengers, it will be expected to break the billion mark at the box office. Due to the success of Wonder Woman, anticipation is high for this one to also be great. It’s an exciting time once more to be a comic book fan.

Score so far: 8/10
Anticipation: 9/10

 

Last year was not an all-time high for superhero movies, but it’s looking like 2017 could be one of the best yet. Unlike 2016, no company has flown ahead of the pack, and nobody has fallen behind. Each and every movie at the moment seems worth digging in your pocket for. It may not be good for the bank account, but long may it continue.

 

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