‚Small Crimes’ - or ‚My most recent unhealthy obsession with a thing’
I have a confession to make. I am must unhealthily obsessed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And this means mostly that I have acquired an obsession for the movies about any of the ‘Avengers’ and am slowly and tentatively crawling my way towards the Mutants.
Now. Where did this come from? I was taken by surprise. For the longest time I didn’t bother with anything that reeked of superheroes. I just couldn’t fancy what I deemed as the premise of a superhero: Someone (with some tragic past) who has unearthly powers to save the day, fight evil, get the girl and most likely get super popular doing so. Despite the mostly ridiculous outfits (masks and capes? Seriously?) and creepy-tight pants. I was very certain that this is how all superheroes worked and for various reasons I though this uninteresting, uncreative and not really worthy of my time. I won’t say I hated them, but I ‘meh’-ed them. Much eye-rolling was involved.
And then, some day in summer 2012, I had this conversation. It was after a breakfast of the best fruit salad that there is on this world, while doing dishes. I was casually dishing out against superheroes to a friend I made back then. The topic had come up because the movie ‘Thor’ aired on free TV that night and I was sulking about a movie that took a mythological character and probably ruined it, and how I vowed not to watch it. I distinctly remember complaining about the uncreative and unreasonable concept of superheroes, how everything is black and white, how all superheroes are the same white, nice guys saving the day. And I distinctly remember that friend disagreeing with me, heatedly. Aside from telling me that I was just plain wrong, he also berated me for judging something without knowing a damn thing about it.
Io and behold, I never quite forgot that. I don’t mind it if people just have a different opinion on things, but that point about not really knowing enough to judge the superhero-movies and comics? It stuck with me.
So during fall I watched the Green Lantern Movie, dead set on giving them a chance. I can’t say I was too impressed. It had a whole lot of what I complained about in them, though I had to give it to them that it was a well made movie when it came to effects (and the actor). But I kind of forgot about that conversation with that friend for a bit.
And then came New Year 2013, and they aired Iron Man 1 on free TV. I saw the add and remembered again. That friend of mine? He’s a pretty brilliant guy and has a great taste in books. I dare say we have a bit of a similar taste. And again, I wondered what he saw in those superheroes that I failed to grasp. And It still gnawed on me that I may be judging carelessly. So again I sat down and was determined to really ‘look’.
And boy was I impressed. The character was an unusually hero. Though rich (,white, handsome) he was also snarky. Non-perfect. A vain guy and a bit of an asshole. Snarky. Not the typical nice guy. And his story of ‘superpowers’ was actually reasonable. He acquired his power through his brains. And there were side-effects, too. I was amused by that movie, and I found myself enjoying it a whole lot more than I had anticipated.
And I wondered. Wondered if maybe I had just been unwilling to see the positive sides? To show someone overcome a bad past, to see how much a single person can change. So I went and asked a friend to lend me Iron Man 2. It took a while, bit with time I watched the other movies as well. I was smitten with Captain America. Some of the flaws I had complained about where still there. They don’t have as much diversity as would be desirable. And they sure as hell do have ridiculous outfits from time to time. But fighting the stereotypical evil was not the central point of those movies, and I had overlooked it - I was the one who had painted those movies in black and white. And Thor? The movie I had complained about? It was the one who had me falling completely. When I was done with the movie these characters and their universe had my heart, and they had it ever since.
Now, there’s still a lot that I have to see. I only managed to see one X-Men movie jet, but I watched Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and the Avengers. I still have to watch a Spider Man Movie, a Super Man Movie or a Dark Knight Movie. But I’ll get there, slowly. And I will be open minded about it.
Until then, though, I will relish in this new and unhealthy fun obsession with the ‘Avengers’-Group and movies. I will relish in the strong female characters, the side effects and downsides of being a super heroe and fighting evil and crime. I will celebrate the character growth and the (sometimes just slightly over the top) action scenes and action plots.
And I am thankful that I was given the chance to enjoy them. To look past the gloss of ‘superpowers’ and see the grey-scales and the meta-messages in those works of fiction.
So, let me bow in apology here, to all who had to bear my rant on superheroes in the past. And let me bow in thanks and in recognition to that friend who really had a point. It just took me a bit longer than most to see it.
And let this be a chance for me to warn you: I have a new obsession and a fandom and this will not be the last that you hear of me on that matter.
… Sorrry?
Now. Where did this come from? I was taken by surprise. For the longest time I didn’t bother with anything that reeked of superheroes. I just couldn’t fancy what I deemed as the premise of a superhero: Someone (with some tragic past) who has unearthly powers to save the day, fight evil, get the girl and most likely get super popular doing so. Despite the mostly ridiculous outfits (masks and capes? Seriously?) and creepy-tight pants. I was very certain that this is how all superheroes worked and for various reasons I though this uninteresting, uncreative and not really worthy of my time. I won’t say I hated them, but I ‘meh’-ed them. Much eye-rolling was involved.
And then, some day in summer 2012, I had this conversation. It was after a breakfast of the best fruit salad that there is on this world, while doing dishes. I was casually dishing out against superheroes to a friend I made back then. The topic had come up because the movie ‘Thor’ aired on free TV that night and I was sulking about a movie that took a mythological character and probably ruined it, and how I vowed not to watch it. I distinctly remember complaining about the uncreative and unreasonable concept of superheroes, how everything is black and white, how all superheroes are the same white, nice guys saving the day. And I distinctly remember that friend disagreeing with me, heatedly. Aside from telling me that I was just plain wrong, he also berated me for judging something without knowing a damn thing about it.
Io and behold, I never quite forgot that. I don’t mind it if people just have a different opinion on things, but that point about not really knowing enough to judge the superhero-movies and comics? It stuck with me.
So during fall I watched the Green Lantern Movie, dead set on giving them a chance. I can’t say I was too impressed. It had a whole lot of what I complained about in them, though I had to give it to them that it was a well made movie when it came to effects (and the actor). But I kind of forgot about that conversation with that friend for a bit.
And then came New Year 2013, and they aired Iron Man 1 on free TV. I saw the add and remembered again. That friend of mine? He’s a pretty brilliant guy and has a great taste in books. I dare say we have a bit of a similar taste. And again, I wondered what he saw in those superheroes that I failed to grasp. And It still gnawed on me that I may be judging carelessly. So again I sat down and was determined to really ‘look’.
And boy was I impressed. The character was an unusually hero. Though rich (,white, handsome) he was also snarky. Non-perfect. A vain guy and a bit of an asshole. Snarky. Not the typical nice guy. And his story of ‘superpowers’ was actually reasonable. He acquired his power through his brains. And there were side-effects, too. I was amused by that movie, and I found myself enjoying it a whole lot more than I had anticipated.
And I wondered. Wondered if maybe I had just been unwilling to see the positive sides? To show someone overcome a bad past, to see how much a single person can change. So I went and asked a friend to lend me Iron Man 2. It took a while, bit with time I watched the other movies as well. I was smitten with Captain America. Some of the flaws I had complained about where still there. They don’t have as much diversity as would be desirable. And they sure as hell do have ridiculous outfits from time to time. But fighting the stereotypical evil was not the central point of those movies, and I had overlooked it - I was the one who had painted those movies in black and white. And Thor? The movie I had complained about? It was the one who had me falling completely. When I was done with the movie these characters and their universe had my heart, and they had it ever since.
Now, there’s still a lot that I have to see. I only managed to see one X-Men movie jet, but I watched Iron Man 3, Thor 2 and the Avengers. I still have to watch a Spider Man Movie, a Super Man Movie or a Dark Knight Movie. But I’ll get there, slowly. And I will be open minded about it.
Until then, though, I will relish in this new and unhealthy fun obsession with the ‘Avengers’-Group and movies. I will relish in the strong female characters, the side effects and downsides of being a super heroe and fighting evil and crime. I will celebrate the character growth and the (sometimes just slightly over the top) action scenes and action plots.
And I am thankful that I was given the chance to enjoy them. To look past the gloss of ‘superpowers’ and see the grey-scales and the meta-messages in those works of fiction.
So, let me bow in apology here, to all who had to bear my rant on superheroes in the past. And let me bow in thanks and in recognition to that friend who really had a point. It just took me a bit longer than most to see it.
And let this be a chance for me to warn you: I have a new obsession and a fandom and this will not be the last that you hear of me on that matter.
… Sorrry?