Is it just me, or do blockbusters require too much homework?

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A Total Film writer on why a trip to the multiplex isn't as simple as it used to be...

Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

Marvel movies are meant to be an escape. A few hours of light relief; a chance to lose yourself in a universe where the good guys win and the villains (almost) always lose. Plant yourself in a comfy seat and tune out. Just enjoy Captain America punching a man with a red skull.

Of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has moved beyond that simple narrative thanks to various Avengers event movies. However, since 2019’s Endgame, things have become more complicated. Gone are the days of a few cinema trips being enough to understand the larger story – now, you need to sink hours into various Disney+ series too.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, for example, makes more sense after watching WandaVision, and even more sense after watching Loki and What If…?. To fully appreciate Spider-Man: No Way Home, you need to have seen everything from the MCU, two sets of Spider-Man movies, and have working knowledge of the Venom: Let There Be Carnage post-credits scene. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which the critics agree is a slog, has already been made required viewing for multiple future Marvel projects.

The same is happening beyond superheroes. The terrific Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves has a spin-off TV show confirmed. Scream 6 requires watching, well, five other Scream movies (not least the fourth one, if you want to make sense of Hayden Panettiere’s appearance). And sure, that’s the nature of franchises. But as these series become bigger and more reliant on viewers being au fait with everything that came before, it’s starting to feel like you have to do homework before you set foot in the multiplex… Or is it just me?

Jack Shepherd
Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.