Florence Pugh stands on the roof of the second highest building in the world. She takes a moment to prepare and to get in character as Yelena Belova, the Black Widow of the new Thunderbolts* film, and, tied to a massively impressive safe-fall rig, she careens over the edge – a stunt the likes of which has become rarer and rarer in superhero movies, especially when performed by the actual star. In another shot, an entire floor of a building explodes behind her as the crew cheers at the safe success of the blast, a practical effect that other superhero films might have accomplished through digital effects.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman shows off the epic sets of the FF's Baxter Building headquarters, explaining how his approach to making the movie relies on the presence of actual, physical elements on set, down to building a full suit for the film's gigantic villain Galactus rather than relying solely on digital effects. He likens his process to that of legendary auteur director Stanley Kubrick "within reason."
Embracing the spectacle
Will Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Superman make good on that promise? We'll have to wait and see (though Thunderbolts* is setting the stage well with overwhelmingly positive reactions). But the premise certainly rings true.
In an environment where the narrative of superhero fatigue is winning thanks to the proliferation of stitched-together, greenscreen-driven movies that do more to add threads to an ever-expanding canvas of plotlines than to tell their own impactful stories, a return to fully-formed blockbuster filmmaking that embraces true spectacle as a vector for meaningful narratives is like a cool balm.
There's a strong reason why stunt and effects driven action franchises such as John Wick, James Bond, The Fast and the Furious, and Mission: Impossible have managed to weather the criticisms that have come to define their counterparts in the current superhero movie landscape while spawning their own spin-offs, prequels, and so on: they all manage to find ways to actually truly impress us with their feats of filmmaking and with the authenticity of their storytelling.
Even a franchise like The Fast and the Furious, which essentially stars superheroes whose powers are being really good at cars, manages to remain in the public's good graces by staying true to its filmmaking potential as it takes its movies to lofty and ridiculous new heights, like launching its heroes, once simple street racers, into outer space.
There's another component to Marvel and DC's new practical-filmmaking-forward approach to marketing their new films, which is the seesaw balancing act of utilizing all the tools of a massive movie studio while also bringing in filmmakers with a vision that translates to the level of stories being told.
Some of Marvel's less popular recent films such as Eternals and Thor: Love and Thunder struggled with allowing their directors to put their own sensibilities and voices into their movies while also fulfilling the expectations of superhero movie fans. Showing us that there are people working behind-the-scenes who understand that balance, and who prize the same things as beleaguered fans, makes a ton of sense.
A return to blockbuster cinema
When considered alongside the common refrain of "greenscreen slop" that has accompanied films like DC's The Flash and Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and the increasingly byzantine internal references that such films have counted on to keep fans invested, it's easy to see why Marvel and DC are eager to remind moviegoers that they still understand what good, tentpole blockbuster movies actually are, and how to make them.
These are the qualities that people loved about the original Avengers saga. There was a strong humanity to the characters and a voice to their films that, even when they weren't entirely successful, made them feel new and fresh.
And coupled with the groundbreaking feeling of seeing the Marvel Universe formed before our eyes in a way we'd never experienced on film, it all felt like a cultural event, a reason to see and talk about movies – not just a checklist of new characters and new concepts that may or may not register with a wider audience, let alone continue on into later appearances.
Again, the question remains as to whether Thunderbolts*, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Superman will succeed, let alone whether Marvel and DC will be able to follow up on their potential wins by learning the right lessons. But for the first time in a long time, I'm actually excited about the 'movie' side of superhero movies, and their potential to carry forward the tradition of blockbuster filmmaking into a new era.
Thunderbolts is now in theaters (read our review right here). Superman releases on July 11, followed by The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25. In the meantime, stay up to date on all the new superhero movies and shows planned for release in 2025 and beyond.
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