Tom Hanks shares his thoughts on the rise and troubles of superhero cinema

Tom Hanks recently shared his thoughts on the rise and recent struggles of superhero cinema. Many Hollywood talents have their opinions on these films and while some embrace it, others feel that it is not real cinema.

Well, as for what Hanks thinks, his thoughts align with mine as he explains that the familiarity of these classic characters means they no longer make us feel like they used to.

Because of this, fans and audiences want more from these superhero films and want stronger stories because big VFX-fueled action sequences simply aren’t enough.

Here’s what Hanks said:

“The fact is, it’s actually state of the art. Never mind the commerce. The state of the industry right now. The great thing that happened was…remember in the ’70s and ’80s, they tried to make TV versions of Captain America and Spider-Man and even Batman The Adam WestBatman.

“The technology didn’t exist to make it look like the comics. Now it does. You can do anything. You could probably say the Christopher Reeve Superman was the first to approach because cutting-edge technology allowed the removal of the wire. “Will you believe a man can fly,” and, you know what, we all did when we saw it. It was truly amazing.”

“I think we’re enjoying the luxury of wealth now because you can make anything happen on the screen. We’ve been brought back to the concept of, ‘Okay, that’s true, but what’s the story.’

“No doubt, I’ve used this analogy before, so I apologize, you can drain Lake Michigan and fill it with cuckoo clocks and form a three-headed dragon that breathes fire and destroys the city of Chicago.

“You can do it, but what’s the point of the end of the day? What is the story and what will it say about us?

“I think there was a period of time, and I felt that way too, where we watched these amazing DC or MCU movies to see these better versions of ourselves. ‘God, I feel like an X-Man sometimes. I’m just as confused as Spider-Man, I’m as angry as Batman, and I love my country as much as Captain America.

“I would like to emulate all those guys.” I think we’ve been down that road and we’ve had probably 20, 15 years to explore that kind of thing and now I think we’re in an evolutionary place where, “And what’s the story?” And what is the theme? And what is the purpose of this film?’

“It’s a great challenge for any director, but it may simply not be accepted by the industry. The industry often says, ‘Well, it works and it will work again.’

“The public is much ahead. They see what is familiar and say, “I’ve seen this before.” What’s the next step?” It’s not just mind-blowing stuff, what’s the story? Tell me about myself. We’re in new territory.”

Hanks was then asked if he had ever met him Kevin Feige OR James Gunn for possible Marvel or DC roles. His answer…

“No. No, I think it’s because… I’m not in their league. I’m not against it, I guess, but at the same time… I’ll tell you right now, my combo plate is pretty full. I have a lot of things that I’m dreaming and trying to make it happen.”

What do you think of what Hanks has to say here about superhero movies?

You can watch the full interview with Hanks below.