You're joking, but the thing to realize is this: people aren't going to see the new Spider-Man because it's a superhero movie, they're going because A) it's a cinematic masterpiece that deftly explores questions of identity, maturity, and what it is to reconcile yourself to your life's choices, and B) because it builds on 20 years of storytelling in both the Spider-Man universe and the MCU. When I saw the movie on Friday night in a packed theater, people were literally cheering at a few of the story reveals (granted, it was a noisy theater... Upper West Side AMC is a lively joint), because they were that compelling. This is a film on the scale of great opera and theater, which is why it's having the 3rd biggest opening weekend even though we are still in a pandemic.
And I thnk Greatest Showman made quite clear how to save the movie musical: write something original with pop songs that worm their way into the pop consciousness outside of the film itself, the way that Porter and the Gershwins did nearly 100 years ago. |
