There are many things that I will remember when I am older just as well as I remember them now. As a huge movie fan, the films that I watch and love are the things I will never forget. For instance, I remember first watching the 1989 “Batman” with Michael Keaton and the 1978 “Superman.” Now although I was really young when I first saw them, it doesn’t take away from the overwhelming feeling of excitement those films had on me.

Superhero films have become a separate and unique genre from all the rest. They mostly come from the visions of creators whose art is meant for comic book fans to enjoy. Movie studios then take those characters to the big screen for all to enjoy. But are the studios really doing these comic book characters justice?

As classic as the superhero movies I used to enjoy are, I wonder about the movies that young kids today are suppose to remember. Sure, many of them can be big money makers, but that hardly constitutes what makes a movie memorable. When the studios decide to give these superheroes their own movies, are they really thinking of making them in a way that people will never forget or are they really worried about the paycheck?

Movies like “Spider-Man” and “X-Men” were the first films to kick off the new decade. But the sequels that came after have not lived up to the quality of their predecessors.  I am a huge fan of these characters and I was excited to see them on the big screen. But I feel as if a major problem with duds such as “Ghost Rider” and “Fantastic Four” is that the focus was too much on special effects and not on good story-telling. It would help a great deal if writers and directors would stick to the original subject material and only veer away from it when it’s fitting for the tone of the film.

This doesn’t have to be the case. The directors are there to make the film their own vision. But sticking to the characters original material would help them have a clearer path to where they’re vision is supposed to go. This is the reason “The Dark Knight” and “Iron Man” worked so well with audiences. The films’ directors got the essence of the characters right and spent more than just a week on the story.

People need to be able to remember these type of films. There has to be something special about them to make them want to remember them.  For instance, in thinking of something different, no superhero film has ever had a team effort in which heroes joined forces. The anticipated “Avengers” film slated for a 2011 release should add change to the genre instead of following the status quo.

If these films continue to go down the path they are on, the fan base behind them and their demand will soon begin to dwindle down. Simply creating explosions and generalizing characters without any real development will cause the audiences to care less and less about these films. The people behind these films should get their act together soon or else the genre will become a memory, instead of memorable.

Bryce Bradford is an agricultural communications senior.