Batman! Spider-man! Why NOW?

I think we can all recognize these two theme songs. The man in a black bat suit and the young teenage boy in a blue and red spandex onesie. Both of them using their power of flying and superhuman strength to save their respective cities. Both of these characters extremely popular on the silver screen today...

 

But I want to pose the question, why are these films being made now? Starting in 2000, there have been over 50 films making over ten million dollars at the box office, many of them pulling in more than one-hundred million dollars. It is easy to say that these film attract audiences. The old and young, the geeky teen and businessman. More than likely if someone were to ask you who your favorite superhero was, you would pull from the films you've seen or comics you've read and answer. But why now?

I don't know if Marvel Comics is just really good at marketing their superheros or if DC Comics hit the lottery having Christopher Nolan direct the "man in black." Either way there is no denying that these films are hugely successful right now. Even the not-so-well made movies with weird plot points, 2011's Green Lantern or this year's sequel Ghost Rider:  Spirit of Vengeance, were successful. So why now? Why can these films be shoddily made and still rake in millions? How come this was not the case in the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's? Why is there an influx now? Is this the movie industry's strategy of trying to make as much money as they can in the dying age of theaters?

Here's my take. People want change. They want hope that someone out there can change their community for the better, especially in the world's economic state. Yes, the actors, special effects, and directing are impeccable. But at the end of the day, don't we all wish we were doing more with our lives? I know I wish I had the nerve to stand up for others being bullied, or stop a robber, or even stand in the way of a bullet. But I don't....So I'm posing an answer. We like to see people rise above the world portrayed in these films, which is some cases is eerily close to our own (you can ignore the pun involving this weekend's Batman film).

So go out and support your favorite superhero. Love them all just the same. Vicariously live through them. And if you are brave enough, take something from these films out into the real world with you. Be brave, be bold, and do what ever a spider can, if you see fit...