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Are Superhero Movies Okay For Little Kids? Or Even Adults!
A debate rages about whether franchise superhero movies are even cinema. Famously, Martin Scorsese argues that they are not. They lack mystery, revelation, and real danger for the protagonists (we always know the heroes will win), in addition to that, all plots follow a predictable trajectory.
People ask whether these films put violence and conflict in frames that are too simplified and much too unrealistic for real life. The heroes always win. The bad guy is clearly evil. What does that teach a young child about the lessons learned from frustration, inevitable failure, the subtleties of right and wrong, and the usefulness of seeing a more realistic world?
Predictably, questions arise as to whether these kinds of films are appropriate for younger ages. We know they glorify violence. They usually don’t glorify sexuality to the same degree, although sexist tropes do slip through. Somehow, since superheroes were almost exclusively conceived in the days of manly men always discovering gorgeous and often scantily clad women in peril. It follows then that most heroes are square-jawed, tough, and not-so-talkative. Only recently have little girls begun to be treated to the resilient power of female strength.
Along those lines, the plucky and indefatigable, perpetually gas-lit Lois Lane ought to become…