The Untouchable Nature of Pop Culture

How do pop culture and fandom affect one’s perception of media quality? If one’s surroundings heavily promote and influence a particular media piece, it is up to the individual to accept or reject what they are viewing. However, if someone has been indoctrinated with fandom, does critical perception change entirely? Presently, a large part of pop culture contains the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Stranger Things, or any other sizeable licensed material produced at a given time. When a new season or movie comes out, a cultural implosion pulls a broad audience to view the new greatest ‘spectacle’ of the time. Although popular fandom possesses a unifying influence on one art form, the result can be detrimental to one’s ability to critique accurately.

In 2019, acclaimed director Martin Scorsese made a statement criticizing Marvel studios, saying, “I said that I’ve tried to watch a few of them and that they’re not for me, that they seem to me to be closer to theme parks than they are to movies as I’ve known and loved them throughout my life, and that in the end, I don’t think they’re cinema.” When the press released Scorsese’s statement, a tidal wave of backlash came his way. People characterized Scorsese as a hater of Marvel and said his comment was insulting. As it stands, Marvel dominates the blockbuster film industry. Marvel films comprise forty percent of the top ten highest-grossing films of all time, and the other sixty percent include other studio blockbuster hits. The idea behind Scorsese and other directors who have criticized Marvel films is that critically acclaimed films are not viewed equally by the public compared to blockbusters. In other words, amusement parks draw larger crowds than museums.

Vox writer, Emily St. James, explores the intricacies of cultural criticism, such as Scorsese’s comment, but in terms of journalism by divulging how and why cultural writing declined. The leaders of film criticism, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, dominate the online media stratum by pushing back other media companies’ takes on current entertainment. St. James expands, saying, “We need cultural criticism not just to tell us which movies to go see and which ones to avoid, but to tell us things we already knew but didn’t know how to express.” Reading a reflection on art carries value that allows art to transcend further, grow, and challenge audiences. With that in mind, cultural criticism expands on current understandings, but it does not mean independent criticism can never form. Rather than reading or listening to another individual’s prerogative, a fresh and unique perspective can be refreshing to promote conversation. However, independent thought rarely forms in pop culture, and viewers leave themselves in a cyclical pattern of cultural echo chambers—the lack of cultural criticism in media results in an inability for art to advance.

One of the more recent examples is the fourth season of Stranger Things. Like every other Stranger Things season release, the media frenzied, and the pop culture phenom exploded. Clothing stores began restocking absurd amounts of show merchandise, and suddenly Kate Bush became a Spotify top artist. Whether it made sense to non-Stranger Things viewers, the show encompassed the entirety of early July through August of 2022. The season was a critical success, and negative reviews were few and far between. Most websites published headlines such as “Why Season Four is the Best Season Yet,” or “A Series at its Most Action Packed.” The online reviews are swamped with positivity that only a few potentially negative reviews squeeze by.

Eric Kain from Forbes is one of the few critics who stood against the grain and decided to write a review that explores the positives of the show and also its drawbacks. In his article, Kain writes a compounded list that outlines every facet of the plot that did not work for him. Although readers can view Kain’s criticism as nitpicking the show, Kain is likely refuting and pushing back against the obsessive praise the show generated. When fandom has surrounded a particular show or film, intercepting with specific examples helps create a foundational argument for criticism. Furthermore, Kain never diminishes the accomplishments of the show. Instead, he emphasizes his adoration for the characters and subject but adds that he wants to see the show broaden its scope. Being critical of popular culture should not be looked down upon but embraced for pushing an art form further.

Similar to Stranger Things, but on a holistic scale, are the Disney Plus Marvel shows. With the launch of Disney’s new streaming network, Disney Plus, Marvel announced the indoctrination of Marvel Cinematic Universe television shows to exist in tandem with the unified films. Except for Ms. Marvel, each show averaged well above a million views, according to a survey conducted by Samba TV. There is no doubt that the shows were popular, but the larger question is if they were held to a similar standard as the films that have come before them. According to audience scores pulled from Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes, the shows were a majority sweep in popularity. However, unlike Stranger Things’ lack of critical insight, Marvel shows have faced adversity. She-Hulk and Ms. Marvel faced the most backlash from fans for introducing ideas deemed ‘woke’ rather than the traditional superhero schlock that audiences have come to expect. The rest of the Marvel shows remain primarily uncritiqued for their numerous shortcomings from the fandom. The feeding frenzy of Marvel Cinematic Universe pop culture runs deep in fueling the shows and the perpetuation of mediocre films. Recently, Marvel films such as Thor Love and Thunder, or Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness faced proper critical scrutiny. Yet, the abundant criticism did not dismay audience goers from attending screenings.

Despite a surge of negative reviews, Marvel still produces content excessively, and the fandom continues to follow blindly. The fans can leave the theater, point little fingers at what they did not enjoy, and then turn around abruptly to the next film on the list with full excitement: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Fandom can push large studios to improve, but obsession clouds proper judgment. As Marvel Comics continues to decline, Marvel films continue the perpetuation and longevity of their characters. The fans allow Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, and other characters to survive so that the fandom can push for more remarkable stories.

Opposite to Marvel, Star Wars changed the status quo by implementing three core episodes in Disney’s self-proclaimed Skywalker Saga. Near universally, the sequel trilogy failed to connect with audiences but succeeded in bringing together Star Wars fans on a negative bandwagon regardless of the critical quality of the films. A substantial portion of Star Wars fandom rejects the sequel trilogy but acknowledges the awe and magic of the original trilogy. Therefore fandom has united and agreed not to fall into mediocrity.

Perhaps the lack of recognition of Marvel’s cinematic decline is attached to the specific generational aspect of the Marvel phenomenon. The movies began in 2008 when the youngest generations were millennials and generation z. The deep-rootedness of youthful nostalgia may allude to audiences’ lack of being critical. A notable example of excessive nostalgia in Marvel was Spider-man: No Way Home. The film stars Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, who were the actors playing Spider-man before Tom Holland’s Marvel Cinematic Universe performance. The film banked on audiences wanting to see all interpretations of Spider-man coming together for a big-screen team-up. It did not matter if the plot made complete sense or if the story contained actual substance as long as Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland all shared the screen simultaneously. Fans excused the film’s poor writing from the first trailer by scapegoating through a theory that “evil Doctor Strange,” the character who inadvertently pulls the Spider-Men together, “replaced the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] original.” Inevitably, the theory was disproven when the film was released, and the meager excuse to join these characters ended up exactly as it appeared. Nevertheless, the film was considered one of the best Marvel films produced and grossed millions of dollars.

The last time a large piece of pop culture united for change was during the Game of Thrones finale. Game of Thrones is infamous for having one of the worst-received television endings of all time. The well-acclaimed, generously funded, and once-deemed masterpiece of a show quickly dissolved into sheer disgust. Regardless, HBO picked up the show’s world again in the form of House of the Dragon: a new show that rose from the ashes of atrocity from its predecessor. John Anderson of the Wall Street Journal adds that House of the Dragon is “as captivating as any season of Game of Thrones.” Without the fans coming together in disgust with Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon would most likely not have been as good as it is. Compliance with mediocrity allows for innovation to decline and perpetuates a below-par standard. If artists are not challenged or encouraged to change, their art will diminish.

While watching beloved media, one must feel free to dissociate from their interest to criticize fairly. For art to succeed, one must find the balance between feeling overly complacent and critical for better stories to occur. There is no shame in arguing that something is not up to par with the original. Reflecting on media and introducing conversation about the topic can go a long way in procuring finer art.