Not Such a Marvel to Behold THE CASE AGAINST SUPERHERO FILMS IN THE CLASSROOM
It goes without saying that kids today just don’t know how good they’ve got it. They have the ability to view a broad range of high-quality films and television shows at any time and any place. Easy access to streaming services means that they can view recent and ancient (like, from when we were their age) films from near and abroad in mere moments. The entire digital history of the world’s cumulative cultural productions is at their fingertips, meaning that they’re surrounded by beauty and art.
And they want to watch Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008). And you’re letting them.
It’s far from uncommon, nowadays, to find Marvel, DC or other superhero-genre films being used in classrooms. They’re certainly popular choices with students; but the temptation at play here, to give in and give the kiddies want they want in order to get them to connect with subject-area content and assessment, can only be resulting in a dumbing-down of standards and expectations. It’s a tendency that’s alienating those students (and teachers, seriously) who don’t want to see explosions and expensive special effects, let alone attempt to flesh out an essay on them. It’s limiting the capacity to allow young minds to think, question and critique. And, more than anything else, it’s devoting focus to films that, frankly, are pretty average.
That’s a controversial opinion in the age of the blockbuster sequel, to be sure. These movies are cash cows. The huge returns and profit margins, the advertising and affiliated merchandising opportunities, and the propensity
