Franchise fever

So the posters for The Hobbit are up around the city now, and I know I should be excited for when it comes out, but I just can't care enough about it. Partly because I never read the book (I never even finished the Lord of the Rings books), partly because I'm not that big a fan, but mostly because it means another three-movie investment. Three more movies, in 3D and IMAX and now with some newfangled 48-frames-per-second technology that's supposed to make for a better picture. I admit, that part intrigues me, though I don't know if it intrigues me enough.

Seems like most, if not all, genre movies these days have to be the foundation for a franchise. (And not just genre movies - are you ready for Magic Mike 2?) Keeping up with them all can be wearying, and I feel less inclined to do so now than in the past. Maybe it's a by-product of getting old and cranky and less tolerant of the same old bullshit, but I don't think that's all.

Naturally, some franchises will always have my loyalty, no matter what. I'll always turn out for any new Star Trek movie, for instance, and now that there'll be new Star Wars movies, with fresh creative minds behind them, I couldn't resist that if I wanted to. However, I only found the first Hunger Games movie decent, not outstanding, and I don't think I'd be that interested in more in that series; I'm definitely not that eager for more Spider-Man, and as enticing as the next X-Men movie sounds, my loathing of the previous one doesn't inspire much confidence. Why?

Part of the reason is financial - movie tickets aren't getting any cheaper - but most of it is simple boredom, even for a mega-franchise like Avengers. Watching it come together was exciting because nothing like it had ever been done in movies before, and it was the culmination of a childhood dream. (And I'm not exaggerating when I say that; it's the truth.) Now that it's happened, and it's part of history, do I wanna go through the process all over again?

Maybe, maybe not. In the comics these movies are based on, crossover events - mini-series where a whole bunch of heroes get together for one big adventure - used to be rarer, and more special. Now, they're commonplace, and it's harder to get excited about them, especially when each succeeding event has to top the last one somehow. It's one reason among many why I gave up superhero comics, and I see these superhero movies going down the same path.

It goes without saying that franchises mean money, and Hollywood will continue cranking them out for as long as this remains true. I, on the other hand, am beginning to get a little fatigued by them, which is why I think I may indulge in them to a lesser degree. You feel the same way or not?