Canadian Politics Today

Yes they are, but not through their own intentions. They're responding to the way our society operates, which is economic rationalism above all else. Every aspect of society as we shifted from pre-modern times to modernity became contingent on a few key factors: calculability, efficiency, predictability/standardization, control. It's a rationalism that is to the detriment of artistic endeavours and human experience. Ritzer called this the McDonaldization of society. He goes on to argue that this kind of social organisation is irrationally rational. What he means is that strict rationalism dehumanizes the people who work in such a system. We can see the humanity stripped out of films, quite literally with the overabundance of CG. People are no longer an end in themselves, but a means to an end. They are numbers on spreadsheets.

As it goes for superhero movies, they are efficient and predictable through serial spin-offs, sequels, prequels and reboots. They are calculable because they become brands, as mentioned. Studios don't want to take a chance on something new, when they can just take a story, already written and already popular, and churn out a film that's already recognized. Consequently, it's the death of creativity. Trying something new, stretching boundaries, pushing the envelope are irrational but they are the quintessential characteristics of the artistic, the aesthetic, and the human experience. Economic rationalism is the death of not only film but all kinds of artistic endeavours. We are left with a meme economy that endlessly reproduces the same images, de-contextualizing and dehumanizing everything.