COLUMN: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its hundreds of superhero movies

While I am a bit of self-confessed movie geek - testament to this is my collection of gangster, action and other box sets - the superhero genre is not something that keeps my interest.

And sadly for me, the superhero genre is on the rise.

It is just me or does there seem to be a new film based on a comic book character released every week?

Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Batman and Superman crossover films, The Avengers, Antman, the Incredible Hulk - the list goes on and on.

The genre is surely oversaturated. Reports from websites run by comic book devotees seem to agree there is an issue.

One online report revealed that there has been around 30 movies involving Marvel or DC comic book characters released in under a decade - with plenty more planned in the next few years. Had the reviews for the majority of the films released been favourable then perhaps we movie-goers could live with it. But the fact is some of them are undoubtedly dodgy.

Take Suicide Squad, which features an ensemble cast of superhero characters including Batman’s old adversary The Joker, along with others such as the likes of ‘Captain Boomerang’ and ‘Killer Croc’.

The reviews have been generally negative, but before it was even released producers announced that a sequel will be filmed next year.

The reason of course is that the superhero genre is still a big draw for many film fans.

And while ever the box office numbers are rolling in, the studios will keep pumping these types of films out almost regardless of their critical acclaim.

These movies do have their place of course, and there are exceptions to the rule. For example Christopher Nolan’s brooding ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy is a masterpiece.

I just wish the studios behind such films would work harder on crafting a few great movies, rather than lots of average ones. It also could be that new writers with fresh new concepts are not being given a fair chance.

More diversity in the type of film we can choose to watch would surely be a good thing - rather than being faced with endless sequels to stories originated in the pages of comic books.