The abilities and motivations of powerful characters
The powers should be kept low level. Same case when playing around with Sci-Fi elements. I’ve started to write a Spy-Fi story (genre invented by Inception) that has plausible time travel — not a person but data using future quantum computers, through the so-called Quantum Realm. It gives you so much more to work with, and stakes — considering, for example, that you cannot bring anyone back from death through time travel shenanigans. Now use other sci-fi elements, but make them more plausible and you have a totally untested premise that could go anywhere as you have not yet touched the ceiling regarding the abilities those futuristic story beats might have. Same thing with superpower.
I really hate how X-men characters can have powers that span across the globe. Like Prof X/Xavier being able to mess with the whole world — it’s 8 billion minds, which is insane when you think about it. It should be depicted like multitasking. Or Magneto being able to literally move the Earth itself as some very small part of sand is metal. It’s just not interesting compared to small scale opportunities to make them become creative with their abilities. For example, have someone not be able to move objects but feel where they are — he will learn how to fight by knowing slightly ahead were every punch goes and where the bullets will be shot in order to evade them. And perhaps over time have him develop by training a force field around him that would protect him from punches and bullets so he can go against more powerful villains while knowing how to fight.
It’s okay, though, for them to use MacGuffins (plot devices, literally) to amplify their reach every now and then. For example, Cerebro for Xavier or the Infinity Gauntlet for Thanos in Avengers. That’s a plausible way compared to magnifying their capability 10 000 times out of nowhere. At least it harkens back to reality where a human would never be able to fight back a hundred goons with his bear hands, because in a couple minutes he’ll be real tired. But give him a gun (MacGuffin) and it becomes a real viable option.
I also am a huge fan of scenes where they increase their power levels like 10 times through training or some drastic mindset modification — 100 times is a bit much already. For instance, in X-Men : First Class when Xavier is telling Erik/Magneto that “True focus lies between rage and serenity.” and then him moving a huge satellite as a stepping stone to something greater. Likewise, it is logical and showing that through how you think when working or training combined with enough motivation (like Erik’s need for revenge in First Class) can, in time, make a huge difference. In contrast to just becoming better with no effort whatsoever, that is actually inspiring to the viewer. There are many cases where a simple change in perspective motivates us for the upcoming months of hardship. Such as having a back against a wall, with no alternative option left, like many deus-ex-machina scenes in those movies.
That problem extends to non-CB movies as well, like in Star Wars where Rey (hero in the new trilogy) obtains Force powers just because she really needs it to get out of situations and survive essentially — plot armour. The problem is that people cannot relate to that. The message is basically that unless you have great genetics and a strict upbringing you will have no way of becoming great. Parallel in Star Wars would be being a Skywalker or any other family with Force powers. So there is nothing more for you to do. Everything is already set in stone. Which is obviously not a message you wanna give to the children/audience.
I think it’d be awesome to have the next Star Wars trilogy to have the hero be an Average Joe. Not even below average, which would entail being raised on Tatooine or Jakku — essentially the Third World planets of Star Wars. But someone on an okay planet who goes to school with other children. And then one day finds a lightsaber and begins training himself. Or even better…learns about such a thing as a lightsaber and the Jedi. Begins to dream to be like them. After training on his own for 10 years he is the super skilled action person and then goes up against someone like Kylo Ren in the current trilogy — someone who has the Force and thinks that this is enough to overcome all enemies. Then as he proves himself without the lightsaber he essentially gets to construct his own — aspect completely missing from the films. That would show that even though you might not have had some great precursor you are still able to beat the people who do.
Why make movies that require massive resources if you have nothing to say? Moreover, with Star Wars what one should communicate should also be something along the lines of how far should you go to succeed. Basically, how to fight society’s enemies without you and by extension society itself losing its values? It has always been the core as Luke was trying to fight Vader without having to kill him. It shouldn’t be that difficult to put a different spin on that. Different spin as in asking questions about what did Vader mean by bringing balance to the galaxy. What does it mean exactly? It’s as much of an unclear motivation as someone saying that I wanna tear the old world down to build a better one. For starters…tell me how would the new world be better and what is your plan to achieve it and I might just think about joining the cause. You do realise that in order to build up the new world for 8 billion people is gonna require bringing at least tens of millions to the cause — what’s your plan there? If a leader in the movie leading a cause cannot answer these questions then any character with solid reasoning abilities can tell that he is blinded by emotions and should seek (mental) medical help.
