Superhero Films: Today and Tomorrow
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Rant: what is a superhero film? That is a good question, but one not easily answered. The typical answer is a person that risks his life in an act of heroism. Super is the abilities of that hero, and it also depends on the use. The main thing is to remember the purpose of the hero, because without purpose, there really is no point, it's like driving a car with no destination. Giving the hero reasons to be something more, real purpose is a great start. Afterwards the hero must have some connection, establish a background, what happened in his past. Make the hero become the individual he wants to be, because without those connections the hero would be empty.
A great example of hero establishment would be Spider man, he was made from the beginning, a radioactive spider created him, but did it? Uncle Ben was the key to Spider man becoming the true hero of the city. Peter Parker evolved into a great hero, his ambitions were true, but i believe Uncle Ben created the Spider Man we know and love. Another example of superhero establishment is the movie Punisher, granted he would be a anti-hero because of his actions and the "war," on all criminals, but in reality he's not. Frank Castle's story isn't complex, the mob killed his family, a revenge story, so he became the Punisher on the actions of others. The movie versions of the Punisher, he was an FBI agent, his car parked at his house blew up and killed his family. Another version is basically Frank Castle's family was killed having dinner together. The point here is simple, in order to make a great hero, you must have an epic background, having super powers makes the hero awesome, but the real gem here is the transition to becoming the hero, an origin.
The core to what makes superhero is not that simple, because in order to understand the essence of being a hero, you really need to understand the values of the hero. What makes the hero tick, does his personal weakness bother the hero all the time. After establishing a origin, the value system is integrated with the new hero. Does he believe in something? Is there turmoil, how did it all come together. Having a true core is important to the hero, the mold to what the hero will become, that my friend is the complex core, the deep integrated emotions that make a true hero. Without the core, the hero will be another badly written character. Core to me is the mix emotions, experiences that make up the true hero. Spider man, Batman, even Superman had people around him that make up his personal core. Lois Lane, Perry White, Lex Luthor, Martha Kent, make up the personal core to the heroes i mentioned, even the bad guys have a core, a deep connection that makes them who they are.
So what drives audiences to see these great films? The answer is simple, and it's not the entertainment thing. The core, origin, all the things that make a hero who he is. The films are great because of the story leading up to the emotional situations that makeup the hero. Problems are problems but for a hero the situations are slim at best, because his system always changes. Good, evil, sharing a piece of the characters history. So what happens when folks get sick of hero films, simple the box office will pay, and the core,everything the filmmakers did doesn't really matter, because the audiences will turn because of what they just saw, and payed for. To much hero stuff will kill the franchise. Sounds like a lie right? Wrong because if the MCU and the DCU don't take small steps the comic book adaptions of their beloved character will be gone, fade into the darkness. The films will make their money, but as a whole, meaning story, everything that's made it good so far will fail. Sounds kinda bleak, but it's what i see coming. The 90's comics were strong with new writers, artists, a fresh new look. The answers to the questions were there, the comic industry chose not to worry or change things up, instead they flooded the market with so many first printings of issue #1 that the value of the comic feel hard. Imagine having a Spider man #1 by Todd McFarlane, and the issue was hot back in the day, but having to many printings of that issue kills the hot #1. The printings may have been worth something then, but now, not so much. Only golden age and some silver is worth some money. When i collected comics, i didn't collect for the money, or the value of the comic. The main reason was the stories, and the episode like feel to them. The stories continued next week, and those stories merged with all the other superheros which made up one huge, mega crossover. The critics will tell you different, but the fact is comics are not what they were, and not because of the collector, but the industry within imploded. Sorry to say that, but the truth hurts sometimes, and to me, and a lot of folks, i stopped collecting because i couldn't stomach the stories anymore, and that's why the film versions will fade, because of the continued nonsense that will hurt the studios, and industry itself.
The hope these movies, TV shows have is one thing, slow installments of them. I know it sucks, but audiences get bored way to easy, an example of this is the Fantastic Four film in 2015. Let me put it to you in a more realistic way, so you could understand better. The Josh Tank film last summer bombed, that's it. Secondly there was a version out in 2005, and 2007. Three films all did OK at best, if that what you would consider great films, then your entitled to your opinion. The movie companies slapped folks in the face. But look at what happened to the franchise, in fact the only really good thing that came out of those films was Chris Evens who became Captain America. Like i said, slap audiences and your numbers will tank, period. The studios continue to make huge mistakes, because Fantastic Four 2 will come out one month after Star Wars Episode VIII in 2017. Really, what makes you think the film is going to do any better than the 2015 version. The franchise as far as i'm concerned, the Fantastic Four heroes are dead, yup sorry folks but it has happened. Even with a great cast, the film will tank, because the studios want that money, a new franchise drain. Do you really think FF will even come close to the numbers one month after Star Wars. Nope, the studio is dreaming, in fact everyone that made that stupid decision should be fired.
In closing, all i have to say is stay tuned, because a flood of superhero films are coming between now and 2020. Time will only tell, it's what will make or break the system. Comics are a reading base, derived from good talented writers, artists, that will fade if not careful. Our digital world will find a new home for them, even now as i write this blog, there are probably thousands of superhero screenplays that are good enough to make into a movie. Some are not even looked at, either way the flood is coming, are you prepared for it? That is the question everyone should be thinking about. The superhero storm is here in a small way, but just wait till the Justice League films come out, the Infinity war films, Inhumans, and more. Pretty soon the superhero movies will be like the old Star Trek films, the even number films were good, the odd numbers sucked. The critics gave Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice a bad rating, it was a DCU film, with that being said if the critics hated that movie, just wait and see whats coming soon. I mean really, the film was not all that bad, again my opinion. Marvel has a slew of bad films, some i mentioned, like FF films, Punisher films, all of them not including the Daredevil series Punisher that was done well. How long did it take the studios to finally realize the Punisher is a soldier, his family was killed in Central Park. Not in a car, or on a boat. The point here is simple, in order to make a good movie it must be done right, i mentioned the core, origins, components that make a hero who he is, so why stray from that, in fact the studios continue to make mistakes, enough to kill the hero franchises all together. I love comic films, you could either call me a fan boy, or not. The reality here is clouded by anticipation, bad marketing, that make films bad. This hero movie thing will end soon, i mean it's cool to have them, but if the studios continue on their path the reality is clear to me. Stop with the stupid reboots, then there might be a chance. But, in my world, one that works in the realm of reality, the predictions are not so good, but remember the audience is you, and that's what counts, your view on this whole superhero thing.
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