I read this article yesterday, and thought I'd share it here.
I'm not one to shy away from a good superhero movie, and I'll never be sorry to see more Superman and Batman on the screen (even if I'm not a fan of more recent versions), but yeah, seriously.
That last entry says it all. Fact is, whether the Ant Man in the upcoming movie is Hank Pym or not, we're apparently more willing to see a movie about a character known for hitting women, than for being one.
It's tragic that Wonder Woman's first appearance on the big screen was in the Lego Movie.
Feb 11, 2014
Superheroes Who Should Have Their Own Movies
Paul Anthony Shortt believes in magic and monsters. In ghosts and fairies. The creatures that lurk under the bed and inside the closet. The things that live in the dark, and the heroes who stand against them. Above all, he believes that stories have the power to change the world, and the most important stories are the ones which show that monsters can be beaten.
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(Second try to post this... *grumble* Hate technology.)
ReplyDeleteThere has been a (pretty damn good) animated Wonder Woman movie. I guess it went straight to video, so it doesn't count, but then I don't really think "big screen" is good for anything. I'm not a fan of the last Batman trilogy. (I have them all on Blue-ray, but I haven't even re-watched the last one.) Big screen leads to big rewrites, and not always for the good. I've been re-watching a load of animated superhero stuff recently and I find it much more pleasant watching animated Batman than I do Nolan's vision. Yes, he was kinder to Bane, but he still messed up the whole Broken Bat saga.
I think maybe people need to think more highly of media other than live action. It's denigrated still, and often undeservedly. It's like the way genre fiction is somehow less than "literary fiction." How comics are thought of as childish, despite the fact that the character development available in a comic series can put the contents of a novel to shame.
More power to alternate media!
DC have been excellent with their straight to DVD animated movies. Unfortunately, the best way to get new fans attracted to anything these days is with a live action movie.
DeleteI read an article where the DC and X-Men movies were compared to Marvel Studios' Avengers movies, and the point came down to this: with Superman, Batman, and the X-Men, it seems like the movie makers are embarrassed to be making superhero movies. They almost apologise for having to refer to the comic-book elements, whereas the Avengers movies celebrate them, and are more fun as a result.
I believe wholeheartedly in the power of alternate media, but given how badly comics (DC in particular, these days) are treating women, I don't think they're really doing much of a better job than movies.
For me, it's not that I think movies are in any way "higher" than comic books. I'm just very much aware of the stark reality that they're the number one way to get stories and characters into the mainstream.
Incidentally, I'm with you. I loved Batman Begins, but since then, I think DC's lost the plot as regards its live action movies.