The last three years, comic book related movies have been the hottest thing in Hollywood with Spider-man (2002) being the most successful superhero movie ever and one of the biggest box-office hits ever. This is a rough timeline of the popularity of superhero comic book movies of the last 25 years. Just like economic models, does the popularity of certain movie genres change a lot over time, being very popular at the end of the 70s, 80s, and beginning of this century, and reaching lows in the mid-80s and end of the 90s. What is the reason for this changing popularity of the superhero genre in Hollywood? In other words: why are some of these flicks such big successes and do other fail so miserably? That is what I will try to find out in this paper. I will do this by mentioning similarities between comic book inspired movies of the last 25 years and illustrating these with the movies they were found in, thus analyzing what made them fail or make them such a success. Although not all comic book inspired movies led to superhero-centered movies, I will focus solely on these considering that movies like Ghost World, Men in Black, and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen are not in the same genre as Batman, Daredevil, or Spider-man. .
Power and Responsibility.
The most prominent similarity between the successful movies is that in all of them, the focus is not on the hero, but the human behind the mask. Batman was not about a guy with a square jaw and rippling muscles. It was about Bruce Wayne, the man inside the suit. The same can be said for Superman and Spider-man. Clark Kent in Superman was not a powerful alien who always saved the day. The movie showed a boy growing-up on a farm in the Mid-West who discovered he had fantastic powers (because of his alien origin that he himself did not know of) and could help people in need by using them. Peter Parker is an average teenage kid, with the same problems and anxieties teenagers in the real world experience.
In "Is There a Superhero in all of Us?... "Is There a Superhero in all of Us?... Iron man is perhaps the most known Superhero that uses technology to be one. ... This is what makes Batman a real Superhero. ... Batman is proof that anyone has the potential to become a Superhero. ...
Elijah wants to win David over to his theory that David is a superhero, but David isn't buying it, although he's intrigued. ... Elijah is relentless in his obsession with David's superhero status and is determined to make David see it also. ... It becomes apparent that David is exactly like a comic book superhero and the part Elijah plays in all of this is the villain. ... It's one of those "watch it twice" movies. ...
Paragraph 1: A hero that you might see in the movies or in comics such as Superman or Batman, are a lot different to a hero in real life. These made up hero's which are also known as superhero's normally have special powers, a big cape and underwear on the outside. ... Chas is fairly normal in comparison with a superhero, but like a superhero he is fighting for good and for peace. ...
In comics, the hero is usually referred to as a superhero. ... A superhero is a very powerful person, who has both strengths as well as weaknesses. ... Batman is the better superhero because his success is not given to him. ... When a superhero is thought of, ethics plays a large part in the character. ... All in all, Batman is the better superhero not only because he is human, but also because he meets all the characteristics of what a superhero is and acts ethically while doing so. ...
It is a superhero you first see. ... Personally, I believe they want to be seen as a superhero in a way. ... At first it creates an appeal about the man, causing the viewer to perceive him as less a man and more a superhero. ... The man is not a superhero. ... Influenced perhaps by comic books filled with high flying superheroes, pulp novels, video games, and action movies, this man decided to become someone else, to serve his melodramatic fantasy, to serve and understand the events in his own life. ...
Batman the Real Man Every little kid has, or had at one time, a favorite superhero. ... I too went through that stage as a little kid and the superhero that influenced my thoughts was Batman. ... To me, the fact that Batman is Bruce Wayne mad him that much better of a superhero. ... This marvelous superhero contributed to my philosophy of what it meant to be a man or women greatly. ... Superheroes influence kids to think that they should acquire the same traits as the superhero. ...
It does not require much effort to see that Batman will go to any lengths to rescue the people of the crime infested streets as seen in both films, yet both movies have proven this in very different manners. ... Because of this realism, he makes mistakes during his fights as he endures many obstacles, causing him to get hurt and proving that Batman is merely human, and not quite a superhero. ... Burton portrays a witty superhero, and Nolan gives a scathing dose of medicine called reality, an everyday hero who is by no means invincible. ...
This movie was released in 1999 but still has better computer graphics than movies of today. ... The pointless relationship between Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Reeves was typical and extremely boring as in most action movies. ... I was very pleased with the mix of action and sci-fi that pulled away from the stereotypical worthless superhero norm. ...