|
|
|
|
For the 2008 film, see Superhero Movie.
A Superhero film is an action, fantasy or science fiction genre film that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes, who are individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person. These films are almost always action-oriented, and the first film of a particular character often includes a focus on the origin of the special powers including the first fight against the character's most famous supervillain enemy. The plot typically revolves around the efforts of the superheroes to thwart some dire peril of significant consequence. Although the majority of superhero movies are adapted from comic books, there are a number of notable exceptions like RoboCop, The Incredibles and Hancock.
HistoryEarly yearsAlmost immediately after superheroes rose to prominence in comic books, they were adapted into Saturday movie serials aimed at children, starting with The Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941). Serials such as The Phantom, Batman, Superman and Captain America followed. In the coming decades, the decline of Saturday serials and turmoil in the comic book industry put an end to superhero motion pictures, with the exception of episodes of the television series Adventures of Superman, starring George Reeves, which had been compiled for theatrical release, and Batman (1966) a big-screen extension of the television series starring Adam West.[1] Other superhero films released at this time include Mario Bava's Danger: Diabolik (1968) based on the Italian supervillain character Diabolik.[2] Original superhero characters emerged in other more comedy oriented films such as the French political satire film Mister Freedom (1969) and the American b-movies Rat Pfink a Boo Boo (1966) and The Wild World of Batwoman (1966).[3][4] Later yearsIn 1978, Richard Donner's Superman was the first epic superhero film to be made as a feature film, and was remained the first and only blockbuster of the nasecent genre of the decade. The success of Superman as a movie, wore into the 1980s, as more popular entries emerged beginning with two more Superman sequels including Richard Lester's Superman II (1980) and by the end of the decade, Tim Burton's Batman (1989), with both these two Superhero title films leading into their own multi-film franchises.[5] Other superhero films were released during the 1980s and early 1990s to either less critical or audience acclaim including Supergirl (1984), The Punisher (1989), Dick Tracy (1990), The Shadow (1994) and The Phantom (1996).[6] Wes Craven's Swamp Thing (1982) and the original low-budget The Toxic Avenger (1985) were also made in the 80s.[7][8] Marvel comics`s Captain America (1991) didn't have a theatrical release. The Fantastic Four produced by Roger Corman was never released theatrically or on home video.[6] In 1994, Alex Proyas' The Crow became the first Image Comics superhero film that established a franchise.[6] As the last film in the first Batman franchise was critically panned for being too jokey and tongue-in-cheek,[9] The Crow brought in a new realm of violence absent in previous popular superhero films targeted at younger audiences and bridging a gap to the more modern action film.[10] The new golden eraThe New Golden Era (1990s-present), brought forward some of the most profitable superhero franchises in history, including, X-Men, Spider-Man and the reboot of the Batman movie franchise, Batman Begins. The success of The Crow (1994) catalyzed the release of a film version of Spawn (1997), Image Comics' leading character. The success of the "darker" Image Comics characters shifted the direction of comic book movies. Marvel comics soon released the first film to become a franchise, Blade (1998). Blade was also a mix of a more traditional action film as well as darker superhero film with the title character having superpowers as well as carrying an assault of weaponry.[10] The next Marvel comic film was the surprise hit of Bryan Singer's X-Men (2000) that also became a franchise but with less violence than the Blade series.[11][12] In 2002, one of the largest blockbusters of all time was released with Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002).[12] 
With high ticket and DVD sales, several new superhero films were released every year in the 2000s, including Daredevil (2003), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), Ang Lee's Hulk (2003), Catwoman (2004), Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy (2004), The Punisher (2004), Batman Begins (2005), Fantastic Four (2005), Ghost Rider (2007), Iron Man, and The Dark Knight (2008) which met with varying degrees of critical and commercial success.[12] Non-Hollywood superhero films also were released including the American/Spanish production Faust: Love of the Damned (2001), Japan's Ultraman (2004), Bollywood's Krrish (2006) and Thailand's Mercury Man (2006). Several non-action film oriented superhero films were released in the 2000s with varying ranges of success.[12] M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable (2000) is a thriller about a man who learns from a mysterious comic book dealer that he is destined to become a modern day superhero. Brad Bird's The Incredibles (2004) for Pixar was a critically acclaimed digitally-animated family oriented superhero film.[13] Other hybrids include Sky High (2005) which was a fusion of the superhero and teen film genres, My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) a cominbation of superhero film and a romantic comedy and Hancock (2008) a drama oriented superhero film.[14][15] By 2008, several superhero films featured sequels including Blade II (2002), X2: X-Men United (2003), Spider-Man 2 (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and Spider-Man 3 (2007). Some series from the current and previous decades were also re-released. A director's cut of Superman II (1980) Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was released with Superman Returns (2006). Superman Returns is a reboot and a sequel to the first two Christopher Reeve Superman films.[16] Other series discarded the continuities of previously released films and started afresh, such as Batman Begins (2005), which was later followed by The Dark Knight (2008), and The Incredible Hulk (2008).[17][18] Will Smith also starred in the 2008 superhero film Hancock. To date, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008) is not only the highest grossing comic book film of all time, but also the highest grossing film domestically (of any genre) of the first decade of the twenty-first century. Upcoming projectsMany superhero films are currently in development. 2008 releases include a new film about the Punisher titled Punisher: War Zone, ignoring the two previous Punisher films. Drona is another Bollywood superhero film, which released on October 2nd, 2008.[19] The film The Spirit, based on the newspaper comic strip by Will Eisner, will be directed by Frank Miller for a 2008 release.[20] 2009 holds a film adaptation of the classic graphic novel, Watchmen, after decades of abortive development, directed by Zack Snyder and scheduled for released in 2009. A prequel to X-Men (2000) titled X-Men Origins: Wolverine focusing on the character Wolverine is also in development.[21] A Superman Returns sequel was planned for 2009 but delayed and later scrapped in favor of a reboot. Following the mentions of an "Avenger initiative" in Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, Marvel plans to release Thor in May 2010 and The First Avenger: Captain America in May 2011 leading up to the July 2011 release of The Avengers. A remake of The Green Hornet television show is set of a 2010 release starring Seth Rogen. DC plans to reboot the Superman series with a new movie, as well as released Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max. A fourth and fifth Spider-Man films are in the works for a 2011 & 2012 release, as well as a film about Spider-Man 3 villain Venom for an unknown date. Other intended releases are X-Men Origins: Magneto, Silver Surfer, Ant Man, and movies regarding many DC Comics superheroes such as Wonder Woman and The Flash. ParodyAs superhero films have increasingly become more prevalent in the film industry, they have become targets for parody. Kevin Smith's 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, parodies film companies' seemingly compulsive purchase of comic book film rights with Bluntman and Chronic. In the film, the character Brodie Bruce describes the process: "After X-Men hit at the box office, the movie companies started buying out every comic property they could get their dirty little hands on". Mark Hamill's 2004 parody Comic Book: The Movie, about a comic book fan and a film adaptation of his favorite character, was released direct-to-video and achieved mild success, garnering a cult following among comic book readers. Craig Mazin directed the more direct parody Superhero Movie, which was released in 2008. Attractions of the genreDespite critics' and fans' complaints about Hollywood milking an idea dry, the comic book superhero has become a promising subject for blockbuster filmmaking. Even without highly expensive stars, the film is likely to get some level of attention with its distinctive visual style. Furthermore the serial nature of their source material makes story material for sequels easy to come by with major characters often having decades of stories to use for adaptations. The producers of the Daredevil and Sin City film adaptations took that source further and used the pages themselves as preliminary storyboards to help establish the films' visuals and action. See also
Notes
Bibliography
External links
CommentsNo comments have been added. |
Switch Language
Popular PagesEmail this PageSyndicate
|
