Im not one for self-promotion, but I have written a few articles that have touched lightly on this topic, so I had to contain my excitement when it came to talking about this issue directly. I will do my absolute best to not simply rant in full fan-man anger for a few thousand words, but to offer reasonable arguments as to where comic book movies are, whats worked and what hasnt. I cant pinpoint exactly where the idea to take comic book characters to the big screen started, but an argument can be made that the attempt to do so is as old as both the comic book medium and the cinema with old black and white serials of many classic characters. If this is the case, then why are filmmakers still trying to figure out how to do this with consistency? Well, lets have a look at ten persistent issues facing comic book movies at this time, and how we can make positive changes.
10. Mandatory Origin Stories
This issue comes in first but is, by far, one of the most maddening aspects of the comic book movie genre. Im often left scratching my head when some stuffed shirt producer that boasts substantial cinematic acumen explains why an origin story for a character that can be googled is necessary. The recurring theme in the article is the idea that a story is a story and that people are splitting hairs in terms of delivery which is a false dichotomy. Did Indiana Jones have an origin story in the first film, or did we see this bad ass adventurer appear on screen in front of us and then hit the ground running (literally)? If Jones had been wearing a skin tight leotard would the audience suddenly demand to see his fictional birth certificate? There are many ways to explain where a character came from and how, but there is also no rule that states the writer has to even mention it fully, let alone begin there. Why did The Amazing Spider-Man need a retelling of the origin that took up a massive chunk of the film? Even if the writers wanted to change the particulars, couldnt Pete have explained the differences to Gwen in like a minute and a half? Why on earth did we A) need to see Peter commit a seemingly unending series of impossible blunders and B) need to see it for like 30 minutes! The minute some guy tells me that we need to reboot Batman and then proceed to do an origin story Im done, at this point who
doesnt know Batmans origin (a question I could have posed 20 years ago)? Same goes for Superman and other iconic characters. The new Superman movie looks good, but I am disappointed that Im going to have to sit there and wait while they go over old s#!t. The X-Men movies included several origins, and the big punch in the face was that the origins werent even accurate! Why then? I still dont know who Han Solos parents were, everything I know about Han Solo before A New Hope is contained within 3 minutes of conversation and a comic book story featuring Quinlan Vos, and I really like Han Solo. There is nothing about filmmaking and storytelling that suggests that an origin story is ever necessary, no matter how wild the character is. At this point someone in the room has to say that weve been there and done that, everyone knows how (insert hero) came into being lets use that time more wisely. Especially when everyone knows that the studio is going to spend a fortune on promotion anyway. Game of Thrones has a massive following that is undeterred by the fact that Wikipedia spoils the ending.