13 Harsh Truths We Don't Want To Admit About Comic Book Movies

12. They Can't Please Everyone

Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney PicturesMovie studios who make comic book movies inevitably find themselves being pulled in two directions, towards those fanboys who love the comics and will nitpick every small detail of the movie, and in creating a work accessible enough that casual viewers with next to no knowledge of the source material will still want to fork over their cash. As we've learned from comic book movies to date, it is absolutely impossible to completely please everyone: stick rigidly to the source material and it might seem outdated or even silly to mainstream audiences, whereas going too casual and not giving a damn about the comics (as in X-Men Origins: Wolverine) will just make the fanboys sad. The key is balance: it's fine to change some aspects of the characters, story or setting, but it's important to retain the spirit of what made it popular in the first place. Yes, movie studios will often feel that they know better, and this will often upset the most loyal fans (who can forget the whole Mandarin debacle in Iron Man 3?), but they're in an undeniably difficult position, trying to appeal to two very different demographics. If they had to pick one, it'd surely be the money, considering that casual cinemagoers account for the vast majority of the success of these movies.
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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.