NEWS: Chris GoreÂ’s Footage Fetishes: How to Save the Super-Hero Movie

CULTURE: Chris Gore’s Footage Fetishes: How to Save the Super-Hero Movie

Last night I attended a screening of Spider-Man 3. The most highly anticipated summer movie does exactly what it’s supposed to – provide thrills, laughs, scares and entertain from beginning to end. Everyone in the audience, myself included, cheered, laughed and applauded, as one would expect from a solid super-hero flick, which has now become common staple in the diet of summer moviegoers.



The cast does a stellar job, as usual, and the action sequences blow away the first two films combined. Highlights for me include the following...

In spite of all these great moments, Spider-Man 3 is essentially the same as Spider-Man 1 and Spider-Man 2. In fact, all three Spider-Man movies are basically the same movie, but with different adversaries. Peter Parker is presented with a problem which creates an obstacle between he and Mary Jane, which then leads to her being put into a perilous situation as her captor lures Peter Parker/Spider-Man to rescue her climaxing with the disposal of said villain-of-the-moment.


Ol' web-head's bad side comes out in the third installment of Spider-Man.

With numerous appearances by old standbys like Aunt May, the creepy Russian landlord and his cute cookie-making daughter, J.J. and the folks at the Daily Bugle, Spider-Man 3 begins to feel more like another episode in a Spider-Man TV series than a movie. Critics have been reserved in their praise with the film receiving positive to mixed reviews. For me, the Spider-Man movies are like my favorite ride at the best theme-park ever – and it’s the same ride every time, but it’s such a fun ride that I want to get on again as soon as it's over. So, the Spider-Man series may be suffering from a lack of fresh ideas. So what? I guarantee that the result will be fans and audiences clamoring for the making of a Spider-Man 4. The bad news is that we may never see it. Or at least, we won’t see it the same way.

In recent interviews to promote the film, director Sam Raimi and the cast have stated that they feel that Spider-Man 3 wraps up everything in a way that makes it feel like a trilogy with a logical end. "I know there'll be a `Spider-Man 4, 5 and 6,'" said writer-director Raimi in an interview on the AP wire service. "I just won't be the guy that'll probably write the story, because I've got to step away from it to clear my head."

The studio will begin working on a new trilogy, with or without them. "My hope is that Sam and Tobey and Kirsten will want to come back for more," said Amy Pascal, Sony co-chairwoman. "They can make as many `Spider-Man' movies with me as they want to." If Raimi, Maguire and Dunst decided against it, "then I'll be making `Spider-Man' movies," Pascal said, with other actors and filmmakers. "We will continue to make them at the studio."

Kirsten Dunst has gone on record saying that audiences would not respond to a Spider-Man movie without her, Tobey or Sam Raimi at the helm. I disagree. I'd like to see another Spider-Man film with a new vision from a new team and a new cast with a fresh take. ThereÂ’s more than 40 years of story material to mine from the comic books and any number of writers and/or directors who could provide a fresh take on the series. I mean, think about what a Tim Burton or a David Lynch do with Spider-Man?

And that’s exactly the problem – audiences have only been given one vision of the Spider-Man films, and frankly, super-hero movies in general – it’s the same movie over and over and over. The super-hero movie has become as formulaic as any classic genre from the action movie to the western.

While I donÂ’t believe that super-hero films will disappear anytime soon, in time, the public will lose interest if theyÂ’re fed the same cereal with a different sugar-coating. So, what to do? Here are some suggestions for a fresh take on a genre in danger of becoming tired and boring.


Fans hope that the second Fantastic Four movie will feature the planet-consuming Galactus.

Team-Up
First, let’s mix it up. We’ve seen the “origin” super-hero movie pretty much every single time on these films gets made, so why not a film where heroes team-up? There once was a series of comic books called Marvel Team-Up in which unlikely heroes were brought together for a story. Many of the super-heroes featured in this Marvel series were minor combined with larger heroes, and served to introduce lesser characters to fans of the major ones. There has been talk of a Justice League movie, which would be a way to continue the lackluster Superman film series by introducing an entire cast of super-heroes. And if the success of the X-Men films has proven one thing, fans want to see more heroes in a movie.

Hero VS. Hero
Let's face it, a fanboyÂ’s dream would be a movie called Batman versus Superman. Clearly each hero represents opposite sides of tackling the problem -- a costumed vigilante detective on one side and a God-like goodie two-shoes on the other. Not only would this film provide an awesome and epic battle, but it might be a clever way to discuss the Red versus Blue state differences. Well, in a comic book way.

The Villain as the Hero
The very first Batman movie might as well have been titled The Joker. That film followed Jack Napier in his journey to become the villainous rival to Batman in classic Joseph Campbell fashion. In fact, it could be said that the original Bat-movie, with Jack Nicholson in the Joker role, was told from the point of view of the clown prince of crime. Why not a super-hero movie titled Lex Luthor? It would offer a fresh take to see Superman as a vain, bumbling jerk who simply solves every problem using his super-human gifts. The book and stageplay Wicked tells the story of The Wizard of Oz through the eyes of the wicked witch and provides a humorous and heartfelt tale.


Jon Favreau brings Iron Man to theaters in 2008. The official teaser poster in the center is flanked on the left by an image leaked from the film which is a nod to the classic comic book.

Future Hero
Frank MillerÂ’s graphic novel series The Dark Knight provided an epic story of a 60 year-old Bruce Wayne who had become a bitter drunk. In a dystopian future, Batman has been retired for 10 years and Gotham has been overrun with crime and corruption. Wayne has had enough of it and dons the cape to wreak havoc as an unforgiving bad-ass. Along for the ride comes a 13 year-old girl riding side-saddle as his Robin. With all due respect to all the Batman films, this four-issue series is the best unmade super-hero film to date. Since we all know the beginning of the story of our favorite heroes, wouldnÂ’t it be fun to find out what happens at the very end?

Giant Size
Let’s take a “giant-sized” look at a relatively unexplored area of the comic book universe. A fan-made trailer for a proposed Robin movie by John Fiorella shows that it’s possible to mix things up in a way that makes it interesting. The story begins with Batman’s death. He’s been murdered, and now a retired Dick Grayson must weigh the risks of suiting up as Robin to solve the crime taking on both old villains and heroes. The five-minute, shot in 16mm trailer is incredibly ambitious and touches on compelling story material worthy of a movie. Now, not every film needs to fit some kind of overall story arc stretching over three movies resulting in a convenient boxed set worthy of selling in a special edition DVD. Which is what studios want. I’m merely suggesting taking tired material and creating a standalone movie which may or may not impact on some fictional universes history. If you don’t believe me, check out the Grayson trailer for yourself. As a lifelong geek, everytime I watch it, I get chills. In fact, I guarantee many of you will experience multiple geek-gasms.


This fan-made poster for Watchmen contains a lot of wishful thinking when it comes to the casting. Though, Mel Gibson as the foul-mouthed, right-wing, cigar-chomping Comedian wouldn't be much of a stretch.

Ultimately, the super-hero genre is in need of a fresh take. Upcoming super-hero films for 2008 such as Batman: The Dark Knight with Heath Ledger as the Joker, Ed Norton recently cast as the green-skinned, ever-lovin' Hulk, Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man as well as the much-anticipated Watchmen, could provide the boost the these heroes need. Or not. Stay tuned.

Go! Go! Gore!
(I'm considering this for my super-hero catchphrase, but... uh, after looking at it... yeah, it doesn't work.)

Chris_Gore is an author, a filmmaker and the creator of Film Threat. He patrols the streets of Los Angeles as the costumed avenger known as The Crimson Geek.

Ok, so that Grayson trailer was pretty much the coolest thing ever

The Watchmen is the only future super hero movie I can even feign interest in. As you stated, the plots of super hero films are rather canned. The Watchmen breaks that mold with a vengeance.

New Line has purchased the rights to the Y:The Last Man saga. Whether something good can be produced from that as far as a film goes is completely unknown, but at least it's a non cliched story full of the psychological depth.

Grayson, and World's Finest, which is Batman & Superman. I've also seen Batman: Dead End, but frankly I can't see Batsy surviving both preds and bugs at the same time.

As for Spider-Man, if there's one benefit of the movie format, it's the webslinging. It reminds me of how I feel when I'm rollerblading across town. I haven't bought the first two on DVD because apart from that, Spidey doesn't do that much for me. Venom, on the other hand, is my favourite villain. And it's true that these movies are as much, if not more, about the villians. (Batman Begins was a refreshing break from that, and I can't wait to see how they maintain that.)

PS: Sorry, conceited Kirsten, but I can imagine others playing MJ.

Seconded. That was pretty amazing.

Wasn't someone (maybe Wolfgang Petersen) talking about doing Batman v Superman a few years ago? Not sure he would be my choice to direct it, but I love the idea.

Excellent article and ideas. Batman: Dead End was an excellent short. The Joker in that was absolutley perfect. I was hoping he would make the cut for the new one. But Eye-Candy Heath? It'll be a miracle if it's not stupid.

Oh hell yeah!!111 That Robin film was awesome!

Keep your trap shut about Dark Knight Returns, Gore! I'm hoping everyone will forget about it until I'm in a place to swoop in and direct it myself. Will-fuckin-Smith already snatched my other dream gig away...that being I Am Legend.

thirded. geek-gasm indeed.

Harvey Fierstein would make a better MJ than Kirsten Dunst.

I love comic book movies, but the most interesting part for me is seeing how the cinematographers deal with converting the original drawings and overall tone of the piece to film. In this respect, there've been some pretty drastically different (and equally beautiful) products -- the high-contrast and spot-colored Sin City, the dark and moody Batman Begins, the bright and oversaturated Spiderman films, and the glittery and golden look of The Fountain.

You bring up some good points -- great article!

The Joker in Batman dead end was played by Boner from Growing Pains true story

stoopid double posts

Interesting.

He would be the BEST Mary Jane.

I actually want to see a live action Batman Beyond movie. Aside from Batman: The Animated Series, it is the second-greatest superhero TV show ever made. Bruce Wayne is a 70-year-old asshole with heart problems who recruits a kid to be the new Batman despite his reservations...classic. Probably the best idea to come out of the Batman camp since Adam West dancing.

Oh dear god.

I watched the Grayson "trailer".

They forgot Aquaman.

Now that I've thought it over, the only one they really need to hold onto is J.K. Simmons. He's got J. Jonah Jameson nailed.

I agree that the movies need to shake it up in the future if they want to stay fresh, but the Team up movie or the hero vs. hero have little chance. X-Men worked because they always were a team. IMO, none of the characters would be very exciting in their own adaptation (except Wolverine, who is getting his own spin off, the freak). Specialty teams like Alpha Flight or maybe the Teen Titans could work, but not The Avengers or JLA. They're packed too full of all stars each with their own decades long body of solo work.

Hero vs Hero could work, but not with heavyweights. Take Batman/Superman. If, for any reason, the movie were to be a bag of shit, Warner Brothers would have effectively killed two franchises with one film.

I'm talking to YOU, Aliens vs Predator.

As much as I would love to see a JLA or Bats/Supes, the only time a studio would agree to one is if the individual franchises started losing money and quality writers/actors/directors.

I'm talking to YOU, Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein.

And when it gets to that point, do you really want to see that?

If only they'd based the AvP movie on the frickin' comic...

I was reading Ultimate Spider-Man a little while ago, and it occurred to me that part of the problem with these movies is that they are so very specialized. The X-Men won't appear in a Spider-Man movie. This was sorta mentioned in Gore's article, but here's the thing: I want Spider-Man to date Kitty Pryde. For him to stop by and see what The Human Torch is up to. This is easily done in comic books, but in movies where they haven't had one role play the other, this would be ideal. I would also like a Sandman HBO series, which isn't impossible, since a Preacher HBO series is supposedly forthcoming. If comic book movies don't expand - and they can, now that audiences are familiar with the basic characters - people will become bored with them. Around 2010, but still.

well i am all about the robin movie i would totally go see that i mean who would not i mean robin/ catwoman/ joker/batgirl/superman/wonderwoman/ green lantern !!!!! dude i am soooo there!!!!!!!!!! but my only slight complaint is wouldn't be more of a tim drake robin and dick grayson nightwing thing??????

First let me say, nice article. I argee with most of it. Now to play of your article.. what if Tim Burton was to make a villian movie.. Where the story would be the origin of a villian and have him fight against the hero? I mean Tim Burton is a good, and he could pull off something like that. Now a great villian movie would be if Quentin Tarantino would do a comic movie. Or Frank Miller.. But that is just my opinion.

Honestly, I think a lot of the above is unnecessary. What's needed is for the superhero movies to be done by talented people who understand the source material. Every superhero movie that's sucked (and there have been a lot) has failed because they didn't live up to that standard.

It's very easy for superhero movies to be bad. It's very easy for superhero comics to be bad, for that matter. The source material is generally decades worth of cliches and bad writing. The comics succeed these days mostly when they're written by the industry's top talent. People like Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker, Grant Morrison, etc. The movie versions will need to attract that kind of attention or any number of "spicing up" ideas aren't going to save 'em. Conversely, if they do attract that kind of attention...well, people with that kind of talent generally have the requisite ideas to make things interesting.

Although I expect they'll make a lot of money either way.