Heroes yes, but human
TEJAS EWING
|
`Fantastic Four,' which releases today, shows that the superhero genre is here to stay.
|
POWERFUL PROTECTORS: The seemingly invincible characters are tortured and complex which make them real Catwoman (above).
Comic book superheroes have finally moved out of the darkened rooms of teenage boys reading furtively past their bedtime, and into the bright lights of Hollywood's silver screen.
As the recent box-office success of "Fantastic Four" in the U.S. has shown, superhero films are reaching an unprecedented level of prominence and public acclaim in today's film industry. The reason: Hollywood has finally begun treating superheroes as adult entertainment, releasing films that deal with themes above and beyond childish escapism.
Not one-dimensional
In fact, a history of superhero films shows us that success is achieved when the complexity of the best comic books is translated onto the screen, when characters are treated as more than one-dimensional cartoons fit only forchildren.
When the movie stays true to the best elements of the comic medium: stories tailored to a mature audience, dealing with superheroes not as invincible characters, but as beings whose concerns are ultimately human in scope — isolation, anger, resentment of responsibility and public fear — then critical and financial success usually follow.
The superhero genre truly began less than 70 years ago, with the creation of Superman in 1938. From the 1940s onwards, such heroes were relegated to low-budget movie serials and TV shows aimed primarily at children and as such, few producers were interested in the risk of bringing such characters to the mass market of the big screen.
Superman
As a result, the release of Superman in 1978 marked the first serious, big-budget treatment of any superhero in a Hollywood film. The movie stayed true to the character of the comics, presenting themes beyond the simple conflict of good and evil, and dealing with the isolation and responsibility that any hero must face. It was a huge success, and made a star out of Christopher Reeve.
However, it did not spawn the successful industry that we see today. Each sequel performed more poorly than the last, because each one turned farther away from any sense of earthly problems. Superman IV, with a hackneyed ending in which Superman destroys the world's nuclear weapons, was a major flop that killed the franchise.
Similarly, the first Batman film, released in 1989, presented Tim Burton's dark vision of a hero tormented by his parent's deaths, and a complex villain suffering from a terrible disfigurement, after more than just money or power. It broke box-office records, and spawned another hit sequel. However, the next two Batman films deviated from this recipe for success. As a result, George Clooney and his infamous `nipple-suit' killed the franchise.
Fantastic Four
It was only with the release of "X-Men" in the year 2000, that we saw the resurgence of the superhero film as a major experience across all levels of the movie-going public. Since then, "X-Men 2," both "Spider-Man" films, "Daredevil," the "Hulk," "Batman Begins" and "Fantastic Four" have all pulled in huge numbers at the box-office.
As a result, four more "Spider-Man" films are planned, along with "X-Men 3," "Ghost Rider," "Iron Man," "Superman Returns," "Hulk II," "Wolverine," and two sequels to "Batman Begins."
What has sparked this renaissance of the genre? Obviously technical advancements in filmmaking, but ultimately, the most successful films plumbed the emotional depths of the source material to showcase heroes as full-fledged characters, complete with human frailty worthy of any of us.
Spider-Man
In "X-Men," the idea of being an outsider, rejected by society took front and centre, with Wolverine as the classic, angry, reluctant hero. "Why should I save these humans that hate me?" he asks.
In the "Spider-Man" films, we don't have a hero overjoyed with his power, but someone misunderstood by the public, and burdened by the weight of what he must do. It is these universal elements, these human failings that allow us to empathise with the characters and bring audiences in droves.
Everyman
"Spider-Man" and its sequel were critically acclaimed because of the Everyman character that Peter Parker represented. Superheroes have always flourished in popular culture when the public wants escapism that speaks to the complexity of good and evil. In the "Spider-Man" films, the villains are driven mad by a quest for knowledge, not power. In the "X-Men" films, Magneto is lashing back at human mistreatment of mutants.
Batman
In "Batman Begins," the villains are operating under a misguided intention of cleansing the world of sin. In the best and most successful superhero films, not only are the heroes tortured and complex, the villains are not purely evil either.
It is the parallels between this comic-book world and our real world that draw us in. The films that have failed are the ones that have presented superheroes as cartoons. "Catwoman" sunk because of the emphasis of sex appeal over substance. "Elektra" met the same fate. "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and "Hellboy" both chose action and special effects above character development, and wasted the nuanced, sophisticated world that the authors had created. Hopefully, as superheroes return to significance in public consciousness, filmmakers will remember that what makes these heroes super is not their powers, but their ability to overcome the eminently human failings that exist in all of us.
`Fantastic' facts
"Fantastic Four," based on the famous Marvel comics team created in 1961, captures the groundbreaking elements that the comic introduced. First, the superheroes do not have secret identities. They are human astronauts given powers by a mysterious energy field in space. Visually, the four characters are based around the four elements of classical Greek mythology — The Thing, for earth, The Human Torch, for fire, The Invisible Girl, for wind, and Mr. Fantastic for water.
The family metaphor is front and centre in the story. However, unity brings almost as much struggle as it does success. The filmmakers made a concerted effort to stay true to this element of the source material and not alienate die-hard fans of the classic series. With a huge special effects budget, and over 900 effects shots in the film, a lot of the toughest work went into getting the spirit of these elements right. A one-minute sequence in which the Human Torch morphs into a ball of flame and soars over Manhattan took four months to create.
And, like the other adaptations of Marvel comic heroes, the "Fantastic Four" film took a long and arduous road to completion, with numerous scripts created, at least three directors linked to the project, and more than 20 actors considered for the lead roles. What remains to be seen is whether the work will be rewarded with the massive critical and financial success heaped upon the standard bearers of the Marvel Universe, the "X-Men" and "Spider-Man."
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
