The Superhero Movie Debate

Work cited: http://blog.adoramarentals.com/the-superhero-movie-debate/

At last month’s Comic-Con in San Diego, Hollywood sent a loud and clear message that Superhero Movies are Here to Stay.  The spectacle was well received by convention attendees, however, outside the convention circuit there is some debate over these Superhero movies that Hollywood continually cranks out year after year:

Does it matter whether these films stay true to their comic book roots or not?

It’s no doubt that films like Thor, The Avengers, The Wolverine, Man of Steel and the like are hits at the box office, raking in global sales in the hundred-millions or more.  But does that necessarily mean these are in fact “good” films?  I’ll be using the ever popular and trusted opinion of the Rotten Tomatoes website as reference for this post, just to get a glimpse of what we’re up against.

One review for this year’s X-men spin-off “The Wolverine” said: Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.
What intrigues me about this particular opinion is not what it has to say, but rather what it doesn’t.  It insinuates quite amicably that while this one particular superhero flick did in fact “manage” to satisfy the die-hard comic book fans’ nostalgia for the original story, the key target here is the “casual viewer” who really just wants to see a good show.  And yet it barely got a ranking over the 2/3 mark, while the audience gave it a 74% vote.

But let’s dig a little further.  Another tiresome debate are the constant remakes of the classic story of everyone’s favorite superhero story, Superman.  The original story of superman has been remade more times than most of its fans would like to recall.  And yet here we are, debating this year’s newest addition to the already full pot, “Man of Steel”.  One would think a name like superman would outshine the likes of the not so well-known story of Wolverine with the critics, but after reading this: Man of Steel provides exhilarating action and spectacle to overcome its detours into generic blockbuster territory.

All I can say is: OUCH!  And with a score of 56% my first reaction is to dust off my 30 year old VCR and pop in that fossil of a video cassette from the late 70s to watch Christopher Reeves kick butt in full analog glory.  But wait a minute.  What about the ever elusive vote from the audience?  With an average rating of 4-5 stars, Man of Steel managed a surprising 77% from the audience.  Wow!

So the question remains:  What makes for a truly GREAT superhero flick?  Is it action and awe-inspiring CGI?  Is it big numbers at the box office?  Is it the marketability of a name like Iron Man or Captain America?  Does it matter that the majority of these films steer away from the original comic book plot we all know and love?  Or is it perfectly fine to revamp these classics for the newer generation of superhero fans?

What do you want to see in a Superhero Movie?

I would love for you to comment below and share what you have to say on (or off)  this topic.