| Superhero Films |
Article Index for Superhero |
Website Links For Superhero |
Information AboutSuperhero Films |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SUPERHERO FILM | |
| film genres | |
| superheroes | |
| fantasy films by genre | |
|
The superhero film is a style of Fantasy , Science Fiction or Horror Genre film that is focused on the actions of one or more Superhero es, heroic individuals who possesses superior abilities relative to a typical person. These films are almost always action-oriented, and the first film of a particular character often includes a focus on the origin of the special powers including the first fight against the character's most famous Supervillain enemy. The plot typically revolves the efforts of the superheroes to thwart some dire peril of significant consequence. HISTORY Almost immediately after Superhero es rose to prominence in Comic Book s, they were adapted into Saturday movie Serial s aimed at children, starting with 1941 's '' The Adventures Of Captain Marvel '', which has been hailed as the best example of the film format. Serials featuring The Phantom , Batman , Superman and Captain America followed. These films were successful despite their limited budgets, primitive special effects and silly plotlines and dialogue. In the coming decades, the decline of Saturday serials and turmoil in the comic book industry put an end to superhero motion pictures, an exception being 1966 's '' Batman ,'' an outgrowth of the television series. 1978 's '' Superman ,'' directed by Richard Donner , is considered the first, and often the best, modern superhero film. Almost a Biopic of the character instead of an action movie, the film won praise for its state-of-the-art Special Effects , Christopher Reeve 's sincere performance as Superman, and John Williams 's majestic and often imitated Film Score . ''Superman'' and 1980s ’ '' Superman II '' were extraordinary success but subsequent installments became increasingly less lucrative and critically respected. The 1989 film '' Batman ,'' directed by Tim Burton , was the first attempt to create a superhero film with the darker mood of recent comic books. Praised set designs by Anton Furst and acclaimed performances from Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker made the film a model for many later superhero movies. The Batman series continued throughout the 1990s , grossing millions and drawing several star actors, until the fourth film '' Batman And Robin '' ( 1997 ) became a critical and commercial failure. This film, along with an unsuccessful movie based Image Comics ' '' Spawn ,'' made movie studios nervous about superhero movies. However, many consider it influential since it made studios take future adaptations more seriously then they did in the past. in ''Spider-Man'']] Nonetheless, several movies based on Marvel characters began production in the late 1990s and early 2000s . The company had a minor success with 1998 's '' Blade ,'', (which was styled more along the lines of a horror/martial arts film than a full superhero film), but 2000 's blockbuster '' X-Men '' opened the door once again to highly successful superhero movies and 2002 's '' Spider-Man '' broke the record for money grossed in a film's opening five days thanks in part to Tobey Maguire 's acclaimed performance in the title role. ''X-Men'' and ''Spider-Man'' led to a widespread revival, which included ''; 2004 's '' Punisher ,'' '' Hellboy '' and '' Spider-Man 2 ;'' and 2005 ’s '' Batman Begins '' (unrelated to the previous Batman films) and '' Fantastic Four '', which met with varying degrees of critical and commercial success. as There were also original films that took unusual looks at the superhero genre. 2000’s '' Unbreakable '' is a dark tale about a man who learns from a mysterious comic book dealer that he is destined to become a modern day superhero. Pixar 's digitally-animated '' The Incredibles '' (2004) combined a more comedic, but affectionate, approach with commentary on the superhero genre and its history. Despite many critics' (and even some fans') complaints about Hollywood milking an idea dry, the comic book superhero has become a promising subject for blockbuster filmmaking. Even without highly expensive stars, the film is likely to get some level of attention with its distinctive visual style. Furthermore the serial nature of their source material makes story material for sequels easy to come by while the producers of at least the ''Daredevil'' film have used the pages themselves as preliminary Storyboard s to help establish the adaptation's visuals and action. As Of 2005 , many superhero films are hotly anticipated, especially '' Superman Returns ,'' a Reboot of the Superman franchise. Virtually every successful Marvel franchise is slated to become a film and sequels to several recent superhero films are being planned. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|