MEN IN TIGHTS 2008

[defrog]

ITEM: According to The Underwire, 2008 is Marvel Comics’ last chance to prove that you can TOO make a successful movie franchise out of a comic book series that doesn’t feature Spiderman or the X-Men.

The odds are not in their favor. Movies based on comics, you may have noticed, have a patchy track record. For every Batman Begins there’s about seven Catwomans, if you see what I’m saying.

To be fair, I think the problem isn’t the source material so much as the adaptation and execution (Mark Steven Johnson, I am talking to YOU). Or, if there IS a problem with the source material, it’s not the quality so much as its translatability into another medium – to say nothing of the fact that a significant chunk of a given comic title’s fan base is detail-obsessed continuity nerds with high compliance standards (and I mean that in a nice way).

On the other hand, the DVD aftermarket can make a hit out of almost anything these days, and even Daredevil made a profit without resorting to that.

Iron Man will probably make real money, but whether it’ll create a Spidey/X-men-sized franchise is up for grabs – it’ll depend on whether they can make Tony Stark as interesting on screen as he is in the comics. Or if it makes a gazillion dollars. As for The Incredible Hulk, it’ll be interesting to see if it works as a “do over” instead of a sequel, though I can’t decide if I find this innovative or annoying – it’s sort of like “Let’s pretend Highlander 2 never happened”.

I’ll probably go see both, but personally I’m more psyched about the new Batman film. And the Watchmen film next year, obviously.

And now, a list:

TEN DEF COMIC BOOK MOVIES

1. Men In Black
2. The Crow
3. V For Vendetta
4. Batman Begins
5. Batman
6. X-Men
7. 300
8. Spiderman
9. Death Note
10. Sin City

HONORABLE MENTION: Flash Gordon (technically a comic strip, not a comic book), Barbarella (ditto), Batman (the Adam West version), From Hell (so what if it's not "true to the original"), The Mask (annoying catch phrases aside) and Sheena (one of the great bad films)

DISCLAIMER: No, I haven’t seen Ghost World or A History Of Violence. I only have so many hours in a day, you know.

Holding out for a hero,

This is dF

Comments

[loissanborn.livejournal.com]

i think the number one problem in converting comics into movies is in the comics, the reader can gain insight into what motivates the characters. you get an internal narrative laid out for you... the struggles and thoughts playing through their minds, and film makers (especially ones who don't read a great deal of comic books) don't know what to do with this very important extra material. usually what ends up hapening is all that beautifully worded, emotional text gets translated ito caddy dialog, or ends up watered down amidst flashy high budget explosions which ends up ruining the film adaptation.
the film makers got lucky with batman begins. bale is an excellent actor who can convey ideas and concepts without really saying anything(but i did miss having the luxury of internal dialog). most other directors(*cough* michael bay *cough*) rely on flashy effects to cary an already watered down plot.

we'll see how these newest incarnations do.

[def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com]

Good points. An additional aspect, though, is that the writers or directors assume that the target audience will be familiar enough with the source material to take the exposition as read. With any movie, you have to be economical with background info if you want to keep it at a reasonable running time, but for my money, if it's not done in a way that even neophytes can figure out everyone's basic background and motivation, then it's not done well.

That said, more filmmakers now rely on viral marketing and the Internet to fill in those blanks – which is interesting in that storytelling becomes a true multimedia experience that forces the audience to make the effort. Maybe this is the future of storytelling – active rather than passive audience participation.

[loissanborn.livejournal.com]

if i've learned anything, it's that entertainment has now become an interactive experience. the new video games that are released are more or less interactive movies. they have plots, twists, and i believe that movies will soon become as interactive as video games. i would not be surprised if new wave movie theaters sport full keypads that allow audiences to choose which direction the story will take...

"if you'd like to see christy dump danny and hack him to death with a machete press 'a'"

"if you'd like to see christy stip down to her birthday suit and fuck danny stupid press 'b'"

*pounds b*

[def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com]

"Sorry, the "b" option has been disabled in accordance with FCC regulations, the Patriot Act and state/municipal ordinances. Please make another selection."

And so much for the interactive future.

[jasonfranks.livejournal.com]

It's not easy to adapt from one medium to another--most adaptations of novels fall short of the mark as well. Comics, one would think, are a bit easier--comics are (in general)not as densely subjective as prose, and they come with built in storyboards.

The problems, I think, are mostly in the writing.

For the big franchises there are 40 or more years of serialized backstory they have to fit into 90 minutes. This requires smart story editing, an art that seems to have been lost these days (Come on, 3 hour long third sequels?) Hollywood is also captivated with special effects and spectacle, not that CG technology makes it so much easier and more realistic. Scripts are built on action set pieces, at the expense of story logic or character. "Let's add two more villains," "Let's blow up a monument..."

I have an idea. Let's ban the marketing department from the set and hire a fucking script writer.

Frankly, I'm just sick of adaptations and sequels (even though my favourite film in the last year was NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN).

-- JF

[def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com]

Well, Hollywood has a long tradition of raiding other media for ideas. But some of the best films ever made came from original ideas instead of adaptations, so point taken.

I've more or less come to terms with the fact that a story told in different mediums will be two different experiences – both can be good without being exactly the same. I think Hollywood's biggest problem, as you suggest, is that the writing process tends to be done by committee with an eye towards marketability rather than just focusing on a good story.

[thelastaerie.livejournal.com]

You should catch "Ghost World"... I never read the comic, but I love that film.

[dinopollard.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna come right out and say that 300 just did absolutely nothing for me.

[def-fr0g-42.livejournal.com]

Noted.

And welcome aboard.

If it helps, I'm surprised 300 did anything for me at all – I'm not much on either swords/sandals epics OR war films. Maybe it's all Frank Miller's fault.

[dinopollard.livejournal.com]

Miller's one of those writers who just doesn't do it for me anymore. I haven't read 300, but everything I have read by him post-Sin City just bombed miserably with me.