Will Hollywood continue it's trend of good comicbook movies?

[Iguana Man]

Just wondering since it seems the trend of really good, true to the character(s) type movies are coming out of late. Late being the last few years.

Seems to me Hollywood has gotten it's head right on how to produce comic based films lately.

Thoughts on if it continues?

[mighty mint]

It will only get better...I think the trend will continue for another 5-7 years and then it will burn out again. I have nothing to base my opinion on though.

[Pirate]

I think some of Hollywood has figured this out, but the bad comic book films still outnumber the good. We still have studios like Fox putting out Fantastic Four sequels, and Sony obviously still tampers (Spider-Man 3) with their filmmakers.

Marvel becoming its own studio helps (except for that whole Favs debacle), but I think it all comes down to box office. If shit like Fantastic Four and X-Men 3 keep making money, studios will keep releasing sub par adaptations.

It’s a sad fact, but most audiences and critics don’t equate intelligence with comic book properties, and although the headier gamble worked for Batman, it didn’t seem to work so well for Superman and others. So we’ll just have to hope that, in the coming years, brains wins out over bombast at the box office.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by Pirate

If shit like... X-Men 3...

Fuck you, man!

*Cries*

Anyway... I think some will be good, and some will be bad, and the factors involved will be numerous. Also, as noted above, some will be highly contested as bad or good, depending on the audience.

As for how long they keep being made, I think they've actually proven themselves to a point... They've survived flops and near-flops like Daredevil and Superman Returns, and it's been a bunch of years since X-Men came out.

I think they'll be around a long time, and probably forever in some way.

I wish they would make a CGI Sandman movie.

[umainebearman]

It'll probably end. I mean outside of maybe 1 more Nolan Batman and 1 or 2 good Ironman stories there's really no more "marketable" comic book heros out there. The big ones, the comics most of the people outside of the comic book world know have been done. I could really care less about seeing a Wonder Woman or Aquaman movie. I saw a preview of the Spirit and errr... yeah all I could think was Sin City rip starring Dick Tracey. Plus until that teaser I'd never heard of The Spirit.

I'm pretty sure the good comic book movie trend ends after Nolan ends his run with Batman. But that's just my opinion.

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by umainebearman

It'll probably end. I mean outside of maybe 1 more Nolan Batman and 1 or 2 good Ironman stories there's really no more "marketable" comic book heros out there.

I'm going to disagree as there is a plethora of marketable characters that have yet to be tapped. The general public doesn't have to recognize the character as you elude to for a studio to put out a great story which is true to that comic. Once the story is told in a true and faithful way, I think many more comic based characters can still be successful on the big screen.

[mighty mint]

It will have its day but I can see it needing to take a breather and some newer directors coming in a doing reboots again. I for one would already love to see a reboot on the Bourne movies. (I know they're not comics or superhero movies.) In the case of Bourne one could easily do a reboot of the franchise and for a change actually film the story as it was written instead of an extreme bastardization of the plot and character. I give it ten years and we will see a new version coming out. As for superhero movies...there are still alot of great characters that could headline a film. A decent Catwoman movie or Batgirl would be neat and don't forget WonderWoman. Heck, even a decent Superman movie would be great. The Flash given a proper go could be interesting. Really, if they can make a movie about the Hulk they could almost take any superhero character to headline a film.

[ganthc]

I would like to see a Green Lantern movie.

[reapersaurus]

There is NO guarantee that good comic book movies will continue to keep coming out.

(In fact, that was my main point in my defense of Spiderman 3.)

It takes a rare director/producer combo to get the opportunity to get talented actors to do the characters and stories right.
This just should not be overlooked, because we've been fortunate that there have been a few good movies - remember, there have been some bad ones, too.

I fear that there may be very few good upcoming superhero movies, because:

a) the general populace (which fuels this whole machine) is tiring of them. This is just the feeling I get, from various comments, posts, media coverage, etc.

b) When the ooh-ahh and imaginative approach is gone, so is most of the wonderment of the characters and all we'd be left with is gritty dark dramas - what would be the point? Comics has seen the mistakes of going down that path, and if we want dark, there's plenty of crime drama TV and movies that have supplied a never-ending glut of them for decades.

c) There aren't THAT many FILMABLE, well-known superheroes left.
Thor, Avengers, Black Panther, Justice League, are not exactly easy to make good movies out of.

d) Once a franchise goes thru its run, it is questionable whether it will be done again. For example, the Xmen have buttloads of stories still to tell (haven't even scratched the surface) but will they get another feature-film release?

e) And after Xmen 3, would you want another movie in that franchise?
I am totally with Pirate on this one, and I will state that Xmen 3 is the most dangerous superhero movie made so far- the one most likely to kill this whole niche of movies.
It was SO bad, and most importantly held NO respect to the characters or stories, that every dollar it made is simply evidence to the studios that they can do whatever the F they want with them.
[radical] I'd go far as to say that everyone who saw it in the theater was complicit in the potential killing of good superhero movies. [/radical]

f) The studios are likely to just create their own, made-for-movie superheroes and franchises.
Look at Hancock.
It is specifically designed for film - in fact, the whole storyline of the world is slammed in at the END of the smarmy, manufactured character-driven storyline which does ZERO justice to the few facts they did establish.

I fear the world, and the studios, may be evolving past classic superhero movies and they may soon have "had their day".

[mighty mint]

In my heart I agree. My prediction is that with the third (if there is one) movie of the current Batman franchise the end of the superhero movie will be finished for a while.

[ganthc]

I don't. I think that Hollywood will always want that summer blockbuster that will generate millions. Whether the superhero movie will be good is another thing, but I think there will always be directors that want to make a good movie like Favreau did with Ironman. The real issue is how do the studios interfere with the quality of the film and can a good director stay on.

[furthest1]

Yea- I'll be interested to see.. I hope studios don't start milking smaller comic book heroes to make movies out of. I feel like that would just be stretching it.

[Iguana Man]

Originally Posted by furthest1

Yea- I'll be interested to see.. I hope studios don't start milking smaller comic book heroes to make movies out of. I feel like that would just be stretching it.

Why? It's all about the story isn't it?

[reapersaurus]

Originally Posted by reapersaurus

b) When the ooh-ahh and imaginative approach is gone, so is most of the wonderment of the characters and all we'd be left with is gritty dark dramas - what would be the point? Comics has seen the mistakes of going down that path, and if we want dark, there's plenty of crime drama TV and movies that have supplied a never-ending glut of them for decades.

Looks like I was oddly prescient :
The Dark Knight is NOT a superhero film - it is a gritty crime drama.
And it has become the most successful "superhero movie" in history.

Don't tell me the studios haven't noticed that.
[Chicken Little] This could be the end of the imaginative/wonderment approach to superhero films. [/Chicken Little]

And The Watchmen is right around the corner.....