Summary of reviews for movies watched in the fine year of 2008, part 3 - Superheroes Edition
Fri, 2nd January, 2009 | 07:50 pm
music: In The Light Of Revolution - [MMM] MadMixMustang
This was the year I realised that my taste in movies may be moving away from the comic book/superhero genre. By the time I had watched Iron Man, Batman Begins, and the Dark Knight, I concluded that I was momentarily entertained, but with no real lasting impressions. Furthermore, when I returned to watch the X-Men and Spiderman series, which were movies that I had adored previously, I came away feeling the same thing about those films as I did about this year's blockbusters.
I am going to tackle all three films as a single review, because the same issues repeat themselves.
IRON MAN (2008)
Dir: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow
BATMAN BEGINS (2005)/THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
Dir: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes (BB)/Maggie Gyllenhaal(DK), Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger (DK), Aaron Eckhart (DK)
This particular genre, of late, has begun to demand its recognition as "legitimate film". Given my lack of knowledge about this subject, it seems to me that this push began with the first X-Men film. The argument then was, and still is, that although comic books and graphic novels have a perception in the Western World as children's entertainment, it is a genre that is capable of telling stories rich with intelligent ideas and arguments, and capable of engendering an emotional response in an audience other than just "fun". Provided the right people were doing the right things, those same stories could be reproduced on the movie screen. It happens to be an argument I agree with. So in reviewing these three films, I refused to judge them in context of the comic book/superhero genre. It would be unacceptable to judge an aspect of the film as being good, bad, or average "for a comic-book film", because these are films that clearly aspire to something more than a genre piece.
With that in mind, here are my main points:
1. The need for origin stories. If these were non-genre films, the origin movies would not, and should not, be tolerated. Both Iron Man and Batman Begins suffer from being origin stories. A generalisation would be to say that not very much happens beyond the slog and grind of introducing characters and their pasts. A more specific criticism would be to say that although there are many movies out there where "not much happens", they are still required to satisfy an emotional aspect of the viewing experience. I found the origins of neither Iron Man nor Batman to be moving or engaging. To give an example, the Back to the Future Series does not succumb to making the first movie entirely about Marty McFly's origins. It's not necessay. And yet the comicbook/superhero genre seems to demand it. I would say that if both Iron Man and Batman franchises were seeking to counteract the conventions of the comic-book/superhero genre in this respect, they have failed.
2. The double life/secret love is a tired plot point. It is not hard to accept that by taking on the identity of a superhero, civilian identity is lost. Of course that means all former connections are either lost or warped into a connection of a different nature. This should not have to be telegraphed to the audience in a form of a B-plot. It is a waste of time and valuable audience attention because it is nothing new. And I am jaded and cynical. This was done with Spiderman, Superman, and Batman. The Rachel Dawes/Bruce Wayne plot adds nothing of substance, and is not required to give Batman a reason to catch the Joker. Iron Man does not have this plot point, but I have no doubt they will try to shoehorn it in, in later sequels.
3. Both franchises were ultimately saved by the performance of a single actor. For the Dark Knight, this was Heath Ledger; for Iron Man, this was Robert Downey Jr. All other supporting actors were definitely serviceable, but not outstanding. However, their performances were so outstanding in comparison to the rest of the film that they do not elevate their films as a whole. To give an example, when rewatching these films, I still feel no compulsion to watch any of the scenes that do not involve them, as they are that bland and uninteresting, and that includes all of Batman Begins.
4. Both franchises give a lesson in special effects. One positive point is the effort to minimise the use of CGI, and use real models instead. Nothing takes you out of a film more easily than bad CGI.
To summarise, Iron Man, Batman Begins and the Dark Knight were made watchable by individual standout performances and judicious use of special effects. They are widely percieved to be the best examples of the superhero/comic-book genre; however, when judged in a wider context of films, they ultimately do not stand up against other films in terms of dialogue, emotional impact, music, thematic treatment, or cinematography. They are highly entertaining on first viewing, but reveal nothing more on repeated viewings.
I am going to tackle all three films as a single review, because the same issues repeat themselves.
IRON MAN (2008)
Dir: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow
BATMAN BEGINS (2005)/THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
Dir: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes (BB)/Maggie Gyllenhaal(DK), Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger (DK), Aaron Eckhart (DK)
This particular genre, of late, has begun to demand its recognition as "legitimate film". Given my lack of knowledge about this subject, it seems to me that this push began with the first X-Men film. The argument then was, and still is, that although comic books and graphic novels have a perception in the Western World as children's entertainment, it is a genre that is capable of telling stories rich with intelligent ideas and arguments, and capable of engendering an emotional response in an audience other than just "fun". Provided the right people were doing the right things, those same stories could be reproduced on the movie screen. It happens to be an argument I agree with. So in reviewing these three films, I refused to judge them in context of the comic book/superhero genre. It would be unacceptable to judge an aspect of the film as being good, bad, or average "for a comic-book film", because these are films that clearly aspire to something more than a genre piece.
With that in mind, here are my main points:
1. The need for origin stories. If these were non-genre films, the origin movies would not, and should not, be tolerated. Both Iron Man and Batman Begins suffer from being origin stories. A generalisation would be to say that not very much happens beyond the slog and grind of introducing characters and their pasts. A more specific criticism would be to say that although there are many movies out there where "not much happens", they are still required to satisfy an emotional aspect of the viewing experience. I found the origins of neither Iron Man nor Batman to be moving or engaging. To give an example, the Back to the Future Series does not succumb to making the first movie entirely about Marty McFly's origins. It's not necessay. And yet the comicbook/superhero genre seems to demand it. I would say that if both Iron Man and Batman franchises were seeking to counteract the conventions of the comic-book/superhero genre in this respect, they have failed.
2. The double life/secret love is a tired plot point. It is not hard to accept that by taking on the identity of a superhero, civilian identity is lost. Of course that means all former connections are either lost or warped into a connection of a different nature. This should not have to be telegraphed to the audience in a form of a B-plot. It is a waste of time and valuable audience attention because it is nothing new. And I am jaded and cynical. This was done with Spiderman, Superman, and Batman. The Rachel Dawes/Bruce Wayne plot adds nothing of substance, and is not required to give Batman a reason to catch the Joker. Iron Man does not have this plot point, but I have no doubt they will try to shoehorn it in, in later sequels.
3. Both franchises were ultimately saved by the performance of a single actor. For the Dark Knight, this was Heath Ledger; for Iron Man, this was Robert Downey Jr. All other supporting actors were definitely serviceable, but not outstanding. However, their performances were so outstanding in comparison to the rest of the film that they do not elevate their films as a whole. To give an example, when rewatching these films, I still feel no compulsion to watch any of the scenes that do not involve them, as they are that bland and uninteresting, and that includes all of Batman Begins.
4. Both franchises give a lesson in special effects. One positive point is the effort to minimise the use of CGI, and use real models instead. Nothing takes you out of a film more easily than bad CGI.
To summarise, Iron Man, Batman Begins and the Dark Knight were made watchable by individual standout performances and judicious use of special effects. They are widely percieved to be the best examples of the superhero/comic-book genre; however, when judged in a wider context of films, they ultimately do not stand up against other films in terms of dialogue, emotional impact, music, thematic treatment, or cinematography. They are highly entertaining on first viewing, but reveal nothing more on repeated viewings.