I have seen so many web and magazine articles on the amount of comic books movies being released in the next 6 years or so, In my head I keep thinking ‘surely we’ll all be tired of them by then’. But this year we have had 7 comic book films released and for the most part they did really well. Even SONY’s The Amazing Spider Man 2 which was considered a disappointment made £709 million, that’s the lowest of any Spider-Man film! So why are comic book films so popular? why do they keep studios like Marvel Studios and 21st Century Fox rolling in cash? Well here I give you some possible reasons…
GENRE AND STORYTELLING
First of all, comic book films are genuinely getting better and better. Not only are they box office hits but they’re critically acclaimed. This year’s biggest hit Guardians of the Galaxy boasts 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.3 on IMDB. Most critics say 2014 has released the best comic book films in terms of quality to date. However the most important thing other than them being good films is they all push for different genres, here are some examples: Guardians of the Galaxy (sci-fi), Days of Future Past (time travel), The Winter Soldier (Thriller), Thor (fantasy). Comic book films are so diverse it’s kinda scary that we almost don’t notice it, this is probably why audiences never get bored, because at least they know they aren’t going to watch the same thing.
In regards to storytelling don’t think comics are for kids, comic book films and their source material tackle real issues that effect all of us, The Winter Soldier is about moral choices and how governments have access to anything they want from anyone they want. The Dark Knight is about how far you are willing to go to make sure someone doesn’t have to go through the pain you did, what are you willing to give up for it? V for Vendetta and Watchmen both wrestle with political issues and the grey nature between good/evil in human beings. The X-Men franchise is well known for it’s civil rights themes that it lends from straight off the comic book pages. However there are lighter tones and themes like Guardians of the Galaxy‘s theme of family and finding friendships in strange places with people you may not expect.
ENDLESS STREAM OF IDEAS
Believe it or not it’s kinda hard to think up of an original idea for a feature length blockbuster film, but why do you have to do that when you can just find a comic book and adapt it from page to screen. Course a lot of changes have to be made but it gives you basic story line, characters and themes. Here’s a list of movies I bet you didn’t even know were based off comic books; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kick-Ass, 300, The Addams Family, Men in Black, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Oldboy and The Mask. I bet you’ve seen one or two of those films haven’t you? But don’t be surprised, comic book writers are some of the best writers out there, Watchmen was voted in top 100 best novels since the 19th century by TIME magazine. Even when studios don’t know what else to do with there respected franchises they have 100’s of extra stories for their characters to go through. 2016’s Batman vs.Superman: Dawn of Justice is loosely based on The Dark Knight Returns comic, which some say is one of the best comics ever written. Oh here’s a side note, Disney’s Big Hero 6 animated film which was just released in the US and soon to be released in the UK is based on a ‘you know what’ too.
WORLD BUILDING
One thing audiences will always love is world building, being invested into a whole different world with a plethora of characters and on going stories. Much like Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and even The Hunger Games. So imagine taking that and instead of being able to just make a trilogy, you are able to make 10-20 films with 50 different heroes and villains. This is great because films like Avengers: Age of Ultron don’t need build up, all the build up has happened in the previous phase of films. Which get’s audience ridiculously pumped to see not only our favourite characters sharing the screen but to see the climax of it all in a film that doesn’t need to hold anything back for extra storytelling. Even the previous phase films like Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and so on have their own climaxes which makes the event films like Avengers and the upcoming Justice League films a big deal! There’s a reason why The Avengers is the 3rd highest grossing film of all time. Besides what other non-comic book franchises have individual characters that can hold their own in a different genres of film and then come together in one crossover?
CONCLUSION
I could go on about the variety of characters and what not but it’s a simple as this. Comic book films are popular because they do what film is supposed to, they help you escape from the real word for 2 hours while being entertaining and relate-able on the most basic of levels. They have a huge range for target audiences like Big Hero 6 for children and Sin City for adults, as well as the ones in between like Guardians of The Galaxy for the whole family. So if you’re one of those people who thinks ‘eurgh another superhero film?’, I implore you, think of it as a film in itself. Thankfully most comic book movies are at least good.
Words by Eddie Snafu Michael