Who knew back in 2008 that superhero movies would be changed forever by one
Christopher Nolan and a
little movie called
The Dark Knight. Comic book adaptations included
X-Men,
Spider-Man and
Fantastic Four. Those movies good in their own right and in their own way followed a kiddy style of film making very affective in getting kids in theater seats. That's what comic book movies were known for -- breaking box office records without focusing on storyline. The Dark Knight changed all that. Even it's predecessor
Batman Begins took on a more serious overtone as director Christopher Nolan looked to make a complete movie rather than stick with the status quo that all comic book movies have used before.
Now before I get ahead of myself let's take a look back at what ultimately led to this change.
It was a dark and stormy night back in 1997. I sat in the theater both excited and nervous. Yes this was another Batman movie but yet another actor portraying the Dark Knight. Yes this was another Batman movie but with
Joel Schumacher at the helm this time around. So Yes I was both excited to be in the theater watching another Batman movie but nervous of what was to come as my "spidey sense" if you will, was tingling and I could tell disaster looming around the corner. I was right!
There were tons of things wrong with
Batman & Robin and that's not to say that the previous installment, also directed by Schumacher
Batman Forever was any better but let me start with the one that stood out the most to me. The Terminator. Well
Arnold Schwarzenegger. As Mr. Freeze. Seriously? Not only do you add one of the greatest actions stars of our generation to the cast but you put him in a comic book movie that was more like a musical if you really think about it. No way was that going to work. The cast itself were full of top notch actors (Well except
Chris O'Donnell) that included
George Clooney, who played the Batman and
Uma Thurman, who played Poison Ivy. I had no qualms with those two choices but come on -- Commando! Schumacher did a horrible job of making a movie but rather made what seemed like a Disney On Ice show that went horribly wrong. Rather than make a movie with a story he decided to fill the seats instead with little kids who at the time didn't know any better. I'm shaking my head now just like I did all those years ago as I left the theater wholeheartedly disappointed.
So now lets fast forward through the years and take a look at what Schumacher started and see what other Superhero movies fell flat when it came to story development.
Daredevil (2002): Ben Affleck... Enough Said!
The Hulk (2003): A CG induced disaster that had no plot, no story, nothing positive to speak of at all.
The Punisher (2003): Lacked the intensity that The Punisher embodies so there for wasn't a complete depiction of what his story is really about. Plus the movie had John Travolta in it.
Catwoman (2004): Those sick Bastards!!
Blade Trinity (2004): Probably one of the worst depictions of Dracula I've ever seen in any movie ever!
Elektra (2004): A spin-off from Daredevil... Are you Serious?
Then 2005 hit and Christopher Nolan had enough. Quite frankly we all had enough. After numerous movies that failed to deliver including a few in the Batman series alone it was time for a fresh start. A reboot was in order, not just a reboot of the Batman series but a reboot of the entire superhero movie facade in general. Batman Begins started it all and with that movie came success and with success came intelligence from all the executives who final saw that a movie can be made with a serious overtone and an actual storyline. The years that followed showed that method of film making show up in a number of superhero movies since, including Nolan's own The Dark Knight.
The Dark Knight wasn't just a superhero movie. It wasn't just another adaptation of a
Stan Lee comic. The Dark Knight was a complete movie. A real movie with a real story and left not only box office records in it's wake but put futility in the world of superhero movies in its rearview mirror. This movie left a stamp on the world as the one what started it all. The one we will look back on and say -- yup, superhero movies wouldn't be what they are today and what they will be here on out without this one. I directly attribute The Dark Knight as the movie that led to the upcoming reboot of both the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man series.
With that said I look forward to what is to come. To see if
Captain America: The First Avenger can give us a complete movie. To see if
THOR will follow suit. To see if the highly anticipated
Avengers will live up to the hype and not fall into the Schumacher black hole thinking that the characters on the screen alone are all they need. That won't work anymore. We're smarter than we used to be and we expect more out of our beloved superhero movies. That means we expect more from the people who are put into the position to make these kinds of movies. Us with our opinions and the studios with the power. Not fair is it?
At least for now we have one guy we can count on. Nolan. Hopefully
Dark Knight Rises isn't out last chance to see a good superhero movie given the fact that this will be his last time directing a Batman movie. If that is the case then the real affect The Dark Knight has on superhero movies is going to be a long and dreary one. One that I wont be particularly looking forward to.
