In Defense of the Superhero Film
I have to admit, I’m a little bit baffled by the ire Ross displays toward superhero movies. If he were a purebred cultural elitist, I’d get it, but not from a guy who’s admitted to going through a Star Trek phase and who championed the last James Bond movie, which, in addition to being one of the most delicious pop pleasures of the past decade, is more or less a superhero film without the spandex. How he can maintain the posture of being both an advocate of smart genre and be disdainful toward superhero films as a class is beyond me.
In particular, I’m confused at his choice to pick on Iron Man. The execrable, yet mysteriously successful, Fantastic Four films might’ve suited his theory that “even a second-tier superhero franchise can provide the grist for a summer tentpole movie.” And while it’s not clear that Iron Man is actually a second-tier hero, I have no doubt that we have, at least in part, the success of the FF film to thank for Iron Man. But while I didn’t love Iron Man quite as much as a lot of critics, I do think that, in general, it’s far better than average summer fare, and even somewhat subversive – playing on the superhero tropes that irk Ross while simultaneously undermining them. And, as I argued in my review, it was a rare example of a hero film, or even blockbuster of any kind, in which the characters—by which I mean the humans, not the heroes—were the strong suit. The effects were fine, the fight scenes were acceptable if basically forgettable, but you won’t soon forget any of the cast.
So what Iron Man really proves, or firmly cements, anyway, is that while you can make a profit off of most any second-tier spandex-clad goons, you can double your take by making it true to the character, employing a bit of wit, and displaying some casting ingenuity. Iron Man beat analyst expectations to make $98 million this weekend; Fantastic Four opened with a $58 million haul last summer.
If anything, it seems to me that the best superhero films – and while, as Ross notes, any number are terrible (Ghost Rider anyone?) there are a number that are genuinely quite good — are simply larger-budget versions of what Chris Orr has called B+ films. Indeed, I’ve been genuinely impressed with the way a lot of the superhero films hearken back to the classic B-movies and genre films of the 70s and 80s with their attempts to reflect the social tensions of their era. Look at the fears of urban crime on display in Escape from L.A., Death Wish or The Warriors, the anxiety about energy and the collapse of society in the Mad Max films, the worries about privatization in Robocop—and then look at the post-9/11 portrayal of New York in Spider-Man, the way the X-Men films play with issues of minority rights, the way Superman Returns reimagined the Man of Steel as a sort of liberal internationalist global hero. It’s not that any of these films have anything particularly deep to say—lord knows I found Iron Man’s politics hilariously convoluted—it’s that they’re willing to use their social context as material in a way that makes them more interesting, more compelling, more relevant, and even more fun—not just two-hour long, soulless effects reels, but genuine products of their age. Not every tentpole pic has the chance to be a genuinely classic adventure, and not all of them need to. But it’s worth applauding when any of these films bother, even for a moment, to come out from their green-screen studios and glance away from their zillion-dollar post-production rigs and take a look, even a somewhat confused look, at the world around them.
Well said. I really can’t understand what inspired Ross to post such a rant…if every Summer spectacle proved to be half the film Iron Man is, the season would be far less dreary. Bringing a second tier comic book hero to the screen is no different than doing the same with a second tier literary property. It all depends on the talent assembled—and, let’s be honest, a better cast has not yet been assembled for a comic book movie.
I do appreciate Ross’s concern that the best actors will be unduly tempted by riches to take on poor scripts and unchallenging roles, but I don’t think it’s too much of a worry. Christian Bale has found plenty of time between Batman movies to find good work (3:10 to Yuma, The Prestige, Rescue Dawn, etc.)…and on the opposite side of the spectrum, Hugh Jackman has managed to make a bomb AND a failed CBS series in between the third X-Men movie and his solo Wolverine project. You’re never going to stop an actor from cashing in. It’s not fair to blame comic book movies for the degeneration of acting; actors have done a good enough job all on their lonesome denigrating their craft over the years.
— Sonny Bunch · May 6, 03:56 AM · #
Well said. I was re-watching Soylent Green the other day and it occurred to me that super-hero films have eclipsed science fiction as the B-movie genre most adept at actually grappling with contemporary political and social controversies. In fact, comic book movies may actually be a boon to socially-conscious popular film-making. I couldn’t see modern studios bankrolling films like Soylent Green, Silent Runnings, or Planet of the Apes anymore, but Iron Man does set a pretty good precedent for future comic book blockbusters.
I guess my only problem with comic book movies is that they rely on a pretty incredible (read: occasionally dopey) universe for their source material. I think this caveat makes them a bit more difficult for non-comic book aficionados to enjoy, especially since the identities of so many comic book characters are wrapped up in obsolete notions of popular science (Spiderman’s origin story springs to mind) that seem pretty silly in a modern context.
— Will · May 6, 05:12 PM · #
The entire context of Ross’s rant sort of confused me because we’re talking about summer blockbuster flicks, not Sundance fare… is it really such a terrible drain on creative talent that next couple years might have more guys in spandex fueling popcorn sales than space marines shooting aliens? Why would he fear that actors “cashing in” was more a problem with successful comic book adaptations than a spate of spy movies?
I understand loathing of the copycat formula in entertainment (everything from movies to videogames to books), but it seemed an ill fit with Iron Man, since Iron Man is actually surprisingly good product of the copycat formula… the exception that proves the rule, kind of thing. So not really the movie you’d blame for all these superhero movies, but the one you’d point to and say “See, it’s not ALL bad”
— J.W. Hamner · May 6, 06:06 PM · #