The world of comic book movies owes a lot to the two directors I'm preparing to analyze in this latest installment of Movie Magic Case Studies. One of these men is the directorial godfather of modern comic book movies. The other is credited with revitalizing the genre at a time when comic book movies had become stagnant. What they have in common is that both directors dealt with colossal pressure to deliver a box office hit for iconic comic book journalists and delivered. I'm talking about Sam Raimi and Richard Donner, of course. We'll look at each directors methodology, their end product, and decide which approach is better for today's comic book movie.
You may or may not have heard of this small time director by the name of Richard Donner. He's just a guy that directed a little-known fictional character known as Clark Kent. Perhaps you know him better by his costumed alter ego.
If you happen to fall into the category of people who don't know who Richard Donner is, stop what you're doing, head out to your local mixed-media retailer, purchase the 1978 Superman film and seclude yourself in your home until you have watched the cinematic masterpiece that is Donner's film. For the 99.9% of you that have seen Donner's film, let's move on and discuss how this masterwork came to be.
Fresh off his success on the horror film
"The Omen", Donner was hired to helm the Superman franchise after a slew of directors passed on the project
[Francis Ford Coppolla, Geroge Lucas, and Steven Spielberg among others]. The very first thing that Donner did was hire someone to rewrite the script because he felt it was too campy. Thank whatever higher power you believe in for Donner's decision. Imagine Superman, the move that is the precedent and standard of all modern comic book movies as a campy farce. Imagine if that movie was a financial success and became the formula by which all comic book movies were made. On this alternate Earth, both the comic book and movie industry went extinct in 1987.
You can't talk about Superman without mentioning Christopher Reeve. Originally, the studio wanted an A-lister to portray the Man of Steel and everyone from Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, and Paul Newman to Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Jon Voit, and even Arnold Schwarzenegger were rumored to be up for the lead at one point. I think Redford would've been a find choice but he turned down the role because he felt he was too famous. Just goes to show how far comic book movies have come these days. In the end, it was Donner who decided that the studio should go with an unknown and it was Reeves who was ultimately cast.
Donner's theme for Superman centered around realism. His approach relied on cinematic drama and the use of subtle humor instead of camp. The story is classic Superman, centered around Clark, Lois, and Lex. It manages to stay true to the story while at the same time, weaving in tried and true subject matter such as science-fiction [opening Krpton scene], unrequited romance [Lois & Clark], and humanity [Superman's decision to defy Jor-El and follow Pa Kent's advice]. For a 1978 film, the balance was perfect, the score was great, and the SFX were ahead of their time. Even today, the film still holds up well.
In the world of Marvel comics, there are only 3 indisputable facts:
1.) Radioactive spiders are carnivorous
2.) No one ever stays dead except Uncle Ben
3.) With great power, comes great responsibility
Marvel comics are a different breed. Where DC's characters live in fictional cities and were created
to give readers larger-than-life heroes, Marvel's characters live in real American cities and often tell stories of characters dealing with everyday personal problems like alcoholism, failed marriages, and drug abuse. None of their characters personify this better than Peter Parker. Peter is poor, unpopular, and can't get the girl of his dreams [even when he does, its retconned away]. Even in his costumed identity, he's relentlessly vilified in the press. Since first created in 1962, Spider-Man has developed over the years to become Marvel's flagship title, indicating that the public is drawn to this take on realism. Forty years later, Sam Raimi is called upon to bring Marvel's most popular character to the big screen. Similar to the 1978 Superman film, several directors were sought before Raimi,
including James Cameron and Tim Burton. Before Toby Maguire was cast in the lead role, Leonardo DiCaprio, Heath Ledger, Scott Speedman, and James Franco were all in contention for the lead role. Interestingly, Raimi stated that he wanted Alicia Witt to play Mary Jane before Kristen Dunst was cast.
Raimi came on to helm Spider-Man at a time when the comic-book movie industry was in a tender state. The recent release of X-Men 2 years prior, ended a streak of camp in the likes of Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, and Steel. Ironically enough, Raimi lobied to direct Batman Forever but Joel Schumacher was ultimately chosen. Many viewed Spider-Man as the film that would either pave the way for a slew of comic book adaptions or set the industry back 20 years. Luckily, Raimi decided to follow Donner and take a realistic approach to the super-hero genre. Just like Donner, Raimi ordered his own rewrites in order to center the script in reality. However, Raimi's rewrites were not to bring more real life drama but to make the film more closer to the source material. One memorable response Raimi gave about the film was that "I think the biggest influence was the forty years of great Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and all those great Marvel artists and writers that have written the books. That really was 90% of what we tried to put on the screen." It worked, the film went on to gross over $800 Million Worldwide.
The difference between Donner and Raimi is how they attempt to create
realism in their movies. Donner's approach was to take the mythos and mold it into something believable. While offering insight on his approach, Donner had the following to say, "The minute you lose the truth or make fun of it or begin to parody it, you destroy the line of tension, the honesty." Raimi's approach was slightly different. He believed in finding all of the realistic qualities already intrinsic to Spider-Man and using that as the core of his movie. In Raimi's film, the focus is on Peter Parker, not Spider-Man. He also keeps the tone light by injecting a bit of his own imagination into the story [the upside down kiss, organic web-shooters,green goblin costume]. With their respective methodology,a Donner Spider-Man film would be very different from Raimi's. Similarly, a Raimi Superman film would only have a superficial resemblance to Donner's. In a Donner Spider-Man, you would lose some of the "simpleness" of Raimi's. Zany high school fights and wrestling contests to win cars probably wouldn't make it into Donner's version. Likewise, in a Raimi Superman you'd probably get a stronger focus on the relationship between Clark and Pa and Ma Kent, similar to the dynamic between Peter and Uncle Ben in Spider-Man.
Its honestly, difficult to say who's approach I prefer. Both directors make excellent films, however if I was pressed to choose, I would pick Donner. Simply because he makes a more serious super-hero film. Being true to the source material is important but a good real-life drama should always be the focus of the story.
Which director is your favorite? Which one would you pick to direct origin stories for:
-Batman
-Captain America
-Green Lantern
-Suicide Squad
-Daredevil
-Wonder Woman
Sound off below and please vote!
Donner is currently working on a Bill Bixby [star of the Incredible Hulk] biopic which will star Hugh Jackman. Raimi is currently working on Disney's Oz, The Great and Powerful, Evil Dead 4, and The Shadow. Raimi is also set to produce the live-action adaption of the anime Noir for Starz.
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