Realism in Comic Book Movies

An annoying trend in comic book movies that needs to go the way of the dinosaurs.

Editorial Opinion
By StuckInPanels - Jan 12, 2010 11:01 AM EST
Filed Under: Other

With the new posting of that Spider-man's reboot is gonna be gritty and realistic, I'm hoping its a mistranslation. This is becoming an new annoying trend that comic movies don't need to be. There's one person to thank for that...Chris Nolan. The man who brought batman back into the mainstream by making batman realistic and gritty.

There is one problem...NOT ALL CHARACTERS ARE REALISTIC AND GRITTY...*sighs*...ok, now thats done with allow me to explain further. With every character that is translated into live action they need to find their comic book persona, and typically the actors or actresses are either dead-on or off by a few feet. Look at the best example, Robert Downey jr as Tony Stark/Iron-man. He personifies the character exactly as the comics describe him, He acts like Stark in every aspect, and that makes it a more credible performance. Now he hasn't really delved into Stark's alcoholism but how to tie it into the main aspect of the story needs to be done properly. Another good example was Norton as Bruce Banner. He had a Bill Bixby persona, and his Banner is based off of the Ultimates Hulk and the TV series(IMDB it, its in the triva http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800080/trivia).

Now to the main point, when realism invades comic-books, theres a problem with it when it comes to certain characters. How can a guy who becomes a 9 foot green guy made of pure muscle be done realistically. This brings up, How can Spider-man, a kid who gets bit by a radioactive(or genetically altered) spider, gains proportionate spider strength, makes web-shooters and fights villains based off of animals or elements, be done in a realistic fashion.

This idea was thrown around with Superman. Superman doesn't need the realism treatment either. I'm sticking with dave gibbons approach..heres what he said about superman.(from this site) "Again, my personal view is that they should make it lighter, with that sense of wonder that Superman has always had. Not to make it childish or puerile but to make it something that has a bright sense of adventure and possibility."...THATS WHAT COMICBOOK MOVIES SHOULD BE. BLACKAIRS OUT!!!!

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ecksmanfan
ecksmanfan - 1/12/2010, 12:03 PM
To me, realism is different than how you described it. Example: Look at Tim Burton's "Batman" compared to Chistopher Nolan's "Batman Begins." Burton created a Gotham that was a bit fantastical and extreme. I don't want to use the word silly, but I think you get my point. As for Nolan's version, it was based in a more traditional "Any City, USA" Gotham, a bit more down to Earth.

I do agree however, that each comic book character has their own level of realism and it's up to the director and writer(s) to find a balance for that, which is not an easy task.
StuckInPanels
StuckInPanels - 1/12/2010, 12:11 PM
thank you ecks, thats the simplest way of putting it.
StuckInPanels
StuckInPanels - 1/12/2010, 1:11 PM
true, realism and believability are different ideas. I dont want all my comic book movies realistic, i want them believable in the context of movie logic. http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/wiki/Development:Realism_vs_Believability this should help people
TheUnknown
TheUnknown - 1/12/2010, 2:44 PM
does realism matter if the character doesn't have any powers like batman or punisher?
OptionFour
OptionFour - 1/12/2010, 4:46 PM
@ TheUnknown,
Maybe. Take the Punisher. He's a crackshot with seemingly every type of gun in existence, and has uncanny determination. Realism doesnt' matter perhaps, but - as mentioned - believability does. We need to know why and how he has those things. That is, essentially, what makes the character.

And I agree that Dark and Gritty is not the way to go for a lot of properties, but you can still do believable cinema, and believable comic movies, without it.
OdinsBeard
OdinsBeard - 1/12/2010, 5:07 PM
all i did was read the sub-headline. and all i can say is

ABSOLUTELY!!!!

i want more fantasy elements in my adaptations! i hope thor will usher in a new era. i hope that's what all the talk of 'this will change the marvel universe' stuff is about.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 1/12/2010, 7:51 PM
I agree in some ways, not in others. Fantasy still needs a certain amount of realism to work for me. That is, it has to be believable within the realms of its own reality. Just because a movie features fantastical elements, doesn't mean the characters should behave like complete tools(Transformers/GI JOe) or that it should be used as an excuse for silliness. "Well, its a fantasy, what do you expect?"..I hear that waaaay too much. Then again, I agree that if the comic has fantasy, bring it to the movie, BUT, you have to allow for adaptation and translation. Not everything works on screen like it does on the page.
mok
mok - 1/13/2010, 2:15 AM
well written article and well expressed idea, i agree with you buddy

nuff said :D peace!
ThunderCougarFalconBird
ThunderCougarFalconBird - 1/13/2010, 7:12 AM
MovieTheaterLad has it. I do think most CBM's need more of a fantasy element but it has to have some grounds of realism to make it believable. If it's believable (with a stretch of imagination) then it will be accepted much more easily by the audience.

Example: Iron-man isn't "realistic" as it is not possible to build a suit that streamlined and able to hold all that ammo, jet repulsors etc. It is "believable" though as it is all based on existing technology, it's just been down-sized and futurised (it's a word....now). We can even "believe" in Superman as his powers have some grounding in our knowledge of physics (no matter how far stretched) alongside the fact he's an alien. What goes too far for me is Superman turning back time by reversing the Earth's rotation. This doesn't stretch our reality, it shatters it completely and ruins both the movies it has been used in for me.
Ryden
Ryden - 1/15/2010, 1:41 PM
I agree with this article. Realisim IMO has no place in CBM's. Comic book films are created to take you away from reality, to show you the fantastic and unbeilevable and capture the essence of imaginiton.

Stripping all of the fantastical elements from a supehrero makes them boring, dry and surprisignly unrealistic.

Because whether Nolan "thinks" his Batman films are reaklistic or not, no-one would dress as a bat and accomplish so much.

I'm not saying it can't be seirous, but this whole "dark and gritty and completley boring" ideology is just f*cking stupid.
georgia49th
georgia49th - 1/24/2010, 12:28 PM
characters that don't have super powers can and do work better in a more realistic setting as for others well it might not always work out Superman can't work that way the villians he fights are way unrealistic suppose that's why they did Luthor in all the damn movies ..
NO MORE Lex Luthor , Brainiac , Doomsday,Darkseid...anybody but Luthor !!!!!!!!!
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