Post by thomasallencummins on Jun 25, 2013 11:05:08 GMT -5
What is The Avengers?
Of course anyone that clicked on this discussion thread in the first place undoubtedly already knows who the Avengers are but what about the film opening today across America? What is the significance? How does this genre film compare to what has come before?
I will run down the history of genre superhero films thus far to give some context.
There were superhero themed movies before 1978 but the original Superman feature film is pretty much the film that cemented the superhero genre film into the collective consciousness of the world.
The movie featured a very large budget for its time. An A-list director. Instantly recognizable and respected supporting actors that included the likes of Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando. And introduced the world to Christopher Reeve who seemed to effortlessly channel the Superman/Clark Kent persona and helped to make Superman the Movie generate a world wide gross of over 300 million dollars.
The superhero genre film was born and it changed pop culture forever.
In 1980 Superman II premiered and though the film didn't perform at the box office like its predecessor (108 million world wide), Superman II featured the first superhero/super powered villain on screen battle which seemed like a comic fan dream come true at the time. However Superman II also featured a trend toward over the top camp/humor that undermined some of the credibility built up with the first film and would eventually lead to the demise of the series.
In 1982 DC comics released Swamp Thing. The film featured a very different kind of hero and was not gifted with the budget or creative talents that were applied to the previous Superman movies. Though Swamp Thing was appealing enough to generate a cult following it wasn't enough to merit much universal interest and is often overlooked.
In 1983 Superman III was released and had the poorest box office performance yet for a Superman film at a mere 60 million world wide. The movie featured comedian Richard Pryor which amplified the camp factor to a new level, further damaging the reputation of the series.
In 1984 DC comics released Supergirl. The film's plot, acting, direction and budget were all far below par making Supergirl a huge disappointment bringing in only 14 million world wide and giving the superhero genre a nice punch in the face however the greatest indignity was yet to come.
In 1987 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was unleashed on the world. The film was practically a vanity project for Christopher Reeve. The plot centered on the real world proliferation of nuclear weapons which Superman brings to an end however the film was painfully low budget and with a poorly written screenplay and clumsy direction Superman IV all but killed the superhero genre.
Superman and superheroes in general had become a bad joke and poison at the box office until...
In 1989 Tim Burton's Batman arrived to save the day. For superhero fans it couldn't have come at a better time. Batman was a revelation and began a revolution in the superhero genre (though the Batman series itself was fated to follow a similar path that the Superman series had traveled years earlier). In Batman a darker, more serious tone was adopted though the film had its unusual, quirky moments thanks to the director's style choices. All in all Batman reinvigorated the superhero genre and brought with it box office success to the tune of 411 million dollars world wide.
To this point DC comics characters had ruled the box office and competing Marvel characters could only be found, beyond the pages of their books, in the Incredible Hulk television series, the short lived Spider man live action show and a variety of cartoons.
Between 1989 and 1992 there were a few less successful entries into the superhero realm.
1989 - Return of the Swamp Thing
1989 - The Punisher (Marvel's first live action film ended up a direct to video disappointment)
1990 - Darkman (Sam Raimi's first superhero film)
1990 - Captain America (A forgettable, painfully low budget affair also essentially ending up in the video stores)
1991 - The Rocketeer (A personal favorite of mine though the film had very little impact in the genre at large)
Which brings us to the long awaited 1992 release of Batman Returns which (almost) faithfully duplicated the tone and success of the first Batman film though with diminished box office success. (Nearly 277 Million dollars world wide)
In 1994 Universal Studios made an attempt to bring The Shadow to the big screen with disappointing effect.
Then New Line Cinema had much more success with The Mask starring Jim Carrey though neither film represented an adaptation of a universally beloved contemporary superhero.
1995 brought us the third Batman film Batman Forever which saw the introduction of a campier, neon glow feel to the series that would again nearly destroy the superhero genre as we had seen with Superman. Batman Forever was a box office success at 336 million dollars world wide but it was clear the paint was beginning to peel off of the Batmobile thanks largely to the direction of new director Joel Schumacher who wasn't quite finished giving the genre a black eye.
1995 also saw a dismal Liam Neesonless sequel to Darkman shamefully end up direct to video.
1996 saw a lackluster attempt to bring The Phantom to the modern era but the film was largely ignored by the public and was a box office goof bringing in only 17 million dollars world wide. In addition there was yet another sequel to Darkman that also was released direct to video.
1997 was a dark year for superhero films in general. The release of the fourth Batman film, Batman and Robin, wasn't as low and ebb as Superman IV however it did present the most negatively viewed Batman film to date and sealed the fate of Batman movies for nearly a decade.
In addition to Batman and Robin there was the poorly realized Spawn based on Todd McFarlane's popular anti hero and Steel an inconceivable superhero star vehicle for Shaquile O'neil. However good things were right around the corner and the dark shadow of gloom would begin to be raised the following year.
1998 marks the beginning of the Marvel Comics era in film and serves as the signpost for the new age of comic films that we enjoy today and its all thanks to a lesser known Marvel Comics character that originated in the gothic comic Tomb of Dracula, Blade. The film was the first genuine success for a Marvel Comics feature bringing in 131 million dollars world wide and giving the first real credibility to a Marvel character on film.
1999's only superhero genre film was Mystery Men which was a superhero comedy. Though the box office response didn't agree with me I thought Mystery Men was very entertaining.
If the first Blade film was a superhero genre spark then 2000s X-Men was like gasoline poured on a flame. This was the first time a top tier Marvel comic movie had blockbuster success at the theater pulling in nearly 300 million dollars world wide and further establishing the Marvel era in superhero films.
In 2002 Blade II was released which increased its predecessor's box office take however the film was completely eclipsed by the release of Spider-man. The anticipation that built up before Spider-man's premier was gargantuan and the film itself was a tremendous success pulling in a staggering 821 million dollars world wide. Marvel Comics hadn't just arrived on film it had figuratively lit the theater on fire.
2003 was owned by Marvel who released 3 films that year, X2: X-Men United, Hulk and Daredevil. However though all three films made the company money only X-Men 2 was a genuine critical and box office success earning 407 million dollars world wide. Daredevil suffered from poor direction and miscast actors for some of the leading roles. Hulk's failure rested mostly on an odd direction style and special effects that weren't able to convincingly render the Hulk to anyone's satisfaction. The only DC related title, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, also battled for the box office but was not only crushed by the competition, the film had difficulty connecting even with die hard genre fans.
2004 was another busy year for superhero films. Marvel released Spider-man 2, Blade III and The Punisher while DC returned with Catwoman and Dark Horse comics presented Hellboy. Spider-man 2 was another tremendous success and arguably better than the original. Blade Trinity was no less successful than it predecessor however fans of the series had mixed reviews. The Punisher was a genuine critical and box office flop proving that the character would be difficult to adapt to the big screen.
Catwoman was a nightmarishly bad film that confused and boggled the minds of genre fans. Virtually everything about the film was a misstep leading fans to wonder what DC would do to get back into the theater.
Hellboy, though entertaining and critically positive, didn't make much of an impact at the box office.
2005 was a down year for Marvel but saw the long awaited resurgence of DC. Marvel released Fantastic Four and Elektra while DC premiered a reboot of the Batman franchise with Batman Begins. Disney released the superhero comedy Sky High.
Batman Begins marked the beginning of a Batman trilogy conceived by director Christopher Nolan who took the Batman character to his roots but also set him in a very realistic world giving Batman a grounding that no other superhero had ever benefited from. Genre fans were absolutely thrilled with the results. Batman was back and literally better than ever.
Marvel's results were less than stellar. Fantastic Four on paper was a slam dunk but through the direction of Tim Story and some terrible casting choices Fantastic Four was a fantastic disappointment in almost every way except that the film made money. Elektra though a critical and box office failure had low expectations going in and did not damage the genre the way Fantastic Four did.
2006 saw Marvel and DC evenly matched for the very first time. Marvel released X-Men 3 X-Men: The Last Stand and DC finally rebooted Superman with Superman Returns. In addition there were two independent superhero comedies released as well with My Super Ex-Girlfriend and Zoom.
X-Men 3 was the highest grossing X-Men film of the series however fans were unhappy with the story and direction. Superman Returns was a box office success and a direct sequel to Superman II from 1980 but suffered from similar complaints that plagued its competition.
2007 was left primarily to Marvel who released Spider-man 3, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider.
Though Spider-Man 3 pulled in an amazing 890 million dollars world wide fans of the film series were less enchanted than with the previous two films. Fantastic Four 2 was a sequel that didn't improve much over it's predecessor though it too made a profit. Ghost Rider though profitable was another deep disappointment to fans of Marvel and the popular Ghost Rider character. It seemed Marvel superhero genre films were a hit and miss affair largely due to the characters films being released by different studios leaving Marvel's influence limited.
2008 was absolutely sick with superhero films releasing 8 in total and also arguably the best year for superhero films to date. Marvel released Iron man, The Incredible Hulk and Punisher: War Zone. DC presented The Dark Knight and The Spirit. Dark Horse produced Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Columbia Pictures released the Will Smith hit Hancock. MGM released the superhero comedy/spoof Superhero Movie.
The clear box office champ of 2008 was The Dark Knight grossing more than a billion dollars world wide. The sequel to Nolan's Batman Begins dives deep into the world setup in the first film and amps up the gritty reality with a superb performance by the late Heath Ledger as The Joker. Virtually everything about the film was spot on perfect and took the superhero genre film to stratospheric heights. Not to be undone Marvel's Iron man impressed fans and critics with a more lighthearted take that was energized by Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron man. The Incredible Hulk reboot was profitable and benefited from the talents of Edward Norton as Bruce Banner but the film failed to present the Hulk character in an entertaining form. Punisher: War Zone was another failed attempt to adapt the character to film however it suffered from a very small budget and the lack of a charismatic lead actor. Both Iron man and The Incredible Hulk film began the formation of the Avengers Initiative that would culminate in today's release of the Avengers movie.
The Spirit was a critical and financial failure that is hard to describe so I won't bother.
2009 saw Marvel and DC battling it out however on a much smaller scale and with very limited success on both sides. Marvel released X-Men Origins: Wolverine and DC presented Watchmen. Wolverine, continuing the character as played by Hugh Jackman, the film was profitable but was disappointing to fans and critics alike as it seemed to suffer from a clumsy screen play and disjointed direction though there were few complaints about Jackman's portrayal. Marvel had apparently missed the mark again. Watchmen took a page from The Dark Knight and offered a similarly gritty alternate timeline of history featuring superheroes. I found Watchmen to be very entertaining and did not detect many obvious flaws however the film did poorly at the box office.
2010 was again mostly left to Marvel with Iron Man 2 and Kick Ass. There were other comics based films released such as Jonah Hex, RED and Scott Pilgrim vs the World but not strictly superhero genre in nature.
Iron Man 2 was the standout even though the film was viewed as less successful than it's predecessor. Iron Man 2 also featured more setup to the Avengers film including more appearances by S.H.E.I.L.D. agents including Nick Fury, Agent Coulsen and the Black Widow.
2011 saw another glut of superhero films with Marvel's Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: First Class, DCs Green Lantern and Columbia Pictures The Green Hornet.
Green Lantern and The Green Hornet were both forgettable films with varying levels of disappointing results and box office success.
Thor was fairly successful with fans and critics as was Captain America. Both films furthered the continuity established for the Avengers feature with Thor giving us a quick look at Hawkeye and Captain America explaining how Cap would come to be alive in 2012. Each film also featured different elements and characters from S.H.E.I.L.D. but Thor introduced us the the all too important Avengers antagonist Loki.
So having said all of that what was the Avengers?
The Avengers was something special.
Look back at all of the superhero films listed above and imagine a number of those characters and actors, at the prime of their superhero stardom, and placing them all in the same film for us to enjoy. Its really unprecedented. Consider Christopher Reeve and Michael Keaton together as Superman and Batman let alone 5 or 6 actors and characters in the same scenario. Add to the Avengers the third and final Nolan/Bale Batman film, a reboot of The Amazing Spiderman, Iron Man 3, Man of Steel and the upcoming MCU Phase II films and you have evidence that we're living through the greatest time for the superhero genre that's ever been and promises to be possibly even greater in the future.
Tom
Of course anyone that clicked on this discussion thread in the first place undoubtedly already knows who the Avengers are but what about the film opening today across America? What is the significance? How does this genre film compare to what has come before?
I will run down the history of genre superhero films thus far to give some context.
There were superhero themed movies before 1978 but the original Superman feature film is pretty much the film that cemented the superhero genre film into the collective consciousness of the world.
The movie featured a very large budget for its time. An A-list director. Instantly recognizable and respected supporting actors that included the likes of Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando. And introduced the world to Christopher Reeve who seemed to effortlessly channel the Superman/Clark Kent persona and helped to make Superman the Movie generate a world wide gross of over 300 million dollars.
The superhero genre film was born and it changed pop culture forever.
In 1980 Superman II premiered and though the film didn't perform at the box office like its predecessor (108 million world wide), Superman II featured the first superhero/super powered villain on screen battle which seemed like a comic fan dream come true at the time. However Superman II also featured a trend toward over the top camp/humor that undermined some of the credibility built up with the first film and would eventually lead to the demise of the series.
In 1982 DC comics released Swamp Thing. The film featured a very different kind of hero and was not gifted with the budget or creative talents that were applied to the previous Superman movies. Though Swamp Thing was appealing enough to generate a cult following it wasn't enough to merit much universal interest and is often overlooked.
In 1983 Superman III was released and had the poorest box office performance yet for a Superman film at a mere 60 million world wide. The movie featured comedian Richard Pryor which amplified the camp factor to a new level, further damaging the reputation of the series.
In 1984 DC comics released Supergirl. The film's plot, acting, direction and budget were all far below par making Supergirl a huge disappointment bringing in only 14 million world wide and giving the superhero genre a nice punch in the face however the greatest indignity was yet to come.
In 1987 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was unleashed on the world. The film was practically a vanity project for Christopher Reeve. The plot centered on the real world proliferation of nuclear weapons which Superman brings to an end however the film was painfully low budget and with a poorly written screenplay and clumsy direction Superman IV all but killed the superhero genre.
Superman and superheroes in general had become a bad joke and poison at the box office until...
In 1989 Tim Burton's Batman arrived to save the day. For superhero fans it couldn't have come at a better time. Batman was a revelation and began a revolution in the superhero genre (though the Batman series itself was fated to follow a similar path that the Superman series had traveled years earlier). In Batman a darker, more serious tone was adopted though the film had its unusual, quirky moments thanks to the director's style choices. All in all Batman reinvigorated the superhero genre and brought with it box office success to the tune of 411 million dollars world wide.
To this point DC comics characters had ruled the box office and competing Marvel characters could only be found, beyond the pages of their books, in the Incredible Hulk television series, the short lived Spider man live action show and a variety of cartoons.
Between 1989 and 1992 there were a few less successful entries into the superhero realm.
1989 - Return of the Swamp Thing
1989 - The Punisher (Marvel's first live action film ended up a direct to video disappointment)
1990 - Darkman (Sam Raimi's first superhero film)
1990 - Captain America (A forgettable, painfully low budget affair also essentially ending up in the video stores)
1991 - The Rocketeer (A personal favorite of mine though the film had very little impact in the genre at large)
Which brings us to the long awaited 1992 release of Batman Returns which (almost) faithfully duplicated the tone and success of the first Batman film though with diminished box office success. (Nearly 277 Million dollars world wide)
In 1994 Universal Studios made an attempt to bring The Shadow to the big screen with disappointing effect.
Then New Line Cinema had much more success with The Mask starring Jim Carrey though neither film represented an adaptation of a universally beloved contemporary superhero.
1995 brought us the third Batman film Batman Forever which saw the introduction of a campier, neon glow feel to the series that would again nearly destroy the superhero genre as we had seen with Superman. Batman Forever was a box office success at 336 million dollars world wide but it was clear the paint was beginning to peel off of the Batmobile thanks largely to the direction of new director Joel Schumacher who wasn't quite finished giving the genre a black eye.
1995 also saw a dismal Liam Neesonless sequel to Darkman shamefully end up direct to video.
1996 saw a lackluster attempt to bring The Phantom to the modern era but the film was largely ignored by the public and was a box office goof bringing in only 17 million dollars world wide. In addition there was yet another sequel to Darkman that also was released direct to video.
1997 was a dark year for superhero films in general. The release of the fourth Batman film, Batman and Robin, wasn't as low and ebb as Superman IV however it did present the most negatively viewed Batman film to date and sealed the fate of Batman movies for nearly a decade.
In addition to Batman and Robin there was the poorly realized Spawn based on Todd McFarlane's popular anti hero and Steel an inconceivable superhero star vehicle for Shaquile O'neil. However good things were right around the corner and the dark shadow of gloom would begin to be raised the following year.
1998 marks the beginning of the Marvel Comics era in film and serves as the signpost for the new age of comic films that we enjoy today and its all thanks to a lesser known Marvel Comics character that originated in the gothic comic Tomb of Dracula, Blade. The film was the first genuine success for a Marvel Comics feature bringing in 131 million dollars world wide and giving the first real credibility to a Marvel character on film.
1999's only superhero genre film was Mystery Men which was a superhero comedy. Though the box office response didn't agree with me I thought Mystery Men was very entertaining.
If the first Blade film was a superhero genre spark then 2000s X-Men was like gasoline poured on a flame. This was the first time a top tier Marvel comic movie had blockbuster success at the theater pulling in nearly 300 million dollars world wide and further establishing the Marvel era in superhero films.
In 2002 Blade II was released which increased its predecessor's box office take however the film was completely eclipsed by the release of Spider-man. The anticipation that built up before Spider-man's premier was gargantuan and the film itself was a tremendous success pulling in a staggering 821 million dollars world wide. Marvel Comics hadn't just arrived on film it had figuratively lit the theater on fire.
2003 was owned by Marvel who released 3 films that year, X2: X-Men United, Hulk and Daredevil. However though all three films made the company money only X-Men 2 was a genuine critical and box office success earning 407 million dollars world wide. Daredevil suffered from poor direction and miscast actors for some of the leading roles. Hulk's failure rested mostly on an odd direction style and special effects that weren't able to convincingly render the Hulk to anyone's satisfaction. The only DC related title, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, also battled for the box office but was not only crushed by the competition, the film had difficulty connecting even with die hard genre fans.
2004 was another busy year for superhero films. Marvel released Spider-man 2, Blade III and The Punisher while DC returned with Catwoman and Dark Horse comics presented Hellboy. Spider-man 2 was another tremendous success and arguably better than the original. Blade Trinity was no less successful than it predecessor however fans of the series had mixed reviews. The Punisher was a genuine critical and box office flop proving that the character would be difficult to adapt to the big screen.
Catwoman was a nightmarishly bad film that confused and boggled the minds of genre fans. Virtually everything about the film was a misstep leading fans to wonder what DC would do to get back into the theater.
Hellboy, though entertaining and critically positive, didn't make much of an impact at the box office.
2005 was a down year for Marvel but saw the long awaited resurgence of DC. Marvel released Fantastic Four and Elektra while DC premiered a reboot of the Batman franchise with Batman Begins. Disney released the superhero comedy Sky High.
Batman Begins marked the beginning of a Batman trilogy conceived by director Christopher Nolan who took the Batman character to his roots but also set him in a very realistic world giving Batman a grounding that no other superhero had ever benefited from. Genre fans were absolutely thrilled with the results. Batman was back and literally better than ever.
Marvel's results were less than stellar. Fantastic Four on paper was a slam dunk but through the direction of Tim Story and some terrible casting choices Fantastic Four was a fantastic disappointment in almost every way except that the film made money. Elektra though a critical and box office failure had low expectations going in and did not damage the genre the way Fantastic Four did.
2006 saw Marvel and DC evenly matched for the very first time. Marvel released X-Men 3 X-Men: The Last Stand and DC finally rebooted Superman with Superman Returns. In addition there were two independent superhero comedies released as well with My Super Ex-Girlfriend and Zoom.
X-Men 3 was the highest grossing X-Men film of the series however fans were unhappy with the story and direction. Superman Returns was a box office success and a direct sequel to Superman II from 1980 but suffered from similar complaints that plagued its competition.
2007 was left primarily to Marvel who released Spider-man 3, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Ghost Rider.
Though Spider-Man 3 pulled in an amazing 890 million dollars world wide fans of the film series were less enchanted than with the previous two films. Fantastic Four 2 was a sequel that didn't improve much over it's predecessor though it too made a profit. Ghost Rider though profitable was another deep disappointment to fans of Marvel and the popular Ghost Rider character. It seemed Marvel superhero genre films were a hit and miss affair largely due to the characters films being released by different studios leaving Marvel's influence limited.
2008 was absolutely sick with superhero films releasing 8 in total and also arguably the best year for superhero films to date. Marvel released Iron man, The Incredible Hulk and Punisher: War Zone. DC presented The Dark Knight and The Spirit. Dark Horse produced Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Columbia Pictures released the Will Smith hit Hancock. MGM released the superhero comedy/spoof Superhero Movie.
The clear box office champ of 2008 was The Dark Knight grossing more than a billion dollars world wide. The sequel to Nolan's Batman Begins dives deep into the world setup in the first film and amps up the gritty reality with a superb performance by the late Heath Ledger as The Joker. Virtually everything about the film was spot on perfect and took the superhero genre film to stratospheric heights. Not to be undone Marvel's Iron man impressed fans and critics with a more lighthearted take that was energized by Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of Tony Stark/Iron man. The Incredible Hulk reboot was profitable and benefited from the talents of Edward Norton as Bruce Banner but the film failed to present the Hulk character in an entertaining form. Punisher: War Zone was another failed attempt to adapt the character to film however it suffered from a very small budget and the lack of a charismatic lead actor. Both Iron man and The Incredible Hulk film began the formation of the Avengers Initiative that would culminate in today's release of the Avengers movie.
The Spirit was a critical and financial failure that is hard to describe so I won't bother.
2009 saw Marvel and DC battling it out however on a much smaller scale and with very limited success on both sides. Marvel released X-Men Origins: Wolverine and DC presented Watchmen. Wolverine, continuing the character as played by Hugh Jackman, the film was profitable but was disappointing to fans and critics alike as it seemed to suffer from a clumsy screen play and disjointed direction though there were few complaints about Jackman's portrayal. Marvel had apparently missed the mark again. Watchmen took a page from The Dark Knight and offered a similarly gritty alternate timeline of history featuring superheroes. I found Watchmen to be very entertaining and did not detect many obvious flaws however the film did poorly at the box office.
2010 was again mostly left to Marvel with Iron Man 2 and Kick Ass. There were other comics based films released such as Jonah Hex, RED and Scott Pilgrim vs the World but not strictly superhero genre in nature.
Iron Man 2 was the standout even though the film was viewed as less successful than it's predecessor. Iron Man 2 also featured more setup to the Avengers film including more appearances by S.H.E.I.L.D. agents including Nick Fury, Agent Coulsen and the Black Widow.
2011 saw another glut of superhero films with Marvel's Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, X-Men: First Class, DCs Green Lantern and Columbia Pictures The Green Hornet.
Green Lantern and The Green Hornet were both forgettable films with varying levels of disappointing results and box office success.
Thor was fairly successful with fans and critics as was Captain America. Both films furthered the continuity established for the Avengers feature with Thor giving us a quick look at Hawkeye and Captain America explaining how Cap would come to be alive in 2012. Each film also featured different elements and characters from S.H.E.I.L.D. but Thor introduced us the the all too important Avengers antagonist Loki.
So having said all of that what was the Avengers?
The Avengers was something special.
Look back at all of the superhero films listed above and imagine a number of those characters and actors, at the prime of their superhero stardom, and placing them all in the same film for us to enjoy. Its really unprecedented. Consider Christopher Reeve and Michael Keaton together as Superman and Batman let alone 5 or 6 actors and characters in the same scenario. Add to the Avengers the third and final Nolan/Bale Batman film, a reboot of The Amazing Spiderman, Iron Man 3, Man of Steel and the upcoming MCU Phase II films and you have evidence that we're living through the greatest time for the superhero genre that's ever been and promises to be possibly even greater in the future.
Tom