We are at the midway point of summer, and the summer movies are starting to wind down. There were several movies based on comics books that came out, and some of them where hit or miss. That is unless you are comic book reader. All I’ve read is complaint after complaint on some of the stupidest things. I’m not saying all the films were perfect or they sucked. But to nitpick because it’s not EXACTLY like the comic is one of the most asinine things I’ve heard of. So the big question is: As a comic reader how can you enjoy a comic book movie? Well here are some suggestions on how you can:
- YOU ARE NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE – Bottom line, Hollywood really doesn’t care about what fanboys think when it comes to comic book movies. We are a small percentage of viewers in the larger scale of things. The brain trust in Hollywood usually has no clue about the comics themselves. They are trying to appeal to a mass audience to make money. Yes, Hollywood appears at comic conventions like San Diego, but this is for marketing purposes only. Movies are a business and more important, a great marketing product. Toys, T-shirts, posters, etc. That’s mainly the point for Hollywood to get behind these movies. Money talks.
- ACCEPT CHANGE – With any adaptation from book to screen, there will always be changes made. Not just comic books, but all books. You have to squeeze all this story into a minimum of a 120 minutes. When it comes to comics, we’re talking about 75 years of history, that’s constantly changing and then needs to be translated to the screen. It’s not an easy task by any means. Especially when you have to appeal to a wide audience. Do these adaptations work? Not always. As long as the essence of the character is there, be happy and accept it. And sometimes change is good.
- KNOW THE CHARACTER – A lot of fanboys think they know these characters inside and out. Hate to tell you, but if you started reading comics in the 90’s and the character has been around since the 50’s, you don’t know crap. Go back and familiarize yourself with the character. An example was with Daredevil. A lot of people bitched and moaned the movie version was nothing like the comic. That’s true, if all you know is the Frank Miller version. The movie version is closer to the original character that was created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett. So go back and read those older stories. Directors and writers like to blend all these versions into a composite character. Plus you’ll get some of those “Easter Eggs” and homages they sometime throw in.
- KEEP AN OPEN MIND – The internet has burst open the rumor mill tenfold. You hear a rumor and suddenly you have people bitching and moan about it. And it hasn’t even confirmed yet. Wait until the trailers come out or you see the movie. Even pictures that are released can be misleading. Sometime the studios actually Photoshop the pictures. A lot of times things look better on screen. So just try to keep an open mind and not go off the deep end.
- SPANDEX DOESN’T WORK – Unless the character is Superman or Spider-Man, spandex looks damn silly. Look at the 1960’s Batman TV show. That suit isn’t menacing or intimating in the least. It looks down right goofy. Tim Burton and Chris Nolan use of a suit armor makes more sense, and quite honestly looks better.
Beyond this, the best advice is…if you don’t like it, don’t see it. If you already if decided you’re not going to like the movie, why bother spending money on it. You’re just going to torture yourself. Best to wait for a rental. But in any case, please just shut up. The constant complaining is just getting so old already. I understand that we complain because we are so passionate about these characters, but just stop being part of the problem. You want to make change, then write a script, go out to Hollywood, and pitch the idea. Or you can make your own fan film. A lot of people are doing it these days, especially seeing how the technology is more accessible to us these days. The bottom line though, it’s money that talks. Don’t buy a ticket or buy any of the merchandise. Dollars signs is the only language Hollywood understands.