The days of shark repellent and tight-fitting spandex costumes are long gone. Our favorite superheroes of yesteryear have gotten a serious makeover.
Since the start of the X-Men trilogy in 2000, movies based off comic book superheroes have become gritty and mainstream. What was once a goofy part of nerd culture has evolved into something more popular, introducing people to the worlds of Marvel and DC Comics.
Before the Dark Knight trilogy, it seemed like Batman movies were doomed. With failures like Batman and Robin and Batman scoring 3.5 out of 10 and 6.4 out of 10 on IMBd.com, the franchise seemed hopeless.
Director Christopher Nolan took it upon himself create a better Batman movie. Nolan succeeded and shattered the scores of all past Batman movies with an 8.3 out of 10 on IMBd.com. Nolan’s interpretation revolutionized the hero by moving away from the often-mocked theme songs and tights to a seedy Gotham City where the crime was thrilling and more realistic.
“I much prefer Christopher Nolan’s dark, gritty Batman to a lot of the older ones made in the 1960s to 1990s,” senior Jonathan Goldman said. “I do like the old Batman TV show from the 1960s because it is very light-hearted and campy to the point that it’s hilarious.”
On the other hand, Marvel has taken a slightly different approach from DC Comics. Many superheroes have received a movie explaining their origins and introducing their most dangerous villains. These movies have also heavily developed their characters, but they usually throw in more comic relief. Marvel then wove these stories together to produce The Avengers.
According to Forbes.com, The Avengers was the third-highest grossing movie of all time.
“The Avengers blew me away and I’m a big Joss Whedon [director of The Avengers] fan,” comic book enthusiast and science teacher Yuri Achille said.
Marvel also anounced at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con that in the coming years, they will produce sequels to Thor and Captain America and continue the Iron Man movies.
According to the Marvel press event, Marvel also plans to make a movie for new superhero: Antman, one of the original Avengers. Director Edgar Wright (Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) debuted test footage of a fight scene at Comic Con and viewers present at the exclusive screening spoke highly of it.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Christian Bale stated that The Dark Knight Rises will be the last time he wears the cape and cowl of the bat. DC will soon be releasing a new Superman movie with Christopher Nolan producing.
Superhero movies still have their flaws, but if the dramatic rate of improvement from older films is any indication, nerds and casual viewers alike have a lot to look forward to in the superhero movie industry.
