I thought this would be an interesting editorial, not because I wish to express my own opinion, but rather, to ask some questions and generate a healthy dialogue between comic book movie fans. The debate is over exactly how closely a studio/writers/director should stick to the comic book source material when adapting the comic book medium to the silver screen. In the interest of healthy debate, I will make every attempt to keep my personal opinions out of the questions I raise.
It’s a simple fact: Studios make movies (yes, even comic book movies) in a calculated gamble to make money. The studios put up millions of dollars, gambling on each film to rake in at least what the budget spends for them, and hopefully much more. Some succeed, some fail miserably. Therefore, I do respect a studio producer’s right to suggest that certain changes be made to the source material if it makes the character more accessible to the general audience. Ones who haven’t read or even heard of the character. With that being said, I’ll start with some general questions.
COSTUMES
Probably one of the first and most recognizable things about a comic book super hero, above his/her powers or personality traits, is their costumes. When is it better to stick completely to the source material, and when does it do the character justice to adapt said costume from its original (and often outdated) version to a more modern look?
I’ll start with Brian Singer’s X-Men movies. Would a general audience have really wanted to see Hough Jackman in yellow spandex, or was matching black leather uniforms a more serious and intelligent way to go? Should Wolverine don his famous mask and yellow and blue uniform in future films, or would that look silly on screen by today’s standards? And how about Mystique? Did the blue scales work better than smooth skin and clothing?
And speaking of Singer, how about his updated look to Superman in Superman Returns? Did the darkened, more muted tones of the Superman costume help, or did it in any way take away from the hero to the general public? Should Superman’s costume remain unchanged in future films, or is it time for an update?
And what about female super heroines? They seem to have undergone the greatest costume transformations from 20th century, male dominated media striving to reach teenage boys, and convert them to more modern, female-empowered versions.
Electra lost her skin tight red leotard in favor of a red corset, leather pants, and exposed midriff. I would never be one to say Jennifer Garner wasn’t still hot without the bandanna tied around her head, but was that a valid change to the character? Is that what hurt the movie, or was the script just too terrible to be overlooked and accepted?
Should a Wonder Woman movie ever see the light of day, would the studio be more wise to put the Amazon Princess in her famous star spangled bathing suit, or update her more as a modern day female role model, with a costume more like the present day comics – black leather jacket and pants, but still with the bracers and lasso from the original mythos? Is it disrespectful or chauvinistic to portray female heroines in little more than glorified swimsuits?
CHARACTER DESIGN The Fantastic Four series under Tim Story took a lot of criticism, but I’m going to focus more on the things that were most noticeably altered from the source material. Was it better to feature the talents of Michael Chiklis in a Thing suit, as opposed to going with a larger, CGI rendered thing? Did losing the huge, rigid eyebrows in order to make him appear more “human” help or hurt his portrayal of the character? And, of course, I could mention the adaption of Galactus, showing him only as a giant cloud, but I doubt that will be a close debate.
How about Sam Raimi’s Spiderman? Did the organic web shooters serve as a more logical choice? Or should they have stuck with the web shooters Peter Parker created for himself in the comics? Did it hurt the movie to imply he could shoot webs from his wrists organically by holding his fingers a certain way?
STORY AND SCRIPT WRITING So many ways to go with this one. The script for a good CBM is probably best taken straight from the source material. But there have been many deviations that have been widely successful.
We can start with Chris Nolan’s Batman movies. Both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had very little basis on previously published comics, yet were both highly acclaimed, and financially successful at the box office. The characters were all there, but the stories were entirely new and original. Does the profit made from these movies in any way detract from the lack of sticking true to any one comic book storyline, or were the characters reinterpretation on the silver screen more than enough to allow the changes that were made to characters, like Batman’s arch nemesis, the Joker?
And then there’s Superman Returns. Was Bryan Singer wrong in his attempt to make Superman more relatable to the modern age by making him a displaced father, looking in on his ex and his son, longing for the life he couldn’t have? As misguided as the attempt might be perceived, the argument remains that in today’s society, where over 50% of marriages end in divorce, the concept (at least on paper) could be considered valid for making the Man of Steel more relatable to a modern audience.
These are just a few examples of where movies may, or may not, be justified in their deviations from the true sources of their comic book roots. Some good. Some far less than good. I certainly haven’t touched on everything by a long shot. Let’s not forget the epic battle between Superman and General Zod in the fortress of solitude in Superman 2 when Supes rips the S shield from his chest, throws it at Zod’s henchman, and encases him in a plastic bubble. Yet still, Superman 2 is widely regarded as one of the best films of the Superman series.
So, I leave it up to you… Is making Green Lantern’s costume and power battery more alien and organic looking a positive change for the new film translation, or should green tights and white gloves be the standard? If Thor spends half his movie on Earth wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans, and never utters a single, “I say thee, Nay!” Is that wrong? When Chris Evans dons the original Captain America costume next summer, only to be ridiculed on stage during a USO performance, then trades it in for an updated version made by Howard Stark, is this a reasonable adaptation, or a slap in the face to comic book lovers?
Voice your own opinions, and cite examples of when you think consistency or deviations from the comic sources hurt or helped a film.