I love superhero movies. I’m not an avid reader of the graphic novels, the pages these superheroes are often plucked from, but I find myself loving these films. Not all are good, in fact some are woeful (The Green Lantern…), but the ones that do it best…well, they have a special place in my heart.
I’m writing a television series at the moment tentatively titled Extra Ordinary. It’s about two twenty-somethings who are entering their quarter life crisis with the additional burden of having superhero powers. So now they have to struggle with career and relationship woes and the after-work commitment being in a superhero league requires. I’ve written drafts for the first three episodes and have started on the fourth. I want it to be made in Australia, because I think we need some more superheroes in our lives. And in the superhero film, the events that lead to the super powers are often a catalyst for the person to do the right thing and save the world. What I want to ask is, ‘what if it isn’t?’ I mean, if getting super powers can’t motivate you to change your job and strive for a career you’re passionate about, what can?
So what do I love most about superhero movies? I’ll tell you.
1. Superheroes can do cool shit
This one seems really obvious. But for that love of the cinema that revels in pure spectacle, seeing cool shit performed by cool people is just plain cool. They can stop trains with their bare hands, fly, beat people up, and have amazing mental powers. And some can even shoot laser beams from their eyes. Awesome sauce.
2. Superheroes remind us of that eternal struggle to be better than who we are
Most people are pretty good. They’re courteous, respectful and aware of what needs to be done for society to be good. But sometimes apathy kicks in and we need a reminder that we are relatively nice guys. Superhero movies remind us that superheroes are usually just like us – except that reminder usually takes the form of some catastrophic accident.
3. Superhero movies can be about superhero movies
We love superheroes and sometimes think the world would run a helluva lot smoother with them in the real world. But it makes us wonder about what someone living in this reality and not the reality of the cinema would be like if they tried to be a superhero. Would they be crazy? Would they be applauded? Or would they be a magnet for psychos? Or would they turn into a psycho? Superhero movies that explore these ideas are so interesting because they explore the elements of the superhero subgenre and examine contemporary society’s ideas on what it means to be heroic all at the same time.
4. Superhero movies can provide social commentary
Some superheroes aren’t made – they’re born with their powers and rather than making them special, it makes them a target for persecution. It becomes a burden they must hide lest they be rounded up and experimented on or worse, executed. These superheroes become an extreme metaphor for society and its tendency to regard difference with mistrust. The best superhero movies that deal with these deeper issues often present these issues as a moral dilemma; do you claim control of this difference and use it to crush your enemy? Or do you use it to help win detractors over with compassion, understanding and the ability to rescue them from some pretty crazy shit?
5. It’s easy to develop massive crushes on superheroes
This one too seems pretty obvious. None of these catastrophes that give superheroes their powers ever makes them unattractive (those who do become villains. Naturally), does it? And they’re usually funny, cool, brave, and capable of saving a damsel (male or female). And of course when they’ve got it (super powers, that is), they more often than not flaunt it.
6. ‘Powers’ is complicated to define
Before, superpowers meant your standard powers – something that changed the physical make-up of an ordinary person and allowed them to become extraordinary. But then the term became more complex. Suddenly emotional trauma, usually coupled with extreme intelligence and access to resources, could be a power in itself, whereas previously this was strictly villainous territory. Now heroes can be capable of more complicated feelings and motivation for their actions.
My favourite superhero films and how they fit into this list:
Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008) – 1,2, 5, and 6
Iron Man 2 (Jon Favreau, 2010) – 1,5,6
Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005) – 1,2,5,6
The Avengers (Joss Whedon, 2012) – 1,2,5,6
Misfits (Howard Overman, 2009 - ) – 1,2,3,4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003) – 1,2,4,5
X-Men (Bryan Singer, 2000) – 1,2,4,5
X-Men: First Class (Matthew Vaughn, 2011) – 1,2,4,5
Heroes (Tim Kring, 2006-2010) – 1,2,4,5
Griff the Invisible (Leon Ford, 2010) – 2,3,4
Kick-Ass (Matthew Vaughn, 2010) – 1,2,3,4,5
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