The superhero movie is a thing all on its own now. Genres can be half-invented or thrown away, but this one is a whole new ballgame. It's been taken to Krypton and back, and while some productions have chosen to go this route by casting hot guys and stick-figures with the muscles air-brushed on, some are going the right way. I hope I speak for everyone when I say that what brings a great movie home is a great story. Gymnasium rivalries, male models, mock fraternities: They're funny, and they sell tickets, but what they don't sell is a story. This is where superhero movies have the upper hand.
""Batman Begins"" (starring my favorite, Christian Bale), grossed $205,343,774 in the United States. ""Superman Returns"" clocked in at $194,607,832. ""X-Men: The Last Stand"": $234,360,014. Each of these, even with semi-disappointing numbers, trumped ""Crash,"" which made just over $55 million in the American box office. ""Crash"" was not only the Academy's favorite film from last year, but a milestone in social commentary for our time.
If there are movies like ""Crash,"" why do I care about superhero movies? They're hot shit, and everybody wants to be one, and that's why we all wait in long lines and wear red capes to midnight showings. So? Well, superhero movies have a lot to say. They come pre-packaged with man, mortality, good, evil and Grade-A conflict. So why not nail it? Why not use these things to send the audience a message they'll never forget?
""Batman Begins"" does this, and it's a real movie. ""Spider-Man 2"" is, also. To me, real movies speak to their audience as something more than just the genre they've been given. Not only did ""X-Men: The Last Stand"" turn the lore into a big batch of douchebaggery, it also forgot about its audience. What it made up for in diluted love stories, it lacked in focus and faithfulness to the comic book. Now, I'm all for mixing things up a little bit. That's what movies do. But pitching Rogue from the series without letting her fly? Come on.
Perhaps you're wondering why I conveniently forgot to mention ""Spider-Man 2"" in the aforementioned orgy of insanely high numbers. Well, to be honest, ""Spider-Man 2"" could just be my favorite movie of all time. It could just be the best storytelling of recent American cinema. I'm crazy, I know, and I'm that dork who holes up in her room to watch ""Smallville"" on DVD and re-read the Harry Potter books. But I know a great story, and to me, ""Spider-Man 2"" is it.
Now, I don't have enough words in this column to talk about ""Spider-Man 2"" in a way that would do it justice in my mind. So I leave you with two very important factors: 1) Superhero movies, with the power of spectacle and high budgets, have an immense amount of opportunity when it comes to storytelling. I hope more filmmakers take notice of this; and 2) When Peter Parker abandons his powers for a normal life, it is the prospect that Doc Ock might hurt Mary Jane that fully restores him to the man he was meant to be.
(Thanks to www.the-numbers.com for the box office information and Scott Hilgenberg for the word ""Douchebaggery."" I owe you one.)
