A look at superhero movies and TV from before 2000 and examining them both in the context of their day and from the present
(Last of a four-part look at the 1990s’ attempt to transform niche indie comic book heroes into Hollywood blockbusters.) I don’t remember whether, when I went to see Men in Black in theaters on its initial release, I had known … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #15: Men in Black (1997)
(Part Three of a four-part look at the 1990s’ attempt to transform niche indie comic book heroes into Hollywood blockbusters.) I had considered not even bothering to cover The Mask here. We’re concerned about the “Why was the movie made … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #14: The Mask (1994)
(Part Two of a four-part look at the 1990s’ attempt to transform niche indie comic book heroes into Hollywood blockbusters.) Last time, we looked at 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaptation, which was critically derided at the time of its … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #13: Tank Girl (1995)
We’ve talked about Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman casting a shadow over almost every subsequent superhero movie up to and including 2000’s X-Men.[footnote]It’s arguable whether the black leather/rubber uniforms in X-Men were more influenced by Batman or The Matrix; it’s probably … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #12: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Let me get this out up front: I actually kind of like this movie, so if that is a dealbreaker (and it’s understandable if it is), you might want to bail out here. Much of my affection is rooted in … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #11: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
One of the big problems of bringing superheroes to the screen has always been, “How do you keep the audience from just laughing at the inherent absurdity material?” Last time, we talked about how the 1966 Batman TV show and … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #10: Flash Gordon (1980)
For years and years, superhero fans hated the Adam West Batman TV show. And then one day, all of a sudden, they didn’t anymore. Funnily enough, the show had been extremely faithful to the comics as they had existed at … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #9: Batman (1966) vs. Batman & Robin (1997)
There have been two solo movies about the Incredible Hulk made in the post-X-Men landscape: 2003’s Hulk and 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. Reactions to both were mixed, and neither set the box office on fire.[footnote]Although Hulk ’03 is regarded as … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #8: Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (1998)
I’ve talked before about how, just within my lifetime, I’ve gone from starved for choice to spoiled for choice when it comes to superhero movies. Late last year, DC/WB released its big-screen Justice League movie, and I couldn’t work up … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #7: Justice League of America (1997)
It might seem odd that an X-Men spinoff got a movie before the X-Men proper, but if you look at the time and the place, it makes a certain amount of sense. It was the ’90s, dude, and you’ve got … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #6: Generation X (1996)
Batman Forever has a remarkably layered and thematically rich story. I mean, the screenplay is pretty bad, but the story? What the movie is actually about? Easily the best of the Burton/Schumacher Batman series. Before you hit the Back button … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #5: Batman Forever (1995)
The Rocketeer, like Superman: The Movie and The Fantastic Four, strives to translate what you see on the comic book page right onto the screen. It is arguably one of the most faithful adaptations of a superhero comic ever made, … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #4: The Rocketeer (1991)
There was no surefire formula for comic book movie success in the 20th century, but Superman: The Movie, which we discussed last week, makes it look pretty straightforward, right? You take your superheroes from the page and put them right … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #3: The Fantastic Four (1994, unreleased)
If you ask a contemporary fan to compile a list of the top five “best” superhero movies, they will likely mostly be movies made after 2000’s X-Men. I’m thinking the consensus picks are probably The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, one … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #2: Superman: The Movie (1978)
In the year 2017, if a kid wants to see a live-action Spider-Man, the young miss or master can choose from six movies (seven if you include Captain America: Civil War) starring three different actors. They can opt for the … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #1: The Amazing Spider-Man (1977-1979)
I had a dream when I was a kid, probably around 1993 or 1994, which would have made me nine or ten at the time. I say “dream,” but it was more like a movie trailer. We open on a … Continue reading Before Capes Were Cool #0: An Introduction to Pre-2000 Superhero Cinema and Television
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