COMIC BOOK MOVIES SHOULD NOT BE MADE FOR KIDS

Before we begin just sit back, think, and let that marinate for minute.......

Good? Ok.

Of course, a question one would naturally ask first is since comics are made for kids, why wouldnt the movies be made suitable for them? Well first just look at the circumstances that made that hero who he or she is. For the biggest heroes, do you know what the common factor between them is? SOMEONE ALWAYS HAD TO DIE FIRST. Bruce Wayne's parents get killed right in front of him. Peter Parker's uncle gets shot. Blade's mother dies giving birth to him. Superman's whole planet gets destroyed. So based on these circumstances, how does one craft a lighter less tragic movie while still remaining a somewhat believable human story in the context of that characters world? You dont decide to risk your life day after day to save others because you had good easy life. Perhaps you can.....if you are making a cartoon.

Second, Villains are evil right? Not just bad. But EVIL. So an accurate depiction would be ones causing certain  amounts of death and or destruction, yes? So much that only our hero can stop. Otherwise you could just call the cops to catch em. And they wouldnt be called villains they would just be called  "bad guys". Take Sandman from Spiderman 3. He was so cooooooooorny. He was the diet coke of evil. Did he harm one person the whole movie? Honestly I dont remember. You could have just called the fire department to use water hoses on him. That movie still disgusts me to this day. These types of nonsensical characters cant be allowed if you want to reach the full potential in a movie.

In the end, it boils down to this. Tragedy must be portrayed and in a dark manner. The psychological effects of which need to be conveyed to the audience. We want to see the transformation from man to hero. And the struggle of that hero to be accepted or rejected in society while battling some great threat. This is called, the Nolan Formula. Named for Christopher Nolan, director of Batman Begins and Dark Knight, who revolutionized the genre. Nolan has a gift for playing to the psychology of the audience (see Memento, Inception). As you saw from Batman Begins, he took us on the journey of a young boy, who witnessed the murder of his parents, make himself to be the Batman. We saw his struggle every step of the way, his many mistakes and triumphs. Fighting people trying to destroy a city is not easy nor was portrayed to be. Ultimately Nolan answered the question: "If Batman were based in reality, what would he be like and how would we perceive him?"

And this is the question that needs to be applied to every other comic book hero. How would that character live in our world? People appreciate the realism more than the fantasy I believe. Fantasies are for children. Again, let them watch cartoons for that. Apply the Nolan Formula to any and every other comic book hero and tell me it couldnt work.

I am a bias Batman fan yes, and I know it wasnt the first comic book movie to use the formula. Michael Keaton's Batman kind of used it. Blade also did in a sense. But Blade is more of a vampire movie than a comic book hero movie in the traditional sense. You kind of forget or dont remember he is Marvel character. At least I dont anyway.

If you want to make the best possible movie using a good comic-based hero, the Nolan formula MUST be applied. Its the only way for that characters maximum potential to be reached. Whatever you do, DONT MAKE THE MOVIE FOR KIDS.