META: Notes on a Genre I Love

[Martin Phipps]

On Mar 9, 12:08 am, Andrew Perron <pwer... at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 8 Mar 2009 06:25:13 +0000 (UTC), Martin Phipps
>
> <martinphip... at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >On Mar 7, 10:04 pm, Andrew Perron <pwer... at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> I don't think that's a problem with superheroes; I think it's a
> >> problem with the people who adapt the material having contempt, on
> >> some level, for it.  The best superhero adaptations are those which
> >> embrace the silliness, which can swirl it into the more serious bits.
>
> >Like the 1966-1968 Batman TV series?
>
> You could argue that the real problem of that was having *no* serious
> bits.  Of course, I like that show, so I'll just say "yes, exactly!"

I didn't say I didn't like it, but I wouldn't call it the "best"
portayal of Batman.  The third Batman films was also sillier than the
first two and I was okay with that (mainly because I though Jim
Carrey's Riddler was funny) but when the fourth one came out with the
nipples on the batsuit and Batman showing up at charity events (which
he also did in the TV series) it was too much.

> >> The first Spider-Man movie was the best of the three (IMHO), and you
> >> know why?  Because it had the most silliness.
>
> >And people complained that the Green Goblin looked like a Power
> >Ranger.
>
> First, those people were the ones who wanted him to look like he did
> in the comics, which would, frankly, have been even sillier.  Second,
> the complaints died down after people actually *saw* the movie.

Actually, no.  Most people who go see movies haven't seen the spoilers
on line first.

> >Death isn't silly, it's realistic: real life
> >villains actually would leave a trail of bodies.
>
> In real life, all criminals aren't murderers.  And just because you
> are a murderer doesn't mean you're not absurd.

I think you mean "not all criminals are murderers" but I wasn't
talking about people who shoplift: I was talking about the real life
equivalents of comic book villains, ie drug lords, terrorists,
gangsters, etc.

Martin