Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Animated discussion

Spider-Man with organic webshooters? Wolverine with retractable adamantine claws that spring from his knuckles and not the back of his hands?

Most moviegoers wouldn't give a second thought to these film variations from the comic book canon.

Then again, most film patrons aren't obsessed with superheroes in the same way as Erick Sands, 35; Aaron Burnett, 53; and Chris Pancoast, 28, a trio of comic book fans hanging around Velvet Underground Comics, 4241 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite H, on a recent Friday afternoon.

"Spider-Man has organic webshooters," Sands noted. "In the comic book they are mechanical. If anything, that's one of the big problems I had with the movie."

Burnett wasn't enamored of the extensive use of computer-generated images for "The Hulk."

"Hulk' is cool, but they used too many computers," he said.

And Pancoast simply detested the movie version of one of his favorite comics, "Spawn."

"It was hard for me to sit through it in one sitting," he said. "There was a lot they didn't put into (the movie). I expected more."

And these guys are the core audience comic book fans Hollywood is counting on most to turn comic book movies into blockbusters.

It's an odd relationship the studios and comic book fans share, acknowledges Mirko Parlevliet, president of the Web site SuperheroHype.com.

Because of the fan base, "the films have the opportunity to have a big opening, whether they received good reviews or not," Parlevliet said via e-mail. "The comic book movie can (also) suffer from bad word-of-mouth far in advance from the fans if there is something not to their liking."

For the film "Catwoman," fans balked at the changes made to the feline's costume, a black leather getup typically found at an S&M store.

And when Hulk fans got their first glimpse of the green goliath in a Super Bowl TV ad, they blasted the computer-generated image work as looking "fake," creating a negative buzz from which the movie could never fully recover.

Fans, though, can change their opinions.

The choice of Michael Keaton as Batman in the 1989 Tim Burton movie was widely criticized. But the actor's performance was held in high regard, especially after George Clooney's tongue-in-cheek take on the brooding Dark Knight in the disastrous fourth film in the series, "Batman and Robin."

After leaked pictures of the blue-costumed X-Men made the rounds on comic book-centric Web sites, superhero enthusiasts slagged the outfits, which differed from the neon-yellow spandex from the comics.

When footage from the movie was released, however, the majority of X-Men fans accepted the costume changes and opined favorably of the new duds.

"(Comic book fans) are often very passionate about the comics they have loved for so long and have read for many years. It's understandable that they like to voice their opinions if there's something they don't like," Parlevliet said. "Yet, many fans should also realize that studios do have to make certain changes for a feature film adaptation.

"Things can't always be exactly like the comics."

Heather Wrzesinski, a 21-year-old senior at UNLV and longtime comic book fan, said it's OK for movies to stray from the comic book source -- within reason.

"I don't mind the movies creating their own plot lines or making changes that allow the origins to fit better in current times," she said. "But I also don't want them to deviate too far from the comics so that it seems like the comic books were never consulted.

"The X-Men films worked for me. They were definitely inspired by the comic books. The Spider-Man films were also good adaptations. I didn't like 'Elektra' or 'Batman and Robin.' They didn't stick with the comic book roots enough for me."

A good rule of thumb:

When comic books fans approve of a film adaptation, the movie generally does well: "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United"; "Blade" and "Blade 2"; "Sin City"; and "Spider-Man" and "Spider-Man 2."

However, when fans reject the movies, the films most often fail or disappoint: "Catwoman," "Judge Dredd," "Howard the Duck," "Elektra," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," "Hulk," "Daredevil" and "Spawn."

Two exceptions are the "Superman" and "Batman" movies. Both are franchises that initially excited fans and set box-office records, only to alienate comic book aficionados and bomb in theaters with the sequels.

Batman, however, was successfully reborn through the determination and skill of director Christopher Nolan ("Memento") as "Batman Begins." The film, which opened to glowing reviews from fans on June 15, has grossed more than $175 million domestically so far.

" 'Batman Begins' was deep. It showed different things psychology-wise, like the death of Bruce Wayne's parents, and how it affected him," said J.C. Legare, a 34-year-old comic book fan. "It made it interesting."

There's also a strong buzz that's already growing among fans for "Superman Returns."

Helmed by Bryan Singer, who successfully launched the X-Men franchise with the first two films (the third movie is being directed by Brett Ratner of "Rush Hour" fame), "Superman Returns" opens next summer, after years in development hell.

After a mostly abysmal run in the '90s, comic book films are clearly enjoying a renaissance.

It's no coincidence this revival began with filmmakers such as Singer and Sam Raimi (the "Spider-Man" movies), who are comic book fans themselves, Parlevliet said.

"The studios are starting to realize that they need to bring the right talent on board who understand the properties," he said.

Certainly, bigger budgets and better acting talent (Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, Christian Bale as the most recent Batman) have also contributed mightily to the quality of these films.

After suffering through a succession of forgettable comic books movies, Steven Riddle, owner of Velvet Underground Comics, is happy to see the marked improvement of the films.

"When I saw the first 'Spider-Man,' I sat in my chair and tears came to my eyes, the movie is so good," he recalled. "How could you not like the movie? Spider-Man protects everyone (and) the good guys win.

"That's the way we want our society to be. That's what it's all about."

Well, that and mechanical webshooters.

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