The death knell for superhero cinema as we know it

“Nothing Ever Ends”: Watchmen and the demise of superhero cinema

Those unfamiliar with the comic book world may wonder at the excess involved in filming what is essentially a story about vigilantes and “superheroes”. In truth, the value of the project will only become clear if Snyder’s efforts successfully approximate the comic’s complex, apocalyptic beauty. If they do, then Watchmen could very well sound the death knell for superhero cinema as we know it: when faced with this dark, brutal tale of public disorder, international conflict and the threat of global terrorism, men in tights shooting webs or lifting planes begin to look a little preposterous.

Via

 

4 Comments

  1. Gravatar for Matt Matt 1 year, 8 months ago

    The more I hear about this movie, the more I wish Fox would sue harder.  Even if it is a success I highly doubt Hollywood will change its tone with superhero movies…they’ll just try to make the effects match (there are so many movies that made me wish that the matrix and LOTR had never been made).  Even as far as comics go Watchmen only temporarily changed the tone.  It seems comics go in a dark to campy cycle about every five years.

  2. Gravatar for EW EW 1 year, 8 months ago

    Watchmen didn’t kill off the comicbook industry, so I doubt rather highly that it will or can kill off an older generation of superhero movie. It will coexist with the rest of them.

    Supposedly, David Fincher is adapting Charles Burns’ Black Hole, which is good news for anyone that wishes for more thoughtful, substansive comics being put to the big screen (not superhero).

  3. Gravatar for Jason Morehead Jason Morehead 1 year, 8 months ago

    Yeah, the article is a little melodramatic, but I think the central point—that <cite>Watchmen</cite> is far removed from what normally passes for superhero films, with <cite>The Dark Knight</cite> being a notable exception, and that folks used to <cite>Spider-Man</cite>, et al, might not be prepared for it (especially if the film remains consistently true to the original)—still stands.

  4. Gravatar for EW EW 1 year, 8 months ago

    Yeah, it’s a good point, and a good reason to be excited for the adaptation, if a little melodramatic about the possibility of the film’s impact, of course!

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