When one casts a glance back at modern superhero films: Batman
Begins, the Avengers, Iron Man 1 & 2, etc. They've all taken
something from the comic books.
I mean it'd be stupid for the directors to NOT take stuff from the comics, the comics have the best stories and twists, it's a treasure trove for the superhero genre.
However, it seems that off late, that a bit too much is taken from the comics. It's fine of course, but when it greases the wheels of the film to the extent that the independent, original story gets pushed to the back, then it becomes a problem.
Now there are examples that support what I'm claiming and examples that don't, in the true spirit of insanity and arguing with myself, I'll give you both and battle it out.
Too much from Comics: The Dark Knight Rises
Too little from Comics: Iron Man 2
The Dark Knight Rises
The ending of Nolan's amazing run with Batman reached a crecendo with The Dark Knight, now whether it was because of hype in the wake of Ledger's death or the actual amazing story, it was truly a story that reflected originality and took the correct cues from the comics, but was very much an independent, unique story.
I get the feeling that Nolan rushed the production of TDKR, the story was flimsy at best. I'll break it down for you, so if you are a TDKR fan, please do not be angry with me for ruining anything.
First off, what did Nolan take from the comics:
Batman's retirement and reappearance - The Dark Knight Returns
The breaking of Batman's back and Batman's triumphant return - Knightfall
The blockade of Gotham and the lack of involvement from the US Govt - No Man's Land
Now when I write only three comics, it doesn't seem like a lot, however, these three comics are absolutely ground breaking stories that have shaped the Batman Mythos completely. It's like trying to combine Artemis Fowl, Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and then wanting some original elements. It's impossible.
As a result of combining all these stories, with the films intended plot, you were actually given a much weaker story than you should have been given. The reason is that the stories don't gel. If you combined any two, I can guarentee you would have had a much stronger plot.
If Bane had broken Batman's back and then spent the next few months taking hold of Gotham and then holding it ransom for a few more months, it would have allowed Batman to recover with some reality in place.
I'll let this video further elaborate on the plot holes in TDKR
Iron Man 2
When compared to TDKR it is important to restate that the Iron Man universe is much more fictional than the intended universe that Nolan created, thus, Iron Man having an electronic disk in his chest can make some sense.
Iron Man 2 takes its main cues from the following story arcs:
Tony's alcohol abuse at his party - Demon in A Bottle
The spreading of the Iron man armor and Arc Reactor Tech - Armor Wars
Again it is not like the director is taking a massive number of comics and smashing them together, however, when I look at this movie, I can't help but feel that there was much more depth that could have happened with the whole alcoholism angle that Demon in A Bottle brings.
Demon in A Bottle is a story arc where Tony Stark, through alcohol abuse gets a person killed while in the Iron Man suit and is kicked out of Stark Industries; Rhodey takes over the Iron Man suit and Tony is left penniless. He rebuilds and takes back his company by fighting Stane (Similar to how Iron Man 1 went down).
Armor Wars was an arc where Tony Stark discovers that his technology has been recreated and people have been able to create crude Iron Man replicas and cause havoc in 'rogue states' and are used by mercenaries.
I felt that in the movie, the whole sensation of Armor Wars was very much there, however, the downward spiral that Tony Stark falls into was a bit lacking. Again, this is only commenting from the perspective that Stark could have been shown to have had a much greater reliance on alcohol and this lead to his mismanagement of the Suit. I mean, you can't get tossed around your house and have a fight with your best friend without being at the bottom of a deep, dark bottle.
So why am I harping about this influence of Comics in Superhero Movies?
Check it out here.
I mean it'd be stupid for the directors to NOT take stuff from the comics, the comics have the best stories and twists, it's a treasure trove for the superhero genre.
However, it seems that off late, that a bit too much is taken from the comics. It's fine of course, but when it greases the wheels of the film to the extent that the independent, original story gets pushed to the back, then it becomes a problem.
Now there are examples that support what I'm claiming and examples that don't, in the true spirit of insanity and arguing with myself, I'll give you both and battle it out.
Too much from Comics: The Dark Knight Rises
Too little from Comics: Iron Man 2
The Dark Knight Rises
The ending of Nolan's amazing run with Batman reached a crecendo with The Dark Knight, now whether it was because of hype in the wake of Ledger's death or the actual amazing story, it was truly a story that reflected originality and took the correct cues from the comics, but was very much an independent, unique story.
I get the feeling that Nolan rushed the production of TDKR, the story was flimsy at best. I'll break it down for you, so if you are a TDKR fan, please do not be angry with me for ruining anything.
First off, what did Nolan take from the comics:
Batman's retirement and reappearance - The Dark Knight Returns
The breaking of Batman's back and Batman's triumphant return - Knightfall
The blockade of Gotham and the lack of involvement from the US Govt - No Man's Land
Now when I write only three comics, it doesn't seem like a lot, however, these three comics are absolutely ground breaking stories that have shaped the Batman Mythos completely. It's like trying to combine Artemis Fowl, Harry Potter and Percy Jackson and then wanting some original elements. It's impossible.
As a result of combining all these stories, with the films intended plot, you were actually given a much weaker story than you should have been given. The reason is that the stories don't gel. If you combined any two, I can guarentee you would have had a much stronger plot.
If Bane had broken Batman's back and then spent the next few months taking hold of Gotham and then holding it ransom for a few more months, it would have allowed Batman to recover with some reality in place.
I'll let this video further elaborate on the plot holes in TDKR
Iron Man 2
When compared to TDKR it is important to restate that the Iron Man universe is much more fictional than the intended universe that Nolan created, thus, Iron Man having an electronic disk in his chest can make some sense.
Iron Man 2 takes its main cues from the following story arcs:
Tony's alcohol abuse at his party - Demon in A Bottle
The spreading of the Iron man armor and Arc Reactor Tech - Armor Wars
Again it is not like the director is taking a massive number of comics and smashing them together, however, when I look at this movie, I can't help but feel that there was much more depth that could have happened with the whole alcoholism angle that Demon in A Bottle brings.
Demon in A Bottle is a story arc where Tony Stark, through alcohol abuse gets a person killed while in the Iron Man suit and is kicked out of Stark Industries; Rhodey takes over the Iron Man suit and Tony is left penniless. He rebuilds and takes back his company by fighting Stane (Similar to how Iron Man 1 went down).
Armor Wars was an arc where Tony Stark discovers that his technology has been recreated and people have been able to create crude Iron Man replicas and cause havoc in 'rogue states' and are used by mercenaries.
I felt that in the movie, the whole sensation of Armor Wars was very much there, however, the downward spiral that Tony Stark falls into was a bit lacking. Again, this is only commenting from the perspective that Stark could have been shown to have had a much greater reliance on alcohol and this lead to his mismanagement of the Suit. I mean, you can't get tossed around your house and have a fight with your best friend without being at the bottom of a deep, dark bottle.
So why am I harping about this influence of Comics in Superhero Movies?
Check it out here.
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