Generic Transformation in the Superhero Film Genre by Noah Goodman

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

GENERIC TRANSFORMATION IN THE SUPERHERO FILM GENRE BY NOAH GOODMAN Reaffirmation of Myth: Humorous Burlesque: • Questions the • Pokes fun at the traditional heroic overused tropes of the values of the genre genre • Lighter, comedic tone • Reaffirms traditional • Graphic violence as heroic values as comedy being true • Non-heroic protagonist • Enforces the idea of • Satirizes interconnection (i.e. interconnected the MCU) superhero films INTRODUCTION: According to film genre theorist, John G. Cawelti, there are four modes at which a film genre can undergo generic transformation. Cawelti states these modes are “humorous burlesque, evocation of nostalgia, demythologization of generic myth, and the affirmation of myth as myth” (Cawelti 295). Despite it being a relatively new film genre, the superhero genre has already had a multitude of films to already fit these four modes declared by Cawelti. However, no other films express these four modes as greatly as Tim Miller’s Deadpool (2016), Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman (2017), James Mangold’s Logan (2017), and Joe and Anthony Russo’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), respectively. DEFINITION OFTERMS: • Humorous Burlesque: tropes used in the genre are situated in a way to invoke laughter and are satirized • Evocation of Nostalgia: uses genre conventions to recreate aura of the past while establishing a relationship to the present • Demythologization: invokes the traditional genre conventions and demonstrates them as inadequate and destructive • Reaffirmation of Myth: questions genre conventions and ultimately reaffirmed at least partially Demythologization: Evocation of • More realistic tone Nostalgia: • Reference to myth as • Repisodic nostalgia being inadequate and based around pop false culture • Disillusioned • Traditional, heroic protagonist protagonist with • Shows the violence of unwavering beliefs super heroic actions • Thematic mending of • Darker promotional past and present material societal issues.

Copy Link

Recommended publications

“Why So Serious?” Comics, Film and Politics, Or the Comic Book Film As the Answer to the Question of Identity and Narrative in a Post-9/11 World
ABSTRACT “WHY SO SERIOUS?” COMICS, FILM AND POLITICS, OR THE COMIC BOOK FILM AS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF IDENTITY AND NARRATIVE IN A POST-9/11 WORLD by Kyle Andrew Moody This thesis analyzes a trend in a subgenre of motion pictures that are designed to not only entertain, but also provide a message for the modern world after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The analysis provides a critical look at three different films as artifacts of post-9/11 culture, showing how the integration of certain elements made them allegorical works regarding the status of the United States in the aftermath of the attacks. Jean Baudrillard‟s postmodern theory of simulation and simulacra was utilized to provide a context for the films that tap into themes reflecting post-9/11 reality. The results were analyzed by critically examining the source material, with a cultural criticism emerging regarding the progression of this subgenre of motion pictures as meaningful work. “WHY SO SERIOUS?” COMICS, FILM AND POLITICS, OR THE COMIC BOOK FILM AS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF IDENTITY AND NARRATIVE IN A POST-9/11 WORLD A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Communications Mass Communications Area by Kyle Andrew Moody Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2009 Advisor ___________________ Dr. Bruce Drushel Reader ___________________ Dr. Ronald Scott Reader ___________________ Dr. David Sholle TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................................... III CHAPTER ONE: COMIC BOOK MOVIES AND THE REAL WORLD ............................................. 1 PURPOSE OF STUDY ...................................................................................................................................
[Show full text]
Exhibit B: Business and Business Plan VIRAL FILMS MEDIA LLC
Exhibit B: Business and Business Plan VIRAL FILMS MEDIA LLC BUSINESS AND BUSINESS PLAN Viral Films Media LLC Producing an independent live-action superhero film: REBEL'S RUN Business Plan Summary Our recently formed company, Viral Films Media LLC, will produce, market and distribute an independently produced live-action superhero film, based on characters from the recently created Alt Hero comic book universe. The film will be titled Rebel’s Run, and will feature the character Shiloh Summers, or Rebel, from the Alt Hero comic book series. Viral Films has arranged to license a script and related IP from independent comic book publisher Arkhaven Comics, with comic book legend Chuck Dixon and epic fantasy author Vox Day co-writing the script. Viral Films Media is also partnering with Georgia and LA-based production company, Galatia Films, which has worked on hits including Goodbye, Christopher Robin and Reclaiming the Blade. The director of Rebel’s Run will be Scooter Downey, an up-and-coming director who recently co-produced Hoaxed, the explosive and acclaimed documentary on the fake news phenomenon. The filming of Rebel’s Run will take place in Georgia. We have formed a board of directors and management team including a range of professionals with experience in project management, law, film production and cyber-security. (image from Alt Hero, # 2, which introduced the character Shiloh Summers, or Rebel.) Film Company Overview Viral Films Media LLC (VFM) is a new film studio with the business purpose of creating a live-action superhero film – Rebel’s Run – based on characters from the ALT-HERO comic book universe created by Chuck Dixon, Vox Day and Arkhaven Comics.
[Show full text]
De Cómics, Narrativas Y Multiversos Transmediáticos: Re-Conceptualizando Al Hombre Araña En Spider-Man: Un Nuevo Universo
MHCJ Vol. 11 (2) | Año 2020 - Artículo nº10 (161) - Páginas 201 a 220 - mhjournal.org Fecha recepción: 30/03/2020 Fecha revisión: 21/05/2020 Fecha de publicación: 31/07/2020 De cómics, narrativas y multiversos transmediáticos: re-conceptualizando al hombre araña en Spider-Man: Un Nuevo Universo María Inmaculada Parra Martínez | [email protected] Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia, Murcia (España) Resumen Palabras clave “Animación”; “Cómic”; “Cultura-popular”; Este artículo examina la nueva versión animada de la franquicia “Narrativa”; “Spider-Man”; “Transmedia”. Spider-Man en términos de las elecciones narrativas y artísticas Sumario 1. Introducción. de sus creadores, para ofrecer una respuesta potencial acerca del 2. Contextualizando el Spider-Verso dentro de la franquicia de superhéroes. éxito de la película más aclamada por la crítica sobre el personaje 3. Vuelve la página: regreso al estilo cómic. arácnido. Teniendo en cuenta la complejidad que caracteriza a esta 3.1. Textura cómic. 3.2. Léxico de cómic. producción, especialmente con respecto a su historia, su densidad 4. Una red de múltiples dimensiones: el Spider-Verso como un universo Transmedia. técnica y su proyección transmedia, se emplea un enfoque 5. Conclusión. multidisciplinario para estudiar las múltiples dimensiones de esta 6. Bibliografía. película. Este artículo ofrece primero una contextualización del personaje del superhéroe y las diferentes historias que inspiraron la creación de esta, para luego presentar un análisis de su estilo artístico y la naturaleza transmedia de la misma. En particular, este artículo argumenta que la animación en formato cómic de esta película, combinada con la identidad transmedia de su narrativa, son las opciones más idóneas para la re-conceptualización de este personaje, ya que recuperan la esencia del género de superhéroes, a la vez que apelan a la dimensión social de su audiencia actual, de manera más efectiva que sus predecesores.
[Show full text]
The Birth and Death of the Superhero Film
The Birth and Death of the Superhero Film RUNNING HEAD: The Superhero Film The Birth and Death of the Superhero Film Sander L. Koole Daniel Fockenberg Mattie Tops Iris K. Schneider VU University Amsterdam Draft: October 30, 2012 To appear in: Daniel Sullivan and Jeff Greenberg (Eds.) Fade to Black: Death in Classic and Contemporary Cinema KEYWORDS: Terror management, superhero, cinema Author Note Sander L. Koole, Department of Clinical Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Preparation of this chapter was facilitated by a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC-2011-StG_20101124) awarded to Sander L. Koole. Address correspondence to Sander L. Koole, Department of Social Psychology, VU University Amsterdam, van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Email: [email protected]. 1 The Birth and Death of the Superhero Film The Birth and Death of the Superhero Film In the late 1970s, when one of the authors of this chapter was at an impressionable age, his parents took him for the first time to a movie theatre. The experience was, in a single word, overwhelming. The epic music, accompanied by dazzling visuals and a delightful story, transported the young boy to a brand-new and brightly colored universe where just about anything seemed possible. When lights switched on and the credits appeared, our boy felt alive and bursting with energy. Indeed, as the movie ads had promised, he found himself believing that a man could fly. The movie, of course, was Richard Donner’s Superman (1978), the first superhero story to come out as a major feature film.
[Show full text]
1 Consider the Development of Imagery in the Superhero Film. Are
Consider the development of imagery in the superhero film. Are its expressive techniques more relevant to traditions of comics or cinema? Illustrate your answer with examples. From a level of camp that was attributed to early1 television and made-for-television film adaptations of superhero comics, to the realism and gritty German expressionist lens that coloured the likes of Superman (Richard Donner, 1978) and Batman (Tim Burton, 1989) respectively (Morton, 2016), the development of imagery in the superhero film has often teetered between the expressive techniques of cinema, and those of comics. According to Bukatman (2011: 118), today “the superhero film has displaced the superhero comic in the world of mass culture.” With this in mind, it is expedient to assess which medium’s expressive techniques the twenty-first century is more relevant to. Through the analysis of three films, this essay attempts to do exactly that. Before taking on this endeavour, however, it is important to establish what the yardstick of each medium’s expressive techniques is for this essay. Cinematic expressive techniques will be taken as the mise-en-scène2, soundtrack/score, the use of the star/celebrity, and visual effects. While the expressive techniques of comics will be taken as the use of panels, the elements within panels3, gutters, page-turns, and colour. The following three films will be analysed: Watchmen (Zack Snyder, 2009), a film that is said to be “very faithful” (Crocker, 2009) to the original comic book, but still appears “something less than the sum of its parts” (Bukatman, 2011:118); Thor: Ragnarok (Taika Waititi, 2017), the third instalment of the ‘Thor’ series which is most lauded for its evident “Jack Kirby influence” (Waititi, quoted in Blair, 2017); and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Ramsey, Rothman & Persichetti, 2018), which of the three chosen films is arguably the most relevant to the expressive techniques of comics, given its closeness to the medium as an animated film.
[Show full text]
Working Paper Series
Working Paper Series SPECIAL ISSUE: REVISITING AUDIENCES: RECEPTION, IDENTITY, TECHNOLOGY Superheroes and Shared Universes: How Fans and Auteurs Are Transforming the Hollywood Blockbuster Edmund Smith University of Otago Abstract: Over the course of the 2000s, the Hollywood blockbuster welcomed the superhero genre into its ranks after these films saw an explosion in popularity. Now, the ability to produce superhero films through an extended transmedia franchise is a coveted prize for major studios. The likes of Sony, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. are locked in competition with the new kid on the block, Marvel, who changed the way Hollywood produces the blockbuster franchise. Drawing upon my previous and current postgraduate work, this essay will discuss fans and authorship in relation to the superhero genre which, I posit, exemplifies the industrial model of the Hollywood blockbuster and the cycle of appropriation and revitalisation that defines it. I will explain how studios like Marvel call upon up-and-coming directorial talent to further legitimise their films in order to appeal to middlebrow expectations through auteur credibility. Such director selection demonstrates: 1) how the contemporary auteur has become commodified within transmedia franchise blockbusters and, 2) how, due to the conflicting creative and commercial interests inherent to the blockbuster, these films are now supported by a form of co-dependent authorship. Related to this, I will also explore how fans function within this industrial context and the effect that their fannish support and promotion of superhero films has had on the latter’s viability as a staple of studio production. ISSN2253-4423 © MFCO Working Paper Series 3 MFCO Working Paper Series 2017 Introduction From the 2000s, through to the present day, the superhero film has seen a titanic increase in popularity, becoming a staple of the mainstream film industry.
[Show full text]
4.2 on the Political Economy of the Contemporary (Superhero) Blockbuster Series
4.2 On the Political Economy of the Contemporary (Superhero) Blockbuster Series BY FELIX BRINKER A decade and a half into cinema’s second century, Hollywood’s top-of-the- line products—the special effects-heavy, PG-13 (or less) rated, big-budget blockbuster movies that dominate the summer and holiday seasons— attest to the renewed centrality of serialization practices in contemporary film production. At the time of writing, all entries of 2014’s top ten of the highest-grossing films for the American domestic market are serial in one way or another: four are superhero movies (Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro), three are entries in ongoing film series (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, 22 Jump Street), one is a franchise reboot (Godzilla), one a live- action “reimagining” of an animated movie (Maleficent), and one a movie spin-off of an existing entertainment franchise (The Lego Movie) (“2014 Domestic”). Sequels, prequels, adaptations, and reboots of established film series seem to enjoy an oft-lamented but indisputable popularity, if box-office grosses are any indication.[1] While original content has not disappeared from theaters, the major studios’ release rosters are Felix Brinker nowadays built around a handful of increasingly expensive, immensely profitable “tentpole” movies that repeat and vary the elements of a preceding source text in order to tell them again, but differently (Balio 25-33; Eco, “Innovation” 167; Kelleter, “Einführung” 27). Furthermore, as part of transmedial entertainment franchises that expand beyond cinema, the films listed above are indicative of contemporary cinema’s repositioning vis-à-vis other media, and they function in conjunction with a variety of related serial texts from other medial contexts rather than on their own—by connecting to superhero comic books, live-action and animated television programming, or digital games, for example.
[Show full text]
Historicizing the Liminal Superhero
BOX OFFICE BACK ISSUES: HISTORICIZING THE LIMINAL SUPERHERO FILMS, 1989–2008 by ZACHARY ROMAN A DISSERTATION Presented to the School of Journalism and Communication and the Graduate School of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2020 DISSERTATION APPROVAL PAGE Student: Zachary Roman Title: Box Office Back Issues: Historicizing the Liminal Superhero Films, 1989–2008 This dissertation has been accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in the School of Journalism and Communication by: Peter Alilunas Chairperson Janet Wasko Core Member Erin Hanna Core Member Benjamin Saunders Institutional Representative and Kate Mondloch Interim Vice-Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Original approval signatures are on file with the University of Oregon Graduate School. Degree awarded December 2020 ii © 2020 Zachary Roman iii DISSERTATION ABSTRACT Zachary Roman Doctor of Philosophy School of Journalism and Communication December 2020 Title: Box Office Back Issues: Historicizing the Liminal Superhero Films, 1989–2008 Although the superhero film became a dominant force in Hollywood early in the 21st century, the formation of the superhero genre can be attributed to a relatively small temporal window beginning in 1989 and ending in 2008. This dissertation argues that a specific group of superhero films that I call the liminal superhero films (LSF) collectively served as the industrial body that organized and created a fully formed superhero genre. The LSF codified the superhero genre, but that was only possible due to several industrial elements at play before they arrived. An increasing industrial appetite for blockbusters coming out of the 1970s, the rise of proprietary intellectual property after the corporate conglomeration that occurred at the end of the 20th century, and finally, the ability of the LSF to mitigate risk (both real and perceived) all led to this cinematic confluence.
[Show full text]
Comic Book Film Genre
Copyright by Matthew David Young 2013 The Dissertation Committee for Matthew David Young Certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Musical Topics in the Comic Book Superhero Film Genre Committee: James Buhler, Supervisor Byron Almén David Neumeyer Eric Drott Charles Berg Musical Topics in the Comic Book Superhero Film Genre by Matthew David Young, B.A.; M.Music Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin August 2013 Dedication To my wife, for her support, encouragement, and patience. Acknowledgements Foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Buhler for his support and guidance throughout this project. His insight has been invaluable in helping me to expand the depth and increase the quality of this work. I am also deeply grateful to my committee, Byron Almén, David Neumeyer, Eric Drott, and Charles Ramírez Berg for their inspiration and teachings which helped me to grow as an academic. I would also like to thank Sean Johnston, Cari McDonnell, and Emily Kausalik for providing the peer support network every graduate student needs to give feedback and brainstorm new directions to explore in this project. Finally, I would like to thank my wife and parents, for their support, love, encouragement, and guidance not only throughout graduate school, but throughout life. v Musical Topics in the Comic Book Superhero Film Genre Matthew David Young, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2013 Supervisor: James Buhler The comic book superhero film has become a mainstay amongst Hollywood blockbuster films.
[Show full text]
Film Marketing and the Creation of the Hollywood Blockbuster Colton J
University of Mississippi eGrove Honors College (Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors Theses Honors College) 2015 Film Marketing and the Creation of the Hollywood Blockbuster Colton J. Herrington University of Mississippi. Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis Part of the Public Relations and Advertising Commons Recommended Citation Herrington, Colton J., "Film Marketing and the Creation of the Hollywood Blockbuster" (2015). Honors Theses. 219. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/219 This Undergraduate Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College (Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College) at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FILM MARKETING & THE CREATION OF THE HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER by Colton Jordan Herrington A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Mississippi in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. Oxford 2015 Approved by _____________________________________________ Advisor: Dr. James Lumpp _____________________________________________ Reader: Professor Scott Fiene _____________________________________________ Reader: Dr. Victoria Bush © 2015 Colton Jordan Herrington ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii This thesis is dedicated to my favorite fellow cinephile - my brother and best friend Brock. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank both Dr. James Lumpp for his constant guidance, advice, and insight and my family for their unwavering love, support, and encouragement. iv ABSTRACT COLTON JORDAN HERRINGTION – Film Marketing and American Cinema: The Creation of the Hollywood Blockbuster The purpose of this study is to trace the Hollywood blockbuster from its roots, gain insight into how Steven Spielberg’s Jaws and George Lucas’ Star Wars ushered in the “Blockbuster Era”, and explore how the blockbuster has evolved throughout the subsequent decades into its current state.
[Show full text]
Indian Science Fiction Cinema an Overview
Indian Science Fiction Cinema: An Overview - Liverpool Schol... http://liverpool.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.5949/li... Liverpool Scholarship Online Business and Management Film, Television and Radio Linguistics Political Science Classical Studies History Literature Society and Culture The Liverpool Companion to World Science Fiction Film Sonja Fritzsche Go to page: Go Print publication date: 2014 Print ISBN-13: 9781781380383 Published to Liverpool Scholarship Online: January 2015 DOI: 10.5949/liverpool/9781781380383.001.0001 Download chapter (pdf) Indian Science Fiction Cinema: An Overview Jessica Langer Dominic Alessio DOI:10.5949/liverpool/9781781380383.003.0004 Abstract and Keywords Big budget Indian productions such as Koi… mil Gaya (I…Found Someone, dir. Rakesh Roshan 2003), its sequel Krissh (dir. Rakesh Roshan 2006), Love Story 2050 (dir. Harry Baweja 2008) and Krissh 3 (dir. Rakesh Roshan, 2013), all demonstrate that science fiction has become a major box-office draw in India and its diaspora. This chapter traces the literary origins and history of Indian science fiction film. Whilst doing so it also examines the influences, both international and local, which have gone into these productions. The chapter suggests that whilst borrowing heavily from Hollywood and the western science fiction tradition, Indian science fiction cinema is not entirely imitative. As a genre we suggest that it displays a cinematic tradition quite distinct, such as the inclusion of musical numbers, alongside certain significant Indian thematic elements, such as strong religious and Hindu nationalist references. Thus Indian science fiction cinema provides the possibility for not only generating significant revenue for the industry as a whole, but also remonstrating against ‘the homogenising impulses of Hollywood’ (Vasudevan 2000) whilst at the same time imitating its forms and styles.
[Show full text]
1 the Big Screen
E L P M The big screen lesson 1 Vocabulary 1 UNIT 1 A ARE YOU A FILM FAN? Let's find out! S 1 Who is Hermione 3 How many extras Granger in the Harry were in The Lord of Potter films? the Rings fantasy E a the lead actor/actress films? b one of the main a about 200 characters b 2,000 E c a supporting actor/actress c more than 20,000 2 Which of these films 4 What types of filmsR is had the biggest cast the American director of movie stars? Steven Spielberg a the superhero film, famous for? (clue:F E.T., Avengers: Infinity War Jurassic Park and b the musical, Mamma Mia Indiana Jones ) a horror films c the animated film, Shrek b romantic films and comedies c action films, thrillers and science fiction films Well done – you’re definitely a film buff! buff! film a definitely you’re – done Well 4 E You’re a film fan, but not quite an expert yet! expert an quite not but fan, film a You’re 2–3 3 Perhaps you just aren’t into films … … films into aren’t just you Perhaps 0–1 Guess the film! Are you a film fan? film a you LAre It’s a superhero action film, and the director is Jon Watts. The lead 1 is 1 P Tom Holland – he plays Peter Parker, types of films people in film the main 2 . Zendaya is the 3 actress – she animated film lead actor/actressM plays Peter’s classmate Michelle Jones.
[Show full text]