I’ve been a comic book fan for a few years now, and I’ve amassed an okay-ish amount of physical and digital comics during that time. As my social media feeds suggest (as well as actual conversations with me), I would like to believe that I have enough nerd credibility to discuss this hot take of mine: live action superhero movies could never capture the pizazz that comic books have.
Let me begin this post by saying I don’t necessarily think live-action superhero movies are bad (although some really are bad…. hello non-Zack Snyder version of Justice League…). Sure, stuff like the MCU movies are very good in terms of cinematic quality, the continuity between one film and another, star power, etc. They’re good films with good stories that pique the interests of casual or non-superhero fans. Five years ago, people generally would say “who’s that?” when Thanos’ name is mentioned. Now literally everyone wants to make Thanos’ snap memes.
And that’s good. Nobody likes gatekeepers in any hobby, so I for one welcome people who to the very least got interested in nerdy/geeky things because of mainstream superhero movies. No, this hot take is more of a personal preference thing.
The thing with mainstream movies like the MCU films are made by big film production companies with profit in mind (again, norhing wrong with that). With that in mind, the story writers have to balance between making it enjoyable/believable for casual fans while catering to the hardcore comic book fans. That’s perfectly understandable. Comic books are filled with mind-numbing, ridiculous stories that generally only appeal to those who are into the medium (as with all hobbies).
Try injecting those convoluted plots into the veins of casual observers, and they might reject the whole concept of comic books as a whole.
Take Darkseid (DC’s big cosmic bad guy, Thanos’ parallel) for example. He’s in constant search of the Anti-Life Equation, a mathematical formula that pretty much takes away the free will of sentient beings. One component of the equation is found in the hearts of men, so he sends his servant, a New God named Glorious Godfrey on Earth to become a… talk show host, spreading propaganda on Earth to turn its denizens against the Justice League, in preparation for Darkseid’s invasion.
Yes that is an actual comic book plot. I’m a fan, and even I think that’s a little over the top. Casual fans might think it’s just downright stupid. Use that as a film plot in a mainstream movies, and I doubt a studio recoups its production budget.
Also, some aspects of comic books could never be replicated in mainstream movies. A perfect example is that classic panel with nothing but “KA-POW” written in bold and colorful letters, denoting a powerful punch. That’s an iconic part of the Golden Age of comics that really wouldn’t work well in movies. But that sort of aesthetic is very comic book-ish (although, granted, the serious books nowadays like Detective Comics and Batman don’t use them, save for obvious vintage clapbacks).
And CGI can only go so far when recreating the physics-defying actions found in comic books.
That’s why I personally prefer animated superhero movies to live action ones. Since they’re animated–meaning made in the same way comics are made, but with motion, they can capture everything that make comic books great and add even more flair.
It is widely accepted that the MCU movies are the best live action superhero movies. But Marvel currently has nothing on DC’s Original Animated movies. DC’s lineup includes animated adaptions of classic comic book stories like Batman: Year One, Batman: Under The Red Hood and Batman: The Killing Joke, as well as original stories like the newly released Justice League Vs. The Fatal Five and classic 1993 animated film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (which many regard as the OG that started the whole concept of full-on animated superheo films). The DCOAM are top notch productions that give nerds an alternative to watching superhero movies.
This isn’t to say Marvel’s animated movie game is weak. I mean, they do have Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse, one of the most popular animated movies today.
Regardless of allegiances, I am just glad there are plenty of animated movies to choose from in order for us to indulge in our nerdy cravings
In closing, I’d like to reiterate that mainstream superhero movies, for the most part, are good, cinematic experiences. It’s just that, for me, from a comic book fan’s perspective, they just don’t give me the thrill that comic books, and by extension animated adaptations of said books, do.
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