film

film - Superhero film

Photograph by sprklgon Flickr.

It began with the surprise hit of Bryan Singer s X-Men (2000) which also became a film franchise but with film Superhero film less violence than the Blade series. Several such as Darkman, The Meteor Man, Up, Up, and Away, The Incredibles and film Hancock, are original. Almost immediately after superheroes rose to prominence in comic books, they were adapted into Saturday movie serials aimed at children, starting with Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941).

A superhero film, superhero movie, or superhero motion picture film Disaster film is an action, fantasy or science fiction film that is focused on the actions of one or more superheroes, individuals who usually possess superhuman abilities relative to a normal person. Many sequels and spin-offs were also released throughout the decade, including Blade II (2002), X2: X-Men United (2003), Spider-Man 2 (2004), Blade: Trinity (2004), Elektra (2005), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Spider-Man 3 (2007), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) and X-Men spin-off X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Non-Hollywood superhero films also were released including the American/Spanish production Faust: Love of the Damned (2001), Japan s Ultraman (2004), Bollywood s Krrish (2006) and Thailand s Mercury Man (2006).

Craig Mazin directed the more direct parody Superhero Movie, released in 2008. . Serials such as Batman (1943), The Phantom (1943), Captain America (1944), and Superman (1948) followed. In the coming decades, the decline of Saturday serials and turmoil in the comic book industry put an end to superhero motion pictures, with the exception of episodes of the television series Adventures of Superman, starring George Reeves, which had been compiled for theatrical release, and Batman (1966) a big-screen extension of the Batman television series starring Adam West. Richard Donner s Superman (1978), the first major superhero feature film, proved a critical success and a commercial hit.

These films are almost always action-oriented, and the first film of a particular character often includes a focus on the origin of the special powers including the first fight against the character s most famous archenemy or supervillain. The plot typically revolves around the efforts of the superheroes to thwart some dire peril of significant consequence. Most superhero movies are adapted from comic books, where they are most prominent.

In the film, the character Brodie Bruce describes the process: After X-Men hit at the box office, the movie companies started buying out every comic property they could get their dirty little hands on . The success of Superman wore into the 1980s, as more successful entries emerged throughout the decade, beginning with Richard Lester s Superman II (1980) and ending with Tim Burton s Batman (1989). The 2000s brought forward some of the most profitable superhero franchises in history.

With high ticket and DVD sales, several new superhero films were released every year in the 2000s, including Daredevil (2003), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), Hulk (2003), Catwoman (2004), Hellboy (2004), Fantastic Four (2005), Ghost Rider (2007), Iron Man (2008), and Watchmen (2009). Several non-action film oriented superhero films were released in the 2000s with varying ranges of success. Some series from the current and previous decades were also re-released, such as Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006). A Superman Returns sequel was planned for 2009 but delayed and later scrapped in favor of a reboot. Kevin Smith s 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, parodies film companies seemingly compulsive purchase of comic book film rights with Bluntman and Chronic .

Mark Hamill s 2004 parody Comic Book: The Movie, about a comic book fan and a film adaptation of his favorite character, was released direct-to-video and achieved mild success, garnering a cult following among comic book readers.