A golden era of comic book films

Two nights ago I saw Batman Begins and became convinced that there has been no better time for comic book translations to cinema. As my husband would say, "Mr. Mom--who?" Sure, the Burton films were good, and the Superman films of the 80's were definitely fun; but only in the past few years have we gotten films that capture not only the excitement and action but also the psychology and nuance of comic book superheroes.

This is not to say there haven't been some duds in there: Daredevil, Elektra, Catwoman, and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen all were sub-par; but they represent a natural side-effect to highly successful films like X-Men and Spider-Man. Movie studios see that one film is critically acclaimed and makes loads of dough at the box-office, so they green-light more of the same, except some of them aren't so good or don't have the pop that brings in the fans. Flop.

These aside, what Bryan Singer did for X-Men, what Sam Raimi did for Spider-Man, and now what Christopher Nolan has done for Batman Begins is a thing of beauty. These directors took their subject matter with seriousness, devotion, and understanding. They wiped away the cheese that is often associated with comic books and gave their heroes real humanity and life. The actors did the rest.

After seeing Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, I knew no one else would ever again be that character in my mind. Similarly Christian Bale has supplanted all previous Batmans. These two just fit perfectly, playing both hero and alter-ego with insight and style. Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart proved them irreplaceable as Wolverine, Magneto, and Professor X respectively. First let me note that while each of these actors are well-known, and so could have brought too much of themselves to their roles, but instead each became the character, stepping out of themselves and their actor personas. And because of it, their acting is superb.

Amazingly both directors and actors outdid themselves in the sequels of X-Men and Spider-Man, which proved that sequels don't have to be a rehash of the first, that they can build upon the original film's momentum and raise the stakes for the audience (ah-hem, The Empire Strikes Back). Batman Begins finishes with a tease for a sequel, and I am hoping beyond hope that Nolan and the cast will return for that sequel ASAP.

I've not yet talked about the linchpin of this golden era of comic book movies: Sin City. I suppose if you bring in the author of the comic to help direct, you'll have a film that captures the essence of the comic, but I was not prepared for how well it did it. Sin City was sublime: beautiful and horrible at the very same moment.

I hope that upcoming films will strengthen rather than weaken this pinnacle period of comic book movies. My husband has high hopes for Fantastic Four, and I await Joss Whedon's take on Wonder Woman. Bryan Singer is now trying his hand at Superman--I don't much like the looks of the actor chosen to play the Man of Steel, but I saw what Singer did with X-Men, so there is hope. What will happen with X-Men 3 though? Can it compare to the first two or will it drop in quality like Batman and Robin did after the Burton films?

Perhaps the future is uncertain, but here is my answer for now:
Get thee to a theater and enjoy the show!