Jun. 17th, 2013

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Critique and discussion of superhero movies and how they relate to our broader Western culture (because they're almost exclusively Western-produced movies) are really, really needed in the public discourse now, considering the sheer number of them we have. But so many essays, like this one, try ... and yet, fall short of the mark. A couple of the reader comments point out the writer doesn't seem to be very conversant with the 'verses she's writing about.

I don't know if that's true, but her essay does seem awfully broad on points and short on supportive details, even though overall, I do agree with her (detail one: Fans didn't shun the makers of "The Last Stand" because it departed from canon - they shunned it because it's a shitty movie. I'm pretty sure there are at least parts of it that hew to canon).

The one person who seems to miss the point of the "gods" reference amuses me. I'm pretty sure the writer doesn't literally mean there are people praying to these fictional superheroes to cure their mothers of cancer or get them through finals; she's referring to mythological gods that, long after they stopped being worshiped as actual gods, were still the focus of much interest and curiosity from a storytelling and emulation POV.

The point I think she hits the best, though, is about female characters. How many times have we read this in fandom, that they need to be better fleshed-out in stories and movies? It's true because ... well, it's true. (The little piece of excrement in the comments who whines about people wanting girls to encroach on the boys' sacred penis-mentors makes me want to vomit and hit him, simultaneously. WAHHHH, YOUR ICKY GIRL-HEROES WILL REDUCE THE NUMBER OF MY BOY-HEROES. Except how it won't. As much as I like to write male characters, if somebody else writes more female characters, IT WILL NOT LESSEN MY ABILITY TO WRITE MALE CHARACTERS AS I PLEASE. I MEAN, SHIT, SON.)

But this is a given point. My question is, do male-led non-romance movies do better at the box office only because there are so many more of them, or because there's something about them that is more appealing business-wise, for audiences to spend their money? And, if so, what? Let's put aside the idea that misogynism rules - even if it actually does - and from a purely business POV, what element does a female-led movie need to earn well? We know female-led movies can make money; as the essay writer points out, the "Hunger Games" movie did well, and the rest of the series seems to be well-anticipated. I would class "Bridesmaids" as a successful movie led by women (I don't consider it a "romance" film despite the fact it's got a wedding in it, because it's not about the romance). I don't know how the Bullock-McCarthy police movie "The Heat" is going to do at the box office, but when I went to see it at least, I enjoyed it and would pay to see it again.

And let's not forget the big female-led movie that broke $100 million and proved it could be done, back in 2001, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider." You can joke all you like about fanboys going for the boobs, but the fact is, it DID earn ($100 million 12 years ago was still notable for any movie). There's no doubt this movie was helped by its video game precursor ... so why does something like the Wonder Woman movie keep getting shoved back? That's got DECADES of comics, a successful TV show, and generations of fans to call on as a potential buying audience. With all the fucking Superman and Spider-Man and Batman reboots being made, there should be NO QUESTION WHATSOEVER that ONE Wonder Woman movie could bring in big bucks, provided it too is written well (most of those "man" movies I cited are pretty good, to be fair; only a handful are just horribly written).

So, back to my question: What do you think a female-led movie needs to attract the kinds of spending audiences required to keep them being made? No sarcasm, seriously - what would get Wonder Woman made that would make us women satisfied and also appeal to men, story-wise? (Besides me or you know, actual talented female screenwriters writing it, that is. :-D )

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