Ages of Comic Book Movies Genre

Television, Movies Games and Books Comics
#1

First, I would like to thank Chuck for bringing my theories on Comic Book Movie ages in the realm of public knowledge but I would like to correct it just a bit and elaborate at the same time.

The Golden Age :
Started with Superman The Movie by Richard Donner.
At that point the goal was to get an adaptation of the comic. TV ad define the idea of something campy and funny. George Reeves Superman as well as Adam West Batman left a long lasting impression on the public and the producers felt that this was the way to approach the medium (see the 1979 NBC Legends of the Superheroes) . llya Salkind started the project in 1973 and went trough a lot of iteration before Richard Donner Found a new angle, if the public could buy the love story they would believe in the character.
In short, he humanize the Superhero. Everything from that point on revolve around that. The Incredible Hulk TV show add the same concept of that man on the run trying to find his humanity. When Superman collapse on itself dew to bad production value and internal struggle Warner Bros who newly acquire DCcomic got the Batman machine on and reproduce the Superman model.

1.Academy Award Villain
2.Unlikely main Cast
3.Set it up in its own world
4.Love story intricate to the main plot
5.Incredible Special Effect
6.High contrast color
7.Costume that reflect a perfect body (like Greek myth)
8.Story is heavily inspire by original material

Also see Flash TV show, The 1990 film Captain America, 1994 unreleased The Fantastic Four, Dick Tracy, The Swamp Thing television series. The Punisher with Dolph Lungren and many more.

The Silver Age:
Blade is the father if the Silver Age.
He was a minor Marvel comic character with no particular selling appeal. David Goyer, who wrote the movie, approach the medium with more fluidity. What if this is now? In our world and that the focus is not on the hero prowess our power but use them more in a plot related story (X-men is a great example of that). New Line went to get a unlikely director for the genre, Stephen Norrington, and they went on their way to produce an Horror/Action movie. Not a Comic book movie.

Blade made a tone of cash and Marvel found a way to get out of their financial trouble. They went nuclear and produce on the same model an incredible list of movie film that finally define the genre as in interesting thing to do or produce. In a time where number start to be more pro-eminent that artistic value the studio like the fact that the publicity for the film as been going on for 40+ years. The Blade model still work.

1.Ground the character in the spectator reality
2.Improvise with the costume
3.An origin story must be include
4.Unlikely cast
5.Approach the genre in another angle (drama, triller, action, etc…)
6.Semi Alist actor ( at that point in time, Hugh Jacman, Eric Bana, Ben Affleck, Halle Berry, Toby Maguire
7.The story lead the character and not the opposite
8.Editing to the service of the story and not to replicate panel

See:X-Men series, Spider-man series, Hulk(Ang Lee) Daredevil, Fantastic Four serie, The Punisher(Tomas Jane), Superman Return.

The Bronze Age:
Batman became a joke again and after at the end of the 90’s but Warner wanted to play that card again. After a long development they left the reign to Christopher Nolan and, ironically, David Goyer. What would define this age is less definite since we’re at the beginning but the grip on reality is closer. Cross-pollination is the new Franchise. How to import character from one film to the other.
Iron Man + Captain America + Thor = The avenger.

Christopher Nolan after reinventing Batman with the Dark Knight as been given the overseeing of the new Superman franchise with a Green Lantern movie on the work from Martin Campbell ( Casino Royal).
Marvel(Disney) is ‘‘Rebooting’’ all their franchise to be in the same world as they did with The Incredible Hulk and a new Fantastic Four Reboot. Captain America as been announce to be with the Invaders in the 40’s (so yes Nazi’s Sean) to bring more characters into the mix. Sony is Rebooting Spider-Man… already!

Story telling as been refine and rotate more around motivation of the different character. The why become more important then the how. Costume have been redesign to be more of a tool.

I would put in the mix Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Wanted and future project.

So this is it. Of course some movie just don’t fit the bill, like Watchmen witch is more an inspire from what came before a bit like the comic original (batnipple on Ozzimandias). V for Vandetta or Hellboy.

That is just a theories tough. I have nothing to back this up.

#2

I’m good as long as we don’t go through the pouches, armor, and super-grit 90’s phase of comics lol

#3

Bronze Age actually refers to the early seventies to somewhere in the eighties.

I remember the first time I saw the term “Bronze Age” and realized it was all the books I read as a kid. Man, that’ll make you feel old.

#4

What’s after bronze anyway? Tin? Aluminum?

20 years from now what will this age be named?

#5

Tehbest “they” have thus far is the Modern Age

#6

But, technically the Modern Age will go on forever. I mean 20 years from now will this age still be Modern? The future age will be called Post Modern? d:

#7

Ahh I see – you want future context – Personally I would dub it the renaissance period. We left the dark ages of the 90’s to enter a new age of comic enlightenment.

#8

I’m going with “Copper Age”

#9

I suck big time, what I get for not reading. I thought this was comics not comic movies sorry for confusing things.

#10

yeah–Tin Age…just sounds sucky. Liek Howard the Duck movies sucky :smiley:

#11

Let me know when we get to the adamantium age!

Where is Stan Lee’s Oscar?!

//youtu.be/g3J6Q9TXCxU

Excelsior!

#12

I like that. Or, even the Iron (Man) Age. d:

With those two alone, they could stretch out the ages another 50 years.

The Modern Age is 30-40 years now? Bronze ended in the 80s right?

Thanks for that (embedding was disabled though). I do seriously hope he gets some props for all his movie work though.

#13

No, you’re right. But the ‘age’ terms aren’t usually applied to movies, so I was providing context.

#14

Bronze ended mid-eightyish. Modern would be about 25 at this point. Although ‘ages’ are usually designated well after the fact, so we’ll see. (Get ready kids. Your comics are going to be assigned a historical ‘age’ sooner than you think.)

They’re all kind of arbitrary, I’d start modern with First Comics.

#15

Thanks. I meant ended in the 70s, which is how I got 30-40. Kinda funny if Crisis of Infinite Earths ended/started Bronze/Modern.

#16

So… no Deadpool movie? :frowning:

#17

It’s the Diamond age baby!

#18

The first Modern Superhero movie, the first that took like the trappings of the Superhero, the trappings and style and more importantly to make it COOL was The Matrix.

#19

Techniquely The Matrix came out in 1999 and blade in 1997. Blade already introduce the heavy wirework and martial aspect as well as the same kind of suit (long black coat, glasses as the “mask”, suit that don’t look like greek god bodie) and editing that follow the fighting style.

Matrix got the formula down perfectly, better then a lot of movies that came after. X-men came out the same year as The Matrix, so they probably have been produce at the same time.

But your right, it open the door to a certain coolenest and way to make special effect that require the character to have a certain “power” for the public to suspend there disbelief and appreciate those effect without thinking, this is impossible.

#20

Slightly off topic: Blade is such a dope movie